In the week that Glastonbury occurred, it was possibly fitting that the bird heading act was a late-night entertainer: a Eurasian Scops Owl in Norfolk. Heard singing at Billingford Lakes in the little hours of 23rd, a Pyramid Stage-sized crowd wasn’t to take pleasure in the bird, alas, without any indication the following night. Almost 100 British records belie the trickiness of overtaking Eurasian Scops Owl in this nation and, in spite of having actually happened in Norfolk 8 times, the most recent of them was as long earlier as 1954.
Aside the owl, there was little doing on the brand-new rarities front, even in this year of the apparently perpetual spring passage – eventually not unexpected provided we’re practically in the middle of the quietest duration of the birding calendar. That said, Guns N’ Roses weren’t the only North American super stars on this side of the pond this weekend, with a great grownup Franklin’s Gull gracing Holland Haven, Essex, for a couple of hours on Friday 23rd. The last county record, at Abberton Reservoir in 2016, was likewise the most recent extensively twitchable bird in the South-East. A first-summer Bonaparte’s Gull was on Papa Westray, Orkney, the previous day.
Franklin’s Gull, Holland Haven CP, Essex (Richard Jeffree).
The other 2 brand-new rarities discovered today were a Western Subalpine Warbler caught and ringed at Skokholm, Pembrokeshire, on 24th and a Savi’s Warbler at RSPB Saltholme, Cleveland, on 21st, the latter supplying a little bit of uplift at a website experiencing bird influenza this summertime, as many gull and tern nests are.
Savi’s Warbler, Saltholme RSPB, Cleveland (Bob Howe).
Lingering rarities consisted of a couple of people singing to crowds, particularly the Cambridgeshire Little Crake, the White-found Bluethroat in Gloucestershire and Cleveland’s Great Reed Warbler. The Least Tern was back at Portrane Point, Co Dublin, from 24th, the American Black Tern stayed gettable at Long Nanny, Northumberland, and the drake Lesser Scaup came back at St John’s Loch, Caithness. Meanwhile, it was more Arctic wildfowl than Arctic Monkeys in Aberdeenshire, where the King Eider was still to be discovered at Ythan Estuary.
White-found Bluethroat, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire (Mark Leitch).
The good arrival of Marsh Warblers continued today, with a minimum of 10 brand-new birds uncovered, with as numerous as 20 various websites hosting people in overall. Two Blyth’s Reed Warblers remained in Shetland. A single Icterine Warbler was on the exact same island chain up until 20th.
Kent, London and Norfolk held all the European Bee-eater records, with the latter county likewise continuing to host the Rosy Starling at West Runton up until 20th. Golden Orioles and Red-backed Shrikes were tape-recorded at 5 websites each, with a first-summer Woodchat Shrike at Long Nanny, Northumberland, on 21st. A Hoopoe was at Rothiemurchus, Highland, on 20th.
Woodchat Shrike, Long Nanny, Northumberland (Gary Woodburn).
Four websites logged Common Rosefinch – a types that’s had a good June – consisting of the popular male in Cumbria. A European Serin was at Portland, Dorset, on 20th. After a poor previous 12-16 months for Crossbill nationally, it appears we might remain in for something of a much better fall with a couple of motions discovered in the North-East, consisting of 187 south past Hunmanby Gap, North Yorkshire, on 25th. Watch this space for additional arrivals in July.
Common Rosefinch, Kendal, Cumbria (Paul Slade).
Things continued to stir carefully in the South-West Approaches, with a more 3 Wilson’s Storm Petrels reported today, in addition to a drip of Cory’s and Great Shearwaters. Apparently summering White-billed Divers existed on the seas off Caithness and Outer Hebrides.
A neat proving of White-winged Terns saw birds tape-recorded at Colney GPs, Norfolk; Hornsea Mere, East Yorkshire; Huttoft Bank Pit, Lincolnshire; and Langford Lowfields, Nottinghamshire. Now appears a great time to attempt and discover one if you reside in this part of the world. Some 150 Little Terns over Hickling town, Norfolk, on 23rd was significant however possibly a little stressing provided the previously mentioned spread of bird influenza. Indeed, uncommonly big dispersions of gulls and terns was a little bit of a style today and consisted of an eyebrow-raising count of 150 Mediterranean Gulls at Frensham Great Pond, Surrey, on 25th. There was a smattering of remaining Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gulls in Ireland and Scotland, however we wait for the very first juvenile Yellow-legged Gull of 2023 – possibly there’ll be one prior to June is out.
In Norfolk, the bring American Golden Plover continued to carry out well at Cley Marshes throughout. The Co Wexford Lesser Yellowlegs was at Lady’s Island Lake up until 19th, while 3 websites hosting Pectoral Sandpiper was odd for June, consisting of a bird at Hollesey Marshes, Suffolk, on 22-23rd. A Eurasian Stone-curlew at Beauly, Highland, was extremely significant.
American Golden Plover, Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk (Matthew Mellor).
A variety of Black-winged Stilts were still available and consisted of effective breeding birds at Edderthorpe Flash RSPB, South Yorkshire, with news of 3 hatched chicks revealed, plus 2 more chicks from a 2nd nest at Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire. It seems like it’s been a tough breeding season for waders in Iceland, however, so it’ll be intriguing to see what varieties of Black-trailed Godwit, Whimbrel and so on look like July goes through.
Black-winged Stilt, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (Chris Miles).
Black-crowned Night Herons were still being discovered and, although the variety of reports has actually alleviated off, one questions if a breeding record will be validated this summertime. Purple Herons too continued to make the news page, with a minimum of 6 websites hosting birds.
Black-crowned Night Heron, Ouse Washes RSPB, Cambridgeshire (John Richardson).
Three Ring-necked Duck and a single Green-winged Teal were logged, in addition to 2 Surf Scoter.
Two first-summer male Red-footed Falcons were found, at Dungeness, Kent, and Boyton Marshes, Suffolk, respectively. Four websites reported Black Kite and a ringtail Montagu’s Harrier was at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, on 24-25th.
Western Palearctic
A splitting Caspian Plover at Tønder, Denmark, was a mega discovery on 23rd. It’s 580 km from Tønder to Spurn, as the plover flies – simply picture the scenes if among these appeals rocked up at Kilnsea Wetlands!
In Andalucia, Spain’s popular Ancient Murrelet was still around, hanging out on Odiel River however just revealing well in line with a high tide. In the exact same province, a Lesser Flamingo was at Coto Doñana, particularly significant provided the state of this vagrant types’ favoured Spanish website of Fuente Laguna de Piedra.
Other little bits of note throughout the area consisted of Egypt’s initially Brown-throated Martin at Abu Simbel on 21st, Austria’s initially Spectacled Warbler at Wiedersberger Horn from 22nd and an Asian Desert Warbler that in some way made it towards the edge of the Arctic Circle at Tauvo, Finland, on 25th.
