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RBA Round-up: 4 - 10 Sept

“The first drop-everything bird of the autumn is yet to drop. But it’s surely coming…”

Turns out we called the imminence of that one correctly last week, though nobody would have anticipated the piquant timing and rarity of the bird in question. Shetland still rarely goes a year without adding something new to its already burgeoning bird list, but this week’s addition was off everybody’s radar. Which just goes to show there’s really nowhere quite like those northern isles.

Proponents of intelligent design contend that the sheer complexity and sophistication of the natural world in general, and components of the animals within it in particular, simply couldn’t have come to pass without some guiding agency. The human eye in particular has been for many years a battleground for this particular debate, such as it is. This week, sharp eyes in Shetland were blessed with a truly extraordinary find – and a bird that, when one looks at the context in which it was found, makes one wonder whether there really might be birding gods out there after all, paying attention to our feeble, mortal identification debates, smiling wryly to themselves, and quietly mocking us while they bend real world events to their playful whim:

“Questioning whether the June 1984 Egyptian Nightjar in Dorset might have been a plumipes East Asian European Nightjar? We’ll show you an unequivocal Egyptian Nightjar…”

And so it came to pass, for an Egyptian Nightjar was found this week at the southern end of Shetland, on the margins of the Pool of Virkie on 5th.

And the ironic bit? This came mere days after a paper was published in Dutch Birding recording the discovery of an eastern race European Nightjar, with DNA identical to that of the subspecies plumipes of Mongolia, in Malta in November 2024. The bird in question was, sadly, illegally shot, though that certainly did in-hand photos and collection of feathers for DNA analysis no harm whatsoever. One of the paper’s authors, Martin Collinson, mooted on social media that the occurrence of this sandy-coloured bird in Europe raised ‘the significant possibility that Britain’s only Cat A Egyptian Nightjar… a single (brilliant) observer record supported only by field sketches, could have been a plumipes European Nightjar’.

Which rather chucked a Sand Cat among the Egyptian Nightjars. The birding gods’ ears presumably pricked up at this juncture.

The path to Category A acceptance of the Dorset Egyptian Nightjar was, to say the least, rather fraught, with the sole observer’s integrity called into question in the process by others in the birding community. To get a flavour of this unsavoury business it’s worth quoting the then BOURC Chairman, the late Tony Marr, from the British Birds paper in 1999 that catalogued the process of assessing the record:

‘On the question of observer credibility, there was unequivocal and unanimous support for the reliability and integrity of the observer, and nothing but scorn for what one member described as “the unsubstantiated and illiterate allegations of an anonymous observer”. Another suggested that these were the product of “a bitter and jealous mind”. Several commented on this insight into a particularly unattractive aspect of the twitching scene’.

Was ever a latter-day single observer record so meticulously and thoroughly investigated? That the Dorset bird weathered the storm and was accepted bears testament to that process, and to the titanium integrity and reputation of the fortunate single observer in question, Dorset stalwart Grahame Walbridge.

Nonetheless, the possibility of a sandy plumipes European Nightjar in Britain being mistaken for an Egyptian Nightjar has again been spoken of. Pandora’s Box is re-opened. Though there’s a potential pyrrhic victory at some point in the future as there’s a possibility that those eastern European Nightjar may yet be genetically distinct enough to warrant full species status in their own right...

(And if we’re all going to critically examine records, we could also reasonably question Britain’s first Egyptian Nightjar, said to have been shot by a gamekeeper in Thieves Wood (Nottinghamshire) on 23rd June 1883. The dead bird languished two days in the keeper’s house before being thrown in his yard, where ‘hens, pigeons, and children in the meantime [did] their best to spoil its appearance’ for a further day. The keeper’s employer, Joseph Whitaker, paid a visit, cut off the wings and tail, and took them home. Having compared them to European Nightjar, he then sent back for the rest of the body. From this butchered and ravaged bird, Whitaker’s taxidermist ‘contrived to make a skin’.

Given we know the Victorian propensity for amassing collections of bird specimens, that fraud was rife at the time with specimens imported from all over the world for either personal financial or reputational gain, and that the caveats had all been put in place by the specimen’s owner at the time for its less than perfect condition, the provenance of the record hardly feels impeccable. Does it really stand the test of time? Sorry, Nottinghamshire, but someone has to say it).

Anyway, back to this week, and step forward the man of the moment, Roger Riddington who, on 5th, found Britain’s latest Egyptian Nightjar sitting on his driveway at Eastshore, on the north side of the Pool of Virkie. The bird gave Roger the runaround to begin with, and a little while elapsed before it could be relocated and the suspected identification firmly secured. Roger’s message announcing the bird on the local WhatsApp rarity group was a classic – “Egyptian Nightjar (no really)” – which beautifully summed up just how freighted with longing and myth the species had become in the wake of Grahame Walbridge’s bird on Portland (Dorset) all those years ago. It genuinely felt like the ultimate blocker – it had taken a century since Britain’s currently accepted first for another to be seen. How long, if ever, was going to elapse until the next?

How long would it take to get to Eastshore was, in the afternoon of 5th, a much more pressing question. For most Shetland birders, even those resident on the principal outer isles, it was just about doable before dusk. For those mainland twitchers quick on the draw to book their flights for Sunday, the wait until dawn the following day would be a tense one. Not least when night fell in Shetland and the bird became active, when it became evident the night ahead was set to be a clear, starlit one. Would the bird move on overnight?

Happily for those who’d secured last minute seats to Shetland on 6th, day broke with the bird again back on the pebble beach at Eastshore more or less where it had been roosting in the dying embers of 5th. Game on. The twitch was well-marshalled with a strategically positioned hosepipe marking a respectful distance from which the bird could be viewed throughout what proved to be a wet and rather uncomfortable day. Not that anyone cared – euphoria alone would keep the cold and damp at bay. Alas, on 7th there was no further sign of the bird.

Shetland had done it again. We’ve already bandied about the ‘bird of the year’ title for Long-tailed Shrike, but surely another contender just entered the room?

The last word in all of this should go to Martin Collinson, whose BlueSky post served to spur the birding gods into action. In due course, we may learn more about this week’s Egyptian Nightjar…

 

If that all weren’t rich enough fare, there were further juicy pickings to be had this week in the birding smorgasbord that’s September – a Red-billed Tropicbird seen at sea just three miles of Looe (Cornwall) on 6th, said to have been present for an hour. From the photo posted on the University of Plymouth Marine Vertebrate Conservation Unit’s social media, views of said bird were absolutely crippling…

While Brown Booby has rapidly transformed from unthinkable rarity to more or less annual visitor to our waters, Red-billed Tropicbird remains stubbornly, obstinately difficult. We’ve five accepted British (and one additional Irish) record to date, and only two of those have been land-based – birds seen in Cornwall from Pendeen on 18th August 2013, and Porthgwarra on 28th August 2015.

The moral of the story seems fairly clear – they’re (very) occasionally out there, and your best chance of bumping into one is probably to take to the water and keep everything crossed. Eventually you just might get lucky. It’s surely a matter of when rather than if a Scilly pelagic crosses paths with a Red-billed Tropicbird…

If westerlies this past week were delivering a distinct surprise on Shetland, they were more predictably auspicious given the time of year for some decent seawatching, and so it was to prove.

Starting with little shearwaters, Barolo Shearwater were noted principally from Irish watchpoints, but also in Wales where one was seen briefly off Skomer (Pembrokeshire) on 6th, and Cornwall where one passed Pendeen on 8th. In Ireland, sightings came from Co.Cork on 6th in the morning off Seven Heads and Galley Head; from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 7th; and from Brandon Point (Co.Kerry) on 8th.

Onto large shearwaters, and Brandon Point (Co.Kerry) enjoyed the lion’s share of the week’s 16,000 or so Cory’s Shearwater, with some 9,000 noted from there alone on 4th. Around 1,050 Great Shearwater were logged regionwide during the week, with Brandon Point also amassing 420 as the highest tally on 4th. Balearic Shearwater meanwhile were subdued, with some 280 birds noted, and a peak count of 100 off Berry Head (Devon) on 4th.

Again, Ireland was the place to be for Fea’s Petrel sp, the exception to that rule being one seen from Isle of Whithorn (Dumfries & Galloway) on 6th. Irish sightings owed themselves to Deelick Point (Co.Kerry) on 4th; in Co.Cork at Brow Head and Toe Head on 6th; and on 7th at Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) and Brandon Point (Co.Kerry).

Numbers of Wilson’s Petrel tumbled during the week, with barely 35 recorded – the best count being a dozen seen from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 4th.

Leach’s Petrel on the other hand soared, with some 650 birds logged during the week. Peak count was from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) where 152 were seen on 4th alone.

Another Brown Booby was seen this week, heading south past North Foreland (Kent) on the morning of 6th.

A probable, albeit distant, South Polar Skua was seen off Brandon Point (Co.Kerry) on 4th, and another probable from Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 10th.

The good seawatching conditions meant the scarcer skuas were very much a feature of the week, with fair numbers of both Pomarine Skua and Long-tailed Skua respectively logged during the course of the week around Britain and Ireland – around 80 and 60 of each respectively.

A Little Auk was reported from Dunbar (Lothian) on 4th.

Finally, the White-billed Diver reappeared off Barra (Western Isles) again on 6th.

Suffolk remained the epicentre of Black Stork sightings for another week, with regular sightings at a number of locations in the county between 4th-10th. One was reported in neighbouring Essex over Lamarsh on 6th.

Night Heron were noted on 6th over Shoreham (Kent) and Croxall Lakes (Staffordshire). Another was reported on 7th at Ballachulish (Highland & Caithness).

Somerset gave us Purple Heron sightings on the Levels at Shapwick Heath NNR on 5th, and Ham Wall RSPB again on 5th-10th. One was in Devon at Beesands Ley on 5th, while another was to be found in Kent at Grove Ferry NNR on 7th. A bird passed high over Orford Ness (Suffolk) on 9th.

The recent Spotted Crake remained at Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) until 10th, being joined there by a second individual on 6th-10th. Down on Scilly, one also remained present on Tresco on 4th-10th. A Corncrake was on Rame Head (Cornwall) on 10th.

Commencing the quackers again with seaduck, we’ve still just the one Surf Scoter to report, still present off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 7th-9th.

Our sole Ring-necked Duck lately was a drake present on Lough Gara (Co.Sligo) on 4th.

Ferruginous Duck remained in Oxfordshire at Dix Pit still on 5th-10th, and on Wilstone Reservoir (Hertfordshire) on 5th-6th; another was present in Norfolk at Cantley Beet Factory on 7th.

Nothing short of a flock of American Wigeon were seen in Cornwall on Hayle Estuary on 6th, with seven birds present that day on Carnsew Pool. A drake was seen on South Uist (Western Isles) on 7th-10th.

And yes, the Hooded Merganser was still present in Suffolk at Alton Water on 7th-9th. Not going anywhere anytime soon, that one.

Westerlies are good for the weekly waders at this time of year, particularly sandpipers, so once again we’ll merely note that the adult male Hudsonian Godwit was still present at Cattawade (Suffolk) on 4th-10th, and then move swiftly onwards.

On Scilly, their recent Solitary Sandpiper was proving settled on Tresco, still to be seen there on 4th-10th.

The adult Spotted Sandpiper remained on Broadmeadows Estuary (Co.Dublin) on 4th, while a possible was seen on St Agnes (Scilly) on 7th.

Around 40 Pectoral Sandpiper were seen this week, their numbers soaring on recent preceding weeks. Several sites enjoyed multiple birds, with duos noted at Mizen Head (Co.Cork) on 6th, Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 8th rising to four on 9th-10th, Abberton Reservoir (Essex) on 8th, Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 8th, Staines Reservoirs (Surrey) and St Cyrus NR (Aberdeenshire) on 9th, and Aldeburgh Town Marshes (Suffolk) and Harper’s Island (Co.Cork) on 10th.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper also enjoyed a moment, with some 30 birds logged. Trios were seen on Lundy (Devon) on 4th, at Predannack Cliffs (Cornwall) on 8th, Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 8th, and Mweenish Island (Co.Galway) on 9th-10th.

Baird’s Sandpiper nudged into double figures with 10 birds reported across Britain and Ireland – White-rumped Sandpiper on the other hand was a much scarcer commodity, with just the one reported from North Uist (Western Isles) on 4th.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper was found on 9th-10th at Blennerville (Co.Kerry).

A Temminck’s Stint was seen on Helston Loe Pool (Cornwall) on 4th-8th, and another at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 9th.

Up on North Ronaldsay (Orkney), a Long-billed Dowitcher was again to be seen on 6th-10th, and an American Golden Plover on 6th-10th joined by a second bird on 10th. Further examples of the latter species were seen this week at Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 5th-9th, on Unst (Shetland) on 9th, and in flight over Brierfield Turlough (Co.Roscommon) on 10th.

Dotterel from the preceding week remained on Great Orme’s Head (Conwy) on 4th-5th, and on St Agnes (Scilly) on 4th-8th; additional birds were noted over Denge Marsh (Kent) on 5th, and at Sennen (Cornwall) on 7th.

A handful of Red-necked Phalarope were recorded during the week – these were birds seen at Wallasea Island RSPB (Essex) on 4th-5th; near Thame (Oxfordshire) on 5th-8th; at West Rise Marsh (East Sussex) on 5th-10th; at Garbh Eilean (Highland & Caithness) on 8th; and Dungeness RSPB (Kent) on 9th-10th.

Numbers of Grey Phalarope soared once more, with some 160 birds seen in Britain and Ireland as a whole, and a peak count of 53 recorded at Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 9th.

As usual, hand in hand with lots of Grey Phalarope were plenty of Sabine’s Gull this week – some 255 birds were noted across the region, and a peak count made of 24 birds seen from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 4th.

In Kent the regular adult Bonaparte’s Gull was still present at Oare Marshes KWT on 5th; while another was present at Ballyconneely Strand (Co.Galway) on 4th; a bird was reported from Aberystwyth (Ceredigion) on 8th; and one was to be seen again at Hayling Island’s Sandy Point in the evening of 10th before heading off towards Chichester.

A first-summer Ring-billed Gull was found on South Uist (Western Isles) on 6th; and the regular bird remained at Doorly Park (Co.Sligo) on 10th.

The regular Glaucous Gull was still to be found on Orkney Mainland at Stenness on 8th; two were seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 4th, and bird on neighbouring South Uist on 9th. Iceland Gull were seen on 9th at Drift Reservoir (Cornwall), and Loch Broom (Highland & Caithness). In Co.Louth the recent first-summer Kumlien’s Gull was still hanging around Port Oriel on 6th-10th.

The lily of Shetland’s birding week was gilded on 9th-10th by the discovery of a surinamensis American Black Tern at Loch of Tingwall on Mainland. Were that not remarkable enough given the rarity of its more common European congener Black Tern in Shetland, one of the latter was also present nearby this week in Lerwick.

Kent held onto its recent White-winged Black Tern at Dungeness on 5th, while the recent bird also remained in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Fairhaven Lake on 4th-6th; and further sightings this week came from Sandwich Bay (Kent) on 4th, and Cardiff Bay (Glamorgan) on 8th-9th.

Shetland continued to enjoy multiple Pallid Harrier, with at least one continuing to haunt South Mainland throughout the week after two were again seen at Brow Marsh on 4th; out on the West Mainland, one was seen at Mid Walls again on 4th. A juvenile was seen in Cornwall at Colliford Lake on 7th; and a bird was reported from Maple Cross (Hertfordshire) on 5th. On 8th one was seen in Northumberland at Seahouses, and two at Bellingham. One lingered west of Louth (Lincolnshire) on 8th-9th.

Juvenile Montagu’s Harrier were seen in recent days in Essex at Wallasea Island RSPB on 5th, and South Woodham Ferrers on 7th; in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Maghull Moss on 7th; and in East Sussex on 10th at Cuckmere Haven.

Suffolk’s Red-footed Falcon remained at large in Lowestoft on 4th-6th, before a juvenile arrived in Norfolk at Cley NWT and Blakeney Harbour on 9th.

Finally, the Black-winged Kite remained ever-present in Norfolk this week at Sea Palling on 4th-10th.

Getting silly now, how long can a mega shrike hang on for in Gloucestershire? The gorgeous male Long-tailed Shrike remained at Eastleach Downs this week on 4th-10th.

A Woodchat Shrike made landfall on Bryher (Scilly) on 6th-7th.

Numbers of Red-backed Shrike fell away, with a half dozen birds or so seen – at Priory CP (Bedfordshire) on 4th-10th; on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 4th-7th; on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 4th and 8th; at Pool of Virkie (Shetland) on 6th; at Chesterfield (Derbyshire) on 4th-5th; on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 7th-9th; Worth Marshes (Kent) on 7th; and at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire) on 9th-10th, and near Churchtown (Co.Wexford) on 9th.

A mere 50 Wryneck were seen, which is still plenty, but only a smidge over half of the preceding week’s largesse.

A Hoopoe was seen at Porthgain (Pembrokeshire) on 4th.

Additional weekly colour came in the form of single Bee-eater at Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire) on 5th and Pannel Valley NR (East Sussex) on 10th, and Golden Oriole at Dungeness RSPB on 6th and 9th.

A Western Bonelli’s Warbler was present on Lundy (Devon) on 7th-9th, and a Bonelli’s Warbler sp on Bryher (Scilly) on 7th also.

Just one Greenish Warbler this week, that being a bird on Shetland Mainland at Grutness on 7th-8th.

A Melodious Warbler remained on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 4th-5th, two were trapped and ringed at Cape Clear (Co.Cork) on 9th, and two trapped and ringed at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 10th. An Icterine Warbler was present at Kenidjack (Cornwall) on 5th-7th, with another reported from Dale of Walls (Shetland) on 4th, and a possible at Trewellard (Cornwall) on 7th.

East Yorkshire gave us almost half our sightings of Barred Warbler - at Spurn on 4th, Bempton Cliffs RSPB on 4th-5th, and Paull Holme Strays on 5th. Additional birds elsewhere were seen at Peterhead (Aberdeenshire) on 4th, Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 4th, on Fair Isle (Shetland) still on 7th and 10th, and on Bryher (Scilly) on 7th.

A possible Aquatic Warbler was reported from West Rise Marsh (East Sussex) on 5th.

Two Zitting Cisticola remained at Walberswick NNR (Suffolk) on 6th-10th.

A Rose-coloured Starling remained on Portland (Dorset) on 4th-9th, and one was again seen on 5th at Scrabster (Highland & Caithness).

The Citrine Wagtail was present on Tresco (Scilly) on 4th-8th still.

Half a dozen Common Rosefinch were logged lately on Shetland – two at Melby on 4th, and singles at Dale of Walls on 4th, Levenwick on 4th, Exnaboe on 7th, Fair Isle on 8th-10th, and Sandness on 9th. Elsewhere birds were seen on Lundy (Devon) on 7th-8th), and trapped and ringed on Portland (Dorset) on 7th.

A Serin was present on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 5th.

The two recent Ortolan Bunting remained at Merthyr Tydfil (Glamorgan) on 4th, with one still present there on 5th; and singletons were to be seen on 5th at St Aldhelm’s Head (Dorset) and Poole (Dorset); on 6th at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire); on 7th-9th at Forward Point (Devon); and on 9th at Budleigh Salterton (Devon). Early on 10th one was sound-recorded passing over Ash Vale (Surrey).

Finally, in Fife the White-throated Sparrow was still to be seen on Isle of May on 5th-6th.

One of these days a Great Black-headed Gull will finally fall our way. This wasn’t that week, though one was seen in Germany on 4th near Gorlitz.

Norway landed a Western Black-eared Wheatear on 10th at Rinneveien.

Up on Iceland, a Short-billed Dowitcher was present at Hofn on 3rd-5th.

Two South Polar Skua were seen from Spain’s Estaca de Barres on 7th, with a Zino’s Petrel and a Barolo Shearwater there putting a cherry on that particular cake that day.

Further afield, the Variable Wheatear remained in Kuwait at Mutla’a Ranch on 5th.

The coming week appears mostly dominated by westerlies of one flavour or another, which isn’t ideal for those of us hoping for some eastern action, but not entirely without its charms and possibilities nonetheless. And if the past week can teach us anything, it’s that westerlies apparently don’t rule out mega birds from an entirely different point of the compass…

The wise money is probably placed on another good week for waders. Get out there and self-find yourself a Pectoral or Buff-breasted Sandpiper while the conditions are auspicious.

Better yet, pay attention to peeps. It’s been a quiet autumn thus far for Semipalmated Sandpiper, but the coming week is an historically strong one for them. It’s also an excellent week for Least Sandpiper, with eight of our 42 accepted British records to the end of 2024 owing themselves to the coming days. A small bird, but a big find.

 

Jon Dunn
11 Sept 2026

Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos and to everyone who contributed throughout the year.

 

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