RARE BIRDS OF 2019
A month-by-month roundup of all the key rare birds of last year
The year is only a month old, but can you still remember all the great rare birds of 2019? It was the year when there were probably three Brown Boobies (when previously there had never been any). And the year of the scruffiest, most controversial pipit: the ‘probable’ Paddyfield Pipit of Cornwall.
But 2019 produced so much more. Think back to the Great Knot in Shetland; the Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Scilly; the flocks of Two-barred Crossbills and White-rumped Sandpipers; the exceptional numbers of Red- eyed Vireos and Brown Shrikes; and even a Bobolink in Lincolnshire. Or was it a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Great Spotted Cuckoo or a Baikal Teal which scratched your rare bird itch?
Let’s look through the year’s rarities, so you can drool over the photos and relive the memories at your leisure.
So may it secretly begin
January kicked off, as so many years do, relatively quietly in terms of rare birds, with most of the rarer species being hangers on from 2018. The major exception was a weak adult Ivory Gull which was rescued from a Stranraer (Dumfries and Galloway) garden on 23 January. It was brought back to health in, and released not to far from, its place of rehabilitation in Ayrshire, at Stenenston Point, Ayrshire on 11th.
Apart from a decent influx of about 75 ‘new’ Glaucous Gulls, including a well watched seal-feeder at Cley, Norfolk, the month was notable for a wintering Blyth’s Reed Warbler at Hope Carr NR, Greater Manchester (into February), and wintering Dusky Warblers in Warwickshire and Lincolnshire, as well as a couple of Hume’s Leaf Warblers [see also November!] in addition to the 40 or so Yellow-browed Warblers and 30 Siberian Chiffchaffs. And, talking of wintering insect eaters, the Eastern Yellow Wagtail remained on St Mary’s, Scilly, into February.
Also of significance was an astonishing count of 110 Cattle Egrets at Ham Wall, Somerset on 13 January.
The garden Tengmalm’s Owl
February, on the other hand delivered a bird long- dreamed of by many ‘ blocked’ birders: Tengmalm’s Owl. The last ‘available’ UK individual was in 1983, at Spurn, East Yorkshire, which, though present for three months, was not widely publicised… Not so the Tengmalm’s Owl in a garden near Bixter, Mainland, Shetland (first seen on 19 February). It stayed to 23rd, then relocated to Lea Gardens, at nearby Tresta (25th to 2 March). The story then went cold for a month, before it was rediscovered in the same gardens on 10 April! It stayed until Saturday 13 April, when seen still feasting on its favourite prey of small waders!
But it was gone the next day, and the next sighting was that very Sunday at Valyie, Unst (the northernmost of the main Shetland islands). And that was that.
The Northern Isles also delivered Snowy Owls on Orkney and Shetland, as well as a grey-morph Gyr Falcon on Unst, Shetland. Less seasonal, perhaps, and even more outrageous, was a Blackbrowed Albatross photographed off the Lizard, Cornwall, at the opposite end of the UK. Oh, and the American Royal Tern found its way back to Guernsey, Channel Islands, after its 2018 UK tour.
The only March rival to the Tengmalm’s Owl in terms of popularity, was an adult
Great Spotted Cuckoo at Ventnor, Isle of Wight (which stayed until well into April). This southern, off-shore idyll was later in the year to be the chosen site for the English reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles. But back in March, at least one White-tailed Eagle had already been showing some love for southern England, with reports from West Sussex, Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Meanwhile another was in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.
The month also saw the first appearance of a drake Baikal Teal, at Welney WWT, Norfolk (20th). On 28 April it was relocated on the nearby
Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire, before moving to Nene Washes RSPB (also Cambs) in early May.
The second cuckoo of spring
April saw the appearance of another Great Spotted Cuckoo, this time a first-summer near Salthouse, Norfolk (30th into May). Dark- eyed Juncos, which typically appear briefly in a private garden, appeared briefly in a private garden at Ventor, Isle of Wight, and for a couple of days at Westward Ho!, Devon.
The UK’s fifth Mourning Dove was found on North Ronaldsay, Orkney on 29 April. Other ‘themes’ during April were a wave of Citrine Wagtails late on; a handful of Purple Herons, a few Ortolan Buntings, and an excellent movement of Little Gulls.
A Marsh Sandpiper was in Essex, and Subalpine Warblers, dozens of Hoopoes, Black Kites and Black-winged Stilts, told us spring proper was here. And there were nine White-billed Divers off Portsoy, Aberdeenshire.
And so to May, when finally the rarity flood defences were massively breached. Star of the spectacular show was a beautiful and very obliging Great Knot (the UK’s seventh), at Skaw, Unst (from 30th to 4 June). Runner-up was
the Western Orphean Warbler (with only five accepted UK records and only one previous WOW in spring); trapped in the Obs garden on Bardsey, Gwynedd on 19th.
Third place goes to the female Cretzschmar’s Bunting, at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk (31st), which was a first for mainland Great Britain (and only the seventh for the UK).
A Crag Martin was at the species’ ‘hotspot’ of Beachy Head, East Sussex. An American Bittern spent a couple of days at Loch Stiapavat, Lewis (Outer Hebrides). And the UK’s spring Brown Shrike was a singing bird at Great Cowden, East Yorkshire. It is a species that would feature again, come October…
There was a massive movement of Collared Flycatchers on the continent in the spring, with hundreds appearing in Spain and France. So, a cluster of UK birds (East Yorkshire, Orkney and Shetland) were somewhat ‘expected’.
May also saw an exceptional six White-winged Black Terns together at Abberton Reservoir, Essex, good numbers of Red-spotted Bluethroats, a handful of Broad-bllied Sandpipers, plus a Stilt Sandpiper in Lancashire.
The Nene Washes’ Baikal Teal headed north in the fourth week of the month, being relocated at Kilnsea Wetlands and Hornsea Mere, East Yorkshire, and later found its way to Northumberland.
Great buzz for Little Bustard
You would think the excitement of May would quickly burn out in June, but you would be wrong. June would instead feature a mouth-watering line up of Little Bustard, Black-winged Pratincole, Black-headed Buntings ( plural!), a ‘new’ Great Spotted Cuckoo, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Blue- cheeked Bee- eater, Whitecrowned Sparrow, Calandra Lark, two Rollers, Baillon’s Crake, and Sooty Tern (as well as the Unst Great Knot).
The Little Bustard, a magnificent male, first appeared at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, though was later to relocate to Mickletown Ings, East Yorkshire (from 6th), where it was a little more obliging to the assembled crowds.
The Black-winged Pratincole completed the ‘pratincole set’ for Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire), after previous records of Collared and Oriental there. There was a remarkable influx of male Black-headed Buntings, with birds on Arran, and Gigha (Argyll) East Yorkshire, and three on Shetland.
The third Great Spotted Cuckoo of the year was on Iona, Argyll, and the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was on Fair Isle, Shetland. The Blue- cheeked Bee- eater was all too briefly at Achnahaird, Highland (23rd) and the White- crowned Sparrow on Islay, Argyll, while the Calandra Lark was photographed on North Uist, Outer Hebrides.
The Baillion’s Crake was in Northumberland, while the Sooty Tern was a well-tracked bird which passed up the North Sea coast from Bempton Cliffs (East Yorkshire) to Filey (24th); and a couple of weeks later was traced from Flamborough (East Yorkshire) to Seaton Sluice (Northumberland).
In early August, presumably the same bird was seen off the north Norfolk coast.
Red hot summer action
So, the July doldrums then came, did they? Did they heck! July brought the sensational discovery of a giant petrel off north- east England. It was seen passing Whitburn, Co. Durham on 2nd and picked up again at Cullernose Point, Northumberland. It was a dark morph individual of one of the two very similar species (Southern and Northern Giant
Petrel), both of which are albatross-sized vulturine scavengers of the southern seas.
The first couple of weeks of July also brought a hefty influx of more than 130 gorgeous Two-barred Crossbills, mainly to the Shetland islands.
Big news was an Aquatic Warbler on the Isle of May, Fife. Probably a single Gull-billed Tern, it continued a tour of sites mainly in the north of the country. Other notable rarities included a Squacco Heron in north Norfolk, then across The Wash at Frampton and Freiston Shore (Lincs). And away from the world of ‘real’ rarities, the hot days of late July also brought hundreds or perhaps even thousands of juvenile Wood Sandpipers to the country, with a single flock at Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk, containing
110 individuals!
Total recall: three boobies
Then came August and the breaking news ( backed with photographs) of what appeared to be a Brown Booby (a potential UK first) off Swalecliffe, Kent on 19th. A week after the Kent individual, more photographs appeared, this time from St Ives, Cornwall, of a definite Brown Booby. This second-summer bird did the decent thing and hung around long enough for amazing views, especially when seen perched with Shags at Gwithian. And if this wasn’t enough booby action for everyone, in early September, a very tatty firstsummer Brown Booby was located at Kynance Cove, Lizard (also Cornwall) and stayed to 7 September.
While considering rare seabirds in the South West, a Pterodroma petrel photographed during a Scilly pelagic trip on 23 August was a good candidate for the UK’s first Desertas Petrel. Also down there, a single pelagic trip produced 10 Wilson’s Petrels!
Other August star birds included a Pacific Swift at Hornsea Mere, East Yorkshire and a Cliff Swallow at Millovaig, Skye, Highland.
Autumn’s harvest of rarities
September, of course, offered no light relief from the rush of exceptional rare birds. At Fluke Hall, Piling, Lancashire, a female wheatear proved an ID challenge, being either an Eastern Black- eared Wheatear or a Pied Wheatear. Final consensus was that it was most likely one of the former species (though DNA samples may provide a definitive solution). Talking of ‘Eastern’ birds, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was popular at Farlington Marshes, Hampshire.
And while on the subject of pallid birds presenting ID challenges, an Isabelline Shrike at Levenwick, Mainland, Shetland was thought to be a Turkestan Shrike, but eventually resolved into a Daurian Shrike… The first of the autumn’s Brown Shrikes (at Out Skerries, Shetland) was less of an ID challenge.
A long-staying Blue Rock Thrush first appeared on St Mary’s, Scilly on 22 September. Other exceptional September birds included a Little Crake at Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire, a Common Nighthawk flying through Appin, Argyll (more on that species later) a probable American Horned Lark on St Kilda, Outer Hebrides and a Short-toed Treecreeper on a metal structure at Langdon Cliffs NT in Kent (21st).
A Buff-bellied Pipit on Bardsey, Gwynedd, was a first for Wales.
Also of note was a very good ‘influx’ of Rustic Buntings and a wave of Semipalmated Sandpipers and American Golden Plovers galore.
A classic October
October showed the opposite of a let-up. It was a month to rival legendary Octobers of yore, with some wonderful rare bird fare. There was that probable, possible, improbable, impossible Paddyfield Pipit (which some birders named the ‘Tattyfield Pipit’), of course, sharing a field with an undoubted Buff-bellied Pipit at Sennen Cornwall, into mid-November.
But there was also Lincolnshire’s first Bobolink (at Theddlethorpe Dunes); and a long-staying Yellow-billed Cuckoo on St Mary’s, Scilly ( perhaps the third of
this delicate North American species in the autumn). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak proved very popular on St Martin’s, Scilly, the same island earlier having a much more elusive (though photographed) Black-and-white Warbler.
There were more Red- eyed Vireos than you could wave a berry- covered stick at, including an eastern individual at Easington, East Yorkshire. And a Common Nighthawk was a fantastic find at Ballymena, Co. Antrim. This obliging individual hung around for a fortnight before being sensationally seen and photographed at Bushy Park, London!
A Two-barred Greenish Warbler was at Orford, Suffolk, and a male Siberian Rubythroat appeared on Fetlar, Shetland.
Three more Brown Shrikes were found in the month (two on Shetland, one deceased on Orkney). There was even a report of another Tengmalm’s Owl at Forsinard, Highland, seen by a birder on their way north to twitch the first-winter Steller’s Eider at Westray, Orkney.
Steller ending
That Steller’s Eider was, of course, one of the star birds of November, being relocated on Westray, after a few day’s absence, before spending the rest of the month, into December, a short sea crossing west on nearby Papa Westray.
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the country, on St Mary’s, Scilly, a Hermit Thrush took up residence from 18 November into December.
And November continued the year’s fine run of Isabelline Wheatears, with a particularly obliging bird at Cley, north Norfolk (from 10th), which proved to be one of the best photographed members of its species, ever, in this country.
Also in East Anglia, a couple of Eastern Yellow Wagtails provided a bit of (almost) monochrome delight for birders at Walberswick NNR and Havergate Island, both in Suffolk.
It was also a classic November for Pallas’s Warblers (with at least 25 individuals, including an inland bird finding its own particular Paradise, way inland, in Cambridgeshire); and for Hume’s Leaf Warblers (with 15 or more, mainly on the east coast of England).
What was presumably the same Blue Rock Thrush which had lingered for
all- comers on St Mary’s, Scilly in October, relocated to Lamb Holm, Orkney (first appearing on 25th). In East Yorkshire, in late November, a Dusky Thrush was photographed at North Ferriby guzzling berries with other winter thrushes. Though present for a couple of days, news of its presence was only released once the garden berry supply had run out and the thrushes had left!
The returning American White-winged Scoter was again located at Musselburgh, Lothian, in the company of Velvet Scoters and a drake Surf Scoter.
Arguably the last great bird of the year was a male Black-throated Thrush feeding in the grounds of Whipsnade Zoo, Beds, which saw a boost of paying visitors to the zoo in the run-up to Christmas.