Rare Bird Alert-21st September 2007
September 21, 2007
This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Friday 21st September 2007, issued at 2000 hours and published in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers (www.rarebirdalert.com).
On the Isles of Scilly, the first-winter CITRINE WAGTAIL remains on Tresco (favouring the horse and cattle paddocks at the east end of Abbey Drive), with the juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE still on Turfy Hill, above Wine Cove on St Martin’s and Common Rosefinch and juvenile Red-backed Shrike on Bryher (in fields north of Samson Hill). The juvenile SPOTTED SANDPIPER continues to show well on Porthellick Pool, St Mary’s, with 1-2 juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS on the Golf Course. The juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was taken by a Peregrine mid-week.
In South Nottinghamshire, the extremely confiding (and perhaps moribund) dark morph juvenile LONG-TAILED SKUA survives for a 5th day, frequenting ploughed fields immediately SW of the A6097 south of East Bridgford. ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS: From the A46, take Newton Lane just before the A6097 roundabout and continue through Newton village. About 0.8 miles west of the village, park sensibly in the layby by the Trent Valley Way footpath (enough room for 6 vehicles only). From here, walk north through the Cross Country Horsejumping course field and continue for about half a mile, crossing the stile and track, to view the large ploughed fields before the A6097. See Steve Morgan’s wonderful images of this bird below.
Further LONG-TAILED SKUAS today included a juvenile lingering off Sennen Cove (West Cornwall) and another off Porthgwarra (Cornwall) early morning, whilst other scarce seabirds included 3 SABINE’S GULLS off Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) (a total of 10+ being recorded off this location in the past 10 days) and a Leach’s Petrel off Porthcawl (Glamorgan).
A juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was a new arrival, making landfall in North Norfolk, where it showed well to allcomers from Island Hide at Titchwell Marsh RSPB all afternoon. A GREAT WHITE EGRET also arrived in Norfolk (the Suffolk bird perhaps, present at Westwood Marshes, Walberswick, on 18th-20th), being seen at Holkham Freshmarsh (1010-1015 hours), Titchwell (flew west at 1122) and Hunstanton (flew south at 1155). The adult white morph LESSER SNOW GOOSE remains with increasing numbers of Pink-footed Geese at Holkham Freshmarsh.
A juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER was also newly arrived at Bough Beech Reservoir (Kent) (viewed from the causeway), with another at Cowpen Marsh (Cleveland) and 2 juveniles at Tophill Low D Reservoir (East Yorks). The Temminck’s Stint continues at Colyford Common LNR, Seaton (South Devon) (on the scrape), with a first-winter GREY PHALAROPE present for a 3rd day at Hope Carr NR, a mile south of Leigh (Gtr Manchester) (at SJ 663 987). A DOTTEREL paused briefly on the Alaw Estuary (Anglesey), whilst the juvenile BAIRD’S SANDPIPER remains at Ness, Butt of Lewis..
A BLUETHROAT (an extremely scarce mainland bird these days) remains for a second day at Kilnsea (East Yorks), showing intermittently in reeds and between rocks south of the Bluebell Inn close to the ‘large concrete blocks’, whilst a juvenile Red-backed Shrike was a new arrival at Bockhill Farm, St Margaret’s (East Kent).
SNOWY OWLS have reappeared, with a long-staying resident bird on Lewis (Outer Hebrides) (at Uig, near Mangersta) and last winter’s bird at Termon Hill, on The Mullet (County Mayo).
Other long-stayers include drake LESSER SCAUP at Rutland Water (Leics), eclipse drake BLUE-WINGED TEAL at Haverton Hole Allotments Pool (Cleveland), GREAT WHITE EGRETS at Leighton Moss RSPB (Lancs) and Mockbeggar Lake (Hants) and SPOTTED CRAKE at Albion Pools, Rainham (Essex).
IRELAND remains unusually quiet considering the weather, with adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER still at The Cull (Co. Wexford), juvenile WILSON’S PHALAROPE at Belfast Lough RSPB (Co. Down) (seen briefly again on 20th), PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at Lough Beg and Annagh Bay and a GREAT WHITE EGRET at Paddy’s Dubh, Lough Beg, on 20th. An adult AZOREAN YELLOW-LEGGED GULL was studied for a second day at Sandymount Strand (Co. Dublin).
Highlights – 18-20 September
A Red-breasted Flycatcher was at Easton Bavents, Southwold (Suffolk), from 18-20th, with a COMMON CRANE at Dungeness RSPB (Kent) (18th), Grey Phalarope at Bartley Reservoir (West Midlands) briefly on 19th, Greater Short-toed Lark at Lamba Ness, Unst (Shetland) (19th) and AQUATIC WARBLER near Hythe at Dibden Bay (Hants) (19th).
A total of EIGHT BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were sighted on Tiree (Argyll) on 19th, with a LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Loch of Tankerness (Orkney) and an adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER at Butt of Lewis (Outer Hebrides).
Large numbers of NORTHWESTERN REDPOLLS continue to invade the Northern Isles from Greenland and Iceland.
UK400 Club Rare Bird Alerts
Bird Book Report and Paraphanelia Exchange
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