Weekly birding round-up: 6 - 12 Feb 2024
Unsettled seems to be the most overworked word in the TV weather forecasts lately – it’s certainly been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the past week, and seems set to do so for the week to come. But what do we expect – it is winter still, after all. And that meant, in the past week and depending on where in Britain or Ireland one found oneself, variously torrential rain, bright sunshine, feisty wind, or snow. Or any or all of the above. But what birds did that augur?
If I had a pound for every time I’ve unthinkingly typed Sociable Plover this past fortnight, I’d have… well, enough for a small macaroni pie for my lunch today. It isn’t just me who stumbles on the whole Sociable Lapwing thing, is it?
Anyway, before we vanish down that particular rabbit hole and go all Zitting Cisticola until we’re red in the face, let’s drop the needle back in the groove, and head to Cornwall this week. There, at Ruan Lanihorne, the recently found Sociable Lapwing continued to do the decent thing and stuck around as the new week began, remaining present there until 9th.
But thereafter, no further sign of it was forthcoming. Will it turn up again this winter somewhere nearby, or is that the show over completely? And if so, for how long..
Proving more amenable still, the fine drake Baikal Teal remained in Somerset at Greylake RSPB this week, a daily and delightful fixture there on 6th-11th. How we collectively ached, not so many years back, for a twitchable example of his kind. Now there must be other ducks we set our yearning sights upon.
While not the rarest of seabirds to make the daily news reports this week, there was little doubt that the return of the juvenile White-billed Diver to the waters off Southend Pier (Essex) on 7th-10th was the seabird event of the week for a good few folk. Any of these banana-bills showing reliably is always a bit of an event, and especially so in southern England. In more traditional, northerly quarters this week additional birds were seen in Orkney off North Ronaldsay on 12th, Westray on 8th, and Stronsay on 6th; and a probable was seen from Ruddon’s Point (Fife) on 11th.
Meanwhile in Ireland, the adult Double-crested Cormorant was still present on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim) on 7th-10th.
Our only Little Auk of the week was a single bird noted off Burghead (Moray) on 11th.
Numbers of Glossy Ibis remained more or less constant in recent days, with around 15 birds noted nationwide. Our peak count came, once more, at Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire) where the regular trio still present on 6th rose to four birds there on 8th; and three were again seen at Westhay Moor NNR (Somerset) on 11th-12th.
We’ll start the honkers and quackers where we left off the long-legged beasties, in Hampshire, which were there an award for goose of the week would surely have taken the title with the fine Red-breasted Goose found in the Keyhaven area on 7th-12th – the last Hampshire record came a full decade ago, so another chance at this attractive species would have been most welcome locally. Further recent birds were seen again this week at Cley (Norfolk) on 6th and 9th-10th, and Holme Dunes NWT on 11th; in the Budle Bay area (Northumberland) on 7th-12th; Islay (Argyll & Bute) again on 11th; at Wallasea Island RSPB (Essex) again on 12th; and still present in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Martin Mere WWT on 8th-10th.
In Scotland the white Snow Goose remained at Dingwall (Highland & Caithness) on 7th-10th; the North Uist (Western Isles) bird remained there on 6th-10th also; and the white morph on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) still on 12th for good measure. In Wrexham the recent blue morph remained present at Llay Pools on 7th-11th; and the blue and white morphs were again seen at Lady’s Island Lake (Co.Wexford) on 11th.
On 7th Black Brant were again seen in East Yorkshire at Kilnsea, and in Essex at Fleet Head; and another was seen on 11th-12th at The Cull (Co.Wexford).
Finally, a possible hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose was seen on 12th at Ballintemple (Co.Sligo).
Onto the quackers, and for the most part it was pretty much business as recently usual. We’ll start on Inishmore (Co.Galway), where the juvenile female White-winged Scoter was once more seen on 10th. The drake Black Scoter was also reported again on 10th off Holkham Gap (Norfolk), and proved to still be present there as the week drew to a close on 12th.
Back in Ireland, two Surf Scoter remained off Inch (Co.Kerry) still on 8th, the drake off Curracloe (Co.Wexford) still on 7th-9th, one off Gormanstown (Co.Meath) on 11th still, and one off Ben Head (Co.Meath) on 11th; while two birds lingered off Llandulas (Conwy) on 7th-12th, one off Feock (Cornwall) still on 11th, and a final bird for the week was seen off Tentsmuir (Fife) on 12th.
The drake King Eider remained off Joppa (Lothian) on 6th-12th.
Scotland again had the bulk of the week’s American Wigeon, with three birds seen nationwide lately – drakes at Cloddach Quarry (Moray) on 7th-12th still; at Crook of Baldoon RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway) on 6th-12th still; and at Newshot Island Clyde) on 9th-11th still. A drake was seen at Wet Moor (Somerset) on 10th; while the Inishmore (Co.Galway) individual remained there on 10th also.
Green-winged Teal went from strength to strength, with at least 25 birds logged across Britain and Ireland over the course of the week, and potentially a couple more besides with at least a dash of the Nearctic about them – a bird at Bell Harbour (Co.Clare) still on 7th-10th carried the potential hybrid caveat, while a bird in Shetland at Boddam on 10th was presumed to be a second-generation hybrid.
The two settled Ferruginous Duck remained in Norfolk on Filby Broad on 10th-11th, while another was again present in Cambridgeshire at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB on 6th-7th, and the drake was again reported at Misson (Nottinghamshire) on 11th.
Ring-necked Ducks again nudged the 30 birds mark as a whole across Britain and Ireland this week, with several sites harbouring multiple birds once more. Our peak count was four present at Rostaff Turlough (Co.Mayo) still on 6th, and four again at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) on 11th; while duos were seen on Colgagh Lough (Co.Sligo) again on 9th; on Kilkee Reservoir (Co.Clare) still on 7th; on Lisvane Reservoir (Glamorgan) still on 6th-11th; and passing through Ochiltree (Ayrshire) on 9th.
The recent flock of five Lesser Scaup remained on Abberton Reservoir (Essex) on 6th-12th; while three were again reported at Lower Tamar Lakes (Devon / Cornwall) on 8th. 30th still. Pembrokeshire retained single birds at Bosherston Lily Ponds on 7th-11th, and Penberry Reservoir on 7th-12th. In Scotland, birds remained on South Uist (Western Isles) on 7th-10th, and at Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) again on 7th-11th. Final birds for the week were seen in Co.Armagh on 10th-12th at Oxford Island NR, and on the Exe Estuary (Devon) off Powderham on 11th.
The week’s waders begin in Somerset, where the female Kentish Plover remained at Burnham-on-Sea on 6th-12th.
In addition to the Long-billed Dowitcher still present in East Sussex this week at Cuckmere Haven on 6th-12th, Norfolk got back in the action again with a bird present at Breydon Water on 7th-11th.
Also putting in another appearance, in East Yorkshire the Lesser Yellowlegs was back at Swine Moor on 9th-10th, while the steadfast bird remained in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh RSPB still on 6th-12th.
A final possible Nearctic flourish came in the form of a reported White-rumped Sandpiper on Hayle Estuary (Cornwall) on 9th.
Finally, the settled Grey Phalarope was last seen this week at Longhaugh Point (Clyde) on 6th; a singleton was seen off Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire) on 7th; and four passing Nybster (Highland & Caithness) on 9th.
Onto the bin bag botherers, where Ring-billed Gulls enjoyed a somewhat better week than of late, nudging towards double figures. Ireland enjoyed the lion’s share of their kind – in Co.Kerry two were noted at Blennerville on 10th in the wake of an adult still at Tralee Bay Wetlands on 7th-9th, and preceding two at the latter site again on 11th; the adult remained at Blackrock (Co.Louth) on 7th; and the bird at Ring (Co.Cork) on 7th-9th. The Hayle Estuary (Cornwall) bird was still to be seen there on 6th-12th; the Strathclyde Loch (Clyde) bird still present on 9th-12th; and a first-winter was found at Black Pill (Glamorgan) on 9th.
Numbers of white-wingers remained stubbornly subdued, with around 25 birds apiece of both Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull seen across the region, with no appreciable single site gatherings of either to report amongst them.
That said, there were still some widely scattered Kumlien’s Gulls to be seen. In Cornwall the adult continued to kick around the Mousehole area on 6th-9th, while the recent juvenile was again seen on Hayle Estuary on 6th and 9th. A third-winter was seen at Amwell NR (Hertfordshire) on 9th, while the third-winter remained at Widnes (Cheshire & Wirral) on 7th. Further north still, the adult bird remained at Helmsdale (Highland & Caithness) on 7th-11th; and an adult was seen on Westray (Orkney) on 8th.
In Wales this week it was to be National Wetlands Centre WWT (Carmarthenshire) that proved most reliable for sightings of Pallid Harrier, on 6th, 8th and 10th respectively; elsewhere, sightings were made at Salthouse Point (Glamorgan) and Castlemartin Corse (Pembrokeshire) again on 7th; on 11th at Whiteford NNR (Glamorgan); and on 12th at Pembrey (Carmarthenshire) and Llanrhidian Marsh (Glamorgan) again. In Norfolk, the second-winter female continued to linger in the Warham Greens area on 6th-12th. A probable bird was logged on 11th at Spurn Bird Observatory (East Yorkshire).
One of the recent pair of juvenile Rough-legged Buzzards was still to be found in North Yorkshire at Rosedale Moor on 6th-12th, with both birds again seen there on 10th and 12th. Another was reported on 7th at Halkirk (Highland & Caithness).
Decent passerines grew ever harder to come by this past week, with even the Waxwing winter waning at this juncture…
Just a few Great Grey Shrikes were noted in recent days – one still on Budby Common (Nottinghamshire) on 7th-12th, one again in Derbyshire at Leash Fen on 10th, and the bird near Tomintoul (Moray) again on 11th-12th.
In Shetland, on Mainland the Black-bellied Dipper remained working the length of the Burn of Lunklet on 8th. A further possible bird was seen on 11th-12th on Horton Burn at Cramlington (Northumberland).
The recent Richard’s Pipit was once more seen outside Awre (Gloucestershire) on 10th.
And in one final small flourish for the passerines, the Little Bunting was still showing in Kent at Godmersham Park on 6th-10th.
All very quiet this week…
It’s tempting to conclude that the third week of February is still very much in the throes of winter, with all the gull and duck action that entails, and yet the first green shoots of spring are definitely out there. Wild daffodils and snowdrops are doing their thing, and birds are on the move. As the past week closed the first Mistle Thrushes and a Common Crane of the year made landfall in Shetland…
…which should give hope to us all. As should a glance at the historic records for the past half century. Even at this very early juncture in spring proceedings, there’s some small precedent for hope – the Alpine Swift that snuck into Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) airspace on 18th February 1998, the Great Spotted Cuckoo found at Ringaskiddy (Co.Cork) on 15th February 2009, and a couple of Red-rumped Swallow for good measure.
Not that one swallow a summer makes, and nor do those outlandishly early records make much of a compelling omen for the week ahead – though there are definitely some hints of southerlies in the coming week, so never say never.
What’s definitely got some past history in the week ahead is American Herring Gull. Almost 20 accepted records across Britain and Ireland and, while nowhere near as attractive as fancy cuckoo or a dapper swift, they’ve got a certain devil-may-care allure all their own. One for the purists to keep a careful eye peeled for this coming week.
Jon Dunn
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
Share
