Weekly birding round-up: 20 - 26 Feb 2024
More signs of the imminence of spring were out there for the finding this week, with birds on the move, whether they were early Swallows or House Martins hawking on the south coast, or Pied Wagtails heading through the Western Isles. While lovely to see, these aren’t the birds we’re in the game for. We want the rarities, and this week duly obliged with another gift from the incomparable autumn of 2023.
Bird of the week by a country mile, and potentially bird of the year by a county mile for Ayrshire, has to be the wintering Myrtle Warbler discovered in a Kilwinning garden on 20th.
Given what a deluge of Nearctic warblers made landfall in Britain and Ireland during the unprecedented fall of autumn 2023, it was with hindsight something of a surprise that there wasn’t a Myrtle Warbler in their number. Heaven knows almost everything else already on the British list was represented… But nope, not a thing – until now. And there’s time yet for more still to be unearthed as the weather warms and birds get on the move once more.
But back to Ayrshire this week. Not, with the utmost respect to the county, perhaps high on the list of locations where we might reasonably have expected an American wood warbler to be found. If precedent was anything to go by, it was the Scottish islands that have made all the running for the species to date, Shetland boasting half a dozen records, and Orkney and the Western Isles three apiece. That said, none of those were found at this unlikely time of year.
And then again, why not Ayrshire? If a housing estate in Kent was good enough for the Western Palearctic’s first Golden-winged Warbler, why ever not Ayrshire for a wintering Myrtle Warbler?
And what an obliging bird this week’s Myrtle Warbler proved to be, still present as darkness fell in the evening of 26th, having shown daily and, at times, superbly well to a stream of admirers.
Returning to where we began, though… what else is out there waiting to be found? Surely there’s something interesting lurking in the damp, sheltered nooks of Pembrokeshire…
The opening salvo of the week’s seabirds was, naturally, the Double-crested Cormorant still present recently on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim) on 21st-25th. Familiarity could simply never breed contempt for a bird of its rarity stature.
Otherwise, it was still quiet times on the seabird front, with a couple of Cornish records of Pomarine Skua notable given the species absence from the dailies for a while now – a single bird seen, respectively, from Pendennis Point on 23rd and Porthoustock on 24th.
A Little Auk was also reported from Cornwall this week, passing Pendeen on 22nd.
Several small parties of Glossy Ibis helped to make up the numbers again this week, albeit all were known birds and there was little sign of much movement amongst any of their kind nationwide. Starting in Devon, three were still present at Fremington Pill on 20th-25th; on the Somerset Levels at Shapwick Heath NNR four remained present on 20th-25th; three were still to be seen in Hampshire at Titchfield Haven NNR on 20th-24th. Overall, 17 birds were reported nationwide during the week, slightly down on the prior week’s return.
Starting the honkers and quackers once more with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, an interior Todd’s Canada Goose at Banks Marsh NNR (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 24th had been present there for a fortnight beforehand. Ireland gave us our hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Geese this week – in Co.Sligo at Lissadell on 23rd and Ballintemple on 24th-25th; and at Dunfanaghy New Lake (Co.Donegal) on 23rd still.
Apparently loth to leave its newfound Greylag Goose mates just yet, the Lesser White-fronted Goose was again seen in north Kent at Swale NNR on 20th.
Having a quieter week than of late, just a couple of Red-breasted Goose sightings came in – one on Islay (Argyll & Bute) still on 21st-24th, and one again in Norfolk near Wells on 24th.
The white Snow Goose remained in Highland & Caithness on 20th near Halkirk.
Essex again gave us Black Brant, this week seen on 20th at Southey Creek, and on 25th at Mersea Island.
Onto the quackers, and erstwhile headliner the drake Baikal Teal was still sitting pretty at Greylake RSPB (Somerset) on 20th-25th.
In Ireland, the drake Black Duck was also still up for grabs at Cross Lough (Co.Mayo) on 21st-25th.
Scotland continued to boss sightings of American Wigeon, not least at Cloddach Quarry (Moray) where, on 20th, two drakes were again seen; one remained present there until 22nd; elsewhere single birds remained at Newshot Island (Clyde) on 22nd-25th, Loch Spynie (Moray) on 20th-22nd, on Orkney at Graemeshall Loch on Mainland on 25th still, and finally on 25th in Lothian at Cobbinshaw Reservoir. In North Yorkshire, one remained at Bubwith Ings on 20th-26th.
A shade over a dozen Green-winged Teal were noted this past week, with 16 birds in all reported nationwide.
Recent drake Ferruginous Duck were again seen in recent days at Misson (Nottinghamshire) on 20th, and once more in Hampshire at Titchfield Haven NNR on 20th-24th and Hook-with-Warsash LNR on 25th.
Numbers of Ring-necked Duck remained high, with around 30 in all seen nationwide, with a couple of decent aggregations of their kind helping boost their tally overall. Starting in Ireland, four remained on Kilkee Reservoir (Co.Clare) on 22nd; and two on Colgagh Lough (Co.Sligo) on 22nd-24th. In England, numbers at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) again peaked at four birds on 21st; and in Wales, two remained settled at Lisvane Reservoir (Glamorgan) on 20th-26th.
The flock of five Lesser Scaup were still sitting tight on Abberton Reservoir (Essex) until 23rd at least, with three still confirmed present there on 25th; and in Devon one was again seen at Northam Burrows CP on 20th. Our only Welsh bird this week was one of the recent Pembrokeshire duo, still present on Penberry Reservoir on 20th. Scotland meanwhile gave us a bird still at Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) on 20th-26th, and the South Uist (Western Isles) female still present there on 25th. Moving to Ireland, one remained on Knockaderry Reservoir (Co.Waterford) on 22nd-25th; and the drake still on Lough Neagh (Co.Antrim) on 20th-21st. A final possible drake was reported from Cheddar Reservoir (Somerset) on 25th.
Onto seaduck, in Norfolk the drake Black Scoter continued to pleasingly linger off Holkham Gap on 20th-24th at least, with an unconfirmed report of it still present until 25th also.
The drake White-winged Scoter was still hanging on in Brandon Bay (Co.Kerry) on 26th.
Two drake Surf Scoter were still present off the Welsh coast at Llandulas (Conwy) on 22nd-25th; one was seen at Feock (Cornwall) again on 24th and 26th; and one remained off Belmullet (Co.Mayo) on 21st.
A drake King Eider was seen in Lothian in Gosford Bay on 24th, and Ferny Ness on 25th-26th.
And what of the waders this week? Not a great deal of change to report in their number, to be honest. Starting in Somerset, the adult female Kentish Plover was seen again at Burnham-on-Sea on 23rd.
Three Long-billed Dowitcher were again logged – in England in East Sussex at Cuckmere Haven on 20th-23rd, and in Suffolk still at Carlton Marshes SWT on 20th-26th; and in Ireland again at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 21st.
In East Yorkshire the Lesser Yellowlegs was again seen at Swine Moor on 24th, while in Lincolnshire the steadfast bird remained at Frampton Marsh RSPB on 20th-26th; and the Lurgangreen (Co.Louth) bird was again seen there on 25th-26th.
Numbers of Ring-billed Gulls were on the up this week, though still not scaling the dizzy heights of not so many years ago when we’d regularly report upon double figures of their kind more or less weekly throughout the winter. Nonetheless, eight birds in recent days weren’t to be sniffed at. Starting in Ireland, one remained at Blackrock (Co.Louth) on 20th-26th; another at and nearby Tralee Bay Wetlands (Co.Kerry) on 20th-25th still; and one still at Ring (Co.Cork) on 22nd; with additional first-winter birds seen at Ballyheigue (Co.Kerry) on 21st, and Myross (Co.Cork) on 22nd. British sightings came again from Strathclyde Loch (Clyde) on 24th-26th, and Hayle Estuary (Cornwall) on 21st-26th; with an additional adult seen at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) on 20th.
A little over a dozen Glaucous Gull were again noted nationwide this week, greatly helped towards that modest tally by three at Irish gull mecca Killybegs (Co.Donegal) on 23rd. Killybegs also gave us two of the week’s total of around 25 Iceland Gulls, seen there on 23rd; while another duo were logged on Yell (Shetland) on 22nd, and two at Quendale on Shetland Mainland on 25th.
The winter’s relative abundance of Kumlien’s Gull showed little signs of abating this week, again inching towards double figures across the region. In Shetland, the second-winter bird remained on Unst on 22nd; the adult in Orkney at Westray on 22nd-23rd; and a juvenile on Lewis (Western Isles) on 24th-26th. Cornwall gave multiple sightings during the week of a juvenile at both St Ives on 20th, 22nd, and 24th; and Hayle Estuary on 20th and 22nd-26th. The third-winter was still to be seen at Widnes (Cheshire & Wirral) on 20th-25th. In Ireland, Co.Galway boasted a third-winter at Murvey on 22nd, and an adult at Omey Island on 23rd.
Finally, the startling late-winter Gull-billed Tern remained at Kilkeran Lake (Co.Cork) on 21st-25th.
Welsh sightings of Pallid Harrier were again fairly sporadic this past week – coming from Llanrhidian Marsh (Glamorgan) again on 22nd and 26th, Castlemartin Corse (Pembrokeshire) again on 21st, and Penclawdd (Glamorgan) again on 25th. In Norfolk, meanwhile, the regular bird continued to be seen at Warham Greens on 20th-25th. After an absence of days, the recent East Yorkshire juvenile popped up again on 25th, seen at Easington, Kilnsea, and Skeffling.
A possible juvenile Northern Harrier was seen on 26th at Ballyvergan Marsh (Co.Cork).
Both juvenile Rough-legged Buzzards were still hanging around Rosedale Moor (North Yorkshire) on 20th-24th, with at least one bird still present there on 25th.
And so to the passerines, and just a little variety on offer this week. Green shoots of spring, and all that… First and foremost, one hardly needs telling there were still Waxwing out there – they’re not done with us, or our berries, just yet. Unimaginative municipal planting, for once, has something we can thank it for.
Three Great Grey Shrike were noted nationwide lately. One remained present on Budby Common (Nottinghamshire) on 20th-25th; another still in West Sussex at Black Down NT on 24th-25th; and a final bird in Norfolk near Weeting on 22nd-26th.
A Yellow-browed Warbler was found in Dorchester (Dorset) on 24th-25th at Louds Mill sewage works. Rather like the prior week’s Isle of Man Dusky Warbler, one’s left with the distinct impression there must be a few more of its kind lurking out there…
Speaking of wintering warblers, the presumed possible halimodendri Turkestan Lesser Whitethroat in Bristol has had its DNA analysed and it turns out it’s a blythi Siberian Lesser Whitethroat after all. Fascinating stuff, and goes to show that in-the-field identification of Lesser Whitethroat races remains, for now, something of a dark art for those who care to try.
A Richard’s Pipit was found in Cumbria at Ulverston on 22nd-26th.
Two Little Bunting remained at the winter’s premier site for their kind, Tremethick Cross (Cornwall) on 24th.
Last, but never least, a Serin was found in Devon at Prawle Point on 24th.
News! Not a lot of it, granted, but overseas news nonetheless intruded upon the British and Irish daily reports once more.
In Cape Verde, the White-faced Whistling Duck was still present on Sal on 22nd.
Further out into the Atlantic, a Belted Kingfisher was seen in the Azores on Flores on 20th.
And way to the north, on Iceland a American Robin has been wintering lately at Keflavik, still present on 24th for its twenty-sixth day there.
So it’s time to bid adieu to February this coming week, and embrace March and all the glorious early spring potential that month entails.
What that might bring us remains to be seen. What’s for sure, this week, is that we’ve a relative rarity coming up – it’s a leap year, so we’ve an extra day of February to get out of the way.
29th February is not, it turns out, traditionally renowned for very much by way of rarities.
There are a couple of historic Ferruginous Duck, and a couple of White-billed Diver records. A Snowy Owl at sea in the English Channel in 1992 that had been sat on a vessel across the Atlantic from 680 nautical miles east of Newfoundland, and was last seen heading towards Folkestone (Kent)…
…and a Killdeer, found at Egginton Sewage Farm (Derbyshire) on 29th February 1964.
The latter, if we’re to take any succour from those slim pickings, is as decent a pin to stick in the rarity prediction donkey as any. Of the 80 or so post-1950 British and Irish records of Killdeer, 24 of them were found in February and March. 29th February sits at the heart of that period and, if anything’s going to enliven a leap year last gasp of February, it would be a stripy plover on your local patch. There are inland as well as coastal records, so there’s everything to wildly optimistically play for.
Jon Dunn
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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