Rare Bird Alert January 25th 2008
This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Friday 25th January 2008, issued at 1800 hours and published in close association with the Regional Birdlines, and utilising information gleaned from Rare Bird Alert Pagers (for enquiries, contact 01603 456700, or consult www.rarebirdalert.com), Birdguides, local email groups and individual observers.
Throughout all of January the star attraction has been the adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW in Cley village (North Norfolk), still showing well today. It frequents the seed-strewn driveway leading up to the houses just north of the Three Swallows public house (almost opposite the phone box) at the extreme south end of the village. Park sensibly on the village green and respect the privacy of the residents. Over £3,500 has been raised for the restoration of the church; all donations gratefully received on site.
Highlights of the rest, the majority of which are long-staying rarities
In Pembrokeshire, a PACIFIC DIVER has returned for a second winter on Llys-y-Fran Reservoir, 6 miles NE of Haverfordwest and east of the B4329. It favours the north end viewable from the hide at c SN 037 257 and is now in its second-winter plumage, with a much more striking neck ‘bracelet’ than last winter. A Black-throated Diver is also present on the reservoir (for comparison) and a NORTHERN GREY SHRIKE can be found between the car park and the hide.
On Shetland, at least three WHITE-BILLED DIVERS are wintering, with the regular adult in Nesting Bay off Kirkabister Church, and another two birds off Hamars Ness on Fetlar.
Unprecedented numbers of January BALEARIC SHEARWATERS are being seen, with up to 20 birds semi-resident in the English Channel off Portland Bill (Dorset), whilst rare herons include four wintering GREAT WHITE EGRETS, with singles on Loch Grogarry, South Uist (Outer Hebrides), commuting between Thorpeness Mere and North Warren RSPB reserve in Suffolk, on the Ouse Washes at Pymoor Drain (Cambs) and the old faithful red-ringed bird from northern France at Mockbeggar Lake (Hants). At least 53 CATTLE EGRETS remain in southern Britain, with up to 18 still frequenting Treganhoe Farm, near Drift (Cornwall), 5 in the Wadebridge area (Cornwall), 7 SW of Newquay near Trennistick Farm east of Crantock Plains Touring Park (Cornwall), up to 5 in Southcott Valley near Bideford (North Devon), 2 at Exminster Marshes RSPB (South Devon), 5-6 in Dorset (north of Weymouth at Holywell Farm SY 654 830), 2 still in Somerset (singles just SW of Leigh-upon-Mendip and at Wet Moor), 5 in Sussex (2 south of Ivy Lake, Chichester and 3 together by Acton’s Farm), 1 in Hampshire (between Harbridge and Harbridge Green near North End Farm), 1 in Gloucestershire (at Fretherne) and 1 in NW Britain south of Neston at Burton Marsh (Cheshire).
Three adult white morph ROSS’S SNOW GEESE are wintering in Norfolk this winter, with one regularly roosting at Holkham Grazing Marshes at dusk, with an adult white morph LESSER SNOW GOOSE also wintering with up to 130,000 Pink-footed Geese. Four more SNOW GEESE are wintering in Scotland. 63 TAIGA BEAN GEESE remain in the Yare Valley at Cantley Marshes RSPB (Norfolk), whilst the most reliable TUNDRA BEAN GEESE are 3 at Welney WWT (Norfolk) and 7 at North Warren RSPB, Aldeburgh (Suffolk). The adult RED-BREASTED GOOSE continues to consort with 1,186 Dark-bellied Brent Geese at West Wittering (West Sussex) (viewable from the access road to West Wittering beach car park - £2.00 access charge), whilst a female AMERICAN WOOD DUCK (of presumed captive origin) remains at Loch Morlich (Speyside) (this bird is consorting with Mallards at the sailing club car park and feeds on bread).
The only AMERICAN WIGEONS in Scotland are single drakes on Loch Bee, South Uist (Outer Hebrides) and on Maywick Loch (Shetland) (first-winter), whilst in the south, drakes remain on the Isle of Man and at Angle Bay (Pembs) (a drake was seen at Westwood Pool, Worcs, on 22nd). Drake LESSER SCAUPS remain at Coot Loch, Benbecula (Outer Hebrides), Draycote Water (Warks) and at Sutton Courtenay GP (Oxfordshire), with a female on Shetland at Papil Water, Fetlar, whilst up to 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS remain in Scotland (and 5 elsewhere). A first-winter drake remains off Girdleness (Aberdeenshire), whilst twitchable SURF SCOTERS include the resident bird in Largo Bay off Ruddon’s Point (Fife) and a first-winter female off Dawlish Warren (South Devon).
1-2 ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS remain on the Isle of Sheppey (Kent), whilst in North Scotland, a vagrant flock of 11 COMMON CRANES remains in stubble at Baillesland farm (NJ 253 662) near Gordonsward (Moray). Three further birds continue near Wick (Caithness).
On the rare wader front, the LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER remains at Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham (South Devon), SPOTTED SANDPIPERS at Kinneil Lagoon, Grangemouth (Central) and Lisvane Reservoir (Cardiff) and LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Montrose Basin LNR (Angus) and Southwold Town Marshes (Suffolk)
Wintering RICHARD’S PIPITS include singles at Auchmithie (Angus) and Shingle Street (Suffolk), the BLACK-BELLIED DIPPER remains on Fair Isle (Shetland) and HUME’S LEAF WARBLERS at Cot Valley and Tehidy Country Park, Camborne, in Cornwall. The only YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER is an elusive bird near Jarrow Cemetery (Durham).
Tags: twitching, bird guide, birding guide
