Rock ‘n’ Ronaldsay!
North Ronaldsay scored an ultra-rare shrike while the South-West enjoyed some mega seabirds. Josh Jones rounds up a busy and exciting month.
Summer transitions to autumn as August progresses, and this month’s sightings certainly reflected the shifting of the seasons. One of the rarest birds of the month was Britain’s eighth Eleonora’s Falcon (see pages 8-9), which visited Winterton Dunes, Norfolk, on 20th. It was seen only for a matter of minutes, before flying off inland – fortunately, the quick-thinking observer managed a clinching series of images, which should see this bird accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee.
Also extremely rare was an identifiable Red-tailed (‘Turkestan’) Shrike – an adult female on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 23-24th. With most ‘Isabelline Shrikes’ involving first-winters, which are said to be unidentifiable in the field, any keen lister must await an adult of either species to be sure. It follows hot on the heels of last September’s male Red-tailed on Mainland Shetland.
Although none proved twitchable, two Brown Booby sightings continued the trend from August 2019 and indeed earlier this summer. Two flew past Porthgwarra, Cornwall, on 2nd and another flew past nearby Pendeen on the evening of 27th. However, both of these encounters were arguably eclipsed by a multi-observed Band-rumped (‘Madeiran’) Storm Petrel, which flew close inshore past Pendeen on 22nd.
Seven sightings of Fea’s-type Petrels represented a respectable showing. Cornwall scored three, with birds past Killigerran Head and Porthgwarra on 19th and another past Pendeen on 20th. In Devon, one flew past Berry Head on 25th. One passed Galley Head, Co Cork, on 20th, with another photographed at sea west-south-west of Mizen Head on 29th. The notable exception concerned one past North
Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 30th.
Wilson’s Storm Petrels were numerous in the South-West Approaches and a regular feature of pelagic trips off Scilly. The peak count was of 14 on 23rd, although 12 on 22nd and six on several dates were also good. The pelagics also produced regular large shearwaters, including 344 Greats on 18th, and great views of Sabine’s
Gull, Long-tailed Skua and the more regular species. Wilson’s, meanwhile, were seen from land at four Irish and five Cornish sites, the former including birds past Bridges of Ross, Co Clare, on three dates.
Also from land, a respectable 137 Great Shearwaters passed Porthgwarra on 19th, while 20th proved the ‘big day’ in Co Cork – 300 Cory’s and 100 Greats flew past Toe Head, and Galley Head bagged 222 Cory’s and 174 Greats. Both species were seen with unusual regularity from North Sea watchpoints, although it was likely the same handful of birds account for the various sightings between eastern Scotland and Suffolk.
It was a terrific month for Long-tailed Skua, with an amazing 130 sites logging the species and some of the best passage witnessed in the North Sea for a number of years. While birds were reported regularly throughout the month, there were notable pulses from 14-16th and again from 2530th, coinciding with productive seawatching conditions between Aberdeenshire and Kent. Many sites scored double-figure counts on multiple dates, with sample tallies including 19 past Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on 16th, 18 past Fife Ness on 28th and a highly impressive 37 past Spurn on 29th. There were also a few inland records, including juveniles photographed at Holme Pierrepont, Notts, on 16th and Startop’s End Reservoir, Herts, on 17th.
North Sea seawatching sites were also livened up by numerous records of scarcities such as Sabine’s Gull, Leach’s and European Storm Petrels and plenty of Pomarine Skuas, while Oare Marshes, Kent, produced an epic 500 Arctic Skuas on 30th.
Wildfowl news was scant, although the American Black
Duck soldiered on at Strontian, Highland, and, in the same county, the female King Eider was seen again off Dornoch. The only Surf Scoter was a male off Blackdog, Aberdeenshire.
As many as seven Purple Herons were seen in August, including popular juveniles at Durleigh Reservoir,
Somerset, Swale NNR, Kent, and on the Wirral, Cheshire. Black-crowned Night Herons were noted in Devon, Dorset and Berkshire, the last concerning a juvenile in the
Dinton Pastures and Lea Farm GPs area from 8-26th. Six Glossy Ibises were seen, including a new bird in Co Galway and long stayers in Gwent and Kent.
The Bearded Vulture remained in the Peak District all month, favouring Derbyshire’s Woodhead Valley and generally seen over the reservoir there. Despite concerns for its health, the bird seems to be feeding well enough and had partially regrown its tail by the time the month was out.
There were
unconfirmed sightings of what was presumably the roving Sooty
Tern in Co Durham on 9th and Northumberland on 17th. Meanwhile, a Bridled Tern was seen briefly off Lundy, Devon, on 26th – bizarrely, it had been perched on some flotsam but quickly flew off.
An adult Caspian Tern at
Inny Strand, Co Kerry, late on
3rd – just the 12th ever seen in Ireland – remained until early the following morning before flying out to sea. Some hung around in the hope that it would return, but the same individual was photographed that evening at Gann Estuary, Pembs – a 350-km eastward movement in just over 10 hours! Further records came from Cotswold Water Park, Glos, on 8th, Hickling Broad, Norfolk, on 9th and Gwithian, Cornwall, on 20th.
Alton Water, Suffolk, hosted an adult Gull-billed Tern for much of the first half of the month, although it did appear to make a trip to Seaton
Snook, Cleveland, on the evening of 2nd and then call in at Snettisham RSPB, Norfolk, the following morning, before returning to Alton from 4-16th. Presumably the same bird was then at Gibraltar Point, Lincs, on 1819th. Another was in a field at Singleton, Lancs, on 13th, while what was presumably the same Irish bird that has been doing the rounds
for weeks now was in Co Wexford from 14-16th and on 31st, with a trip to The Gearagh, Co Cork, from 21-25th.
A reasonable if unspectacular showing of Black Terns saw around 160 sites register the species. A moulting adult White-winged Tern at Beacon Ponds, East Yorks, on 10th was presumably that which moved to Northumberland on
13th and commuted between several coastal sites to 22nd. A further adult was at Castleshaw Reservoirs, Greater Manchester, on 14th, with a juvenile on Burray, Orkney, on 31st.
Western Scotland’s run of Bonaparte’s Gulls continued with a new adult at Loch Gruinart RSPB, Islay, from 28-30th. The
Bute bird was seen again at Kilchattan Bay and another commuted between Lochgilphead and the Add Estuary. Further south, the Kent bird remained at Oare Marshes throughout.
Pacific Golden Plovers were confirmed in two counties: one was on Suffolk’s Blyth Estuary on 7th, followed by a pristine adult male at Boulmer, Northumberland, on
9th. The latter lingered on the Northumberland coast, visiting several sites until 22nd. Four adult American Golden Plovers included two in Ireland, one in the Outer Hebrides and one in Shetland. Two Kentish Plovers were on the Exe Estuary, Devon, on 13th, with another at Stanpit Marsh, Dorset, the following day.
Two were then at Pegwell Bay, Kent, on 24th.
Two adult Spotted Sandpipers showed remarkable symmetry in the length of their stays at Castle Espie WWT, Co
Down (from 7-22nd), and Drift Reservoir, Cornwall (from 8-22nd), respectively. Then on 31st, the first juvenile of the autumn reached St Mary’s, Scilly. The summering Lesser Yellowlegs was last reported from Nosterfield, North Yorks, on 10th, while the first juvenile of the season appeared at Tacumshin, Co Wexford, on 28th.
Four juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers were seen after the first arrived on St Mary’s, Scilly, on 27th; the rest were in Ireland, with Co Wexford (two) and Co
Cork scoring. Pick of the 13 Pectoral Sandpipers recorded was the bird seen flying along the Manx Shearwater line off Bridges of Ross, Co Clare, on 22nd. A sole Semipalmated Sandpiper was seen at Myroe Levels, Co Derry, on 23rd. Lancashire’s Longbilled Dowitcher was again at Martin Mere WWT intermittently to 7th, while the adult continued to be seen regularly in the
Anthorn area of Cumbria to the month’s end.
A European Roller in the Spurn area would have been hugely popular had it lingered more than an hour – first seen at Sammy’s Point early on 12th, it moved to Kilnsea Wetlands before disappearing. A handful of sites as far north as Orkney recorded
European Bee-eaters, although all proved to be either very brief or fly-overs. Eight localities scored Hoopoe, with the pick of these a showy bird at Belhaven Bay, Lothian, on 26-27th – although it was so confiding that it succumbed to a passing car on the latter date.
A reasonable spread of Wrynecks accumulated during the month, with 40 sites noting the species after the first at Radipole Lake, Dorset, on 7th. The southern half of England fared best, with Norfolk scoring at least six different birds. One was trapped and ringed at Stanford Reservoir, Northants, on 27th.
With two bouts of easterly winds in August, it proved a terrific month for Greenish Warblers. The first birds arrived at Flamborough Head and Spurn on 10th, with no fewer than 30 noted by the month’s end. As always, the vast majority were in the Northern Isles (especially Shetland) or along the east coast, with Spurn scoring at least four. Norfolk helped itself to no fewer than 13, but the standout record concerned one well inland at Cuckoo Bank, Staffs, on 23rd – an amazing find.
By recent standards it was also a very decent month for Icterine Warblers, with as many as 40 noted between Devon and Shetland. East Yorkshire and Norfolk typically prospered, with multiple individuals seen, but the most eyebrow-raising record concerned a bird trapped at a constant-effort ringing site on Salisbury Plain, Wilts, on 16th – further inspiration for inland patchers dreaming of scoring a scarce drift migrant.
Two Booted Warblers were seen in August, with a bird on
Isle of May, Fife, on 11th and a second at Whitburn CP, Co Durham, on 29-30th. Two Blyth’s Reed Warblers reached Shetland, on Unst from 18-20th and Mainland on 30th. A few Marsh Warblers were also in Shetland, while two mainland birds were trapped and ringed (Shuart, Kent, on 3rd and Belvide Reservoir, Staffs, on 31st). North Ronaldsay, Orkney, amazingly hosted two different Melodious Warblers in the month, with another seen on Fetlar, Shetland. More typical were 10 records from the south and south-west of England, including four in Cornwall.
Strangely, belated news came out of a Sardinian Warbler at Winterton, Norfolk, on 16th. An Eastern Subalpine Warbler was on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 30th and a Western Bonelli’s Warbler reached Fair Isle on 23-24th, where one of three Shetland Arctic Warblers this month was found. A pitiful showing from Aquatic Warbler saw just one bird noted – an adult trapped at Lytchett Bay, Dorset, on 12th.
Welcome news concerned the successful breeding of Redbacked Shrikes at Levenwick, Shetland – three juveniles fledged at the end of July. Some 45 individuals had been seen by the end of the month, including threes at Flamborough Head, Spurn and Fair Isle. Best of the rest was a male at Sutton Park, Staffs, from 28th. Late in the month, two Woodchat Shrikes were found – an adult female on St Mary’s, Scilly, on 28th and a first-winter at Wembury, Devon, on 29-30th.
Amid another major August arrival of Pied Flycatchers, a first-winter Collared Flycatcher was trapped at Spurn on 10th and lingered there for three days. Red-breasted Flycatchers were in Lincolnshire and the Outer Hebrides. As many as 15 Citrine Wagtails were spread between Scilly and Shetland, with a similar number of Rosy Starlings seen. The latter included early juveniles on Skomer, Pembs, on 13th and at New Passage, Glos, from 23rd – it’s tempting to speculate that these might have been bred quite close to British shores.
A male Two-barred Crossbill visited feeders at Dervaig, Mull, from 24th, with a juvenile on Fair Isle on 26th. Twenty Common Rosefinches were primarily on the North Isles, although one did reach Great Saltee, Co Wexford, on 30th. ■