Storms Isha and Jocelyn arrived in fast succession initially of the week, dousing Britain and Ireland in widespread wind and heavy rain. Thankfully, situations had improved considerably in time for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend. The occasion is infamous for producing a uncommon backyard discover or two and, after the best American autumn of all time, would possibly we be set for the invention of a ‘funny-looking hen’ in somebody’s backyard?
The most noteworthy declare of the week involved a Whistling Swan with Bewick’s and Whooper Swans on the fens alongside the Norfolk-Cambridge border on twenty second and twenty seventh. Whistling Swan – the nominate Nearctic subspecies of Bewick’s Swan – is a mega-rare customer to Britain and Ireland, with solely three birds accepted as wild. The final involved a one-day grownup at Nocton Fen, Lincolnshire, in January 1998, although the shortage of any since is probably unsurprising when you think about the speedy decline of Bewick’s Swan as a wintering species throughout Britain and Ireland in recent years. The proportion of yellow on the invoice is the principle figuring out function: Bewick’s shouldn’t have any fewer than 22.9% yellow whereas Whistling ought to present not more than 15.8%.
Holkham Bay, Norfolk, has supplied a scoter extravaganza in recent weeks, with hundreds of assembled Common Scoter joined by a drake Surf Scoter and a bumper 52 Velvet Scoter. On twenty seventh, an excellent rarer deal with was discovered – a drake Black Scoter. It is the primary Norfolk report of this uncommon Nearctic relative of Common Scoter.
Very many due to @mcbuckland for an additional excellent discover: Norfolk’s first ever Black Scoter was at a difficult distance this morning, because the scoters all the time are in Holkham Bay and most different locations! Another gorgeous pic or two on shortly! pic.twitter.com/XmCa3Cn5ak
— Steve Gantlett (@CleyBirds) January 28, 2024
White-billed Divers are all the time uncommon commodities away from choose coastal areas of Scotland, significantly in southern England. A juvenile at Southend-on-Sea, Essex, due to this fact, made for a uncommon deal with. It was current at shut vary off the city’s well-known pleasure pier on 25-Twenty sixth. Twitchers so inclined may save their legs and go for a brief experience on the Southend Pier Railway – at 2.16 km, the pleasure pier is the world’s longest. It is simply the second county report, with the one different regarding a single-observer coastal flyby. Another continued off Shetland.
White-billed Diver (left) with Great Northern Diver, Southend-on-Sea, Essex (Vinny Kinsler).
The grownup drake Canvasback was reported at Abberton Reservoir, Essex, for the primary time since 7 January, although it was thought unlikely to have gone far. This expansive reservoir comprises massive areas off limits to birders. Disappointingly, nevertheless, there could be no conclusive signal of the close by Northern Waterthrush after twenty second.
Canvasback (entrance hen) with Common Pochard, Abberton Reservoir, Essex (Ian Curran).
Northern Waterthrush, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex (Bill Patterson).
The White-winged Scoter, Pied-billed Grebe and American Wigeon have been all reported from Inishmore, Co Galway, and a brand new drake King Eider shared the Lothian shoreline with a Surf Scoter – the latter certainly one of 5 off Britain and Ireland. Four American Wigeon elsewhere included the relocated ‘Storm’ variant at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB, Cheshire, from 22-Twenty fourth.
American ‘Storm’ Wigeon (centre) with Eurasian Wigeon, Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB, Cheshire (John Tymon).
Another attention-grabbing week for Ferruginous Ducks noticed two new birds discovered – a drake in Warwickshire and a feminine in Cambridgeshire – bringing the general complete to seven. Disappointingly, nearer views of the Gloucestershire feminine noticed it reidentified as a Ferruginous Duck × Common Pochard hybrid. Eight Lesser Scaup remained in situ, with 5 at Lower Tamar Lake, Devon, the biggest flock. Additional totals comprised 15 Green-winged Teal, 18 Ring-necked Ducks and 55 Smew.
Ferruginous Duck, Snaresbrook, London (Robert Inns).
Green-winged Teal (left) with Eurasian Teal, Swine Moor, East Yorkshire (Roger Hackney).
Red-breasted Geese included a first-winter again on the north Norfolk coast and adults in Northumberland and Lancashire. Three Snow Geese have been in Scotland, Co Clare boasted a brand new Cackling Goose at Doonbeg and at the very least eight Grey-bellied Brant have been nonetheless within the Dublin suburbs.
Snow Goose (entrance hen) with Pink-footed Geese, Dingwall, Highland (Chris Baines).
The Clyde Ring-billed Gull returned after a 10-day absence. Up to 2 birds have been in Cornwall, with others lingering in Cos Louth and Cork. A well-liked third-winter Kumlien’s Gull at Widnes, Cheshire, was certainly one of 4 in Britain. These have been joined by 47 nominate Iceland and 25 Glaucous Gulls.
Iceland Gull, Easter Loch, Unst, Shetland (David Cooper).
All three Pallid Harriers have been logged and a juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard was once more over moorland close to Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire. An unringed White Stork attracted some consideration at Little Cornard, Suffolk, whereas amazingly a wintering Dutch-ringed White-tailed Eagle down the street at Stowlangtoft was joined by a second hen from twenty seventh. That hen, ‘G625’, was a male born in West Sussex final yr – the primary profitable breeding in England in 240 years.
White Stork, Cornard Mere SWT, Suffolk (Stuart Read).
Three Great Grey Shrikes all involved lingering birds, with two Little Buntings once more at Tremethick Cross, Cornwall. Rarity information noticed the grownup male Black-throated Thrush nonetheless in East Yorkshire and a Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat candidate nonetheless in a Bristol, Somerset, backyard. Shore Lark numbered 24 throughout 5 websites.
Great Grey Shrike, Doddington, Lincolnshire (Gazzm).
Shore Lark, Thornwick Bay, East Yorkshire (Paul Bateson).
Over 380 reviews on the BirdGuides sightings pages in the course of the week signifies that the Waxwing invasion of 2023-24 is much from over but. Birds have been widespread throughout all areas of England away from the south-west, with smaller numbers in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Waxwing, Downham Market, Norfolk (David McGough).
A map of Waxwing sightings from 22-28 January (BirdGuides.com).
Lingering shorebirds comprised the East Sussex Long-billed Dowitcher and Somerset Kentish Plover, plus Lesser Yellowlegs in Lincolnshire and Co Louth. Four Grey Phalaropes included one at Longhaugh Point, which grew to become simply the fourth report for Clyde and second for Renfrewshire.
Lesser Yellowlegs, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (David Carr).
Western Palearctic
Poland delivered a shock with the invention of a Spotless Starling at Tychy from 23-Twenty fifth – an surprising nationwide first. Perhaps barely extra anticipated – if equally notable – was Italy’s first Black-faced Bunting close to Varese from Twenty fifth.
Spotless Starling (prime hen) with Common Starlings, Tychy, Śląskie (Arkadiusz Wuwer).
A Zitting Cisticola was once more on Alderney, a Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit continued within the Netherlands and two Ross’s Geese have been nonetheless in Belgium. Nearctic guests to the area included the Barcelona, Spain, White-throated Sparrow, and each a Green Heron and Double-crested Cormorant on Faial, Azores.
An grownup Cape Gull visited a garbage dump at Llanos Pelados, Fuerteventura, on Twenty fifth, with the close by Red-billed Tropicbird nonetheless proving successful with vacationers. Sal, Cape Verde, retained its White-faced Whistling Duck for an additional week.
