Rarity Round-up
The first ‘twitchable’ Tengmalm’s Owl for nearly 40 years ‘unblocked’ many a list
The best rare birds seen in the UK and Ireland during February
There is no doubt about what the main story was in the world of rarities, this February. The Tengmalm’s Owl on Mainland, Shetland, is the stand-out bird of the first couple of months of the year, ‘unblocking’ many very large lists; and it may yet prove to be one of the top birds of the whole year. A look back through the records shows that there have been nearly 70 Tengmalm’s Owl in the UK. So, it is hardly the rarest bird, right? Well, further analysis shows that only eight Tengmalm’s Owls have been accepted as valid since the end of World War I; the vast majority of the UK individuals were ‘seen’ (ie shot) in Victorian times. The extreme rarity of this bird in the
modern era is further emphasised by the fact that the last officially ‘accepted’ UK record of a living Tengmalm’s Owl was way back in 1983 (ie not counting the ‘Orkney Outhouse Owl’, of last November). And the very mention of this particular bird, at Spurn, East Yorkshire, is enough to cause a wee bit of ‘bird rage’ among certain birders. That Spurn bird may have been present from late January 1983 and was trapped a couple of times (for ringing, initially) in early March of the same year, being last reported on 27th. The only trouble is, after its discovery on 6 March, 1983, the news was kept largely secret. The ‘suppression’ of the Spurn Tengmalm’s Owl by the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust (YNT) took place because of worries about large numbers of people on the Spurn peninsula while emergency works were carried out to reinforce its structure under threat of flooding, as well as the adjacency to the lifeboat houses, coastguard, pilots etc. Luckily, the main risks this year (initially at least) were to the privacy of the Mainland Shetland garden owners,
Jackie and Erik Moar, in whose conifers the owl decided to roost. The site was near Bixter, and the owl first showed to the garden’s owners on 19 February. Having posted a photo of the mystery owl on Facebook, it was soon identified by Shetland birders, including our own Shetland UKBS correspondent Hugh Harrop, who was among the first couple of local birders invited in to see the bird for themselves. Luckily, the Moars were very accommodating and the Tengmalm’s Owl was seen in the garden again on 21st and 23rd. On 25th, it was relocated to Lea Gardens at Tresta and was seen regularly there until 2 March.
Release the gull!
For some birders on mainland Scotland, the highlight of the month’s ‘birding’ was the release of the adult Ivory Gull at Stevenston Point, Ayrshire on 11th. This is the bird which was found in a weak state in a private garden at Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, in January. It was taken into care at Hessilhead Wildlife Centre, Beith, Ayrshire, hence the decision to release the gull on the Ayrshire coast and not back at Stranraer. After being set free from its box, the fully recovered gull stood on the grass for a few seconds before flying off strongly, in a northerly direction.
Best of the rest
On the subject of white birds, Snowy Owls included the male at Eday, Orkney, and a well-marked individual photographed at Ronas Hill, Mainland, Shetland. Also on Shetland, a grey-morph immature Gyr Falcon was seen (briefly) and photographed at Westing, Unst (15th). Meanwhile, switching from that very northern Shetland island to the far south-west of England, arguably the biggest story in that area was the sighting (backed up with photos!) of a Black-browed Albatross off Lizard Point, Cornwall. Even further south, but over to the east, the American Royal Tern was still in place on Guernsey, Channel Islands, surely strengthening the argument that this bird was the same one which had a tour of the UK last year. Many of the rare birds of January were still lingering on through the exceptionally mild weather of February (especially in the south of the country), including the Blyth’s Reed Warbler at Hope Carr NR, Greater Manchester (to 25th); and the Dusky Warbler at Huttoft Bank, Lincolnshire (until the first week of February); and Pallas’s Warblers at Coverack, Cornwall and Fishburn, Co. Durham. Other small birds enjoying the mild weather included Penduline Tits at Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset, and Crossness, London. Meanwhile, there were early arriving hirundines (Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins) in some numbers, plus at least three Red-rumped Swallows (in Cornwall and Pembrokeshire). Roll on spring proper!