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UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert 24th September

This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Monday 24th September 2007, issued at 1800 hours and published in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers (www.rarebirdalert.com)

An AMERICAN BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT remains for a second day on Fair Isle (Shetland), constituting the 409th species in Britain and Ireland in 2007.

A juvenile WILSON’S PHALAROPE remains for a second day at Upton Warren Flashes Pool (Worcs), showing very well from the main hide. Park sensibly by the sailing club before walking south to the reserve proper at cSO 937 665 (accessed off the A38 3 miles SW of Bromsgrove), whilst in NE England, twitchable juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS include singles on Seaton Carew Golf Course (Cleveland) and at Blacktoft Sands RSPB (East Yorks).

In Norfolk, the juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER remains with Ruff on the Freshwater Scrape at Titchwell Marsh RSPB, whilst nearby, the returning adult white morph LESSER SNOW GOOSE continues with up to 27,000 Pink-footed Geese in fields half a mile SE of Burnham Deepdale by the minor road to Burnham Market. Meanwhile, a second juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER remains for a third day 2 miles NW of Bardney (Lincs) at Branston Island on the flood viewable from Bardney Lock (also 4 Curlew Sandpipers and a Pectoral Sandpiper there). DO NOT ACCESS THE SITE FROM SHORT FERRY. A HOOPOE remains for a second day just NW of the bridge between Rollesby and Ormesby Broads (Norfolk), where it is favouring the large manure heap and adjacent gardens

The extremely confiding dark juvenile LONG-TAILED SKUA continues to survive in ploughed fields just SW of the A6097 (at cSK 682 420), just NW of Newton village (Notts) (access via the Trent Valley Way) whilst an intermediate bird was seen several times off Hill Head Sailing Club beach, just east of Titchfield Haven NNR (Hants).

An ARCTIC WARBLER remains for a second day in Housay Irisbed on Out Skerries (Shetland) whilst the first Yellow-browed Warblers of the autumn made landfall at Trondra and Fetlar (Shetland) on Saturday 22nd. Large numbers of Northwestern Redpolls continue to arrive on Shetland, as well as the usual September crop of Common Rosefinches.

On the Isles of Scilly, the first-winter CITRINE WAGTAIL remains at the east end of the Great Pool frequenting the paddocks by Abbey Drive, with the Pectoral Sandpiper nearby and another on Porth Killier Beach, St Agnes. The juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE is still present above Wine Cove on Turfy Hill, St Martin’s, whilst the juvenile SPOTTED SANDPIPER continues to show very well on Porthellick Pool. A Wryneck remains on Bryher.

Seawatching off West Cornwall today has yielded 3 Sabine’s Gulls, 12 Leach’s Petrels, 4 Grey Phalaropes and 3 Pomarine Skuas past Pendeen Watchpoint, whilst a WILSON’S PETREL flew west past St Ives Island at 0820 (Royston Wilkins et al).

An extremely confiding first-winter BLUETHROAT remains at Kilnsea (East Yorks), showing frequently east of the Bluebell Inn amongst the rocks and reeds just south of the lane where it meets the beach.

The GREAT WHITE EGRET remains on Mockbeggar Lake (Hants) whilst in Highland Region, a CATTLE EGRET remains for a second day in Thurso (Caithness) (presumably the bird seen previously in Lewis and almost certainly of Nearctic origin).

Further Pectoral Sandpipers include 3 at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire), 2 at Tophill Low D Reservoir (East Yorks) and singles at The Naze (Essex) and Bough Beech Reservoir (Kent), whilst 3 more and an adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER continue to frequent the machair by Ness Football Ground at Europie, Butt of Lewis (Outer Hebrides).

The BLACK KITE of unknown origin continues its residency at Ram Farm, Nocton Heath (Lincs), whilst the GREAT WHITE EGRET remains at Leighton Moss (Lancs), GLOSSY IBIS at Marshside Marsh (Merseyside) and Spotted Crake at Albion Pools, Rainham (Essex).

A Richard’s Pipit was an exceptional find by patch birder David Lindo, the bird frequenting long grass at Wormwood Scrubs wasteland (Gtr London) throughout 23rd. Equally impressive was Dave Acfield’s LESSER YELLOWLEGS find at Abberton Reservoir (Essex) on 22nd. Other weekend highlights included a first-summer BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON on Jackson’s Marsh, Gibraltar Point NR (Lincs), a good crop of juvenile SABINE’S GULLS (including a very confiding bird at Dungeness Point, Kent), a juvenile KENTISH PLOVER at South Huish (South Devon), a GREAT WHITE EGRET at Blithfield Reservoir and over Doxey Marsh (Staffs) on 23rd and a juvenile ROSE-COLOURED STARLING at Pennington Marshes (Hants).

In IRELAND, the WILSON’S PHALAROPE remains at Belfast Lough RSPB (Co. Down), with up to 4 juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS and a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER at Tacumshin (Co. Wexford) and Glaucous Gull at Nimmo’s Pier, Galway Harbour (Co. Galway). A CITRINE WAGTAIL was identified on Mizen Head (Co. Cork) on 22nd, with yet another FEA’S SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL - this time with one seen off Cape Clear Island (Co. Cork).

An adult KUMLIEN’S GULL was photographed in County Kerry by Richard Bonser on Saturday.

Lee G R Evans
British Birding Association
UK400 Club, Rare Birds Magazine, Ornithological Consultant and Conservationist

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