Spectacular September!
Nearctic vagrants got the month underway, including a British and Western Palearctic first on Tiree, although eastern gems appeared towards the end of the month. Sam Viles rounds up an impressive September.
month’s review, Mainland Orkney scored a Swainson’s Thrush at Viewforth, Birsay, from 17th, remaining in the garden until the end of the month.
The second mega on 29th was a tricky Phylloscopus warbler at Budle Bay, Northumberland. Although found on 28th, it proved frightfully elusive and was only seen well enough in the afternoon of 29th, when photos and sound recordings of its call helped to clinch it as a Two-barred Warbler. Just the eighth British record, this is a species very much on the upturn, with recent records in Orkney in 2016, Dorset in
October 2017 and twice in 2019, with brief birds in Suffolk and Co Cork – the latter a first for Ireland.
Content in the Crowden area during the first half of the month, Derbyshire’s Bearded Vulture grew restless on 19th, when it spent several hours around Lathkill Dale NNR at the southern extremity of the Peak District. Heading high south-east over Thornton, Leics, the following day, a probable report was received from over Eynsham, Oxon, on 21st. The trail went cold for a short while, until it was photographed over Alkborough Flats, Lincs, on 26th, before flying south-west through Foxley, Worthing and Beetley in mid-Norfolk on 28th. Where next for this enigmatic raptor?
Continuing an impressive year of seabird highlights, Britain and Ireland were treated to no fewer than five separate Black-browed Albatross reports, concerning multiple birds – just what is going on this year? The 9th saw two, with one south-west past Bloody Foreland, Co
Donegal, complemented by another south past Copeland Island, Co Down. One off Holy Island, Northumberland, on
25th is presumably the same located off Suffolk three days later, tracked along the coast for two hours between Lowestoft and Thorpeness. Somerset’s Hurlstone Point scored the following day, when one veered its way east.
Rather more intriguingly, a possible White-chinned Petrel briefly lingered among Northern Fulmars off the Unst-Fetlar ferry, Shetland, on 14th, although it wasn’t to be relocated.
With Britain and the Western Palaearctic’s first record hailing from as recently as 25 May
– from Scapa Flow, Orkney – another possible was reported on 20th, off Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk.
A promising candidate for a Barolo Shearwater flew past
North Ronaldsay on 27th, while at least one Fea’s-type petrel was seen from a boat 30 km off Baltimore, Co Cork, on the same date. The only other Fea’s-types of the month flew past Bridges of Ross, Co Clare, on 3rd, Fanad Head, Co Donegal, on 4th, and Corsewall Point, Dumfries and Galloway, on 9th. In Cornwall, a Brown Booby was reported off Trevose Head on 16th, while the latest Wilson’s Storm Petrel ever recorded in Britain was off Scilly on 21st, during the final pelagic of the season.
Away from the seas, a veritable Nearctic wader fest added the most widespread flavour to the month’s proceedings, including no fewer than 63 Buff-breasted Sandpipers – including an impressive count of five at Truska, Co Galway. Burray, Orkney, hit back against North Ronaldsay’s dominance with a delightful juvenile Wilson’s Phalarope commuting between Echna Loch and Burray Moors from 3-5th. Another was at Lancashire’s Martin Mere WWT from 29th.
A possible Hudsonian Whimbrel flew north past Eyemouth, Borders, on 26th. New Spotted Sandpipers were at Cloghaun Lough, Co Clare, in Shetland at Norwick, Unst, and at Balemartine on Tiree, Argyll. The juvenile at Porth Hellick on St Mary’s, Scilly, departed on 18th.
It was a strong month for Baird’s Sandpiper, with 11 new arrivals: on North Ronaldsay, Orkney (3-23rd), Ballyhoorisky Point, Co Donegal (9th), Carnsew Basin, Cornwall (11-24th),
Dornoch, Highland (14-20th), Black Rock Strand (17th) and Ferriter’s Cove, Co Kerry (18th), Nethertown (20-21st) and Churchtown, Co Wexford (21st), as well as in the Outer Hebrides at Baleshare, North Uist (1315th), and Balgarva, South Uist (21st). A remarkable night-time ringing session at Harbour View, Co Cork, saw a juvenile trapped and ringed on 8th.
Likewise, Semipalmated Sandpipers proved plentiful, with no fewer than 12 birds spread across 11 sites. This includes birds in Argyll at Loch na Cille and Colonsay (two) and in the Outer Hebrides at Loch Ordais, Lewis. Cornwall hosted three – at Godrevy Point, Wadebridge and Carnsew Basin – and five were on the Irish west coast
– at Loughaunbeg, Co Galway, Blennerville, Co Kerry, and The Gearagh, Rosscarbery and Ballycotton, Co Cork.
Meanwhile, three new Longbilled Dowitchers were in Ireland at Tacumshin, Co Wexford, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, and
Lough Beg, Co Londonderry.
Another was at Lytchett Fields RSPB, Dorset, from 29th, while a lone remainer lingered at Old Anthorn, Cumbria. A lowly two White-rumped
Sandpipers hit the headlines: at Blanket
Nook, Co
A Kentish Plover at Black Point, Hants, on 25th soon relocated to Thorney Island, West Sussex, where it remained until the end of the month.
An astounding flock of five Blue-winged Teal in the Outer Hebrides at Eoligarry, Barra, on 8th became the largest group ever recorded in Britain, with two other quadruples at Miavaig, Lewis, from 21st and Baleshare, North Uist, from 23rd equally impressive. The former equals the Irish record of five on Achill Island, Co Mayo, in September 2010; other individuals from a substantial influx this autumn were at Loch Ardvule, South Uist, with up to two at Annagh Marsh, Co Mayo.
While the American Black
Duck held steadfast at Strontian, Highland, until the month’s end, a probable drake at Otterspool, Lancs, on 5th would have proved undoubtedly popular had it been relocated and confirmed. A moulting drake King Eider was among its resident cogeners off Nairn and Findhorn, Moray and Nairn, between 4th and 29th.
A Lesser White-fronted Goose provided some brief excitement at Staveley YWT, North Yorks, when it appeared with returning Pinkfeet on 26th, although its rather rotund appearance and ‘dropped belly’ suggests it is probably the escapee that summered at nearby Nosterfield Quarry. Otherwise, probable Greybellied Brants were at Strangford
Lough, Co Down, on 8th and Findhorn Bay, Moray and
Nairn, on 22nd.
Always a good inland find, a new Franklin’s Gull proved a popular draw to West Yorkshire. Found in Bradford on 11th, it moved to the more picturesque environs of Redcar Tarn the following day, remaining in the area until 15th. Adult Bonaparte’s Gulls were at Garretstown and Long Strand, Co Cork, Kent’s
Oare Marshes NR, Loughill, Co Limerick, and in Argyll at Loch Gruinart RSPB, Islay. Finally, a Laughing Gull was reported at Loch Fleet, Highland, on 22nd.
The month’s Snowy Owl count numbered two – a returning male at Ronas Hill, Shetland, from 3rd, while the ever-present female gave Soay Sheep researchers plenty to admire on St Kilda throughout. Of the three Pallid Harriers, it is the gorgeous adult male recorded over Chippenham, Wilts, on 23rd which must take the plaudits. On the Isle of Wight, a new juvenile Pallid Harrier rocked up at Brading Marshes RSPB from 2-6th, while in West Sussex, the juvenile reappeared at Thorney Island from 10th, remaining in situ until 28th. Another headed over the Cornish sites of Penzance, Polgigga and Porthgwarra on 19-20th.
Norfolk’s second Brown Shrike was a crowd-pleasing character and found the hedgerows of Warham Greens to its satisfaction from 18th, lingering until 21st.
Strong northerly blasts from
26th deposited a sprinkling of Hornemann’s
Arctic Redpolls onto Shetland, with eight individuals including birds at Skaw, Unst, Symbister, Whalsay, and on Foula. Fair Isle hosted a couple of its own, while a first-winter male Rustic Bunting lingered from 22nd. The fabled isle had quite the special month, seeing a delightful White’s Thrush on 26th topped by a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler the following day.
A Lanceolated Warbler on 15th continued North Ronaldsay’s strong start to the autumn – an Eastern Subalpine Warbler lingered on the island until 3rd, too. If confirmed, a possible Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler reported from Soar, Devon, on 4th would be Britain’s earliest-ever record.
In Shetland, Loch of Spiggie held a brief Two-barred Crossbill on 3rd, while Halligarth, Unst, played host to a Booted Warbler on 23rd. A Siberian Stonechat – complete with obligatory faecal sample collected – delighted allcomers to South Gare, Cleveland, from 24-29th. Another Siberian/ Stejneger’s Stonechat at Mull Head, Orkney, towards the end of the month proved less obliging.
In Cornwall, a Tawny Pipit at Porthgwarra on 21-22nd was joined by an elusive Paddyfield
Warbler on the latter date. A Red-throated Pipit lingered on the saltmarsh at Spurn YWT, East Yorks, from 26-28th. One was on St Mary’s from 20th, with another at the opposite end of the country at Quendale, Shetland, on 28th. Singletons were at St David’s Head, Pembs (10th), North Ronaldsay (18th), and Kilnsea, East Yorks (19th), while others flew over Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, and Tacumshin, Co Wexford, on 29th, and one was on the Brent Charlie oil platform on 5th, 186 km north-east of the Shetland capital of Lerwick.
Three Western Bonelli’s Warblers made themselves known; on Bryher, Scilly, on 9-10th, Portland, Dorset, on 11th and Out Skerries, Shetland, on 18-19th – a Bonelli’s warbler at Holkham Pines, Norfolk, on 19th was unconfirmed to species level. Aquatic Warbler reports came from Hook-with-Warsash LNR, Hants, on 11th and Radipole
Lake RSPB, Dorset, on 21st.
There isn’t enough room for most of the scarcities in this particularly rammed monthly round-up, but highlights included Radde’s Warbler in Essex, the first Olive-backed Pipits and
Dusky Warblers of the season on Shetland, a surprising inland record of Greater Short-toed
Lark at Shackleford, Surrey, from 19-20th and the autumn’s first three Red-flanked Bluetails – in Shetland, the Isle of Man and East Yorkshire. ■