All eyes west
One of the more notable influxes of Nearctic landbirds in recent years provided plentiful excitement to occupy British and Irish birders during October, writes Sam Viles.
Both Britain and Ireland were treated to national firsts during October, with Britain’s first Least Bittern at Scousburgh on 7th (see Birdwatch 365: 8) certainly the most surprising. The bird will live long in the memory of those lucky to be nearby in Shetland at the time of discovery, but its poor state of health meant it was taken into care soon after, dying overnight.
The following day would see Ireland follow suit, producing an Alder Flycatcher on Inishbofin, Co Galway (see Birdwatch
365: 9). Thankfully, its four-day stay allowed plenty of time for twitchers to connect. The species has been recorded twice in Britain – Cornwall in October 2008 and Norfolk in September 2010.
It was the outstanding discovery of a Blackburnian Warbler on Bryher (see page 8), however, that became top billing for most. This first-winter male is sure to live long in the memory of those who made the trip to Scilly between 13th and 29th to see it. Recorded on just three previous occasions, the species had never before been twitchable in Britain, adding extra allure to what is already one of the most beautiful of all North American warblers.
Even more spectacular-looking was a gorgeous adult male Baltimore Oriole on Lundy, Devon, on 8th. A more expected firstwinter male was at Kilbaha, Co Clare, on 1-2nd.
No fewer than three Myrtle Warblers were discovered. Amazingly, two of these were found less than a kilometre apart on Mainland Shetland – and both by the same observer! The first was at Ellister from 5th, with the second at Bigton from 7th. Kilbaha struck gold again with one of its own on 12th.
Appearing just an hour after the Irish
Myrtle, Britain’s sixth Tennessee Warbler made for a special find on Skokholm, Pembrokeshire
(see page 9). A first for Wales, it unfortunately disappeared soon after discovery.
Blackpoll Warblers were at Nanjizal Valley, Cornwall, and Inishbofin, Co Galway, while a Bobolink briefly touched down at Garinish Point, Co Cork, on
1st. Four Swainson’s Thrushes, meanwhile, were split between Shetland, the Outer Hebrides, Scilly and Co Mayo.
Perhaps the two most expected Nearctic landbirds – American Buff-bellied Pipit and Red-eyed Vireo – had rather more average showings. Just four pipits were divided between Scilly, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides, while nine Red-eyed
Vireos were logged. Most notable of these was one on the east coast at Boulmer, Northumberland, while two turned up at Kilbaha, at the same time as the Baltimore Oriole.
It is testament to the quality of this action-packed October that Britain’s first Yellow-browed Bunting for 24 years was relegated to an also-ran. Trapped and ringed at Sandwich Bay, Kent, on 10th, it went to ground on release, never to be seen again. The species has been recorded on just five previous occasions – in 1975, 1980, 1992, 1994 and 1998.
Towards the month’s end, nearunprecedented warm-weather conditions in Europe drew winds out of Iberia, North Africa and the Canaries, leading birders to look south rather than east or west for the first time this autumn.
The main product of these was Pallid Swift (see page 10), which underwent a sea change of its status in Britain almost overnight. Reports of came from an incredible 79 sites from 24th, with reports of unidentified Common or Pallid Swifts numbering well into three figures. Many counties scored their first records and reports in many instances involved two, three and even four birds. A stunning
five were at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, on 30th. Not to be forgotten was a Little Swift over Brean Down, Somerset, late on 30th. A small arrival of Redrumped Swallows saw birds in five counties.
More impressive still was the appearance of two Alpine Accentors (see page 8), the first twitchable birds in Britain for 20 years. The first was at Slaughden, Suffolk, from 27-29th, with the second at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, from 30th – found just a short distance from a male Desert Wheatear at Cley Marshes. Another Desert Wheatear was at Scatness, Mainland Shetland.
A welcome first for Norfolk arrived on 20th, with a oneday Blue Rock Thrush at Winterton-on-Sea (see page
10). The second of the year, it follows one in Essex during May. In Ireland, an Isabelline Wheatear made for headline news at Toe
Head, Co Cork, from 24th.
It is just the second Irish record following one in October 1992.
A major thrush arrival was the month’s other mass-migration event. On 19th, perfect eastcoast fall conditions opened the floodgates for the largest arrival of Redwings in recent memory, with the highest counts to be had on either side of the Pennines. In Lancashire, a record-breaking count saw some 122,600 fly over Crosby Marine Park. Accompanying unprecedented Redwing numbers on 21st were a couple of Dusky Thrushes – one in a garden at Scoulton, Norfolk, and another ringed near Dunbar, Lothian.
Quendale, Mainland Shetland, enjoyed a productive purple patch, with a stunning male Siberian Rubythroat, Oriental Turtle Dove and Siberian Stonechat all discovered. North Ronaldsay, Orkney, was treated to an excellent run of vagrants from Central Asia on 23rd – a White’s Thrush, male Eastern Black Redstart and a Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat! Lerwick, Mainland Shetland, was treated to a remarkably tame White’s Thrush of its own on 9-10th.
On St Kilda, a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler loitered from 3-10th – becoming the longest-staying individual ever recorded in Britain. Last month’s lingered on Fair Isle until 3rd, while Lanceolated Warblers were on North Ronaldsay and Mainland Shetland.
Two rare warblers on Tory Island, Co Donegal, came in the form of an Arctic and a Blyth’s Reed. In total, Blyth’s Reeds were at eight sites, with Radde’s at 17, Dusky at 14 and Pallas’s at a healthy minimum of 55. A Greenish Warbler was on St Agnes, Scilly, and Melodious Warblers were in Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Scilly. A Hume’s Leaf Warbler was on North Ronaldsay.
Unidentified subalpine warblers were at Tynemouth, Northumberland, and North Ronaldsay, Orkney; an elusive, silent Bonelli’s warbler species was at Kilnsea, East Yorkshire. An unprecedented invasion of Firecrests engulfed the west coast of Ireland.
Singles of Stejneger’s
and Siberian Stonechats were recorded, plus one not identified to species level. More unexpected was a Whinchat × Siberian Stonechat hybrid in Durham. Most notable of the 18 Red-flanked Bluetails seen this month were an adult male at Kergord, Mainland Shetland, and one inland near Nantgarw, Glamorgan. Bluethroats were on Scilly and the Northern Isles.
Three Pechora Pipits was a decent tally, especially birds on Lewis and St Mary’s. The third was at Hillswick, Mainland Shetland. Eight Red-throated Pipits were found alongside 20 Richard’s Pipits and four Greater Short-toed Larks, plus Eastern Yellow Wagtails in Yorkshire and Shetland. Shore Larks began to return, with birds in Yorkshire and
Norfolk. An exceptional Olivebacked Pipit record saw one in landlocked Hertfordshire.
Two Parrot Crossbills arrived on Unst, where two Ortolan Buntings resided. A rare Irish Rustic Bunting was on Cape Clear, Co Cork, with another on the Norfolk coast. The Hornemann’s Arctic Redpoll arrival continued unabated in the Northern Isles, with one also reaching Barra. European Serins were at six sites.
A small Hoopoe influx saw nine arrive, although just seven Rosy Starlings were logged. Wrynecks reached double figures, with seven Red-backed Shrikes in total and single Woodchat Shrikes in Cornwall and Co Cork. Great Grey Shrikes were at 13 sites; the Shetland homeyeri lasted until 12th.
Most significant on the shorebird front was a Wilson’s Snipe at the ‘traditional’ location of Porth Hellick Pool on St
Mary’s, Scilly, from mid-month. Unsurprisingly, this is a very tricky identification to pin down and requires close, prolonged views to separate from the closely related Common Snipe. Few places allow the taxa to be studied quite as well as St Mary’s – as a consequence, all accepted British records hail from the island.
Up to nine Long-billed Dowitchers – five in England, two in Wales, and singles in Scotland and Ireland – were seen, as were nine Lesser Yellowlegs, most notably including two keeping close company at Hayle Estuary, Cornwall. In Northumberland, a
Pacific Golden Plover was on Holy Island on 21st.
Around 23 American Golden Plovers were seen across Britain and Ireland, with nine Buffbreasted Sandpipers also noted. Spotted Sandpipers were at Farlington Marshes, Hampshire, Castletown Bearhaven, Co Cork, and St Kilda, while Semipalmated Sandpipers were at Black Rock Strand, Co Kerry, and Achill Island, Co Mayo. Baird’s Sandpipers were in five counties, White-rumped Sandpipers graced six locations and 37 sites recorded Pectoral Sandpipers.
On the east coast, a mobile pratincole had birders on red alert. First seen at Cresswell
Pond, Northumberland, on
12th, it resurfaced at Saltholme RSPB, Cleveland, the following day – where it was identified as a Collared – and again in Lincolnshire at Alkborough Flats on 15th and Frampton Marsh RSPB on 18th. One, perhaps the same bird, found Gloucestershire more to its liking, settling at Slimbridge WWT from 20th. WeBS counters at Ince Marshes, Cheshire, scored a Black-winged Pratincole on 22nd, while Somerset’s Kentish Plover lingered.
Two Great Snipe were in
Orkney – on Stronsay and
North Ronaldsay – although Shetland upped the ante with the archipelago’s second Black-winged Stilt at Loch of Papil, Yell, from 12th. Two apparent ‘Siberian’ Bar-tailed Godwits were on Fair Isle on 30th. These birds, of the baueri group, are long-distance migrants from eastern Siberia and Alaska to South-East Asia. Features
supporting the identification include heavily barred brown uppertail coverts, a barred rump and tail, and grey, heavily barred underwings.
Record numbers of Great Shearwaters roamed the SouthWest Approaches in October. A tally of 10,325 off Bass Point, Cornwall, on 22nd took the plaudits as the highest ever from the English mainland, with fourfigure counts made off a further five sites. On 5th, a pelagic aimed at targeting large shearwaters off Scilly found a Fea’s or Desertas Petrel, one of three ‘Fea’s-types’ to be recorded during October. Rarer still is Band-rumped Storm Petrel, but there were claims off Porthgwarra, Cornwall, on 22nd and Lizard Point on two dates, with the first accompanied by a Barolo-type shearwater. Two more Barolo-types fluttered past Bridges of Ross, Co Clare, on 5th. An adult Brown Booby at Great South Wall, Co Dublin, on 20th, was impressive, but not the extreme mega it was just a few years ago.
A surprise October find saw an adult Whiskered Tern spend nine days at Forfar Loch, Angus. Azores Gulls in Co Cork and Co Mayo shared the Irish coastline with up to five Ring-billed Gulls, while the Forster’s Tern continued in Co Louth and a Bonaparte’s
Gull was at Rough Point, Co Kerry. In Co Leitrim, the Double-crested Cormorant remained at Doon Lough.
Several Pallid Harriers were discovered. Three were in Norfolk, with the remainder split between Kent, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Pembrokeshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney and Co Cork. Rough-legged Buzzard has been almost as rare as Pallid Harrier over the past few years, although a decent showing of the Buteo this month produced sightings at more than 20 east-coast sites and three in Orkney. Meanwhile, a Black Kite overflew Tarrant Rushton, Dorset.
Two young Red-footed Falcons provided characteristically excellent views in the airspace over Elmley NNR, Kent, early on, with another at Thorne Moors, South Yorkshire. A couple more were reported in Norfolk – near Potter Heigham and at Colkirk.
Four Purple Herons remained: at Martin Mere WWT, Lancashire, Seasalter, Kent, Farlington Marshes, Hampshire, and
Brighton, East Sussex.
Most newsworthy on the wildfowl front was a Ross’s Goose with Pink-feet over Kinbuck, Forth, on 22nd – perhaps last winter’s bird returning. Also accompanying Pink-feet was a Todd’s Canada Goose near Skateraw, Lothian. Other likely Todd’s were at six sites, with two on Islay, Argyll, alongside three Cackling Geese. Two of the latter were of the more expected Richardson’s subspecies, but the third looked a decent match for an altogether rarer form – Taverner’s Cackling Goose – a subspecies never conclusively recorded in Britain, although there have been previous candidates. Other Richardson’s comprised two on North Uist and singles at both Loch Leven, Perth and Kinross, and Lissadell, Co Sligo. A notable
Snow Goose record concerned a juvenile with Barnacle Geese near Dunbar, Lothian; others were at seven further sites. Red-breasted Geese were in Essex and the Outer Hebrides, while Black Brant visited six sites.
A very rare bird in Ireland nowadays, the female Ferruginous Duck at Inch Island Lake, Co Donegal, was notable. Others remained at Belvide Reservoir, Staffordshire, and Draycote Water, Warwickshire. Three Lesser Scaup were unearthed – drakes at Loch Leven and Dunfanaghy New Lake, Co Donegal, plus a female on South Uist. Ring-necked Duck reports hailed from 22 sites.
England and Ireland were treated to two Blue-winged Teal apiece – unexpected birds were at Fairlop Waters, London, and Halton Marshes, Lincolnshire, with two at Baile an Reannaigh, Co Kerry. American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal were at five and seven sites respectively.
The regular White-winged
Scoter returned to the waters off Musselburgh, Lothian, from 25th, while the Black Scoter remained off Northumberland. Surf Scoter were off six counties. A King Eider was off Findhorn, Moray, with others remaining in Lothian and Shetland. The Pied-billed Grebe hung on in Argyll. ■