Weekly birding round-up: 5 - 11 Oct 2021
It’s fair to say that, for birders chancing their arm with a stay in Scilly or Shetland this past week, recent days may have felt like heavy going. Sure, there’ve been some good birds lingering at either end of the country, one or two new things found here or there, but in terms of something really extraordinary to light up the autumn… nope, nothing doing.
Thankfully, the British mainland was there to do the heavy lifting. Welcome to the peep show…
You’ll maybe recall, in the wake of the London 2012 Olympics, the general sense of warm euphoria that blanketed the country – Team GB had pulled out all the stops and won a slew of medals. It wasn’t long before the Welcome to Yorkshire tourist agency gently pointed out that, were Yorkshire considered an independent country, it would have finished twelfth in the medals table. Not that anyone in Yorkshire needed telling, but it consistently punches above its weight.
As in sport, so in birding. The past few months have been good to Yorkshire with, amongst others, a summering Black-browed Albatross, a twitchable Green Warbler, and a settled White-tailed Lapwing. The latter wader is, at the time of writing, still pootling happily around at Blacktoft Sands RSPB, a daily fixture in the news.
Speaking of the daily news, barely an eyebrow would have been raised locally by the reports that there was a Temminck’s Stint at St Aidan’s RSPB in West Yorkshire on 8th. When that was upgraded to a Least Sandpiper, pulses would have been quickening, of course – after all, this would be the fourth record of the species in Yorkshire, and the first since a one-day individual in May 2011.
And then, well into the evening on 8th, that Least Sandpiper turned into something significantly rarer still – something that was going to turn the week on its head, and see visiting birders abandoning Scilly and Shetland for a hot run to Yorkshire. The bird in question was now upgraded into nothing less than Britain’s third ever Long-toed Stint.
A Friday night will rarely have seemed longer for some – an interminable wait for dawn on Saturday. Would the bird still be present for the weekend? Happily, it was all present and correct early on Saturday morning, and the autumn had caught fire. This was a bird generations of British birders ached to catch up with. There are rare waders, and then there are the mythical ones, those last seen in Britain decades ago.
Long-toed Stint, alongside Little Whimbrel, sat firmly at the top of the table – there had been just two prior accepted records to whet our appetites. Our first, some 50 years ago, spent two days in Cornwall at Marazion on 7th-8th June 1970. Our last, almost 40 years ago, was a little more obliging, putting in a five day stay at Saltholme Pools (Cleveland) on 28th August – 1st September 1982.
Mythical stuff. The sort of bird that those who were twitching in the early 1980s could justifiably feel deserved its blocker status as the years afterwards unfolded and no more were forthcoming. And those of us who weren’t around to see either bird could only yearn for another, and wonder if it would ever be forthcoming…
That’s not to say that there won’t be some who had already put a tick next to Long-toed Stint on their lists in comparatively recent years. A bird identified as such at Weir Wood reservoir (East Sussex) on 21st September 2011 had been present there since 15th, reported in the meantime as a Temminck’s Stint, but unobligingly did a bunk overnight on 21st and wasn’t seen thereafter. A few dozen birders made it to Weir Wood before nightfall on that final date. However, to this day the bird remains off the official record…See more here
For some, though not all, that’s a deal-breaker. For others, the wait for an unequivocal Long-toed Stint was to stretch on for yet another decade until this week. Yorkshire’s been kind to a nation’s birders already this autumn, and the kindness was set to extend further, as the stint did the decent thing and remained at St Aidan’s RSPB until the close of the week on 11th. That’s one of the great blockers fallen at long last.
Though nowhere near Long-toed Stint in terms of rarity, there was another fine peep already on offer this week. Initially found on 4th at Normandy Marsh (Hampshire), the identity of the sandpiper in question was up for debate from the outset – either a Semipalmated or a Western Sandpiper, opinion was coalescing as the days wore on, firming towards the latter species, and finally settling categorically on Western Sandpiper on 7th.
The adult bird remained at Normandy Marsh over the weekend and into Monday 11th – maybe not setting the national news on fire, as we’ve already enjoyed the obliging bird in Norfolk this summer, but of considerable local interest as it’s a county first. Hampshire birders have had their fingers burnt in the recent past with Western Sandpiper identification, following a bird at Oxey Marsh on 16th November 2019 that, for a while, was thought to be one before reverting to a Semipalmated Sandpiper determination later in the day. That particular ghost was set to be laid to rest this week at Normandy Marsh.
We do love a Nearctic passerine in these parts, and the pace was quickening in the past week with more Red-eyed Vireos and American Buff-bellied Pipits checking in during recent days, as well as our first Blackpoll Warbler of the autumn. More of all of which anon…
On Cape for a few days. Day started really well with a mega seawatch. 1300 Sooties, 42 Graet Shearwaters. Then the day got really good when this popped out.. pic.twitter.com/RW1vlummAd
— BirderPaul (@PaulBirder) October 7, 2021
However, if the autumn’s been notable for one chunky passerine thus far, it’s been Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, with two first-winter male birds found in late September – one on Unst (Shetland) on 25th, and another on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 30th.
It was Ireland’s turn to get a piece of the action this week, with another island scoring another Rose-breasted Grosbeak - this time a first-winter female individual, found on Cape Clear (Co.Cork) on 7th-9th.
That’s the third individual of the year then for Britain and Ireland combined – making 2021 one of the very best years on record for the species, equalling 2016 and, back in the glory days of American passerine vagrancy, 1987 and 1985, all of which were years with three birds apiece. Nothing comes close, however, to 1983 – a year in which six birds were found in the space of two glorious October weeks, three of which were in Co.Cork alone.
Those 1980s years were ones to conjure with, years in which rarer fare still was found in Britain and Ireland. Is there a monster American passerine waiting in the wings for us yet?
Co.Cork was having a good day on 7th for, in addition to said Rose-breasted Grosbeak, another of its islands had something juicy on offer – an Upland Sandpiper found on Dursey Island.
While Co.Cork is the dominant force in Irish grosbeak records, Upland Sandpiper remains a considerably rarer commodity in the county – there are a dozen accepted Irish records on the books, but a mere two of them were found in Co.Cork, and only one in living memory – a bird that spent a week on Dursey on 18th-24th September 1991. Co.Cork’s first was, with some inevitability, shot when discovered at Newcestown on 4th September 1894.
Alas, this week’s bird wasn’t to prove quite so accommodating as Co.Cork’s last extant individual, and wasn’t reported again after 7th.
Given the relatively late time of year, the seawatching off the British coast this week was of the highest standard possible, with a couple of quality shearwaters showing for the fortunate, faithful few who were sticking it out and staring out to sea. The week kicked off with a Barolo Shearwater seen passing Pendeen (Cornwall) at midday on 5th… and flared into life again on 8th with a probable Yelkouan Shearwater lingering for a short while on the sea off Flamborough (East Yorkshire).
Balearic Shearwaters, meanwhile, were having a much quieter week of it than of late, with a mere 450 birds noted nationwide over the course of recent days, of which 111 seen from Portland (Dorset) on 9th were the highest single site count.
While Ireland wasn’t scoring any rare shearwaters, it was the best place for Great Shearwater numbers, with 50 birds off Crookhaven (Co.Cork) on 7th comfortably the week’s highest tally amongst the 130 birds logged in Britain and Ireland as a whole.
Could the Black-browed Albatross seen on the sea off Pendeen (Cornwall) for five minutes on 10th be the Yorkshire bird making its way south for the winter? A possible albatross sp was seen heading west past Overstrand (Norfolk) on 11th, close to shore, but eluded identification.
An adult White-billed Diver in Shetland’s traditional wintering site of South Nesting Bay was proving popular with visiting birders this week, being seen on 5th-11th, and joined there by a second individual on 8th-9th. Another was seen passing Lamba Ness on Unst on 11th.
Little bit of video of the South Nesting WBD. Not exactly a total surprise in this location, but still a cracking bird. pic.twitter.com/zMpQSBnz69
— David Bradnum (@dbradnum) October 5, 2021
We’ll doubtless be seeing more of them in weeks to come, but one of the autumn’s first Little Auks was noted on 7th off Portland (Dorset), followed by another off Cheswick (Northumberland) on 10th, and two off Unst (Shetland) on 11th.
Some 90 Leach’s Petrels were logged early this week, with 20 birds off Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) on 5th the single highest count.
Finally, numbers of the scarcer skuas were dropping again, with around 35 Pomarine Skuas and just a handful fewer Long-tailed Skuas noted around the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Once again, it fell to Glossy Ibises to make most of the running in the week’s reports of long-legged beasties – some 35 birds were reported in the course of recent days, scattered widely across southern Ireland and England from Co.Dublin in the west to Kent in the east. Our peak counts came, once more, from Cambridgeshire where half a dozen birds noted at Ouse Fen RSPB on 7th were supplanted by a count of nine birds on 10th at Earith.
Absent from the news for a little while, the juvenile Purple Heron popped out of the woodwork at Pagham (West Sussex) again on 9th-11th.
Lastly, on 8th, a Corncrake was found on Unst (Shetland), and a Spotted Crake was seen on St Mary’s (Scilly); another Spotted Crake was reported on 11th from Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (Cheshire).
Our honkers and quackers section gets under way this week on Islay (Argyll & Bute), where a Red-breasted Goose was keeping company with Barnacle Geese at Loch Gruinart RSPB on 5th-9th. Another possible bird was reported heading south over Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) with four Brent Geese on 7th.
The week was marked by a small blizzard of white Snow Geese. In northern Scotland, two birds were seen on Sanday (Orkney) on 2th-6th, while two were noted with Greylag Geese heading north over Fair Isle (Shetland) on 6th also. Three more were seen on 6th further south at Findhorn Bay (Moray); while one was found in Lancashire with Pink-footed Geese over Newton-with-Scales on 6th, and may also have accounted for the individual seen at Banks Marsh NNR on 8th and Martin Mere WWT on 11th. As the week wore on, two were seen on Orkney Mainland at Marwick on 10th-11th; and then, on 11th, the snowdrift continued apace with three seen heading south over Howden (East Yorkshire), and a single blue morph noted going west over Hallington reservoirs (Northumberland) with 500 Barnacle Geese.
Sticking with Banks Marsh for a moment, an interior Todd’s Canada Goose was also hanging out with the Pink-feet there on 8th.
In Norfolk, the Black Brant was still present at Wells on 5th; and one was back on the traditional site of The Fleet in Dorset on 9th-11th.
Moving on to the quackers, a Blue-winged Teal was found in Cheshire at Neumann’s Flash on 8th-9th.
The drake Black Duck remained in Co.Mayo on Termoncarragh Lough on 8th, while the American Wigeon was still present in Co.Mayo at Cross Lough on 8th-9th. Another Black Duck was found on 11th at Clare Island (Co.Mayo). The Cambridgeshire American Wigeon remained settled at Barleycraft Lake on 5th-11th.
Co.Mayo accounted for the highest numbers of Ring-necked Ducks noted this week, with three birds seen on 5th at Lough Dahybaun and on 8th-9th on Termoncarragh Lough; a single bird was on Tory Island (Co.Donegal) on 10th. British singletons were seen in Glamorgan at Cardiff Bay on 6th-8th and 10th, and Cosmeston Lakes CP on 9th; on Yell (Shetland) on 5th-10th; on Anglesey at Llyn Alaw still on 5th; at Dozmary Pool (Cornwall) on 7th-9th; and on Loch of Spiggie (Shetland) on 11th. Two were again seen on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 11th also.
Shetland accounted for both of the week’s King Eiders - the second-winter drake still off Wadbister on 5th-9th, and the recent Burra drake now in the more sheltered waters between Trondra and Mainland off Wester Quarff on 8th-11th.
Lothian had the best of the week’s Surf Scoters, with one present off Musselburgh on 6th-11th still, and two drakes seen from Fisherrow on 9th-10th; one more Scottish individual lingered in the Sound of Taransay off Harris (Western Isles) on 5th-8th; and a drake was found off Fair Isle (Shetland) on 11th. One was seen off Birling Carrs (Northumberland) on 6th; and a bird was once more seen from Pensarn (Conwy) on 7th.
With some lingering Nearctic quality from the prior week, we’ve loads to go at again in the waders away from the headlines.
Starting in Ireland, the Solitary Sandpiper remained at Clogher (Co.Mayo) on 5th-8th.
In Co.Cork, meanwhile, the Semipalmated Plover was still showing well at Crookhaven on 5th-11th.
A ringed Kentish Plover was seen in Somerset at Berrow on 8th.
The week was a strong one for American Golden Plovers, with at least 12 birds noted in all. Starting in Ireland, individuals were seen in Co.Cork at Ballycotton and Lissagriffin on 6th and 10th, and Old Head of Kinsale on 9th; and in Co.Kerry on 8th where a juvenile was present at Littor and an adult at Carrahane Strand; on 10th a juvenile was seen at Blennerville, sharing the site with Co.Kerry’s first ever Pacific Golden Plover for good measure. Another adult American Goldie was again at Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 10th; and on 11th one was found on Loop Head (Co.Clare).
On Scilly, Tresco landed a bird on 7th and again on 10th, while it or another was noted in flight over St Agnes on 10th; one was present in Essex at Abberton reservoir on 8th; the week ended with one in Somerset at Steart WWT; while a probable was found at Freiston Shore RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 7th, and another probable flew over The Lizard (Cornwall) on 11th. In Wales, one lingered at Dale Airfield (Pembrokeshire) on 8th-10th; and in Scotland, one was still present on North Uist (Western Isles) on 5th, and reported again from there on 7th also.
Dotterel numbers built on Scilly, with the single bird on Tresco still on 5th-7th joined by a second bird on 6th, and then three birds in all were present on the island on 8th-9th; while two were seen on St Agnes on 6th; one was noted over Bryher on 9th; on 10th two remained on Tresco, while a single bird was seen on St Mary’s, and two on Bryher. Away from Scilly, one was seen at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 5th, the recent bird was again reported from Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on 6th and, on 10th, one was found at Torness Point (Lothian).
Been studying the reported Little Stint on Hayle for the last hour… it is a juv Semipalmated Sandpiper. Still showing 17:20 at Carnsew Pool. @RareBirdAlertUK @CBWPS1 pic.twitter.com/h3zRL09qxC
— Reuben Veal (@reuben_veal1) October 11, 2021
The week began with a couple of lingering Semipalmated Sandpipers still present in northern Scotland on 5th – one apiece on Shetland at Pool of Virkie and in the Western Isles on South Uist – and ended with another at Hayle Estuary RSPB (Cornwall) on 11th.
The Baird’s Sandpiper remained in Co.Kerry at Inny Strand on 5th-10th.
Co.Derry, meanwhile, gave us our first Buff-breasted Sandpiper of recent days, seen at Lough Beg on 9th-10th, and followed on 10th by individuals at Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) and Mizen Head (Co.Cork).
Some 30 Pectoral Sandpipers were seen across the region this week, with multiple birds again at a couple of sites – three were present on Lewis (Western Isles) on 5th, while two were present on Tresco (Scilly) on 5th-6th, and two were seen at Lissagriffin (Co.Cork) on 11th.
Returning to Co.Derry, the Long-billed Dowitcher was still present at Lough Beg on 5th-10th, while one was seen on 10th-11th on the Bann estuary; one was seen at Portmore Lough (Co.Antrim) on 5th-6th; and the Potter Heigham Marshes (Norfolk) individual remained present on 5th-11th.
In Aberdeenshire, the yellowleg double bill continued at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB this week, with the Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs both still present there on 5th-11th. Further Lesser Yellowlegs were logged on Lewis (Western Isles) still on 5th; at Kilcoole (Co.Wicklow) still on 5th-11th; and at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) still on 6th-9th. On 11th a new bird was found in Cornwall at Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS.
Some 40 Grey Phalaropes were noted this week, with a single site peak of 12 birds off Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 5th. A couple of Red-necked Phalaropes were also seen – one on Unst (Shetland) on 5th, and another in Essex at Bowers Marsh RSPB on 6th. The highlight of the phalarope triumvirate is, of course, a Wilson’s Phalarope and, this week, one was found on 11th at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford).
A probable Hudsonian Whimbrel came in off the sea at Sennen (Cornwall) on 11th, and promptly headed inland.
A note of intrigue came from Shetland on 8th, when a possible Great Knot was seen at Pool of Virkie – alas, only to fly off, never to be seen again.
White tailed Lapwing ?? showing well from #MarshlandHide @Blacktoft_Sands also Little Stint, 2x Curlew Sand, Snipe, many BTGodwits, Redshank, Dunlin, Lapwing, Teal, Wigeon & single Little Egret @BirdGuides @RareBirdAlertUK @SLArchive @BirdDoncaster @paulasykes1971
— Paul Coombes (@paulcoombes844) October 11, 2021
11 Oct 2021 pic.twitter.com/6lPyqeSN2u
We finish the waders with a flourish in East Yorkshire, where the White-tailed Lapwing remained a fixture at Blacktoft Sands RSPB on 5th-11th, making for a scarcely credible double with the Long-toed Stint for some Yorkshire day-trippers at the weekend.
For a second consecutive week, some 35 Sabine’s Gulls were logged nationwide in recent days, with Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) again proving a potent vantage point for them – the week’s peak single site count coming from there on 5th, when five birds were seen.
In Co.Down the adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained at Belfast Lough on 5th-6th; another was found in Co.Cork at Long Strand on 7th-9th; while a further adult in Norfolk at Cley on 9th was frustratingly transitory – we go back to a first-winter bird seen on 26th September 1970 for the last Cley record.
The adult Ring-billed Gull was still present at Nimmo’s Pier (Co.Galway) on 9th.
In Shetland, the adult Iceland Gull was again seen in Lerwick on 5th. Shetland also accounted for a handful of Glaucous Gulls, at Brunthamarsland on 5th, on Fair Isle on 9th, at Loch of Spiggie and on Unst on 10th, and at Boddam on 11th; while further birds were noted this week at Reydon (Suffolk) on 5th; on the Lossie estuary (Moray), where two birds were seen on 6th, and a single bird on 7th and 10th; and at Flint (Flintshire) on 7th.
Finally, in Ireland, the adult Forster’s Tern was again seen at Soldier’s Point (Co.Louth) on 8th and 11th.
A little belated news enlivens the raptors this week – a possible dark morph Eleonora’s Falcon seen over the A47 near Swaffham (Norfolk) from a moving vehicle on 4th came, predictably enough, to nothing further. We all live in hope for the day one of these elegant birds is pinned down and twitchable in Britain, even for just one day…
A Rough-legged Buzzard was also reported from Norfolk, near Dersingham on 9th; another was seen in Essex near St Osyth on 10th.
A juvenile Pallid Harrier was seen over the allotments at Pendeen (Cornwall) in the afternoon of 11th.
Both of our recent Snowy Owls checked in for another week – the male again up on the summit of Ben Macdui (Aberdeenshire) on 6th, and the female still present out on St Kilda (Western Isles) on 8th-9th.
And so to the passerines, where we have to start in style with the first Nearctic warbler of the autumn – granted, a Blackpoll Warbler isn’t the rarest of American wood warblers in a British or Irish context, but nobody’s day was ever made worse for seeing one over here. One was found on Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 10th-11th.
The week was particularly notable for Red-eyed Vireos, with a small arrival of half a dozen of them across Britain and Ireland, including one pioneering bird that made it to the east coast – an individual seen on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 8th-11th, a third record for the county. Further west, British examples were seen at Porth Meudwy (Gwynedd) on 6th-9th and East Soar (Devon) on 7th; while up on Shetland the recent bird was again reported from Brae on 5th-6th. Irish birds were seen on Achill Island (Co.Mayo) on 5th-9th, and on Inishbofin (Co.Galway) on 6th.
Nor were these the only Nearctic passerines on offer - American Buff-bellied Pipits began clocking in as the week wore on, with the lingering birds on St Agnes (Scilly) still on 5th and St Kilda (Western Isles) still on 5th-9th joined in the daily news, on 8th, by birds in Ireland on Achill Island (Co.Mayo) and at Castle Point (Co.Clare); on 8th-11th by one at Landimore (Glamorgan), only the second Welsh record of the species; one was reported from Toll’s Island (Scilly) on 10th; and on 11th a final bird was to be found on Fair Isle (Shetland).
Sticking with the pipits, our Olive-backed Pipits this past week continued to have a largely Shetland flavour about them, with five birds noted in the archipelago – on Mainland at Isbister on 5th-6th and Channerwick on 5th; on Bressay on 5th; and on Unst on 5th-6th and 8th at Norwick and Halligarth respectively. Away from Shetland, further birds were seen at Kilnsea and Spurn (East Yorkshire) and Whitburn CP (Co.Durham) on 6th, with a further probable bird that day over Mablethorpe (Lincolnshire). Additional possible birds were seen in flight on 10th at Nanjizal Valley and Sennen (Cornwall) with a probable over the former site the following day.
Richard’s Pipits, on the other hand, had a distinctly Norfolk and Cornish bias – from the former on 8th, reports came from Holme Dunes, Sidestrand, Trimingham and Waxham followed, on 9th, by further records from Blakeney and Wells. Away from there, one was found in Cornwall at St Agnes Head on 8th, and another on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 9th. On 10th Cornish sightings came thick and fast from Porthgwarra, St Levan, Land’s End, Sennen, and Pendeen; while Norfolk supplied one at Titchwell RSPB; and further east coast records came from North Foreland and Foreness Point (Kent), and Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire). On 11th final sightings came from Polgigga (Cornwall) and Bardsey (Gwynedd).
A couple of east coast Red-throated Pipits provided a little rarer variety – birds being seen on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 6th and at Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 9th – and were followed by westerly individuals with one on Rame Head (Cornwall) on 10th and another on Tresco (Scilly) on 11th.
A Citrine Wagtail was noted on Shetland Mainland over Housabister on 6th; another possible bird was passing over Chelmsford (Essex) on 7th.
A possible Eastern Yellow Wagtail was seen on 10th-11th on Shetland Mainland at Gulberwick but proved, once its call was reproduced in a sonogram, to be merely a Yellow Wagtail after all. A timely reminder that birds can look the part but still not be the real deal where this cryptic ‘new’ species is concerned.
Flamborough (East Yorkshire) scored a Red-flanked Bluetail, in what’s been a subdued autumn nationally for them thus far, on 8th; this was followed on 11th by one trapped and ringed on Skokholm (Pembrokeshire).
A handful of Bluethroats were logged this week in Shetland – on Unst at Haroldswick on 5th-6th and Burrafirth on 6th-10th; on Mainland at Kergord on 8th-11th, Gulberwick on 8th, Orbister on 10th-11th, and Ollaberry on 11th; and on Fetlar on 11th. A further bird was found in Kent on 10th at Bockhill Farm.
A male Eyebrowed Thrush was reported as present on rocks at Sea Palling (Norfolk) on 8th, but couldn’t be relocated latterly.
Our first Desert Wheatear of the autumn checked into Kent at North Foreland on 9th-11th – a smart and deservedly popular male bird. More, surely, to follow in the weeks to come.
Fair numbers of Red-breasted Flycatchers were noted over the course of the week, with around 25 widely scattered individuals found, from Shetland in the north to Cornwall and Scilly in the south, and as far west as Co.Galway and Co.Cork.
Moving on to warblers, the week was notable primarily for the small arrival of Radde’s Warblers - while one remained on Sanday (Orkney) on 5th, two more were found that day on Shetland Mainland at Sullom and Kergord respectively; one was present on Isle of May (Fife) on 7th-8th; while more far-flung birds were found on 9th, at Lowestoft (Suffolk), on St Martin’s (Scilly), and on Cape Clear (Co.Cork), the Lowestoft and Cape Clear birds remaining on 10th, with another found on 10th in Devon at East Soar.
In stark contrast, just one Dusky Warbler was seen, on Lunna (Shetland) on 6th-7th.
Shetland Mainland also provided our only Greenish Warbler of the week, seen at Boddam on 6th. Those with an eye on the goings on in northern France and Holland this week could be forgiven for feeling a little short-changed in this regard…
A couple of Arctic Warblers were found in England – one on Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland) on 6th, and another in Kent at Shuart on 9th.
Western Bonelli's #warbler appeared again this lunchtime, a flittering shining light on a gloomy day... #Papay #islandofbirds #Orkney pic.twitter.com/wsitXxnwld
— Papay Ranger (@PapayRanger) October 7, 2021
Continuing the decent recent run of Western Bonelli’s Warblers, birds were found this week on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 5th-8th; at Tresta (Shetland) on 7th-9th at a private site; and on Inishmore (Co.Galway) on 9th.
Yellow-browed Warblers continued to crop up here and there, but still not in vast numbers – around 240 birds were logged across Britain and Ireland this past week.
A male Subalpine Warbler sp was trapped and ringed at Filey (North Yorkshire on 10th – presumably CSI birding will resolve the specific identity in due course.
Some 25 Barred Warblers were found this week, with two on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 5th the only multiple count.
Sanday (Orkney) landed a late Icterine Warbler on 5th also.
Back on Shetland, a couple of Marsh Warblers were seen in recent days, on Out Skerries still on 5th, and on Foula on 7th. The recent Blyth’s Reed Warbler remained on Bressay on 5th, and was followed by a probable at Bamburgh (Northumberland) on 6th, trapped and ringed individuals on 9th on St Mary’s (Scilly) and Skokholm (Pembrokeshire), and one more on Foula (Shetland) on 11th.
St Mary’s (Scilly) held onto the recent badius Woodchat Shrike on 5th-6th, though it wasn’t reported thereafter. At the other end of the country, the first-winter Woodchat remained settled in Aith on Shetland Mainland on 5th-11th; and a further possible bird was seen in Gloucestershire at Woorgreens Lake GWT on 10th.
Lingering Red-backed Shrikes remained on Bolus Head (Co.Kerry), St Martin’s (Scilly) and Fair Isle (Shetland) still on 5th; further sightings came on 5th from St Mary’s (Scilly); on 6th in Shetland from Norby and Sandness; on 6th-8th at Newbiggin (Northumberland); on 9th at Rimac (Lincolnshire); and on 11th at Whiting Bay (Co.Waterford).
A small arrival of Hoopoes nationally this week perhaps gave the lie to the local hypothesis that the bird on Whalsay (Shetland) on 7th might have been the same wandering individual that had cropped up in Central Mainland, Noss and Bressay lately. Elsewhere, birds were found on 6th near Little Downham (Cambridgeshire); on 7th near Northallerton (North Yorkshire) and at Innsworth (Gloucestershire); on 8th at Wells (Norfolk); on 8th-9th at Crook of Baldoon RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway); on 11th in Highland at Roster; and on 9th, remarkably, at sea from the ferry off Rosslare (Co.Wexford).
Just three Wrynecks were seen lately – one in Mewslade Valley (Glamorgan) on 6th-10th; and, on 7th, birds on Hayling Island (Hampshire) and at Garinish Point (Co.Cork).
A Penduline Tit was seen on 8th heading south over The Naze (Essex).
On St Kilda (Western Isles), the Short-toed Lark remained present on 5th-9th; another was seen on 7th-9th at Kilcoole (Co.Wicklow); and one more in Shetland on Yell on 10th.
A possible Calandra Lark was seen in flight mid-morning on 11th on St Mary’s (Scilly).
A handful of Rose-coloured Starlings chose to linger this week – at Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on 5th-11th; at Sennen (Cornwall) on 6th-10th; on Bryher (Scilly) still on 8th-11th; and in Kent again at Hythe on 10th; while further birds were seen at Barns Ness (Lothian) on 9th-10th and Paignton (Devon) on 7th-9th.
Around a dozen Common Rosefinches were logged in recent days, sharing their bland charms with birders from Shetland to Scilly, and out west in Ireland to Co.Cork and Co.Mayo.
Rather more characterful altogether, single Arctic Redpolls were found on Shetland on Unst on 6th and 11th; in North Mainland near Bardister on 9th, with a possible bird at Gulberwick on 10th; and with two more frosty hornemanni birds on Foula on 11th.
A Serin brought a touch of southern colour to St Mary’s (Scilly) on 11th.
Some 25 Little Buntings represented another solid haul of this subtly attractive species. Two thirds of them were scattered across Shetland – but birds were also found on Scilly towards the end of the week, and in Suffolk, where one was trapped and ringed at Trimley Marshes SWT on 10th.
Finally, three Rustic Buntings continued Shetland’s good recent run for the species – birds were seen this week on Mainland at Culswick on 5th, Kergord on 5th-6th, and Loch of Hillwell on 6th. Scilly landed one too, found on St Mary’s on 11th.
It’s finally the turn of the Azores to head up our overseas news, as Iceland – for the most part – took a break from writing the headlines this week, passing the baton for wayward American birds back to the Western Palearctic’s extreme mid Atlantic frontier.
So, deep breath, and here we go with Corvo alone… the week began with an Upland Sandpiper on 5th; Semipalmated Plover and Semipalmated Sandpiper on 6th, with two Red-eyed Vireos that day also; a Northern Harrier on 7th; and then, on 8th, the beginning of more variety showing up - American Redstart, American Buff-bellied Pipit, Bobolink, Rough-legged Hawk, and two Cliff Swallows. The latter remained present on 9th, while new birds that day included two Northern Parulas, and single Philadelphia Vireo and Cape May Warbler, the latter just the third record for the Azores, and the seventh for the WP. By 11th further species were added to the weekly roster - Indigo Bunting and Swainson’s Thrush also checking in.
1st-winter female Cape May Warbler, Dendroica tigrina photographed at Corvo by Mårten Müller, photo Mika Bruun - 3rd record for Azores and 7th for Western Palearctic pic.twitter.com/bwHis3LPp6
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) October 9, 2021
Away from the magnetism of Corvo, elsewhere in the Azores a Green Heron settled on Flores on 5th-7th; and, on Terceira, a Great Blue Heron still present on 7th was augmented by a Stilt Sandpiper on 9th.
Okay, Iceland next… cos they weren’t doing badly there either, albeit not in the same numbers as their recent fabulous run. This week the country landed its sixth ever Killdeer at Hellnar on 6th; and a Northern Harrier on 9th at Sandgeroi.
The summering Sandhill Crane that spent recent months in Norway was re-found this week in Finland at Tyrnava on 5th.
A Siberian Accentor in Belarus at Sasnovy on 9th was cause for a little wistful reminiscence in these quarters. Will we ever see another in Britain? The influx of 2016 is starting to feel like a once-in-a-lifetime event…
Northern France was having a good week, with a Black-winged Kite on Ouessant on 9th preceded, the day before, by the discovery on the island of a Two-barred Greenish Warbler, the latter bird remaining until 10th.
Another Two-barred Greenish Warbler was found on 8th-11th in Holland at Maasvlakte. Where’s ours?! On 10th-11th, a Black Scoter was present at Schiermonnikoog, and the Pygmy Cormorant was still present in Utrecht on 10th also.
A White-backed Vulture was seen passing over Tarifa (Spain) on 8th.
In Turkey, a Pied Bush Chat was found on 9th at Milleyha Wetland.
And finally, wrapping the overseas news up where we began at a Western Palearctic extreme, in Israel a Pintail Snipe was found on 10th at Tel Afek National Park.
Testament to the arrival in recent days of some North American migrants, the week began and ended with arguably the most impressive of all Transatlantic migrants - Monarch butterflies, found initially in Shetland at Sumburgh on 6th, and latterly in Scilly on St Mary’s on 11th, with another on Portland (Dorset) on 6th, and belated news of still another in Shetland at Kalliness on 5th.
That any butterfly can survive a full ocean crossing boggles the mind, but Monarchs have been recorded doing so in the butterfly literature for a couple of centuries now – old entomology textbooks record them as extremely rare arrivals in the English southwest. They’re significantly rarer, down the years, in Scotland, and this week’s two insects on Shetland represent the third and fourth ever records for the archipelago.
I’d love to be proved wrong, but suspect the Sumburgh individual may be the rarest thing I see on Shetland all year…
Still no Catharus thrushes? What is wrong with the world?
We’ll keep wishing for them. Surely at least one will eventually scrape through…
It doesn’t feel like that’s asking too much in mid-October. We’d be shooting for the stars if we demanded a spectacular Nearctic warbler, though historic precedent tells us that a very rainbow of possibilities have turned up in the past. With nine prior records for the coming week, Blackpoll Warbler remains the most likely prospect, but four past Myrtle Warblers, and trios of American Redstart and Northern Parula all provide some substance for our daydreams. And that’s before we get onto the proper scary stuff, like Wilson’s or Chestnut-sided Warblers…
The coming week has form…
Unfortunately, the coming week also has, at the time of writing, a sodding great big lump of high pressure parked right on top of us that looks set to slam the door firmly in the face of any sort of persistent, useful westerlies. And that’s set to be replaced by a cold front sweeping down from the north. Really, none of this is what we’re hoping for at this point in the autumn.
Failing something from America coming out of the woodwork that’s already made landfall, it’s perhaps a good time to start looking for an Arctic Redpoll. You could do worse, after all. The arrival of two hornemanni on Foula and one on Unst late this past week should be a shot across the bows, and the coming week is traditionally a fruitful one for them. There will be more out there to find…
Jon Dunn
12th October 2021
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
Share this story
