Weekly birding round-up: 12 - 18 Mar 2024
Spring continued to, inexorably, creep upon us this past week, the days steadily lengthening, Chiffchaffs trying out some monotonous, eponymous song, and further hirundines and Wheatears pushing north. As we’ll see when we get to the passerines later in the round up, there were a few dashes of scarcer colour to be had too. No confirmed new rarities of the highest calibre, but that’s surely imminent in the not too distant future. For now though, the week that was…
Kilwinning (Ayrshire) continued to prove a hard habit to kick for the first-winter male Myrtle Warbler, still present throughout the past week in his favoured garden territory, and still proving a potent draw for birders from near and far.
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, and an ungrateful one at that, the nagging suspicion must be that there’s something else in the American wood warbler line out there still waiting to be discovered…
Starting our seabird account once more, the adult Double-crested Cormorant remained this week in Co.Leitrim at Doon Lough on 12th-18th.
In Scotland, meanwhile, a possible Pacific Diver was seen from Kyleakin on Skye (Highland & Caithness) on 13th; the regular Irish example remained off Crookhaven (Co.Cork) on 17th.
Also off the Scottish western seaboard, a White-billed Diver was seen from Lewis (Western Isles) on 14th.
A Little Auk was seen from Isle of May (Fife) on 18th.
A pale morph Pomarine Skua was noted passing Pendeen on 15th, and another Cornish bird on 17th off The Lizard.
Lastly, a Long-tailed Skua was logged at Maam Cross (Co.Galway) on 17th.
We’re definitely edging towards the time some southern herons could be drifting our way, given half a chance. Two probable Night Heron were heard only in Essex at Chelmer Park on 13th.
Glossy Ibis meanwhile continued to be present and correct, albeit not great numbers of them reported as a whole. In Somerset, four were seen at Sharpham Park on 16th and Ham Wall RSPB on 17th-18th, while two were again noted at Hollesley Marshes RSPB (Suffolk) on 16th-18th, and two at Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire) again on 17th. Elsewhere, some 10 further single birds were seen scattered widely, among them one in Co.Wexford at Tacumshin on 15th-17th still, and an unconfirmed report of one making it north of the border into Scotland, seen passing low over a garden in Lanark (Clyde) on 15th.
Our honkers and quackers were still proving not only reliable but downright entertaining this week, not least the latter where there were still new and notable birds being found throughout the week. But more of them in just a minute. First up, the geese…
Red-breasted Geese continued to make much of the running. One remained in Essex at Great Wakering on 12th; while Norfolk hosted a bird at Stiffkey again on 15th-16th, Cley NWT on 17th-18th, and Blakeney Freshmarsh on 18th also. Another was seen in Cheshire & Wirral at Hale Marsh on 16th; while further north still, a bird remained on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 12th-14th.
Essex also gave us sightings of Black Brant at Fleet Head on 13th still, and Great Wakering on 15th and 18th. Another was logged in East Yorkshire on 17th at Spurn and Kilnsea Wetlands NR.
A possible adult Grey-bellied Brant was in Co.Down at Killough on 16th.
A Snow Goose was seen in Highland & Caithness at Cromdale on 17th.
Our sole representative this week of The Goose Formerly Known As Canada was a hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose at Ballintemple (Co.Sligo) still on 18th.
To the quackers now, and what should crop up again in Somerset but the drake Baikal Teal at Greylake RSPB on 12th-15th. A welcome return.
Some half a dozen American Wigeon were logged lately – starting in Scotland, birds at Newshot Island (Clyde) still on 16th-18th; Crook of Baldoon RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway) on 13th-15th; and Loch Spynie (Moray) still on 12th. English sightings meanwhile came from Northumberland at Big Waters NR still on 12th-14th; North Yorkshire at Bubwith Ings still on 12th-17th; Woburn Park (Bedfordshire) for a while on 13th before being flushed and not seen there again subsequently; and Hornsea Mere (East Yorkshire) on 18th.
Some 25 Green-winged Teal were again noted as a whole across Britain and Ireland and, once again, there were new birds in their number in addition to settled birds that weren’t moving on just yet.
Similar numbers of Ring-necked Duck were logged this week, with around 20 birds seen across the region. Somerset continued to be their heartland, with numbers peaking at five again at Shapwick Heath NNR on 17th, and two at Glastonbury Heath on 13th. Elsewhere, two remained at Lisvane Reservoir (Glamorgan) on 12th-18th; and two on South Uist (Western Isles) still on 15th.
The story of the winter, the remarkable numbers of Lesser Scaup in Britain and Ireland, remained the gift that kept on giving this past week. A fresh bird was found on 16th-18th at Monalty Lough (Co.Monaghan) by Brian McCloskey, a superb county first and reward for hours of sifting through diving ducks waiting for the moment to come and just rewards to be served. In Scotland, meanwhile, two were present at Loch Gelly (Fife) on 18th. Additional Irish birds remained this week at Knockaderry Reservoir (Co.Waterford) on 14th-18th, Bracklagh Lough (Co.Cavan) on 17th, and Lough Neagh (Co.Armagh) on 12th-18th. In Wales, the first-winter female remained at Penberry Reservoir (Pembrokeshire) on 15th-18th; and in Scotland, the bird still at Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) on 15th-18th. England, meanwhile, remained awash with them – five still on Abberton Reservoir (Essex) until 17th at least; two still in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Leighton Moss RSPB on 12th-18th; and the drake again present at Northam Burrows CP (Devon) on 13th-17th.
In Lothian the drake King Eider remained off Musselburgh Lagoons on 12th-13th.
Musselburgh also gave us a drake Surf Scoter on 12th, with three birds reported from there on 13th. In Cornwall the juvenile remained off Feock on 12th-17th, and the two drakes were still to be seen off Llandulas (Conwy) on 14th-18th. One passing Portland (Dorset) on 14th was an excellent seawatch surprise; two were present in the Sound of Taransay (Western Isles) on 14th; one remained off Ben Head (Co.Meath) on 17th, and Laytown (Co.Meath) on 18th.
Finally, the week began in Ireland with the recent drake Bufflehead still present at Lough Sheelin (Co.Westmeath) on 12th; this same bird presumably accounting for the drake found the following day on 13th at Mullagh Lough (Co.Cavan), not a million miles east as the duck flies.
The week proved to be a good one for Long-billed Dowitcher, with a couple of fresh faces enlivening the usual recent suspects. Starting in Orkney, a bird was found on North Ronaldsay on 14th-18th, while one was again present in Norfolk at Cley NWT on 15th-18th. Down in East Sussex the wintering bird was still to be seen at Cuckmere Haven on 16th; while an Irish individual was seen at Lady’s Island Lake (Co.Wexford) on 15th.
Our Lesser Yellowlegs this week were the regular, steady bird still to be seen in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh RSPB on 12th-18th; and, on 18th, the Lurgangreen (Co.Louth) and Swine Moor (East Yorkshire) birds respectively once more.
The week’s gulls are headed by news from Lewis (Western Isles) where, while proving elusive, the probable Thayer’s Gull was again seen on 13th.
Down in Cornwall, a first-winter Bonaparte’s Gull was seen at Penzance on 13th.
Ring-billed Gulls were a scarce commodity lately, with the Cornish bird again at Hayle Estuary on 13th, and Irish records coming again from Tralee Bay Wetlands (Co.Kerry) on 13th, in Co.Cork at Cuskinny Marsh NR still on 15th, and at Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 18th.
Similarly, white-wingers were beginning to noticeably dwindle. Glaucous Gull struggled to make it out of single figures nationwide, while Iceland Gull scrambled to some 20 birds seen in Britain and Ireland as a whole.
Kumlien’s Gull on the other hand were still very much a feature of the early spring period. Starting again in Shetland, the second-winter was still present on Unst on 13th; Highland & Caithness again gave us the adult at Helmsdale on 15th, preceded by two adults (different birds to one another) at Thurso on 13th and 14th. An adult was seen in Northumberland near Hartburn on 12th. Cornwall continued to do well for them, with sightings of a juvenile again at Hayle Estuary and St Ives on 13th, and an adult at Mousehole on 15th. A final juvenile was found on 17th in Ireland at Bunowen (Co.Galway).
After no news all week, the adult Gull-billed Tern was confirmed as still present at Kilkeran Lake (Co.Cork) on 18th.
Your weekly Pallid Harrier news came, once again, courtesy of Norfolk, where the second-winter female was seen again around Warham Greens on 13th and 16th-17th; East Yorkshire, where the recent juvenile was once again seen at Skeffling on 13th; and Llanrhidian Marsh (Glamorgan) again on 12th-13th and 17th-18th.
A possible Rough-legged Buzzard was seen near Caistor (Lincolnshire) on 16th.
As we’ll see shortly, the week produced a handful of scarce southern passerines of note and with them came a couple of sightings of putative Black Kite too – one reported from Romford (London) on 14th, and a possible at Adleburgh (Suffolk) on 16th.
There was just the faintest taste of some southern spice in the birding mix this week, with the prior week’s Scillonian Hoopoe proven not to be a false dawn after all. Another of its kind was found in recent days in Dorset at Durlston Head CP on 14th, and Cornish birds on 18th at Portscatho and Veryan.
Meanwhile in Ireland, Alpine Swift were found on 14th over Skerries (Co.Dublin), on 15th at Blennerville (Co.Kerry), and on 18th near Wicklow (Co.Wicklow).
Nor was this all. Our offshore islands got their spring account under way with a Western Subalpine Warbler found on Ramsey (Pembrokeshire) on 17th.
Speaking of warblers, the Yellow-browed Warbler remained in Dorset at Louds Mill sewage works on 15th-18th, with another seen at Swanpool (Cornwall) on 16th.
The wholly unconfirmed (and belated) report of a Ruppell’s Warbler seen in long grass in front of the Avocet Hide at Middlebere (Dorset) on 15th failed to coalesce into anything tangible, perhaps unsurprisingly given the species’ precedent, on the basis of our five prior records, of turning up in the June-October window.
Sticking with the ifs and maybes a moment longer, we also got a report of an elusive Red-breasted Flycatcher at Sutton Hoo NT (Suffolk) on 15th, and an unconfirmed report of a possible eastern stonechat sp at Bratley Plain (Hampshire) on 16th.
The Richard’s Pipit remained in Cumbria at Ulverston on 12th-18th, and another was found on 18th in Lincolnshire near Kirton.
Waxwings weren’t done with us yet, with a decent scatter of birds still across the country. Our three recent stalwart Great Grey Shrike were also still to be seen, in West Sussex at Black Down NT on 13th-18th, in Norfolk near Weeting on 12th-18th, and in Dorset in Wareham Forest near Woolsbarrow Fort on 12th.
A Serin was noted at St Catherine’s Point (Isle of Wight) on 16th.
In Norfolk the exilipes Arctic Redpoll was seen again near Helhoughton on 15th-18th. The same area also gave up its recent male Rustic Bunting on 13th-16th again.
Finally, the recent Little Bunting remained at Broadsands (Devon) this week on 12th-18th.
Not much overseas news filtered our way this week. Most tantalising was the continued presence of the recent Moustached Warbler in the Netherlands at Grebbedijk on 12th – one of those in Britain would be even more warmly received than a Ruppell’s Warbler, which is saying something given how much of a blocker the latter’s become lately.
In Corsica the Lesser Moorhen remained present on 12th also.
An African Crake made landfall on the Canary Islands on Lanzarote on 18th.
The coming week’s weather is, perhaps, not the most of inspiring of forecasts. Some nice southerlies wafting up over the Bay of Biscay as we go into the week before the door seems set to slam resoundingly firmly shut on that, with (yet another) sodding great Atlantic weather system slamming into us with various flavours of vigorous westerlies.
Past records for the coming week, approaching the end of March as it is, tell us we could with a following wind start to reasonably expect some more southerly rarity and scarcity birding action. This doesn’t look like that wind, or that week. Something might squeak through – let’s hope so – but there’s always a young American Herring Gull blown in off the ocean to hope for.
Jon Dunn
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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