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PACIFIC SWIFT – East Yorks

Rare Bird Alert for Saturday 21st June

This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Saturday 21st June 2008, issued at 2200 hours and published in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers (see www.rarebirdalert.com for details) and utilising information gleaned from Regional Birdlines, www.Birdguides.com, local email groups and individual observers.

A first-summer male LESSER GREY SHRIKE remains for a second day SE of Eastfield Farm, 2 miles east of Hickling village (Norfolk) at TG 438 234 (Andy Kane). It is showing well on fence posts and in small Oak trees and is best accessed from the farm at the far end of Eastfield Road. The farmer has very kindly granted parking at the farm and after walking past the farm, continue east for 150 yards and then south for 250 yards to the isolated building. Special access is £1.00 per person.

Nearby, the long-staying male RED-BACKED SHRIKE continues in Clink Road, Sea Palling, showing well in bramble scrub and Willows west of the road, just beyond the last few cottages. On the north coast, 4 Eurasian Spoonbills (3 adults and an immature) remain on Cley NWT North Scrape.

Seabirds today included a CORY’S SHEARWATER off Kinnaird Head (Aberdeenshire) for 5 minutes this afternoon, 7 Balearic and 350 Manx Shearwaters off Portland Bill (Dorset) and 2 Sooty Shearwaters off Flamborough Head (East Yorks).

In Dumfries-shire, the rehabilitated COMMON CRANE continues to recover at Caerlaverock WWT after colliding with power lines last week, whilst in Forth, the male COMMON ROSEFINCH remains 5 miles NW of Crianlarich off the A82 at Tyndrum, where it is regularly visiting a bird feeder at the ”Real Food Cafe”.

The long-staying GLOSSY IBIS remains at Marshside Marsh RSPB (Merseyside), with a North American Green-winged Teal nearby at Inner Marsh Farm RSPB (Cheshire).

In Avon, an adult white-headed gull showing some characteristics of smithsonianus remains at Chew Valley Lake at Herriott’s Bridge, with the first-summer drake SURF SCOTER still off Dawlish Warren NNR (South Devon).

An adult ROSE-COLOURED STARLING was at Rhosneigr Golf Course (Anglesey) last night whilst shortly after dawn this morning, the singing male MELODIOUS WARBLER was controversially trapped and ringed a mile south of Oswaldtwistle near Jackhouse Reservoir (Lancs) and has not been seen or heard since.

In IRELAND, a drake LESSER SCAUP is at Kinnego Bay, Oxford Island NNR (Co. Armagh).

Birding Turkey and planned trips

I have just returned from an extremely gruelling tour of Turkey, where I covered 5,768 kms in ten days. A total of 209 species was recorded, including 33 new to my 2008 Western Palearctic Year List (taking my total to 562 species) and 1 (IRAQ BABBLER) new to my Western Palearctic Life List (number 837).

Three pairs of IRAQ BABBLERS have bred in Birecik this year (on the Euphrates River) with the pair and five well grown youngsters in the gravel pit area north of the bridge showing very well on 12th June. Other highlights of the trip included 166 DALMATIAN and 8 EUROPEAN WHITE PELICANS at Kuscennetti Milli Park on 8th, 5 LAUGHING DOVES in Inegol town, NW Turkey, on 9th, an adult EASTERN IMPERIAL EAGLE carrying a large struggling snake to its nest near Bozuyuk on 9th, a total of 60+ LONG-LEGGED BUZZARDS, exceptional numbers of EUROPEAN ROLLERS, a male LILFORD’S WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER and many KRUPER’S NUTHATCHES north of Akseki on 9th, 3 OLIVE-TREE WARBLERS at Akseki Walled Plantation on 9th, an adult AUDOUIN’S GULL in Aydincik Harbour on 9th with a huge Alpine Swift colony offshore there on a rocky islet, 8 MARBLED DUCKS, 3 GREY-HEADED SWAMP HENS and MOUSTACHED WARBLER at the Goksu Delta on 9th, 76 WHITE-WINGED SNOWFINCH, 12 RED-FRONTED SERINS, GOLDEN EAGLE and 137 ALPINE SWIFTS at Demircazik on
11th and 25+ UPCHER’S WARBLERS, many WHITE-THROATED ROBINS, 2 CINEREOUS BUNTINGS and DESERT FINCHES at Isikli on 12th.

A total of 86 NORTHERN BALD IBIS was at Birecik on 12th, along with BLACK FRANCOLINS, PIED KINGFISHER, large numbers of DEAD SEA SPARROWS, several
MENETRIE’S WARBLERS, 5+ CHESTNUT-SHOULDERED PETRONIAS and 2 SEE-SEE PARTRIDGES. The Bozova road produced excellent numbers of ASIATIC LESSER SHORT-TOED and CALANDRA LARKS, as well as 7 FINSCH’S WHEATEARS on 13th, with a large mixed colony of BLUE-CHEEKED and EUROPEAN BEE-EATERS nearby. Impressive numbers of PALE ROCKFINCHES were seen at several locations, including 25+ singing males at Nemrut Dagi, Tatvan, on 14th, whilst the same-named location in the west producing excellent numbers of CINEREOUS BUNTINGS and RED-TAILED KURDISH WHEATEARS and a pair of TRUMPETER FINCHES. At Kayali on 13th, a swift colony held 6 LITTLE and 500+ ALPINE, with 6 active nests of EURASIAN GRIFFON VULTURE and 3 BONELLI’S
EAGLES noted. Further highlights near Tatvan on 14th included a nesting RADDE’S ACCENTOR, BIMACULATED LARK and some very welcome singing ORTOLAN BUNTINGS, whilst ROSE-COLOURED STARLINGS were very scarce this year with just 7 birds seen during the entire trip.

Good numbers of RUDDY SHELDUCK were on Lake Van Marshes, with a female VELVET SCOTER on Lake Van itself, with Serpmentas Lava Fields producing 28+
MONGOLIAN TRUMPETER FINCHES, 15 ASIATIC CRIMSON-WINGED FINCHES and many LESSER GREY SHRIKES nearby. Just 1 singing male GREY-NECKED BUNTING could be located at Van Cutting on 14th, with Bulanik yielding 3 SPUR-WINGED PLOVERS, 300+ GULL-BILLED TERNS but no Demoiselle Cranes on 15th (although 11 birds had been recorded in the area this spring). A further pair of TRUMPETER FINCHES was supplemented by excellent numbers of European Turtle Doves in several large areas. CAUCASIAN CHIFFCHAFFS were in abundance at Gelinkaya on 15th, with Sivri Kaya producing CAUCASIAN BLACK GROUSE and numerous singing BRIGHT GREEN WARBLERS on 16th.

The Black Sea coast on 17th-18th provided further excellent birding opportunities, with BLACK STORKS, HONEY BUZZARDS and EASTERN IMPERIAL EAGLE
highlighting. On the downside, the weather was particularly inclement, particularly in the mountainous regions, and Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Ruppell’s Warbler were not recorded at all, the first time in 9 Turkish tours that I had failed to find either species.

Although my Scandinavian trip next week is now full, I still have places on my Madeiran tour in the second week of July. Two places are also available on a Spanish trip in mid-September (for Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture) and I still require a few bodies to make up the ten required to visit Mauretania in December. Algeria has one place vacant, with Morocco up to 3 (the latter trip concentrating on Andalucian Hemipode, where an isolated population has recently been discovered).

Western Palearctic Life List Totals

Update…

WESTERN PALEARCTIC LIFE LIST TOTALS AS AT 20TH JUNE 2008

(Using UK400 Club criteria and taxonomy – see Website for details)

Download the latest copy of UK400 Clubs WESTERN PALEARCTIC LIFE LIST

Citril Finch on Fair Isle

A male Citril Finch was found today on Fair Isle at the south end of The Haa, it has been singing and was present up to 7.55 PM when it flew off in the company of two Twite.

Fair Isle Information

Vagrants and scarce migrants

Tue Jun 3, 2008
During just 8 days absence from the UK in Iberia, an overwhelming and mouth-watering array of vagrants and scarce migrants appeared in Britain whilst I was away, surging the 2008 total for Britain and Ireland to an extremely impressive 366 species (the highest total at such an early stage ever). The latest additions since my previous update are as follows -:

STILT SANDPIPER – outstanding record from Rutland Water, Leics
GREAT SNIPE – unusual spring occurrence on Holy Island, Northumberland (plus
other east coast sightings)
MARSH SANDPIPER – Rutland Water – first county record
TEREK SANDPIPER – one-dayer in East Sussex
WILSON’S PHALAROPE – NW England, today at Seaforth NR, Lancs
EUROPEAN ROLLER – brief stayer in Lincolnshire
RIVER WARBLER – singing male at Beachy Head, successfully twitched by 108+
observers
BLYTH’S REED WARBLER – on Unst, the 4th to be identified by Stefan McElwee !!
MARSH WARBLER – large influx
GREENISH WARBLER – Shetland
LESSER GREY SHRIKE – High Newton, Northumberland, today
TRUMPETER FINCH – North Rona and Blakeney Point
COMMON ROSEFINCH – many spring migrants
RUSTIC BUNTING – 2+ on Northern Isles
BLACK-HEADED BUNTING – male in Yorkshire

Birding Iberia

Tue Jun 3, 2008
Despite unusually unseasonal appalling weather conditions in Iberia (almost continuous rain for 10 weeks now), I have just returned from an exceptionally successful tour of both Spain and Portugal. In just over a week and 4,572 kilometres covered, a total of 189 species was recorded, including 44 for my Western Palearctic Year List taking my cumulative total to a new record 524 species.

Amongst the many highlights of the trip were a breeding coastal colony of LITTLE SWIFTS, a nesting pair of WHITE-RUMPED SWIFTS, a vagrant whinnying male PIED-BILLED GREBE, many LITTLE BITTERNS and PURPLE HERONS, 8 nesting pairs of BLACK STORK (all with young), WHITE-HEADED DUCKS, 4 LAMMERGEIERS including an adult pair, many EURASIAN BLACK VULTURES, a fabulous pair of SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLES, excellent views of adult BONELLI’S EAGLES, many hundreds of Montagu’s Harriers, some large gatherings of LESSER KESTRELS, 25 WESTERN PURPLE GALLINULES, excellent numbers of GREAT BUSTARDS (including a feeding flock of 27 birds), many calling male LITTLE BUSTARDS, both PIN-TAILED and BLACK-BELLIED SANDGROUSE, a surprising number of European Turtle Doves, 3 fantastic GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOOS, 2 well-grown EURASIAN EAGLE OWLETS, 2 RED-NECKED NIGHTJARS in broad daylight roosting on the ground and flying around, the male even singing!, many EUROPEAN ROLLERS, IBERIAN GREEN WOODPECKERS, large numbers of CALANDRA LARKS, 10+ singing male DUPONT’S LARKS, IBERIAN YELLOW WAGTAILS, 7 displaying male WESTERN RUFOUS BUSHCHATS, BLACK WHEATEARS, WESTERN OLIVACEOUS WARBLERS, 10+ singing male WESTERN BONELLI’S WARBLERS, excellent views of IBERIAN PIED FLYCATCHERS, WALLCREEPER, very large numbers of AZURE-WINGED MAGPIES, 70+ ALPINE
CHOUGHS, ROCK SPARROWS, 5 WHITE-WINGED SNOWFINCH, IBERIAN COMMON CROSSBILLS and ROCK BUNTINGS. Also seen were the ship-assisted PIED CROW of unknown origin and an assortment of Category C estrelids including an extraodinary number of breeding BLACK-HEADED WEAVERS and YELLOW-CROWNED BISHOPS.

I am especially thankful to all of the Spanish birders that helped me during my visit, particularly Daniel Lopez Velasco, Jose Luis Copete and Jose Ardaiz, as well as to Chris Bell, Joan Thompson and Mike Collard, who provided some excellent additional information.

A similar tour will be prepared for 2008 – email for details

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