Landbirds

well, intermittently, at Mistley Quay (Essex/ Suffolk) on the River Stour on 19th-20th before relocating to the Deben and Felixstowe Ferry (Suffolk) on 21st. Five days later on 26th, it showed very well for almost five hours at Folkestone (Kent) before flying off south at 2.30pm never to be seen again. Once again, Shetland had a Rufous (Oriental) Turtle Dove (ssp meena) in November, in a North Roe garden in north Mainland from 7th-17th. The numbers of wintering Shore Larks continued to impress, with as many as 82 being reported from Holkham Gap (Norfolk) mid-month and up to 60 elsewhere, primarily in Lothian and North Lincolnshire, while a dozen Richard’s Pipits occurred, including a returning bird at Swale NNR, Isle of Sheppey (Kent) from 25th. The wintering Black-bellied Dipper in Needham Market (Suffolk) was last reported on 26th. More than 2,000 Waxwings arrived into Britain in the first half of November. Scotland produced the last Siberian Accentor of the autumn – the UK’S 13th – trapped and ringed at Avoch, on the Black Isle (Inverness District) on 6th. It was last reported on 12th and one of 232 that got ‘lost’ in Europe this autumn. Our only Siberian Rubythroat of the autumn was on Fair Isle on 18th – somewhat surprisingly scarce considering the exceptional influx of other rares from its region. An unprecedented influx of Eastern Black Redstarts continued with singles at Skinningrove (Cleveland) from 1st into December, Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland) on 3rd-9th, Cayton Bay, Scarborough (East Yorks) on 7th-10th and at Torness (Lothian) from 30th. Also unprecedented was the influx of Isabelline Wheatears into Britain, that on Islay in Machir Bay (Argyll) from 22nd-30th representing the sixth individual this autumn (the Gun Hill first-winter in Norfolk surviving until at least 6th December after its initial arrival on 22nd October!). Desert Wheatears, too, have been impressive with a further three in November (Thurlestone Beach, South Devon, from 8th into December, The new record year total (so far) of species seen in the UK and Ireland for a single year

Number of Cliff Swallows ever in the UK (including the two this year)

Number of Siberian Accentors in Europe this autumn: 75 in Sweden, 74 in Finland, 13 in UK, 12 in Denmark, 11 in Poland, 11 in Germany, 10 in Norway, nine in Latvia, eight in Estonia, four in Lithuania, three in north-west Russia and singles in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Number of Isabelline Wheatears in UK this autumn Minimum number of Waxwings in UK this autumn, including a flock of more than 500 in Elgin (Nairn) on 11th November Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, from 17th-21st and at Norman’s Bay, Bexhill-on-sea, East Sussex, from 28th), taking this autumn’s tally to eight. Rounding off what has been an astounding autumn for rare thrushes, Britain scored with an adult male Eyebrowed Thrush at Bolam Country Park (Northumberland) on 4th, the aforementioned Derbyshire Dusky from 25th and a first-winter male Black-throated Thrush at Dale (Orkney) from 10th-16th; while late Barred Warblers included singles in gardens at Deerness (Orkney) until 20th and trapped and ringed in Rhos-on-sea (Clwyd) on 24th and an equally late lingering Radde’s Warbler on Cape Clear Island (Co. Cork) on 1st. A further seven Dusky Warblers made landfall during the month, including singles on Unst on 1st and 2nd, in Penwith at Swyngates House and Land’s End (Cornwall) from 3rd-10th, Broadsands Ley (South Devon) on 6th, Carn Friars, St Mary’s (Scilly) on 10th, Holme NOA (Norfolk) on 23rd and Nanjizal (Cornwall) on 23rd: the biggest autumn ever for this skulking Siberian warbler in the UK. Another five Pallas’s Leaf Warblers (with singles at Bawdsey, Suffolk, on 3rd, Deal Hall, Dengie, Essex, on 8th, Skomer on 13th, Easington, East Yorks, on 12th and Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland, on 25th), three late Red-breasted Flycatchers and three-plus caudatus Long-tailed Tits on Mull (Argyll) on 7th. First-winter (Daurian) Isabelline Shrikes were identified at Toe Head (Co. Cork) on 1st, Trevilley Farm, Skewjack (Cornwall) on 2nd and Murlough (Co. Down) on 5th, with five juvenile Rosecoloured Starlings noted, including popular birds at Limpenhoe (Norfolk) on 4th-8th and in Broadfield, Crawley (West Sussex) from 27th, a Red-eyed Vireo in the Parsonage, St Agnes (Scilly) until 2nd, two Hornemann’s Arctic Redpolls on Unst (Shetland) on 12th-17th. Scandinavian Arctic Redpolls (exilipes) were on Fair Isle on to at least 11th, up to three on Unst during 10th-20th, at Queenamidda (Orkney) on 19th and on Salthouse Beach (Norfolk) from 22nd-26th. Following on from the underlying record theme, another half dozen or so Little Buntings were located, including singles at Bawdsey (Suffolk) on 13th-15th and Thetford Nunnery Lakes (Norfolk) on 15th.