Weekly birding round-up: 6 - 12 Aug 2024
Well, that’s autumn 2024 properly underway. Our first Nearctic vagrants – and that’s vagrants plural – were found during the past week. It’s game on for the next three months…
Them notwithstanding, it was a terrific week for wayward waders, with mounting numbers of White-rumped Sandpiper in particular, and a mounting sense of anticipation. Something rarer surely this way comes any day now.
Could any of us really have predicted the return of the adult vetula Cape Gull to Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water this year? Heaven knows there have been enough of the rarer large gulls elsewhere in the past that have been and gone like ships in the night, present long enough to delight those prepared to make the effort, but not destined to reward those slower out of the blocks.
Granted, the bird first found at Grafham Water on 7th-10th August 2022 was reported to have put in a fleeting appearance again on a buoy there on 18th June 2023, but the lack of subsequent sightings wouldn’t have inspired vast amounts of confidence we were in for any sort of sustained repeat appearance this year.
So it came as something of a pleasant surprise this week when news broke in the evening of 6th that an adult Kelp Gull, probably a form vetula Cape Gull, was sitting on the dam at Grafham Water.
Seen intermittently in the area on 7th and 8th, it was arguably not the most obliging of beasts in its habits, much like at times in 2022. But it was there again this year, and for that we should certainly be thankful.
It looks like autumn 2024 is properly underway already this week, with some shades of the unforgettable autumn of 2023 – the latter a season marked by a relative largesse of Cliff Swallow blown in to Britain and Ireland.
At the time St Mary’s (Scilly) was graced by one of these charismatic hirundines, a bird that spent some time zipping around the island on 20th-21st September. At the time the seventh record for the archipelago, it came relatively hot on the heels of the fifth and sixth records, both September birds, in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Prior to that, a 15 year wait had unfolded since the last. Not really what one would call a predictable, regular vagrant, not that any of us need telling that – but if there’s one discernible pattern in past records, it’s the timing – firmly in the court of September and October, with one outlier on Tresco on 4th-5th December 1995.
August? Let alone early August? Nope, that wasn’t on our radar. But this week just gone was set to confound that, with the discovery of a fine Cliff Swallow over St Mary’s on 7th, a fine surprise for all concerned, be they local birders or those making the now annual pilgrimage to the island to set out to sea on the incomparable Scilly pelagics.
And it stuck around, pleasingly, showing well there right throughout the week until 12th. And nor was it alone…
For on 11th-12th another bird was found up on St Kilda (Western Isles), arguably a rarer bird, for this was a first for the Western Isles. So that’s our Nearctic account firmly open for 2024. What’s next? Surely a Yellow Warbler…
It’s testament to the changing times – and what’s happened in the seawatching firmament in the past year or so – that still another sighting of a Scopoli’s Shearwater this week doesn’t swoop immediately into the headlines. But we absolutely will start the seabird section of proceedings with it – seen this week on 10th from the Scilly pelagic. This came hot on the heels of probables noted from Irish seawatches – one off Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 7th, and another the following day from Galley Head (Co.Cork).
Other large shearwaters were still very much available, not least Cory’s Shearwater - over the course of the week, approximately 13,500 birds were noted in British and Irish waters, with a weekly peak count coming from Porthgwarra (Cornwall) where, on 8th, 1,500 birds were logged; and on 12th off Dursey Island (Co.Cork), which also accounted for 1,500 birds. Great Shearwater remained their poor relation for now, with around 1,650 birds noted across the region – and of them, the peak count was 329 birds noted from The Lizard (Cornwall) on 8th.
Around 550 Balearic Shearwater were also seen, with Berry Head (Devon) once again giving the best of them – 123 birds were seen from here on 8th.
While Wilson’s Petrel, perhaps unsurprisingly, failed to eclipse the colossal three figure number seen off Scilly alone in the preceding week, they still did pretty well for themselves during the week just gone – at least 170 were seen from various vantage points, both on dry land and at sea, around Britain and Ireland in recent days. Scilly again gave the highest count, this time a mere(!) 37 birds seen from the pelagic on 11th; while additional double figure counts came from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 7th, where 13 birds were seen; and off The Lizard (Cornwall) on 8th, where 10 birds were seen.
Fea’s Petrel sp were the exclusive preserve of the Irish this week, with birds noted on 6th from Annagh Head (Co.Mayo); on 7th from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare); and on 9th from Portacloy (Co.Mayo).
Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) was enjoying the best of the week’s Pomarine Skua action, with some chunky daily tallies – 17 seen from there on 6th, followed by 29 on 7th. Overall, around 120 birds were seen in Britain and Ireland this week.
Long-tailed Skua were less numerous – some 20 birds in all were seen around Britain and Ireland. Bridges of Ross, with a certain inevitability, did best for them, accounting for seven birds off there on 7th; while Cornwall managed a trio off Porthgwarra on 8th, and two from The Lizard on 8th also.
The Lizard also gave us the closing intrigue of a possible dark South Polar Skua seen in the afternoon off there on 8th.
A couple of the usual suspects once again enlivened the long-legged beasties this past week – starting in Norfolk, where a second-summer Night Heron was seen at Potter Heigham Marshes on 10th. In Devon, the Purple Heron was again seen at Exminster Marshes RSPB on 7th and 10th-12th, with another report on 7th from Starcross; and a further bird was seen to the north, at Leighton Moss RSPB (Lancashire & North Merseyside).
Glossy Ibis news dried up in recent days. Reports of lingering birds were confined to Hook-with-Warsash LNR (Hampshire) on 6th-7th still; at Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire) still on 6th; at Deeping Lakes LWT (Lincolnshire) still on 6th-12th; at Breydon Water (Norfolk) again on 11th-12th; and at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 11th-12th. An additional bird was noted at Roswell Pits LWT (Cambridgeshire) on 8th; and another near Long Melford (Suffolk) on 11th. On 12th one was seen in Norfolk at North Point Pools; and another again in Suffolk at North Warren RSPB.
A Spotted Crake was found on 7th at Martin Mere WWT (Lancashire & North Merseyside); with another reported the same day at Exminster Marshes RSPB (Devon).
For yet another week, our chief point of interest amongst the quackers was the drake Stejneger’s Scoter still bobbing around off Musselburgh Lagoons (Lothian) on 6th-12th.
A Surf Scoter was present off the Northumberland coast off Howick and Longhoughton Steel on 11th-12th.
In East Yorkshire, the Blue-winged Teal remained at Tophill Low on 7th.
The Ferruginous Duck remained at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) until 12th, with a second bird also present there on 8th; while the Willen Lake (Buckinghamshire) individual was still to be seen there on 8th-12th.
And finally, a putative drake Canvasback was found on Abberton Reservoir (Essex) on 11th-12th – opinion wavered throughout about how sure anyone was feeling about it.
In terms of sheer rarity, we have to open the weekly waders with the adult Red-necked Stint, still present intermittently around Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 6th-10th.
However, for sheer spectacle Snettisham RSPB (Norfolk) takes a lot of beating where shorebirds are concerned in general and, this week, where White-rumped Sandpipers were concerned in particular. Three birds remained there on 6th-7th, rising to four birds on 8th-9th. Were that not enough, the count was up to five birds on 10th and then, on 11th, at least six birds… While elsewhere this week, single birds were seen at Spurn (East Yorkshire) again on 6th-7th, and Kilnsea Wetlands NR on 11th; at Anderby Creek (Lincolnshire) on 7th; Cley NWT (Norfolk) still on 6th; at Portrane (Co.Dublin) again on 8th; and at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 11th-12th.
The Semipalmated Sandpiper was there for the seeing, thankfully, at Church Norton and Sidlesham Ferry Pool (West Sussex) this week on 6th-12th again; while one was once more picked out of the seething throng at Snettisham RSPB (Norfolk) on 10th.
Snettisham RSPB also gave up a Pectoral Sandpiper there on 7th; what a week the site was enjoying. Further Pectoral Sandpiper were seen lately at Parkgate Marsh (Cheshire & Wirral) still on 6th-8th; Alkborough Flats NR (Lincolnshire) on 6th and 9th still; and at Lilbourne Meadows NR (Northamptonshire) on 10th-12th. Another was reported on 11th at Boyton Marshes RSPB (Suffolk).
Lothian provided Baird’s Sandpiper at Thorntonloch on 7th-8th, and Aberlady Bay on 10th-12th.
On Scilly, the fine adult Spotted Sandpiper remained on St Mary’s on 6th-9th.
In Essex, the Temminck’s Stint remained at Blue House Farm EWT on 6th-11th; another was at Elmley NNR (Kent) on 11th-12th.
The recent American Golden Plover remained on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 6th-1th; while in East Yorkshire sightings came once more from Easington on 7th, and Spurn on 8th.
An unconfirmed report of a Black-winged Stilt at Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 7th was followed by a bird found in Cambridgeshire at Godmanchester NR on 10th.
A Lesser Yellowlegs was seen this week in Lincolnshire at Read’s Island on 10th; and another in Northamptonshire at Lilbourne Meadows NR on 11th-12th.
A Red-necked Phalarope was found at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 12th.
Finally, the week proved to be a good one for Grey Phalarope, with a little over a dozen birds seen. Best of these were four at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 6th.
Any week that’s a fair one for Grey Phalarope stands a half decent chance of being a good one for Sabine’s Gull also, and so it proved in recent days. Around 30 birds in all were seen nationwide and, shocking literally nobody on the basis of recent form, it was Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) that made the major running, with a peak count of seven birds seen from there on 7th. Away from there, it was all single birds seen apart from on the Scilly pelagic of 9th, when three were logged.
Over in Kent the adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained settled at Oare Marshes KWT on 6th-11th.
Scotland gave us a trio of Glaucous Gull this week – one still present on Yell (Shetland) on 8th; another in Orkney on Mainland at Stenness on 6th-7th; and a bird on the Lossie Estuary (Moray) on 8th again.
West Yorkshire was graced by a Caspian Tern at St Aidan’s RSPB on 8th and 11th, punctuated on 9th by sightings in South Yorkshire at Old Moor RSPB and Potteric Carr YWT, and followed on 12th by a bird at Eccup Reservoir (West Yokrshire). Also on 12th, another was found up in Fife passing Fife Ness.
Finally, a White-winged Black Tern at Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 6th was followed, on 7th-11th, by a bird that settled on North Ronaldsay (Orkney).
Raptor news was restricted once more this week to the usual suspects. Montagu’s Harrier were seen on 6th over Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk), and on 8th near Aldreth (Cambridgeshire)…
…while a Black Kite was seen on 7th at Worth Marsh RSPB (Kent).
And on 12th, a female Pallid Harrier was seen in Gloucestershire at Frampton-on-Severn.
The week began on Lewis (Western Isles), where the recent Alpine Swift was showing no signs of moving on, remaining on the island until 10th. Another was reported from Rushlake (East Sussex) on 12th.
A couple of potential Bee-eater were heard only lately – one on 6th at Anstey (Leicestershire), and the other in Kent at East Blean Woods on 8th.
Foula’s recent Barred Warbler remained on the isle on 6th, while Shetland provided a second bird this week, found on Mainland at Setter on 6th also.
A Marsh Warbler was trapped and ringed on Salisbury Plain (Wiltshire) on 11th.
And a Melodious Warbler was trapped and ringed at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 12th. Autumn is getting under way…
An adult Rose-coloured Starling was brightening up Keyhaven Marshes (Hampshire) on 8th-9th, and another in Dorset at Broadmayne on 11th.
Sparse overseas news this week begins in Norway, where the recent Song Sparrow remained at Steinkjer on 8th still.
In Spain, meanwhile, an Elegant Tern was present at Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro on 8th.
A Stilt Sandpiper was found in France at Gujan-Mestres on 12th.
And another Stilt Sandpiper was found further out in the Atlantic on the Azores on Terceira on 11th.
While the Yellow-billed Stork remained in Israel at Eilat on 12th.
We could do far worse than to look which ways the straws were blowing in the wind towards the end of the week just gone elsewhere in the Western Palearctic if we’re looking for an omen for the week ahead…
Stilt Sandpipers firstly out on the Azores and, latterly, in France, stand testament to the fact they’re on the move and a rare prospect for us in the coming days. And mid-August is a fine time for them here, with five past British and Irish records to show for itself.
Jon Dunn
13 Aug 2024
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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