UK Rare Bird Alert October 30th
This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday 30th October 2007, issued at 2100 hours, and published in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers (www.rarebirdalert.co.uk) and utilising information gleaned from Regional Birdlines, Birdguides, local email groups and individual birders.
On the Isles of Scilly, the WILSON’S SNIPE (first photographed on 3rd October) remains on Lower Moors Pool, St Mary’s, with a first-winter LAUGHING GULL over Hugh Town and in The Roads at dusk. A Richard’s Pipit was seen on St Mary’s Airfield, with several Yellow-browed Warblers scattered about the islands and the juvenile Eurasian Spoonbill still on Tresco Great Pool. On St Agnes, there was no sign of the first-winter male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK today at Grinlington Farm and environs nor of the DUSKY WARBLER present since Friday.
There was a distinct Nearctic flavour to sightings today, with a juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS on Minsmere scrape (Suffolk), 2 juvenile SURF SCOTERS just north of Knoll Beach car park in Studland Bay (Dorset) and an adult drake LESSER SCAUP at Woolhampton GP (Berkshire), the latter present for a third day and difficult to separate from a Lesser Scaup-type drake hybrid on the same pit. In South Devon, the juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER remained at Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, whilst in South Wales, the juvenile SPOTTED SANDPIPER was still at Lisvane Reservoir, north of Cardiff (at ST 189821) and first-winter WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER for a second day on Kenfig Pool (Glamorgan) (the latter showing down to 20 yards on the East Shore but blind in its right eye and limping; access from visitor centre down to east shore, then walk right along shore crossing 3 stiles for 600 yards).
A late first-winter Red-backed Shrike was discovered at Abbotsbury Swannery (Dorset) today, with Richard’s Pipit at Culverwell, Portland (Dorset), PALLAS’S LEAF WARBLER near Easton Bavents, Southwold (Suffolk) and a continuing COMMON ROSEFINCH at Pitton, on The Gower (at SS 423 875).
In North Norfolk, the adult white morph ROSS’S SNOW GOOSE was again with Pink-footed Geese on Holkham Freshmarsh, with an adult Lesser White-fronted Goose of perhaps suspect origin with Greylag Geese and 2 Northern Grey Shrikes in Burnham Overy Dunes. The extremely elusive Wells Woods OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT of recent days (27th-29th) was not seen today, neither was the exceptionally late (but heavily retarded) first-winter Spotted Flycatcher (NOT considered to be of the eastern form neumanni). Three GREAT WHITE EGRETS remain (roosting each evening with up to 272 Little Egrets at Bone’s Drift), with one adult today south of the A149 at Stiffkey Fen and another again at Wells East Hills. The ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD and 3 Hen Harriers remain distantly at Lodge Marsh, Wells East Hills, with a BLACK BRANT in Wells Channel. In neighbouring Suffolk, a juvenile SABINE’S GULL remains for a second day in fields between East Lane and the Martello tower at Shingle Street.
On the Isle of Sheppey in North Kent, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS are present on Harty Marshes, including the regular adult on Eastchurch Marshes, and NORTHERN GREY SHRIKES at Cannock Chase (Staffs) (500 yards north of the trig point at Haywood Warren SJ 996 192), Thursley Common King’s Ridge (Surrey), Wishmoor Botton (Berks), SW of Petworth (West Sussex) at Lavington Common (SU 948 190), 4 miles north of Gloucester (Glos) near Ashleworth Ham NR at Hasfield Ham and in the New Forest (Hants) at Bratley Plain (SU 225 097) and Leaden Hall (SU 208 147).
In Scotland, 294 Taiga Bean Geese remain at Luckenburn Farm, near Slamannan (Forth), with a juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER still at Aberlady Bay (Lothian), returning adult Ring-billed Gull at Stromness Harbour (Orkney) and male PINE BUNTING, male EASTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER and Bluethroat on Fair Isle (Shetland).
The Black Kite of suspect origin (paired with a Common Buzzard and perhaps of dubious parentage) continues its residency north of Ram Farm, Nocton Heath (Lincs) (TF 017 634).
Visible migration at South Coast localities this morning saw well in excess of 35,000 Woodpigeons depart to the south, including 22,880 past Seaton (South Devon), 11,000+ past Portland Bill (Dorset), 31,000 past Dawlish Warren (South Devon), 4,500 past Hengistbury Head (Dorset) and 3,000+ at Farlington (Hants), whilst numbers of Siskin, Chaffinch, Brambling and Lesser Redpoll remain high throughout the country.
In IRELAND, 4 ARCTIC-TYPE REDPOLLS remain for at least a second day near Loop Head (County Clare), with recent sightings including adult BONAPARTE’S GULL at Ardmore Bay (County Waterford) on 28th-29th and 3 North American Green-winged Teals at Inch Lake. A RED-RUMPED SWALLOW was on Tory Island (County Donegal) on 27th.
Tags: twitching, birding holidays, scarce birds
