Analysis: Britain and Ireland
There was no let up for birders as the epic autumn continued all the way through the month. Josh Jones reports on a busier than usual November.
November picked up where October left off, with heaps of goodies unearthed across the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland.
November continued where October left off, producing a long list of spectacular rarities both in Britain and Ireland – although, sadly, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant that many of the highlights proved untwitchable.
Topping the list was a new British bird: a Ruby-crowned Kinglet found on Barra, Outer Hebrides, on 12th (see page 10). It went on to stay on the island till 19th, but was understandably suppressed until after it had departed. There has been a previous Irish record, from Cape Clear, Co Cork, on 27 October 2013. When factoring in Azores records, it seems like the end of October and November is prime time to find this Nearctic waif.
Pushing it a close second was a juvenile Hudsonian Godwit at Eden Estuary, Fife (see page 12). Initially found and photographed on 3rd, it wasn’t until 9th that it was identified from photographs posted online. Thankfully the bird was still around and went on to linger there among Black-tailed Godwits until the end of the month – it may well be that it remains for the winter. It is just the fifth for Britain and Ireland.
Another classy November wader was the adult Greater Yellowlegs found at Dunwich Pools, Suffolk, on 7th. Impressively, it represented a fourth for this east coast county, and staying there to 19th – although it may well still be lingering unseen somewhere at these extensive marshes.
Then, on 27th, Britain’s first Sociable Lapwing for 12 years was picked up at Crows-an-Wra, Cornwall. It proved mobile, but was still present on the final day of the month – no doubt many will be hoping it lingers into 2021.
Although there have been a few in recent years, Eurasian Crag Martin remains a very rare bird in Britain, with accepted records only just into double figures and only two of these having lingered longer than a day. Thus, to get two this November was an amazing feat, part of a wider influx to north-west Europe. The first was flying up and down the high street in Kirkwall, Mainland Orkney, on the afternoon of 18th – the second for the archipelago (see page 11). The other was at the arguably more anticipated locality of Kingsdown, Kent, from 21st. Here it toured the White Cliffs of Dover as far west as Samphire Hoe CP until the end of the month.
In Ireland, a Hermit Thrush at Mizen Head, Co Cork, on 3rd proved a brief affair, yet would have been popular in a normal year. This was, after all, the first Irish record for 14 years – the last was on Cape Clear in midOctober 2016.
Less than a week later and Co
Cork was at it again, producing a first-winter male Belted Kingfisher at Dunboy, near Castletownbere, on 9th (see page 10). Happily, it seems settled at this location and was still present at the end of the month, although it could prove mobile. Another was reported near Moycullen, Co Galway, mid-month, but couldn’t be tracked down subsequently. These are the first Irish records since October 2012.
The 9th was a red-letter day in Ireland, with the nation’s first Lesser Kestrel for 130 years also found near Kilkee, Co
Clare. A first-winter male, it was showing superbly well, feeding on earthworms in the car park at Dunlickey Castle, but flew off shortly afterwards and was never seen again.
The carnage continued on 10th, with a Little Swift photographed at Glengarriff, Co Cork – a national third, following an untwitchable bird in Co Wexford in May 2002. A female Pine Bunting reported from private farmland in Co Kildare the same day would also represent a third Irish record if accepted; no further news on it has been forthcoming.
Things went quiet on the Emerald Isle for a couple of weeks after that and, after a painful month of untwitchable megas, Irish listers were hoping that autumn 2020 was finally done. But, on 25th, the news everyone hoped – yet also feared – would emerge: a Double-crested Cormorant had been found in Co Kerry. Present near Ballylongford, the bird was seen intermittently until the month’s end and represents a second for Ireland, the first as long ago as winter 1995-96. Certainly, this was a bird many were anticipating to put in an appearance this winter, and it may well be the first of a few if enough eyes are focused out west before spring arrives.
Back in Britain, and the second Common Nighthawk of the autumn occurred at Burham, Kent, on the evening of 6th. In fact, it occurred in similar circumstances to the Sussex bird of October – found and photographed flying around, seen only for a brief period and then gone for good.
One species really on the up these days is Eastern Yellow Wagtail, and it appears at least a couple are set to winter. Two birds at Dunwich Pools, Suffolk – the same site as the Greater Yellowlegs – included a male identifiable as nominate tschutschensis (the poorly named ‘Alaskan’ Yellow Wagtail), with this bird relocating north to Carlton Marshes from 24th. A first-winter at Kelling, Norfolk, from 6-12th was refound in Kent at Worth Marshes from 2025th – identifiable by a distinct yellow patch on the left flank, it represents the first confirmed Kentish record. Astonishingly, on 6th, a first-winter turned up in the very same field at Prestwick Carr, Northumberland, as one wintered last year. Another was at Steart WWT, Somerset, from 25th.
Just the second American Buff-bellied Pipit to be seen in an English east coast county came on 18th when one was found at Amble, Northumberland – it lingered only to the following day. A Red-throated Pipit was on Lundy, Devon, on 13th, with another flying over Huntspill, Somerset, on 20th. An Olivebacked Pipit did the same at Nanjizal, Cornwall, on 4th, while another was at Goxhill Haven, Lincs, from 8-15th at least.
Pallid Swifts were in Lancashire, Anglesey and East Sussex, the last being picked up exhausted at Weston-superMare on 25 October, rehabilitated and released at Rye Harbour on 16th. Four Common Swifts included a lingering bird on the Northumberland coast for five days from 16th.
The last Brown Shrike of the autumn was a first-winter on Lewis, Outer Hebrides, from 6-10th, with an Isabelline Shrike on Yell, Shetland, on the latter date. Red-backed Shrikes were in Orkney, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, while a lower-than-average winter showing of Great Grey Shrikes saw 21 noted.
A Hume’s Leaf Warbler graced the famous garden at Balephuil, Tiree, for a few days to 3rd and was followed by a ringed first-winter male Pine Bunting at the very same spot on 29th – both new species for Argyll.
The Hume’s was one of six seen in Britain this month, the others in Orkney, East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk and Kent.
Up to 20 Pallas’s Warblers were seen along the east and south coast between Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, and Tresco, Scilly – one exception being a bird at Sand
Point, Somerset, from 25-27th. At least 20 Dusky Warblers were noted, including several in Scilly and two at Nanjizal, Cornwall. There will surely be plenty to be found inland this winter, as an excellent record from Holme Pierrepont, Notts, from 16-22nd suggests.
Red-flanked Bluetails may also feature through the winter months, with four in November including one at an undisclosed Norfolk site as late as 27th. A fine male Red-breasted Flycatcher lingered at Church Cove, Cornwall, from 19-29th.
Two pristine male Desert Wheatears were seen in November. The first was along the shingle bank at Salthouse, Norfolk, from 13-22nd, while another was at Penberth Cove, Cornwall, on 22-23rd.
In Surrey, a spectacular bunting double act was unearthed at Thursley Common when a Rustic was found alongside the lingering Little Bunting on 26th. In total, five Little Buntings were seen across Britain and Ireland.
A first-winter Coues’s Arctic Redpoll was at Trevose Head, Cornwall, for three days from 7th, with a male at Portland, Dorset, on 12th.
A Kentish Plover at Burnhamon-Sea, Somerset, from 9th is presumably last winter’s bird returning. Six Lesser Yellowlegs included a new bird on Sheppey, Kent, while a Long-billed Dowitcher was picked up at Loch of Tankerness, Orkney, on 15th, in addition to lingering birds in Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
Cumbria scored a Pied-billed Grebe at South Walney NR for three days from 6th. What could feasibly be the same bird relocating was picked up at Chelmarsh Res, Shrops, on 26th, lingering until the end of the month.
A healthy influx of Great Northern Divers occurred in conjunction with a north-westerly gale early in the month. Many of the classic Midlands reservoirs held birds, including multiple individuals at some. An amazing seven congregated at Rutland Water, while Grafham Water, Cambs, scored four.
On the subject of influxes, a significant arrival of Russian White-fronted Geese occurred in foggy conditions from 28th. Many hundreds made landfall in the South-East and East Anglia, especially on 29th, with plenty found inland on 30th, including several in London parks. Associated with this push were smaller numbers of Tundra Bean Geese, while 81 Greater Scaup south past Southwold, Suffolk, on 29th was an exceptional modernday tally.
Further signs of winter included the White-winged Scoter still intermittently off the Lothian coast, a couple of female King Eider together off St John’s Point, Co Donegal, from 25th and a young male off Little Haven, Pembs, from 10th. Ten Surf
Scoter included an inland female at Lough Gara, Co Sligo, on 21st.
A female Lesser Scaup was at Loch of Spiggie, Shetland, from 15th, but the male in Somerset wasn’t seen at Chew Valley Lake beyond 4th. Ring-necked Duck were at 20 sites and included four at Ardcloony, Co Clare, and an impressive three together in Hertfordshire on 24th. Just the six American Wigeon were found, although there were at least 17 Green-winged Teal. The American Black Duck was still going strong at Strontian, Highland, and a drake Hooded Merganser briefly visited Forfar Loch on 20th. A Bufflehead was found in Co Clare on 29th.
Cackling Geese were on Islay, Argyll, and at Cadder, Clyde, while a returning Grey-bellied Brant was at Nairn on 14th (two possibles were in Co Dublin on 5th). An intermediate-morph Snow Goose remained in Highland, but two white morphs in Lothian proved to be ringed escapees.
The adult Bonaparte’s
Gull remained at Gann
Estuary, Pembs, to 18th, with another briefly at Budle Bay, Northumberland, on 27th. Meanwhile, the Franklin’s Gull reappeared in West Yorkshire, this time in the Anglers CP roost on the evening of 10th. The adult Ring-billed Gull at Llys-y-Fran Res, Pembs, was the only one to be seen in Britain this month; four adults were seen in Ireland. A reasonable early influx of Iceland Gulls saw perhaps 120 birds noted in the month, including five together at Scrabster, Caithness. Smaller numbers of Glaucous Gulls were seen, while the Forster’s Tern returned to Galway Bay on 10th.
Other bits included a brief Black-throated Thrush at Weybourne, Norfolk, on 25th, while up to two Black-bellied Dippers were at Voe, Shetland. Also in Shetland, a very late juvenile Pallid Harrier was seen at Laxo on 24th.
Finally, perhaps the most bizarre record of the month concerned a Snowy Owl photographed eating a gull on the harbour wall at Cobh, Co Cork, on the night of 6-7th. Presumably this hungry bird was fresh in to Cork Harbour off a transatlantic cargo boat. ■