UK400 Rare Bird Alert – January 2008
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This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday 9th January 2008, utilising information gleaned from the Regional Birdlines, local email groups and websites, www.Birdguides.com and Rare Bird Alert pagers (www.rarebirdalert.com). All Irish rare bird news is by kind courtesy of John Coveney and BINS
In North Norfolk, most hysteria surrounds a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW wintering in gardens in Cley-next-the-Sea village. This bird was first seen last Thursday (3rd January), when it was visiting the back garden of the local vicar and his neighbours. It was joining an assortment of common garden species at regular intervals on the bird table and feeding station. After visiting a Norwich library, its identification was suspected, but a visit by Cley birder Richard Porter on Friday dispelled any doubts. Other Cley birders were informed of the bird’s presence on Saturday including Richard Millington, and, after much negotiation, it was realised that there was to be no repeat of what happened at Salthouse with the Chestnut Bunting, with birders trampsing up to an upstair’s bedroom to view. Richard and others painstakingly removed all evidence of food and feeders from the small, completely enclosed garden, and transferred it to the gravel driveway in the vain hope that this would entice the other feeding birds (and vagrant) to a location from which many hundreds of observers could view at a safe distance. By Sunday 6th January, all of this effort had worked and from mid morning, the White-crowned Sparrow fed with House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Blackbirds and Robins on the drive…
