Rarity Round-Up
In a full month of birding ‘lockdown’, news of some fine rare birds still got out
The best rare birds seen in the UK and Ireland during April
Needless to say, it has been a strange spring. With many of our lives being changed in so many ways, rare birds seem a little low in terms of importance. Indeed, rare bird reporting has also diminished considerably, with not only access to birding sites being ‘complicated’, but with many bird finders being understandably reluctant to encourage others to chase around the country ticking birds. So, the available rare bird news will almost certainly not be close to a comprehensive picture of the birds out there in April. But here is the best we can do to summarise what was in the public domain.
Probably the rarest bird of the spring (at least from what we know) was a Song Sparrow on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 9th and 10th. It comes just two years after one of these rare North American sparrows on the same island (in 2018 of course); and will be the island’s fifth (if accepted), which is an exceptional proportion of the UK total, which will reach just nine.
Challenging for second place in the best new birds of the month category was a singing male Sardinian Warbler at Porthleven, Cornwall, on 18th and 19th. With approaching 90 UK records, this is not in the same rarity league as Song Sparrow, but is nonetheless a great bird in any year.
Best of the Rest
Star rare birds which remained into April included the glorious male Lesser Kestrel on St Mary’s, Scilly, which remained on the island, or at least in the archipelago, until the end of the month. The lockdown which prevented anyone from visiting the islands did not stop the rare and scarce birds from arriving (for the exclusive enjoyment of the local birders!). Treats included a red-throated Red-throated Pipit, Serin, Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Night Heron, Short-toed Lark, Golden Oriole and Hoopoe, to pick out a few highlights from St Mary’s, as well as a possible American Herring Gull.
Talking of which, a first-winter American Herring Gull (the same
Broad-winged soarers
Raptors featured strongly during the month, with two species dominating proceedings, not least