Britain’s first confirmed Cape Verde Shearwater

This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Friday 14th September 2007, issued at midnight and produced in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers (www.rarebirdalert.com)

With reference to the Alert issued on Tuesday 11th, the Somerset Audouin’s Gull was reidentified as a British Herring Gull and the reported Scopoli’s Shearwater off Lewis may well be Britain’s first confirmed Cape Verde Shearwater (one of two seabirds firsts in Britain in recent weeks).

Now back to today – GREAT SHEARWATERS continue to make the news, with at least 17 sighted today, including 12 past Butt of Lewis (Outer Hebrides), 2 off Lossiemouth (Moray), 2 north past Girdleness, Aberdeen (Aberdeenshire) and a single north past Chapel Point, Chapel St Leonards (Lincolnshire). SABINE’S GULLS were also in good supply, with birds (predominantly juveniles) seen off Dunnet Bay (Caithness), Fishtown of Usan (Angus), Torness Power Station (Lothian), Whitburn (Durham), Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland) and Bull Bay (Anglesey), whilst LONG-TAILED SKUAS included 4 off Grimston (East Yorks), 3 off Flamborough Head (East Yorks), 2 off Spurn Point (East Yorks) and singles past St Abb’s Head (Borders) and Mablethorpe (Lincs). A trickle of LEACH’S PETRELS were also recorded today and 2 GREY PHALAROPES (past Ardvule Point, South Uist – Outer Hebrides and Lamba Ness, Unst – Shetland).

A bright juvenile AQUATIC WARBLER remained for a third day at Uskmouth NR (Gwent), favouring scrub and spartina close to the seawall 1-200 yards east of the lighthouse. This bird is extremely elusive, showing perhaps once every two hours, but has responded well to ‘pishing’ on occasions.

Up to 3 ORTOLAN BUNTINGS continue to wander the Portland peninsular (Dorset), being seen in fields close to the Observatory, in Top Fields and in the Reap Lane area at Weston, whilst a WRYNECK showed well today in Nanquidno Valley, St Just (Cornwall).

The long staying BLACK-THROATED DIVER remains at Draycote Water (Warks), with rare herons including GREAT WHITE EGRETS at Leighton Moss RSPB (Lancs) and Westhay Moor (Somerset) and an adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON again at Fairburn Ings RSPB (West Yorks). Eurasian Spoonbills included 3 at Dawlish Warren (South Devon) and 4 at Middlebere, Poole Harbour (Dorset) and a single at Titchfield Haven (Hants) whilst juvenile PURPLE HERONS included singles at Meare Heath and Aller Moor in Somerset.

Rare wildfowl include the Ferruginous Duck at Chew Valley Lake (Avon), Marbled Duck of perhaps escape origin at Leathes Ham, Lowestoft (Suffolk) and drake American Wigeon in Angle Bay (Pembrokeshire) whilst SPOTTED CRAKES still showing include birds at Ladywalk NR (Warks), Maldon Dump Pool (Essex) and Farlington Marsh Lagoon (Hants).

An excellent selection of rare waders include juvenile SPOTTED SANDPIPER on Porthellick Pool, St Mary’s (Scilly), 2 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS at Loch Bee, South Uist (Outer Hebrides), PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at Balgray Reservoir (Clyde), Bishop Middleham (Durham), Goldcliff NR (Gwent), Hickling Broad (Norfolk), Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk), Pulborough Brooks RSPB (West Sussex) and Cliffe Flamingo Pool (North Kent) and a juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE at Gibraltar Point NR (Lincs).

A Red-backed Shrike remains in Holland House Garden, North Ronaldsay (Orkney), whilst a BARRED WARBLER showed well on the well-vegetated bank below Hermanus Holiday Camp at Winterton South Dunes (Norfolk).

In IRELAND, a juvenile BLACK KITE continues to be twitchable – being seen this morning at South Slob NR (Co. Wexford) whilst seawatching proved impressive – with Kilcummin Head (Co. Mayo) producing yet another FEA’S SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL, 21 GREAT SHEARWATERS, 21 SABINE’S GULLS, 30 Leach’s Petrels, 40 Pomarine Skuas, 92 Great Skuas and an outstanding 6,000+ Sooty Shearwaters and Ramore Head (Co. Antrim) yielding 18 juvenile SABINE’S GULLS and 4 Leach’s Petrels.

In terms of waders, the juvenile WILSON’S PHALAROPE remains at Belfast Lough (Co. Down) and moulting adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER (south of Duncormick at The Cull NR, Wexford) and BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (at Smerwick Harbour) being seen on 12th.