Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland

RARE BIRDS IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Come in the evening, or come in the morning. Come when you're looked for, or come without warning. THOMAS OSBORNE DAVIS

With illustrations by PER ALSTROM CLIVE BYERS MARTIN ELLIOTT ROBERT GILLMOR P. J. GRANT MARTIN HALLAM ALAN HARRIS IAN LEWINGTON RICHARD MILLINGTON R. A. RICHARDSON CRAIG ROBSON D. I. M. WALLACE JAN WILCZUR IAN WILLIS

Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland

by J. N. Dymond, P. A. Fraser and S. J. M. Gantlett

T & A D POYSER Calton

First published 1989 by T & AD Poyser Ltd Print-on-demand and digital editions published 2010 by T & AD Poyser, an imprint of A&C Black Publishers Ltd, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY Copyright © 1989 by J. N. Dymond, P. A. Eraser and S. J. M Gantlett The right of J. N. Dymond, P. A. Fraser and S. J. M Gantlett to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN (print) 978-1-4081-3959-2 ISBN (epub) 978-1-4081-3963-9 ISBN (e-pdf) 978-1-4081-3962-2 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - photographic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage or retrieval systems - without permission of the publishers. Visit www.acblack.com/naturalhistory to find out more about our authors and their books. You will find extracts, author interviews and our blog, and you can sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers.

Contents

Introduction

7

Acknowledgements

15

SPECIES ACCOUNTS

16

CATEGORY D SPECIES

347

EXTREME VAGRANTS

355

References and bibliography

Index

357

359

5

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Introduction THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

In 1974, J. T. R. Sharrock compiled Scarce Migrant Birds in Britain and Ireland, a book covering the records of some two dozen species of regularly occurring rarities and rare migrants between 1958 and 1967. Two years later the natural successor to this book, Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland (J. T. R. and E. M. Sharrock, 1976) was published. This covered nearly all those species which, during 1958-72, were considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee; it also included notable records of extreme rarities up until 1975. This current book unifies and updates these previous two. It analyses some 46,000 records of rare and scarce migrant birds in Britain and Ireland. From the maps and graphs shown, the reader can, at a glance, see how many, where, when and how frequently each species arrived. The thrill and excitement of the unusual fascinates almost everyone, and this is no more or less true of birdwatchers than any other group of human beings. This has been elevated (perhaps demoted!) to a kind of existential performanceartform with the advent of 'twitching' - the pursuit of species, as yet unseen, so that they might be added to one type of list or another; although that famous wartime film 'The Tawny Pipit' reminds us that it might not be as recent as we might like to think. The enjoyment of seeing and finding unusual birds is not confined to the twitching community. Across the gamut from professional ornithologist to back-garden birdwatcher, the unusual will quicken the pulse and do wonders for the telephone company's profits. In addition to the thrill for the individual, the interest in seeing rarities has, for the serious minded, had several important spin-offs. Although one record of a single species may have virtually no scientific value, the recording and analysis of the patterns of arrival of rarities can point to subtle or dramatic changes in the status of birds within their breeding ranges, indicating possible climatic and ecological threats, and can also indicate changes in the breeding ranges themselves. At another level, seeing rare birds in one's home country can lead to an interest in the countries of origin of the same birds, and their environmental and development problems. OSME (The Ornithological Society of the Middle East) and the OBC (Oriental Bird Club) can both trace their origins in British twitching. THE RECORDS

In this book, we have analysed all published records for each species during the period 1958-85; in addition, records of extreme rarities prior to, and subsequent to, this period have been listed. We have followed the method of analysis of Sharrock and Sharrock (1976), giving yearly and weekly histograms combined with seasonal analysis by counties. The histograms and maps include all records that have been vetted by the relevant committees and published, either in the reports of the British Birds Rarities Committee or in the county, regional and national bird reports. The very small numbers of national rarities that are published in county reports without acceptance by the BBRC are excluded. For the following list of species, which were considered by the BBRC for only part of the 1958-85 period, we have used county bird reports only for the periods when the species was not considered by the BBRC: Cory's Shearwater, Purple Heron, White Stork, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-tailed Skua, Richard's Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Aquatic Warbler, Serin and Common Rosefinch. 7

The British Birds Rarities Committee was set up in 1959, largely at the instigation of I.]. Ferguson-Lees and P. A. D. Hollom. Since 1982, the Committee's work has been sponsored by Zeiss West Germany. Under the chairmanships of P. A. D. Hollom (1959-72), D. I. M. Wallace (1972-76), P.]. Grant (1976-86) and P. G. Lansdown (since 1986), and with the honorary secretaries G. A. Pyman (1959-61), C. M. Swaine (1961-63), D. D. Harber (1963-66), F. R. Smith (196675), ].N. Dymond (1975-77),]. O'Sullivan (1977-78) and M.]. Rogers (since 1978), this voluntary committee has continually strived to maintain the highest standards of assessment and documentation of rarity records, despite an everincreasing volume of work. Thirty other members served on this committee during 1958-85: H. G. Alexander, D. G. Bell, the late A. R. M. Blake, D.]. Britton, P. E. Davis, A. R. Dean, R. H. Dennis, I.]. Ferguson-Lees, A. Hazlewood, D.]. Holman, T. P. Inskipp, R.]. Johns, B. Little, S. C. Madge, ]. H. Marchant, ]. R. Mather, H. P. Medhurst, the late Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, Dr I. C. T. Nisbet, R. F. Porter, Dr R.]. Raines, the late R. A. Richardson, I. S. Robertson, Major R. F. Ruttledge, Dr ]. T. R. Sharrock, K. D. Smith, K. E. Vinicombe, R. Wagstaffe, G. A. Williams and K. Williamson. The membership of the committee is rotated on a regular basis with ten members serving at anyone time. A. Brown, S.]. M. Gantlett and R. A. Hume joined the Committee after 1985. The Irish Rare Birds Committee (formerly called the Irish Records Panel) was formed in 1971 to perform a similar function to the BBRC for the whole oflreland. Three secretaries have guided the work of the committee since its inception: K. Preston, ]. Fitzharris and P. Smiddy. In addition the following have also served on the committee: ]. Dowdall, T. Ennis, K. Grace, F. King, A. McGeehan, O. Merne, C. Moore, K. Mullarney, Major R. F. Rutledge and Dr]. T. R. Sharrock. For a description of the work of the IRBC see Irish Birds, 2:364. THE SPECIES COVERED

It is the role of the Records Committee of the British Ornithologists' Union to maintain and categorise the species list of Britain and Ireland; for a brief history the reader is referred to The Status of Birds in Britain and Ireland (BOU, 1971). The four categories currently used to classify the status of the species on the British and Irish list are as follows: A: Species which have been recorded in an apparently wild state in Britain or Ireland at least once in the last 50 years. B: Species which have been recorded in an apparently wild state in Britain or Ireland at least once, but not within the last 50 years. C: Species which, although originally introduced by man, have now established a regular feral breeding stock which apparently maintains itself without necessary recourse to further introduction. D: Species which have been recorded within the last 50 years and would otherwise appear in category A except that (1) there is a reasonable doubt that they have ever occurred in a wild state, or (2) it is beyond all reasonable doubt that they have arrived with ship-assistance, or (3) they have only ever been found dead on the tide-line. In addition, category D is used for those species which cannot be put into category C as the feral population may not be self-supporting. In this book we deal with all species in category A, records of which have been considered by the BBRC at any time during the period 1958-85, plus seven species of 'scarce migrants' that have never been on the BBRC list. There are four species in category A which were included in Sharrock (1974) or Sharrock and Sharrock (1976) which we have not looked at: Rough-legged Buzzard and Mediterranean Gull, of which there are many records of long-staying and wandering individuals, present insurmountable problems of duplication within and between counties; and 8

Cetti's Warbler and Savi's Warbler, of which the majority of records considered by the BBRC concerned breeding birds. In addition to the above we also include those species in category B, recent records of those species which might be new to Britain and Ireland but have not yet been admitted to the British and Irish list by the BOU, and those species currently placed in category D on grounds of their inadmissibility to category A. The authors wish to emphasize that the inclusion of records of species not yet admitted to the British and Irish list does not constitute a validation and that, conversely, omission of any recent records does not imply official unacceptability. We merely wish to include interesting records which have come to our attention since the main period of analysis. One of the more recent developments in British and Irish bird watching is the 'pelagic trip'. The brave and the foolhardy travel out beyond the sight ofland in small fishing boats, sometimes out as far as the continental shelf, to look for species that might not otherwise be seen, or seen so easily, from the coast. To date, such records have not been counted (in the literal sense) by the BBRC, although records 'at sea' are mentioned in the annual BBRC reports, so we have not incuded them in the maps and histograms in this book. However, we have mentioned the more interesting developments in the text for those species considered by the BBRC. We have not included those records of scarce migrants seen 'at sea', though we are aware that certain species, especially Sabine's Gull, are being regularly seen off-shore in the North Sea as well as in the Western Approaches. The recently constituted Seabirds Advisory Panel now considers and advises the BBRC on the more problematic records of seabirds seen both on and off-shore. Its members are P. Harrison (Secretary), P. R. Colston, W. F. Curtis, J. Enticott and B. A. E. Marr. THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS

We have, in general, followed the format used by]. T. R. Sharrock. The order and names of species follow the 'British Birds List of Birds of the Western Palearctic' (1984). Readers may notice that we have adopted a few of the new names in the discussion document 'Suggested changes to the English names of some Western Palearctic Birds' produced by the BOU Records Committee (Brit. Birds, 81: 355). Every species is illustrated by a line drawing. The drawings have been commissioned from some of the most gifted bird artists who are, in their own right, experienced and knowledgeable field ornithologists. We have retained some of the vignettes from Sharrock and Sharrock (1976), but this volume contains around 150 new drawings. For the new drawings we would like to thank Per Alstrom, Clive Byers, Martin Elliott, Martin Hallam, Alan Harris, Ian Lewington, Richard Millington, Craig Robson and Jan Wilczur. The breeding range is summarized for each species and the non-breeding distribution for those populations which occur as vagrants to Britain and Ireland described. A brief species description is followed by relevant references on identification; these are articles in specialist journals which may cover the salient features of a single species or review an entire genus or family. There is now an even more comprehensie range of field guides (which covers almost every area of the world from which a British or Irish rarity might originate) than at the time of the publication of Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland. Likewise, more groups and families have been treated in detail; we have recently seen the publication of identification guides on gulls (P.]. Grant, 1982), seabirds (P. Harrison, 1983), shorebirds (P. Hayman, ]. Marchant and A. Prater, 1986) and wildfowl (S. C. 9

Madge and H. Burn, 1988) in addition to those published earlier on warblers (K. Williamson, 1976) and European rap tors (R. F. Porter, I. Willis, Bent Pors Nielsen and S. Christensen, 1974). Extreme rarities (which we have defined as species for which there are twelve or fewer occurrences during 1958-85) have all their records listed. In the case of these species, records prior to 1958 are also listed if there are fewer than ten of these earlier records; additionally any records of extreme rarities since the 195885 period have also been noted. If any of these recent records have not yet been accepted by the BBRC or IRBC, they are indicated by an asterisk (*). It should be noted that the maps and histograms of these species only cover the main 195885 period. For all other species, maps and histograms are presented for records during the 1958-85 period. Weekly histograms show the seasonal occurrence, broken down into 7 day periods. Week 52, of course, contains 8 days. Week 9 runs from 26th February until 4th March regardless of leap years. We have presented seasonal maps in a similar way to Sharrock. It will be immediately apparent that we have used the county structure as it stood until 1974 (see map). This may seem somewhat idiosyncratic but the decision to do so was arrived at only after a great deal of thought. Firstly, we would apologise to younger readers who have grown up not being aware that such wonderful administrative entities as Buteshire, Clackmannanshire and Flint used to exist. Aside from this the reasons for staying with an old county system are fourfold. Firstly, continuity; 10 Aberdeenshire 48 Anglesey

89 84 13 Angus 94 91 Antrim 107 IS Argyllshire 33 95 Armagh 17 26 Ayrshire 37 8 Banffshire 22 65 Bedfordshire 70 77 Berkshire 93 28 Berwick 18 67 Brecknock 46 66 Buckinghamshire 106 27 Buteshire 75 49 Caernarvonshire 73 3 Caithness 83 56 Cambridgeshire 63 71 Cardiganshire 71 114 Carlow 57 II 68 Carmarthenshire 97 Cavan 39 45 Cheshire 87 20 Clackmannanshire 88 110 Clare 80 119 Cork 120 86 Cornwall 108 36 Cumberland 115 47 Denbighshire 12 44 Derbyshire 19 90 Derry 34 85 Devon 25

10

Donegal Dorset Down Dublin Dumfries-shire Dun bartonshire Durham East Lothian Essex Fermanagh Fife Flint Galway Glamorgan Gloucestershire Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Huntingdonshire Inverness-shire Isle of Man Isles of Scilly Isle of Wight Kent Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Kincardineshire Kinross Kirkcudbrightshire Lanarkshire

41 112 54 98 116 42 76 90 105 102 100 103 51 76 23 96 74 52 7 9 55 58 30 43 109 2 72

29 69 14

Lancashire Laoighis Leicestershire Leitrim Limerick Lincolnshire London Londonderry Longford Louth Mayo Meath Merionethshire Middlesex Midlothian Monaghan Monmouthshire Montgomeryshire Morayshire Nairn Norfolk Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottinghamshire Offaly Orkney Outer Hebrides Oxfordshire Peebles-shire Pembrokeshire Perthshire

62 24 101 6 31 54 87 32

Radnorshire Renfrewshire Roscommon Ross-shire Roxburghshire Rutland Scilly Selkirk I Shetland 53 Shropshire 99 Sligo 79 Somerset 50 Staffordshire 16 Stirlingshire 64 Suffolk 81 Surrey 82 Sussex 4 Sutherland III Tipperary 92 Tyrone 59 Warwickshire 118 Waterford 21 West Lothian 104 Westmeath 38 Westmorland 117 Wexford 113 Wicklow 35 Wigtownshire 78 Wiltshire 60 Worcestershire 40 Yorkshire

Map of Britain and Ireland, with county key opposite page. The boundaries and names are those used for the years 1958-74 and retained for the whole period covered by this book.

11

in the two earlier books some 20,000 records of both rarities and scarce migrants have been analysed. To these we have added another 26,000 records. It can be seen that to present a book covering the period 1958 to 1985, analysed by new counties, would involve a complete re-analysis of old records, which would have considerably delayed the production of this work. Secondly, political; the time this book was conceived coincided with a political threat hanging over the existence of the new metropolitan counties (Cleveland, Merseyside, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands), we had no desire to produce a book that had a large amount of built-in obsolescence, to the degree that in ten years' time readers would have no idea these districts existed. In this situation we would then be faced with having recorded birds in three different ways, old counties, new counties and whatever might follow them. Thirdly, geographical; the post-1974 (1975 in Scotland) county boundaries were drawn to reflect demographic changes in human population in Britain. They are an extremely bad way of presenting natural history data, because of the large variation in size compare the Scottish regions with the English metropolitan counties. There are many bird species for which the east coast distributions would black out the county on the map. Fourthly, current practice; there is still a great deal of resentment of the new county structure and many county bird reports still reflect allegiances to old county boundaries. For some time after the re-drawing of the boundaries there was much confusion over 'who-did-what'; for example, the part of south Gloucestershire that now lies in Avon was not included in any county bird report for several years after 1974 (although it was recorded elsewhere!). For all these reasons we have remained faithful to the old county system. There is not sufficient space to list all the bird-watching sites affected by the new county boundaries, but there were some subtle shifts which may not be widely appreciated. Some examples affected the following sites: Christchurch Harbour, Stanpit Marsh and Hengistbury Head (all now in Dorset) were in the old county of Hampshire; Wraysbury Reservoir was in the old county of Buckinghamshire and apologies are offered also to the bird-watchers of the city of Oxford, as their local reservoir (Farmoor) was in the old county of Berkshire. As in the previous books, records at sites straddling a county boundary have been allocated to the county whose name is alphabetically first. We, like J. T. R. Sharrock and the BBRC, have considered that the first arrival of a rare bird in Britain or Ireland constitutes the only record. Hence, if a bird moves from its initial site of arrival to another county, the record in the second county is not included. Similarly, birds returning to the same site year after year are not counted in the yearly histograms. One important factor which must be taken into account when assessing the changing patterns of occurrence of rare birds is the number of observers. This affects both the geographical patterns and also the histograms. There can be no doubt that the rapid rise in the number of observers (the membership of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds rose from 7,500 in 1958 to nearly 500,000 in 1988) has contributed enormously to the increased number of records. However, it must be remembered that some sites, particularly observatories and wildfowl refuges, have always been relatively well watched and that an increased number of visitors will not lead to a proportionate increase in records at such sites. There must also be a point of saturation (eg St Mary's on Scilly in October) at which the increase in observers makes little or no difference to the number of records. Notwithstanding this, however, there are still many underwatched areas, particularly mainland headlands in Scotland, Ireland and the western coasts of England and Wales. These would undoubtedly repay birdwatchers' attention. We await with interest to see how the patterns change over the next ten years. 12

As with any reference book, we have endeavoured to maintain the highest standards of accuracy. The advent of micro-computers has meant that it has become substantially quicker to perform the types of analysis seen in this book. The 30,000 records since 1968 have been stored using one of the standard database packages on a hard-disc micro-computer. What does not change, however, is the time spent entering records from bird reports and subsequently checking for errors. We have, wherever possible, endeavoured to follow the totals maintained by the BBRC and published in the annual rarity reports. Nevertheless some errors are inevitable; we would be most grateful if a reader spotting any slips would inform us, so that we may correct future editions. Please write to P. A. Fraser, c/o T. and A. D. Poyser, Town Head House, Calton, Waterhouses, Staffs STIO 3]X.

13

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Acknowledgements

We wish to express our gratitude to many people for help during the preparation of this book. We extend our thanks to Trevor Poyser for his invitation to us to produce the book, his guidance and advice, and to both Trevor and Anna Poyser for their wonderful hospitality. Dr J. T. R. Sharrock gave us much encouragement and help, particularly in the early stages. For the loan of many county and regional bird reports we thank I. K. Dawson and C. A. Harbard at the RSPB, Robert Hudson and his library assistant at the BTO, J. T. R. Sharrock and his assistant, Mrs S. D.Cobban, at the British Birds office and T. Francis. Many thanks are due to Graham Williams at the RSPB Welsh office for providing the Welsh scarce migrants. For their help with providing computer equipment and facilities we thank Tim Phillips, Dept. Physics and Astronomy, VCL, Charles Copp, Bristol City Museum, Avon Wildlife Trust and Mercator Computer Services, Bristol. For solving the many queries that arose during the course of extraction of scarce migrant records we thank especially the following: G. A. Avery, c.J. Booth, A. Brown, M. Cade, G. P. Catley, M. Coates, J. Cudworth, W. A.J. Cunningham, W. Curtis, J. E. Dale, D. E. Dickson, G. Evans, J. Fitzharris, R. Goater, A. Harding, R. Harrison, S. M. Henson, M. S. Hodgson, A. Hogg, J. Howard, M. Hutcheson, M. Innes, M. Jones, R. W. Key, C. A. E. Kirtland, S. Manson, C. Newman, O. O'Sullivan, K. Preston, N.J. Riddiford, J. Sankey, P. Standley, Mrs P. M. Vizard, P. Walton, R. B. Warren, C. Wilson, and B. Zonfrillo. The extraction of records from the reports of the British Birds Rarities Committee and their use in this book has been carried out with the permission and support of the Committee and the editors of British Birds. Our sincere thanks are extended to M. J. Rogers, honorary secretary of the British Birds Rarities Committee, for solving many queries regarding national rarities in Britain, and to K. Preston who responded similarly concerning Irish records. For help with a few other records our thanks go to F. A. Currie, M. J. Everett, R. Spencer and Dr. K. F. Woodbridge. To those who helped but may have been overlooked in this list we apologise and send our sincere gratitude.

15

White-billed Diver, Cavia adamsii

Breeds Arctic, from western USSR eastwards to Canada. Winters in adjacent coastal waters. Resembles Great Northern Diver C. immer, but bill never has dark culmen ridge and is usually held pointing upwards, like Red-throated Diver C. stellata. Brit. Birds, 64: 519; 67: 257; 79: 365.

JAN

FEB

MAR

OCT

APR

NOV

All but two of the 79 records in 1958-85 were between October and June, with a pronounced peak in the second half of that period, suggesting a small but regular wintering population and midwinter movement across the North Sea from Norwegian waters.

•

...11

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~~~~oo~MMronnnH~~nn~ro~~~~~

SPRING

AUTUMN

The numbers of birds seen have increased considerably during the course of the 28-year period (11 in the first ten years of the period and 50 in the last ten years). This compares with only 18 before 1958. The identification problem makes it difficult to draw conclusions from these figures, but the dramatic increase does seem likely to be real, at least in part, rather than entirely reflecting the increasing number and vigilance of observers. There was only one autumn record during 1958-72 but since then autumn records have become almost annual. The reported slight shift of the Gulf Stream in recent years and the consequent slight fall in sea temperature to the north of the British Isles may result in more White-billed Divers (and other Arctic species) coming further south to winter in British waters. As might be expected from a species likely to be coming from Arctic Norwegian waters, the majority of records have come from the East Coast and especially Scotland. The spring peak in Shetland perhaps suggests a northerly departure route. One noteworthy individual returned each year from 1978 to at least 1988 to overwinter in the inshore waters between Whalsay and Mainland, Shetland. 16

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Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps

Breeds North, Central and South America. Canadian population winters south to USA. Slighty larger than Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis but with thick, short, stubby bill; plumage mostly grey-buff, darker above than below; in summer the pale bill has a vertical dark central bar, and the throat is black. Brit. Birds, 58:

305;60: 290,295; 72: 329.

l •• I

JAN

I

I

I FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

•• •

I AUG

SEP

OCT

I

NOV

DEC

17

Pied-billed Grebe-continued Seemingly an unlikely transatlantic vagrant, at least nine were found during 1958-85 (and three since); some have stayed for long periods. Surprisingly for an American bird, four of the twelve records have come from the eastern side of the country.

II

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AUTUMN

SPRING

These are the only records, and the nine in the period are mapped: Somerset: a series of records probably involving one individual: Blagdon Lake on 22nd December 1963; Chew Valley Lake from 17th August to 23rd October 1965, 15th May 1966, 22nd July to 2nd November 1966, 14th May to 2nd October 1967; Blagdon Lake from 14th May to 5th June 1968; and Chew Valley Lake on 4th-5th July 1968. Yorkshire: Beaverdyke Reservoir, near Harrogate, from 9th June to 24th November 1965. Norfolk: Welney on 9th-12th November 1968. Kirkcudbrightshire (Dumfries and Galloway): Carlingwark Loch, Castle Douglas on 1st-8th October 1975. Aberdeenshire (Grampian): Loch of Strathbeg from 9th January to 27th March 1977. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Gouthwaite Reservoir from 23rd April to 15th May 1977. Dorset: Radipole Lake from 25th January to 4th February 1980; and subsequently at Studland from 10th February to 27th April 1980.

.~

18

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

•

•

2

Outer Hebrides (Western Isles): Loch na Liana Moire, Askernish, South Uist from 8th June 1983 to 22nd August 1985. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Aber Ogwen from 13th November to 30th December 1984. Glamorgan (Mid Glamorgan): Kenfig Pool from 31st January to 25th April 1987, and again from 31st October 1987 to 1st April 1988. Dumfries-shire (Dumfries & Galloway): Lochmaben on 24th-25th April 1987 . Wexford: Lady's Island Lake from 24th May to 19th June 1987.

Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophris

Breeds on islands of southern oceans. Winters north to Tropics. Larger than a Gannet Sula bassana and shaped like a huge Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, fat-bodied, with a short, thick neck and short tail, with very long, narrow wings and powerful gliding flight. Adults identified by blackish underwing with broad white central stripe, wholly white head (except for black 'brow') and yellow bill; immatures have head and neck grey, less white on underwing and bill dark grey or yellow with dark tip. Brit. Birds, 57: 179; 59: 376; 61: 22; 75: 585.

l

I

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JAN

FEB

t•

FEB

MAY

JUN

JUL

I

1.&.1 • AUG

I

SEP

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OCT

I

I NOV

ALL ALBATROSSES

II.

I

JAN

APR

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MAR

I

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

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DEC

•

DEC

Of the albatrosses recorded in our period, 63% were identified as this species, and almost all the others were probably Black-browed. The records of those specifically identified are shown in the upper histogram and those of all albatrosses in the lower histogram. The main concentrations of records were in late April to mid May and July to early November, but this may partially reflect the times when most sea watching is carried out. One adult Black-browed Albatross frequented the gannetry on the Bass Rock, East Lothian, in the summers of 1967-69 and another, or perhaps the same, frequented the gannetry at Hermaness on Unst, Shetland, each summer from 1972-87. One of the Cork records (Cape Clear Island 26th August 1968) concerned two together; all other sightings were of single birds. 19

Black-browed Albatross-continued

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~~~~~~K~~~~~mnnn~Th~n~ro~m~~M~

AUTUMN

SPRING

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~~K~~~~~mnnn~Th~n~ro~m~~M~

~~~~~~M~~~~~mnnn~Th~n~rooom~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

The 38 records of all albatrosses in our period compare with three before 1958inland records of Black-browed Albatrosses in Cambridgeshire in July 1897 and in Derbyshire in August 1952, and an unidentified albatross in Shetland in May 1949. Most records have been of adults and a number of them may well relate to movements undertaken by the Hermaness individual. However, a distinct peak during the 1960s undoubtedly concerned several adults and immatures and the sudden increase in records from 1963 was probably not entirely due to the increased levels of seawatching. Records have been widely scattered around the coast, but only Cork, Donegal, Yorkshire and Cornwall have had more than one record during our period. Intensive sea-watching at Cape Clear Island has been responsible for the spectacular number of records from the first named county. The maps show all records during 1958-85, including unidentified albatrosses .

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•

••

••

••

• 20

2

3 4

Gadfly Petrel Pterodroma sp.

One record in the period (not specifically identified but probably Soft-plumaged Petrel P. mollisfeae (illustrated) or P. m. madeira): Cork: Cape Clear Island on 5th September 1974. This is the only record.

Capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata

Only known present breeding site in highlands of Haiti. (Formerly more widespread in West Indies.) Disperses north to Cape Hatteras, Virginia and Maryland, USA, and south to northeast Brazit A large petrel resembling Great Shearwater Puifinus gravis but distinguished by larger area of white at base of tail, white forehead and sides offace, and shorter, thicker bill. Brit. Birds, 80: 284. There have been two records, one in the period: Norfolk: Southacre, caught, in March or April 1850. Yorkshire (Humberside): Barmston, juvenile female, long dead, on 16th December 1984.

21

Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii

Breeds islands of North Atlantic and Pacific, between 400N and 100S. North Atlantic population rarely strays very far north of breeding islands. Size of Little Shearwater, but almost wholly black, with long, wedge-shaped tail, and very fast, swooping flight. Brit. Birds, 73: 217. There have been three records, one of them in the period: Durham: Tanfield, dead, on 8th May 1837. Yorkshire: near Scarborough, dead, on 28th February 1908. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 3rd August 1975.

Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea

Breeds Mediterranean islands, Canaries, Salvages, Madeira group, Azores and Cape Verde Islands; between 43°N and ISoN. Disperses in Atlantic west to the American coast and north to southwest England and southern Ireland, and winters off South Africa. Distinguished from Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis by lack of dark cap contrasting with white side-neck and by yellowish instead of dark bill. In calm weather, glides on bowed wings; in rough weather, towers: but Great Shearwaters and Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis may behave similarly. Brit. Birds, 61: 571; 76: 26. 22

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AUTUMN

SPRING

There was only a handful of records before 1958, apart from an influx of several thousand large shearwaters (at least two, and perhaps many, of which were this species) in Dingle Bay, Kerry in September-November 1854. This compares with 1,701 during 1958-79 {plus many hundreds of individuals too distant for

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23

Cory's Shearwater-continued identification beyond Great/Cory's) and then an astonishing 17,246 in 1980 followed by 1,501 in 1981. Although the 1980 influx (which included 10,939 past Cape Clear, Cork, on 16th August, and 1,202 past Porthgwarra, Cornwall, on 13th August) was clearly exceptional, it seems likely that large movements probably occur off southwest Ireland and Cornwall every few years, perhaps as a result of weather conditions or movements of fish shoals. The 72 January-May records were well scattered around the British and Irish coasts (except northern Scotland) with, perhaps, a slight bias to the English south coast. The 21,194 June-November records, however, whilst also well-scattered (including north to Shetland) were heavily dominated by Cork and Cornwall: Cork, where most were at Cape Clear, accounted for 79% of the 1958-85 total of 21,266.

Little Shearwater Puifinus assimilis

Breeds islands of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans south of32°N. North Atlantic population apparently rarely wanders very far from breeding islands. Resembles a very small Manx Shearwater P. puiJinus, but black cap extends only down to eye not below it (all subspecificaIly identified British records have been the Madeiran P. a. baroli) and the wing-beats are far more rapid, giving a fluttering, auk-like appearance. Brit. Birds, 78: 123; 79: 28. 12 10

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

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The 60 records in 1958-85 were all between late March and October, with a pronounced peak from August to early October. This contrasts with only five records before 1958. Concentrated sea watching in Ireland (mostly at Cape Clear Island, Cork and Brandon Point, Kerry) during the 1960s was responsible for the autumn peak of records in those years but the spring 1977 and autumn 1978 peaks were due primarily to the remarkable number of records (two and seven respectively) reported from Flamborough Head, Yorkshire (Humberside), in those two years. A single male was present in the Manx Shearwater colony on Skomer, Pembrokeshire (Dyfed), from 26th June to 10th July 1981 and again from 21st June to 25th July 1982. The spring birds in Cheshire (2), Lancashire and Norfolk were all dead or dying storm-driven vagrants but all others were seen during sea watches.

25

Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus

Breeds Antarctica and islands of southern oceans. Disperses north to about 47°N. Small, square-tailed, round-winged storm-petrel with long legs, which extend beyond the tail in flight or are dangled as the bird skips with raised wings over the surface of the sea. Though difficult to see, yellow webs to the feet are diagnostic. Compared with European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, slightly larger; white rump patch larger and extending further round body; lacks white bar on underwing but has more pronounced pale upperwing covert bar. Brit. Birds, 72: 330; 76: 161. All four records during 1958-85 were in autumn at St I ves, Cornwall: on 29th October 1967, 20th October 1970, 11th September 1978 and 3rd September 1983. Before 1958 there were four records, all last century. Birds were recorded at sea as follows: St George's Channel, off Pembrokeshire (Dyfed) on 12th September 1980 and about 88 km southwest of Mizen Head, Cork, on 17th August 1985. In addition, eight were seen at sea from pelagic trips southwest of Cornwall and Scilly in August 1986, a staggering 50 were seen in the same area in the second half of August 1987 and then a further 99 in the same period in 1988 (these records have yet to be accepted and published by BBRC) and nine were seen between 64km and 112km WSW of Mizen Head on 23rd August 1986. This dramatic discovery changes the known status of Wilson's Storm-Petrel in southwestern British waters, and supports Gould's observations in 1838 (Brit. Birds, 81: 402).

White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina

Breeds in subtropical North Atlantic (Salvage and Cape Verde Islands) and islands of southern oceans; between 30 N and 50 o S. Winters mainly in the tropics. A small petrel with wholly white underparts. Mainly slaty-brown upperparts with conspicuous white supercilium and pale grey upper tail-coverts contrasting 0

26

with blackish tail. Long dark legs, with orange webs, extend slighdy beyond tail in flight. Brit. Birds, 51: 269. There is one record: Argyllshire: Colonsay, Inner Hebrides, female, caught, on 1st January 1897.

Madeiran Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma castro

Breeds tropical and subtropical Adantic (including Cape Verde Islands, Salvages, Madeira group and Azores) and Pacific Oceans. Disperses in winter at sea within same regions. Differs from Leach's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa in shorter, broader wings and undivided white rump. Flight bouyant with relatively shallow wingbeats and shearwater-like glides. Brit. Birds, 73: 263; 76: 161. There are two accepted records: Hampshire: Milford, dead, on 19th November 1911. Mayo: Blackrock lighthouse on 18th October 1931.

Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens

Breeds on islands in tropical Adantic and east Pacific. Rarely wanders very far north of tropics in Adantic. Huge, fork-tailed seabird with eight-foot wing-span and wonderful powers of flight, gliding and skimming food from the surface of the sea. Brit. Birds, 47: 58,

59.

27

Magnificent Frigatebird-continued There were no certain records of this species in the period, but there were two records of unidentified frigate birds: Aberdeenshire: Forvie on 20th August 1960. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 24th August 1973. The only other record is of a fully identified Magnificent Frigatebird at Tiree, Inner Hebrides, Argyllshire, on 9th July 1953.

American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus

Breeds North America. Winters southern USA to Central America. Slightly smaller than Bittern B. stellaris, and distinguished by wing-coverts paler than the mantle and scapulars; darker, more contrasting remiges in flight; contrasting dark brown culmen ridge to pale bill; rich rusty brown crown; cleancut, bright lemon gape and long black moustachial stripe, which is clean-cut against the uniform grey-brown sides to the head. Brit. Birds, 78: 103.

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SPRING

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AUTUMN

The eight records In 1958-85 were all between 7th September and 16th December: Caemarvonshire: Bardsey on 12th-15th September 1962. Galway: Loch Corrib, shot, on 16th December 1964. Dublin: Malahide, an immature found dying, on 4th October 1970. Donegal: Malin Beg on 21st October 1973. Cornwall: Marazion Marsh and St Erth on 7th-25th September 1977. Dorset: Tincleton, found shot, on 12th November 1980. Monmouthshire (Gwent): Magor from 29th October 1981 to 7th January 1982. Renfrewshire (Strathclyde): Kilmacolm from 4th November 1981 to 9th January 1982. 28

There have been no more records since then. This species was formerly more frequent, with about 50 records before 1958: 20 in England, 18 in Ireland, eight in Scotland and four in Wales, mostly in late autumn and prior to 1914.

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus

Breeds most of Europe (except Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland) and eastwards to Sinkiang; also central and southern Africa and Australia. European population winters in tropical Africa. Tiny heron; male black and creamy; female duller; immature streaky brown and buff: but all show pale wing coverts, forming conspicuous patch in flight, which is low, with rapid wing-beats and long glides; green legs. Brit. Birds, 46: 138,450. 16

1+ 12 10

4

JAN

FEB

MAR

Apart from one in January (Norfolk in 1968), all the other 144 records were in April-October with most in the nine weeks from mid April to mid June.

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29

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The 145 records during 1958-85 compare with about 150 before 1958. The lack of an increase in records over the period, despite the increasing number of observers, suggests an actual decline, but breeding was proved for the first time ever in 1984 (in South Yorkshire). The spring records were mostly overshooting migrants on the south and east coasts of England, south Wales and south Ireland. This is a skulking species, easily overlooked, but nevertheless some have been noted staying in large reedbeds during the summer. Apart from the Yorkshire (South Yorkshire) breeding record in 1984, it is possible that breeding has been attempted before: it was strongly suspected in East Anglia in the nineteenth century, and also in southern England in 1947. Pairs have also summered in Surrey (1956), Somerset (1958), Huntingdonshire (1960) and possibly elsewhere. Some 'autumn' records may refer to such summering birds being belatedly located, but the rather different geographical distribution (mostly Yorkshire, East Anglia and southeast England, with hardly any in the west) suggests that most are new arrivals, from the east rather than the south. The early autumn (August) peak of these records as well as their distribution suggests that most are wanderers from the nearby population in the Netherlands.

30

Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Breeds Iberia, northwest Africa, France and Netherlands eastwards to Japan; also southern Africa and the Americas. European population winters Africa, south of the Sahara to Cape Province. A small, compact heron, with short neck and legs and crepuscular habits. Adult has black crown and back, grey wings and tail and white or greyish-white underparts; immature is dark brown above, boldly spotted with buffish white, and greyish below, with dark streaks; legs yellowish (reddish in breeding adult, greenish in immature). Brit. Birds, 47: 340.

10

The 160 records in 1958-85 included occurrences in every month of the year, but most were in April-June and only seven were found between mid December and late March.

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AUTUMN

There were spring peaks in 1970 and 1983, but autumn records have been more or less steady since about 1966. There were about 165 records before 1958. The distributional and date pattern of spring records, typical of overshooting migrants, demonstrates that the vast majority of records concern wild birds and the stigma that many were escapes from captivity seems largely unfounded. It seems only logical to conclude that the majority of autumn birds (many of which are immatures) are also wild birds. Those in the east of England are perhaps most 31

Night Heron-contined

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•• likely to derive from the Netherlands and those in the west, particularly in spring, from southern Europe. An immature at Skegness, Lincolnshire, on 30th December 1979 had been ringed as a nestling near Belyayevka Black Sea region, USSR, in June of the same year and perhaps points to the origin of many of the late autumn records of immatures.

Green Heron Butorides striatus

Breeds North and Central America. Winters south to Colombia and Venezuela. Other races throughout tropics. A very small, compact heron. Adult has dark bluish-grey upperparts, deep chestnut sides to neck, whitish throat and underparts with bold brown striations

32

down breast, legs yellowish-green; immature browner with more heavily streaked underparts. Brit. Birds, 65: 424; 78: 106. There have been three records: Cornwall: St Austell, shot, on 27th October 1889. Yorkshire (Humberside): Stone Creek from 27th November to 6th December 1982. East Lothian (Lothian): Tyninghame, found dead, on 25th October 1987.

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

Breeds Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to southwest Asia; also east, central and southern Africa. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Small heron with small head and thick neck, looking sandy brown at rest but mainly white in flight, with dark stripy head. Legs greenish (pink in breeding season) and bill green (blue in breeding season) with black tip. Looks stockier in flight than Little Egret. Brit. Birds, 45: 278; 52: 185.

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The 23 records in 1958-85 were all between April and early October, with 58% of them between mid May and early July.

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AUTUMN

Though once relatively common here, with about 90 records before 1958 (mostly before 1914), this species is now a rare vagrant, with the slight increase apparent since about 1977 perhaps reflecting only the increasing number of birdwatchers. 33

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Records were well scattered, mainly in south and east England, with most in the extreme southwest, suggesting an Iberian origin. Only one was found in Ireland and none were recorded in either Wales or Scotland (although the pre-1958 records for these countries total 11, four and four respectively).

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

Breeds southern France, Iberia and northwest Africa, and very discontinuously eastwards to Japan and Australia, southwards to southern Africa; colonised the Americas earlier this century. Some winter movement of European birds south to northwest Africa. Half the height of Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, with short, thick neck, altogether 34

stockier than Little Egret; white apart from buff on crown and shoulders (mostly lost out of breeding season); bill yellowish and legs dusky, except in breeding season, when both reddish; 'pouch' under bill gives heavy-jowled effect. Brit. Birds, 45: 317; 56: 293; 77: 451; 78: 659.

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The 32 records in 1958-85 were quite evenly scattered throughout the year. The two peaks on the histograms, in late April and mid December, were caused, respectively, by a party of four in Sussex in 1962 and an influx into southwestern

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Cattle Egret-continued counties in 1980, the latter carrying over into spring 1981. The species is not a true migrant but is a known dispersive wanderer, so the even spread of dates and lack of typical spring and autumn peaks is not surprising. Breeding numbers in southern Europe are increasing so occurrences in Britain can be expected to follow suit. The maps show a wide scatter of records (although only one has journeyed north to Scotland), but the majority of the November to March records (mostly since 1980) have been in southwest England, Wales and southern Ireland, suggesting the expected Iberian origin. A few records may relate to escapes from captivity but the majority are undoubtedly wild vagrants. Of past occurrences, only two are accepted as genuine vagrants, both in October (1805 in Devon and 1917 in Norfolk).

Little Egret Egretta garzetta <=-=---Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa through the Mediterranean eastwards to southern Asia and Australia; also southern Africa. Bulk of European population winters Africa south of Sahara to Equator. Small, snowy-white heron, with black legs and yellow feet, which extend beyond the tail in flight. In breeding plumage has long drooping crest and scapular plumes. Brit. Birds, 46: 252, 256, 70: 206; 77: 315,451; 81: 239. 40

30 20

.-

10

Most of the 355 records occurred in spring, with most between mid April and mid June. There were records in all months, however, and many individuals stayed for extended periods both in summer and winter, with most of the latter occurring on estuaries in the milder southwestern counties. Before 1952 only 12 Little Egrets had been recorded here and by 1957 the total had risen to only 25. 153 were recorded between 1958 and 1972, with a further 202 between 1973 and 1985. There was an exceptional spring influx in 1970. There has thus been a tremendous increase which is still continuing. As the species 36

50

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SPRING

increases and spreads its breeding range northwards in France, pairs have displayed in East Anglia during the 1980s and the first breeding in Britain may not be far away. The spring records were concentrated on the south and southeast coasts, as one would expect of a south European species, with most in the fifteen counties from Cork to Lincolnshire, but with a scatter north to Shetland. The fewer autumn records had a slight southwesterly bias, with more in southwest England, west Wales and southern Ireland. One in Lincolnshire, found shot, on 15th September 1979, had been ringed in the Netherlands on 9th July 1979, the first instance of breeding there.

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Great White Egret Egretta alba

Breeds Netherlands in small numbers and from Hungary eastwards to Japan and south to Australia; Africa south of the Sahara; also southern North, Central and South America. European population winters mostly in the north Mediterranean. Much larger and also slimmer than Little Egret, with angularly-held thin neck; long legs black or pinkish; feet blackish; bill black in summer, yellow in winter, often partly black and partly yellow; no crest, but scapular plumes in summer; long narrow wings in flight. Brit. Birds. 45: 278, 291; 55: 475; 77: 269,451.

I JAN

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MAR

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I

APR

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II

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JUN

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The 23 records in the period were all after 1974 and were clearly connected with the colonisation of the Netherlands which took place during the 1970s.

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Occurrences have been annual since 1977. All records were between April and November, with 56% between late April and late June.

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AUTUMN

Before 1958 there were ten records: Cambridgeshire (Mayor June 1849), Cornwall (September-October 1948, May 1951), Dorset (August 1951), East Lothian Oune 1840), Nottinghamshire (before 1838), Perthshire (May 1881), Yorkshire (about 1825, 1834 and summer 1868), most of which were when the species was more numerous in Europe. Spring records were well scattered, but the Scottish records, north to Shetland, at this season suggest overshooting by some of the Netherlands population. Autumn records were more concentrated on the English east coast from East Anglia to Yorkshire, again suggesting Dutch origins.

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

Breeds from the Netherlands, Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to Manchuria and Indonesia; also southern Africa. European population winters Africa, mostly south of the Sahara. Slightly smaller, with slenderer neck, than Grey Heron Ardea cinerea; general colour darker, with less contrast in wings, and vinous underparts in adult; in flight, legs and large feet extend beyond tail and folded neck curves down below bodylevel. Brit. Birds, 45: 331; 78: 97. 50

40 30 20

10

JAN

FEB

More than two-thirds of the records were in spring, with a marked peak in May. The fewer autumn records were mainly spread from late July to early October. 39

25

Purple Heron-continued

AUTUMN

SPRING

There were 390 records in the period, compared with about 85 prior to 1958. With peak numbers in 1968, 1970, 1977 and 1981, there has been a steady overall increase such that after 1982 the species was no longer considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee. With up to five at a time at one locality (Minsmere, Suffolk, on 23rd May 1968), regular occurrence there and in the Stour Valley in Kent, and some extended stays in late spring, hopes were expressed that breeding would occur, but this has not yet been recorded. The strong southeasterly bias to the records at both seasons suggests that most of the birds have come from the Netherlands, rather than from southern Europe. This is confirmed by two Dutch-ringed birds being recovered (Fair Isle, Shetland, in May 1969, and St Mary's, Scilly, in May 1970). The three southeasterly counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent accounted for 33% of the spring birds and 44% of those in autumn, whereas the comparable figures for the six southwestern counties, from Somerset and Dorset to Scilly, plus Glamorgan, were 23% in spring and 11 % in autumn. This suggests that some south European birds may occur (especially in the west) in the spring.

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Black Stork Ciconia nigra

Breeds Iberia and France eastwards to Manchuria; also southern Africa. Most of European population winters tropical Africa. Glossy black upperparts, head, neck and upper breast (black replaced by brown in immature); white underparts and axillaries; bill and legs red (greenish in immature); wing-beat faster than White Stork. Brit. Birds, 59: 147. All but two of the 33 records in the period were after 1968 and records have increased further since 1976, coinciding with the northward spread of the breeding

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Black Stork-continued range in France (Brit. Birds, 78: 639). The records were all between late April and October, with 60% during late April to mid June.

SPRING

AUTUMN

.1. 1

Spring and autumn records were well scattered but with a distinct south and east coasts bias, especially in spring. A few of the records may have concerned escapes but the pattern of dates, with spring and autumn peaks, and the increase matching the spread in continental Europe points to the great majority being genuine wild migrants. Before 1958 there were 26 records, most of which were in the 19th century.

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Breeds discontinuously Iberia and northwest Africa, central Europe to Iran, Turkestan and Manchuria. European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Unmistakable; white with black flight feathers and red bill and legs; unlike herons, neck extended in flight. Brit. Birds, 65: 4. 25 20

15 10

JAN

-• FEB

-DEC

Though scattered through the year, 80% were in spring, mostly April to early June. Two of those in April (Norfolk in 1967) stayed throughout the summer and, since display was frequently observed, there were hopes that breeding might take

42

place for the first time since the only previous British breeding record, in Edinburgh in 1416. This did not occur, however, and one was killed by hitting an overhead cable in December; the other bird stayed until May 1968. There have been several other instances oflong-staying individuals, eg in Suffolk in 1974-76.

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 322 in the period compare with about 70 before 1958. Foreign-ringed birds in Britain were from Denmark (7), Holland (3) and West Germany (1). Some, however, may have been escapes from captivity and a considerable number of more recent records are likely to have been from the reintroduction scheme in the Netherlands. The record of one shot in Lancashire on 31st October 1981 and ringed at Liesveld, Netherlands, did, in fact, originate from one of these breeding stations: it has, however, been retained in the totals. It will obviously prove impossible to adopt clear-cut criteria for separating wild and feral birds in this country. White Stork was dropped from the list of species considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee at the end of 1982. ~

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Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Breeds very discontinuously from Balkans to southern Asia, Indonesia and Australia; southern Africa and Caribbean. Most of European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Shape of Curlew Numenius arquata with black/dark brown plumage, glossed bronze, green and purple; white streaks on head in winter; in flight, head and legs extended and wings very rounded. Beware escaped Puna Ibis Plegadis ridgwayi which has pinkish-red, not olive-brown legs. Brit. Birds, 45: 278; Birding World,

1: 57.

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SPRING

AUTUMN

The 26 records in 1958-85 were in all months except January, February and July, but with most in May and August-December. The wide scatter of records, in location as well as date, suggests that some may have been escapes, but the spring and autumn peaks point to at least some of them being genuine wild vagrants. Spring records were only between 1974 and 1985 but autumn records were more scattered throughout the period. Small parties of Glossy Ibises were formerly fairly regular here and the overall decline before 1958 doubtless reflects the declining numbers in Europe. Spring records were concentrated in southeastern counties, suggesting a wild, Continental origin. The greater number of autumn records was more scattered, with a southwest as well as southeast bias. One bird made an extended stay in Kent (mainly at Stodmarsh and Sheppey) from at least December 1975 into 1989 (and was joined by a second from October 1979 to February 1985), but the origin of these individuals remains unclear.

Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus

Breeds from northern Scandinavia to northeast Siberia. Western population winters mainly south Caspian Sea and Transcaucasia. Distinguished from White-fronted Goose A. albifrons at all ages by darker and daintier appearance, with rounded head, very small bill, short neck, longer wings and yellow orbital ring. Adults also have white at base of bill extending back to crown. Brit. Birds, 49: 216; 68: 57. 10

All 69 records during the period were in winter, from late November to March. 45

Lesser White-fronted Goose--continued

WINTER

There were records in every year except 1965 and 1982 (autumn records are shifted to the following year on the 'winter' histogram). There were 28 during 1958-66,18 in 1967-75 and 23 in 1976-85, so a real decline is indicated. Some earlier occurrences were probably overlooked since most individuals accompany large flocks of other geese, but a total of 47 was recorded prior to 1958. The decline is clearly due to the considerable decrease that has taken place in at least the western parts of the breeding range. Most occurrences have been in the Yare valley, Norfolk, with flocks of Bean Geese A. [abalis, or at Slim bridge, Gloucestershire, with flocks of White-fronted Geese A. albifrons. Birds were found at Slimbridge each winter from 1966-83 but none appeared there in 1984-86. Small numbers of wandering escaped individuals have been excluded from the records as far as possible.

••

•••

••

••

•

46

1-2 3-4

!HI 9-12 13-16 17-20

·f

Red-breasted Goose Dranta rujicollis

Breeds Arctic Siberia. Winters Black Sea, Greece, Turkey and Caspian Sea. Small dark goose with small head and neck and striking white flank-stripe; chestnut earcoverts, neck and breast, separated from black of rest of plumage by white borders; white rump and undertail coverts. At distance, white stripes more evident than red areas. Brit. Birds, 51: 192.

U.&. I

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JUL

AUG

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OEC

All of the 20 records in 1958-85 were in winter, between October and early March.

4

WINTER

There were 15 records before 1958, eight between 1958 and 1969, then just two between 1970 and 1982 but a sudden and dramatic increase to ten between 1983 and 1985. This recent surge is in line with a general increase in Europe (Brit. Birds, 78: 639; Birding World, I: 47). Earlier records in the period mainly concerned individuals associating with White-fronted Geese at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, but most of those since 1975 and many of the 14 before 1958 associated with Brent Geese Branta bernicla in their normal English wintering range - the coastal counties from Lincolnshire to Hampshire. This attractive species is not uncommon in wildfowl collections and some occurrences have been traced to escapes from such sources; wherever possible these individuals have been excluded from the records. The winter occurrence pattern and the association with other wild geese indicates that most of those recorded here are genuine vagrants.

47

Red-breasted Goose-continued 1

•

2

•

3

•

4

Ruddy Shelduck T adorna ferruginea

Breeds northwest Africa, and from Balkans eastwards across southern Siberia to Mongolia. Mainly resident northwest Africa. Small Western Palearctic population winters mainly Turkey and Egypt; also Iran and Iraq. Size and shape much as Shelduck T. tadorna, but body mostly chestnut, with pale head and white wing-coverts; male has black neck collar; bill and legs black. Beware escaped Cape Shelduck T. cana. Small numbers occur annually but most, if not all, are now considered to be escapes or wanderers from recently established feral populations in Holland. The first British record was of one killed near Blandford, Dorset, during winter 1776. Subsequently, singles were obtained in Ireland on 7th July 1847, 17th 48

August 1869 and in March 1871. On 8th September 1884 a party of four was seen in Kent; and in 1886 a small influx took place involving parties of up to six in several parts of the country. In 1892, a still larger influx occurred, with parties of up to 20 in many areas. Of more recent records, the only ones upheld as being genuine vagrants are three records (of 5-7 birds) in southern Ireland in winter 1945/46 which occurred during an influx of Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus. The status of this species in Britain and Ireland was discussed in detail in Brit. Birds, 75: 446-455.

American Wigeon Anas americana

Breeds North America. Winters south to Panama. Resembles Wigeon A. penelope but axillaries are white instead of dusky; male mainly pinkish-brown with creamy-white crown; female has greyer and less rufous head and neck than female Wigeon. Scot Birds, 5: 23. 18 15 12

3

.u.LI..a...La.. I

JAN

I

FEB

1

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

The 129 records during 1958-85 occurred in all months, but with few during late June to August, when drakes are in eclipse plumage and easily overlooked. This relatively even spread of records might suggest that a high proportion of birds seen are escapes from captivity, but no less than four records during 196686 concerned birds which had been ringed in Canada (in Galway, Kerry and twice in Shetland). There is also a distinct peak in late September and October: a time of year consistent with transatlantic vagrancy. There has been a slight increase in numbers since about 1968, in which year there was an exceptional influx involving up to 13 together at Akeragh Lough, Kerry, from 6th-12th October. There was another influx, of at least five, to west Cornwall in late September 1981. There were only 17 records prior to 1958. 49

American Wigeon-continued 15 12

J

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~~~~~~~~~~M~ronn~Nm~nnrooom~~~M

AUTUMN

SPRING

Full-winged birds are not uncommon in wildfowl collections and it is possible that some of the accepted records relate to escapes rather than truly wild birds .

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50

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Baikal Teal Anas formosa

Breeds central and east Siberia. Winters southeast China and south Japan. Male very distinctive, with complicated creamy, buff, black and green headpattern; pink breast; grey flanks and black under-tail separated by vertical white lines; female resembles Teal A. crecca, but has white spot at base of bill. Brit. Birds, 74: 321; 78: 233. There were four records in the period: Morayshire: Loch Spynie, female, shot, on 5th February 1958. Fermanagh: Crom on 13th January 1967. Essex: Abberton Reservoir, male, on 28th-29th November 1970. Dumfries-shire: Caerlaverock, male, from 19th February to 7th April 1973. There have been none since but there were six records prior to 1958: in Essex Ganuary 1906), Hampshire (about 1915), Sussex (November 1927), Norfolk (December 1929), Suffolk (November 1951) and Shetland (Fair Isle, September 1954). The species is not uncommonly kept in captivity but the above records are considered to have been genuine wild vagrants.

American Black Duck Anas rubripes

Breeds eastern North America. Winters south to Florida. Resembles dusky female Mallard A. platyrhynchos but purplish-blue speculum lacks broad white margins and the underwing is silvery white, giving striking contrast with dark underparts. Brit. Birds, 48: 341, 342; 54: 324; 60: 482. 51

American Black Duck-continued

~t

I

I JAN

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FEB

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• .1 SEP

OCT

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DEC

There was only one record before 1958 (in Kilkenny in February 1954) but there were 13 during 1958-85.

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SPRING

All were found between September and March but many were long-staying individuals and thus birds have been present annually since 1976. It seems likely that the increase in records is due to better observer awareness rather than any real increase of occurrence. Most were in the west, with only Scilly and Wexford having more than one record, suggesting that most were genuine wild vagrants. The longest staying birds were a female on Tresco, Scilly, from October 1976 to 1983 and a male at Aber, Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd), from February 1979 to 1985. Both of these paired with local Mallards and produced several hybrid young most years (at least one of the Tresco hybrids remained to at least the end of 1986) .

•

•

52

2

3

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors

Breeds North America. Winters south to Peru and northern Brazil. Like large Teal A. crceca with pale blue forewing (brighter than blue-grey forewing of Garganey A. querquedula). Male has blue-grey head and large white face crescent; black undertail coverts, cut off by white patch. Females and immatures need to be carefully distinguished from corresponding plumages of Cinnamon Teal A. cyanoptera. Brit. Birds, 70: 290; 78: 398. 10

4

•• JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

The 108 records in 1958-85 occurred in all months except July, with marked peaks in April-June and September-October.

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53

Blue-winged Teal-continued 10

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AUTUMN

There has been a marked increase in records during the period. At least 20 were recorded before 1958, five in 1958-66, 30 in 1967-75 and 73 in 1976-85. The reasons for the overall increase are unclear; it may be partly due to the rising number of observers and partly to an apparent increase in captive breeding providing a higher escape risk. The September-October peak, however, suggests that at least most of the birds at this season are genuine transatlantic vagrants. The recent increase in autumn records can be linked to observers' greater awareness of female and immature plumages. One shot in Suffolk on 9th October 1971 had been ringed in New Brunswick, Canada on 7th June 1971, and one shot in Offaly on 15th January 1984 had been ringed in Newfoundland on llth September 1983.

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

Breeds North America. Winters south to Costa Rica. Male similar to Tufted Duck A. fuligula but flanks grey with white fore-peak; bill dark grey with two striking white rings; head with flat forehead but peaked at back, and no crest. Female resembles female Tufted but has distinctive headshape and bill, and whitish eyering and streak back from eye. Both sexes have grey (not white) wing-stripes. Brit. Birds. 52: 427; 54: 72; 75: 327. Occurrences were throughout the year, with most between late September and the end of May. 54

JAN

FEB

APR

MAR

MAY

JUN

AUTUMN

SPRING

There were 198 during 1958-85. The only European record prior to the period was one in 1955 (Gloucestershire) but then there were 19 between 1958 and 1975, followed by 179 between 1976 and 1985. Although the first female was found as recently as 1974, it seems unlikely that the more distinctive males were overlooked

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55

Ring-necked Duck-continued in the past and so the dramatic increase that has occurred since 1976 is likely to be genuine. Many individuals have stayed for long periods and some have returned to overwinter at the same site for several years running. Spring records were well scattered but the autumn occurrences showed a distinct southwesterly (and also Shetland) bias - a pattern typical of transatlantic vagrants. This suggests that most arrived in Britain in autumn and then many remained to overwinter and wander in spring. One ringed on 7th September 1967 in New Brunswick, Canada, was shot in Brecon on 26th December 1967, and one ringed at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, on 1st March 1977 was shot in southeast Greenland in May 1977.

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis

Breeds North America. Winters south to Colombia. Smaller than Scaup A. marila, with peaked rear crown and smaller bill. Male has darker, coarser vermiculations above. In flight, white wing-stripe confined to secondaries, not extending to inner primaries as on Scaup. Beware hybrid Tufted Duck A.fuligula x Pochard A.ferina. Brit. Birds, 54: 49. Twitching, 1: 65. There have been two records: Staffordshire (West Midlands): Chase water, first-winter male, from 8th March to at least 25th April 1987. Down: Corbet Lough and Hillsborough Park Lake, adult male, from 13th February to 11th March 1988. Both records are still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list. It seems likely that this difficult species may have been overlooked in the past.

King Eider S omateria speetabilis -~r:~~~S;~~.6-:~~.M91~-::: •

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Breeds Arctic coasts. In Europe, winters off coasts of north Norway. Male with uniquely pale front (one-third) and black rear (two-thirds); in flight: black back and white forewing; at close range: orange shield on forehead (giving blunt-headed appearance in flight), grey crown and nape and greenish cheeks; 56

female like rufous female Common Eider S. mollissima but with less flat forehead and shorter, darker bill. Brit Birds, 70: 107. 12

The 116 records in 1958-85 showed a marked peak during the mid 1970s. The dramatic increase that took place after 1969 was perhaps partly a real increase, but more a result of greater observer coverage; the species was intensively searched for in Scotland, and especially in Shetland, at this time. There were about 60 records prior to 1958. 10

4

AUTUMN

SPRING

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14-18 19-24 25-31 32-39 40-48

57

King Eider-continued Records were quite evenly spread through the year but with a spring peak, just two records in July (both in 1977: one at Skerray, Caithness (Highland), on 5th6th, and one at Colne Point, Essex, on 18th) and none in August. With all but seven records in the period in Scotland, it is surprising that only three were found in Orkney.

Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri

Breeds Arctic Russia, Alaska and northwest Canada. In Europe, winters Arctic Norway and south Baltic. Black and white male, with rufous or pale cinnamon underparts, black spot on side of breast and white head with green spot on nape, is unmistakable. Female distinguished from female Common Eider Somateria mollissima by much smaller size, more uniform plumage and lack of flat forehead. Scot. Birds, 1: 234; 7: 202.

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There have been l3 records; the eight in the period are mapped: Norfolk: Caistor, male, on 10th February 1830. Yorkshire: Filey Brigg, immature male, on 15th August 1845. Orkney: Gairsay, two males, on 5th January 1947. Orkney: Deerness, male, on l3th November 1949. Sutherland: Loch Fleet, female or immature male, on 22nd September 1959. Aberdeenshire: Rattray Head, male, on 8th November 1970. Shetland: Fair Isle, female, from 9th May to l3th June 1971. Outer Hebrides: Vorran Island, South Uist, male, from May 1972 to 12th August 1984 (reported with two females on 13th April 1974). Orkney: Westray/Papa Westray, male, from 25th October 1974 to 1st July 1982. Orkney: North Ronaldsay, female, on 16th-17th April 1976. Perhaps surprisingly, all of the records were in spring or autumn and none was found in mid-winter. The very long stays of two of the birds is noteworthy. 58

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AUTUMN

SPRING

All records in 1958-85 were in northern Scotland, as might be expected of an Arctic species. However, it is noticeable that, in contrast to occurrences of King Eider, Shetland did not dominate the records. In total, Orkney has had five of the 13 records and none has been north of Fair Isle.

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3

59

Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus

Breeds Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Siberia and from Alaska south to California. Iceland and Greenland populations resident, but cast Canadian birds winter south to Maine. Small and dark (male slaty-blue, female brown), swimming buoyantly. Male has chestnut flanks and conspicuous white streaks on head, neck, breast and back; female has white spots on head and can resemble Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis, but has darker belly. Brit. Birds, 49: 36; 50: 445; Dutch Birding, 6: 41. There have been nine records (of 11 birds): Yorkshire: Filey, male, dead, in autumn 1862. Northumberland: Farne Islands, three immature males, on 2nd December 1886. Lancashire: Ribble Estuary, adult male, shot, in winter 1914-15 or 1915-16. Outer Hebrides: Berneray, male, on 13th February 1931. Roxburghshire: first-winter male, shot, in January 1954. Shetland: Fair Isle, male and female, from 11th January to 2nd February 1965. Caithness: near Wick, male and female, presumed same as above, from 18th April to 1st May 1965. Shetland: Sullom Voe, immature male, from 16th January to 25th February 1987. Argyllshire (Strathclyde): Islay, female, on 20th-30th October 1987.

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata

Breeds northern North America. Winters, on Atlantic coast, south to North Carolina. Both sexes resemble Velvet Scoter M. fusca but have no white in wing; male has white patches on forehead and nape and a large yellow, red and white bill. Dutch Birding, 4: 80. 60

24

1G

12

4

24

20

16 12

4

AUTUMN

SPRING

There were 28 records between 1958 and 1973 but since then there has been a dramatic increase with 156 in 1974-85. The increase may be partly real but it seems likely to be more a result of the much greater use of telescopes from around that time (increasingly so into the 1980s). The majority of records have been of birds painstakingly identified at medium to long range amongst flocks of Common M. nigra and Velvet Scoters. The records were in all months but with slight peaks in early April and late October. The exceptional peak in the first week of January

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61

Surf-Scoter-continued perhaps reflects the onset of much colder weather and freezing seas along the northeastern American coast at around the end of the year. Prior to 1958, there were about 75 records (although some of these early ones were poorly documented). The records show a wide scatter at both seasons but with the majority in Scotland and Ireland, especially in the spring period. Most sites which have recorded the species more than once are regular sites for flocks of the commoner scoters. Some duplication of records is likely with individuals returning to, and moving between, favoured sites; wherever possible this duplication was allowed for in the statistics and likely repeats were not counted as new birds.

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola

Breeds North America, mainly in central and western Canada. Winters USA to Mexico. Like a small Goldeneye B. clangula but with large white patch on head (male) or small white cheek patch behind eye (female); takes off directly from water, not pattering like other diving ducks. There have been seven records, two of them since 1958: Norfolk: Great Yarmouth, male, shot, in about 1830. Yorkshire: Bridlington in winter 1864-65. Outer Hebrides: South Uist in June 1870. Scilly: Tresco in January 1920. Norfolk: Hunstanton, female, in February 1932. Buckinghatnshire: Foxcote Reservoir, male, from 28th February to 8th March 1961. Outer Hebrides (Western Isles): West Loch Bee, South Uist, male, on 14th18th March 1980.

62

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus

Breeds North America. Winters south to northern Mexico. Small with bushy crest and slender bill; male striking with rufous flanks, dark back and complex black-and-white head and breast pattern; female like small, dark Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator with bushier crest and less white in wmg. There are five records concerning six birds, one of them in the period: Anglesey: Menai Strait, first-winter male, in winter 1830-3l. Cork: Cobh Harbour, pair, in December 1878. Kerry: Shannon Estuary, female, in January 188l. Armagh: Acton Lake, female or immature, on 21st December 1957. Buckinghamshire: Willen Lake, female, on 28th-29th December 1983.

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Black Kite Milvus migrans

Breeds most of Europe (except northwest), Asia, Africa, and Australia. European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Compared with Red Kite M. miivus, tail much less forked, the fork disappearing when tail spread; dark brown plumage, but immature brighter and more rufous; pale upper wing-covert bar and arched wings distinguish from dark Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus, which holds wings raised in shallow V. Brit. Birds, 49: 140; 73: 48l. 10

63

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Black Kite-continued

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AUTUMN

SPRING

All of the 75 records in 1958-85 were after 1965 and there has been a steady increase since then, particularly since 1979. Occurrences were in all months from April to November, but with most between mid April and early June as spring 'overshoots'. Before 1958 there were only five records (between 1866 and 1947). This increase is in line with the recent expansion of range on the near Continent (Brit. Birds, 78: 340) and breeding might even be expected here in future.

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64

White-tailed Eagle H aliaeetus albicilla

JPPW

Breeds Iceland and from Scandinavia, Germany and the Balkans eastwards into Siberia and north and east Asia; also southwest Greenland; recently reintroduced west Scotland. Mainly resident but some of east Scandinavian and east European population winters south and west to northeast France. This large, heavy eagle has massive bill, very broad wings with nearly parallel edges, and the large head and short wedge-shaped tail project equally. Plumage is all brown, often paler on head, with white tail in adult. Brit. Birds, 57: 458: 71: 475.

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Since extinction as a breeding species here in about 1916 and reduction in numbers in Scandinavia and Iceland, records became steadily fewer with only the two in 1961 between 1958 and 1972. But birds have been occurring again since

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3

April-July

65

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White-tailed Eagle-continued

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SPRING

AUTUMN

1973 and the species is becoming more regular with a total of 12 during 1958-85, including seven between 1982 and 1985. The increase here, with most records in the southeast and in winter, seems linked with the increased numbers regularly wintering in the low countries and northern France; these increases in turn being linked with growing breeding numbers in Estonian SSR, Finland and Norway (Brit. Birds, 78: 349, 640). One found shot near Wells, Norfolk, on 11th May 1984 had been ringed as a nestling in Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany, on 5th June 1983. Birds thought to be wanderers from the Scottish reintroduction scheme have, as far as possible, been omitted from the statistics.

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Breeds North America. Most of Canadian population migratory, with birds wintering south to northernmost Mexico. Distinguished from White-tailed Eagle by white head and neck in adult; juvenile difficult to separate but has pale-based tail and, like adult, shows six, not seven, 'fingered' outer primaries in flight. Twitching, l: 379. There are two records, neither of which has yet been accepted into Category A of the British and Irish list, but the 1987 occurrence in Ireland may well lead to the earlier bird's upgrading from its present pending status in Category D: Anglesey (Gwynedd): Llyn Coron, adult, on 17th October 1978. Kerry: Castle Island, juvenile, from 18th November until taken into captivity on 25th November 1987 (and eventually taken to USA and released).

66

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Breeds northwest Africa and Iberia discontinuously east to southwest and south Asia; also Sahel zone of Africa. Western Palearctic population winters mostly Africa south of the Sahara. A small vulture with bare face, shaggy ruff, wedge-shaped tail and long, thin bill; adult dirty-white with black remiges and yellowish face; immature dark brown. The only two records were last century: Somerset: near Kilve, Bridgwater Bay, immature, shot, in October 1825. Essex: Peldon, immature, shot, on 28th September 1868.

Griffon Vulture Gypsfulvus

Breeds Iberia discontinuously east to southwest Asia. Partially migratory but mainly resident within breeding range. A huge vulture, pale brown with darker flight feathers; broad, parallel-sided wings with splayed primaries; short, square tail; head and long neck with sparse whitish down. There have been two records, involving three individuals, but none recently: Cork: Cork Harbour, immature, caught alive in spring 1843. Derbyshire: Ashbourne, two together, on 4th June 1927.

67

Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus

Breeds east Europe to central Asia. Winters Africa south of the Sahara; also south Asia. Very like Hen Harrier C. cyaneus but male paler grey, less black on wing-tips and lacks white rump; female slenderer than Hen Harrier, and difficult to distinguish from female Montagu's Harrier C. pygargus but has bolder face pattern. There have been three records, none of them recent: Shetland: Fair Isle, male, from about 24th April to 8th May 1931. Dorset: Studland, male, on 11 th April 1938. Yorkshire: Hutton Cranswick, immature male, shot, on 2nd October 1952.

Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga

Breeds northeast Europe eastwards across Siberia. Winters Turkey, Egypt and Ethiopia discontinuously eastwards to southeast Asia. Smaller than Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos; adult very dark brown with small whitish uppertail-covert patch; immature boldly spotted whitish on upperwingcoverts. Beware very similar Lesser Spotted Eagle A. pomarina. Dutch Birding, 7:

133.

There have been about 12 records, but the only two this century were in Essex in April 1908 and Herefordshire in November 1915. Prior to this there were at least eight records in England and one record of two birds in Cork, and probably also one in Aberdeenshire, all between September and January.

68

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

Breeds Iberia, northwest Africa and southern Europe eastwards into Asia. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. (A few over-winter south Spain and Morocco.) Similar to Kestrel F. tinnunculus, but more slender with more pointed wings and slightly wedge-shaped tail; underparts and underwing paler. In close views, unspotted upperparts and variable area of blue-grey greater coverts of male and white claws are diagnostic. Brit. Birds, 47: 80; 76: 346 There have been ten records since 1958 (nine in the period are mapped): Cornwall: St Ives, male, on 31st May 1968. Cornwall: Porthgwarra, male, on 11th October 1969. Scilly: St Agnes, male, on 28th October 1971. Staffordshire: Cannock Chase Reservoir on 4th November 1973.

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69

Lesser Kestrel-continued

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SPRING

~WOO~~~M~~&MWWnnnHmronro~oom~roM~

AUTUMN

Sussex: Steyning on 4th November 1973. Glamorgan: Vale of Neath on 7th November 1973. Essex: Rainham Marsh, male, from 31st July to 3rd August 1974. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Fairburn Ings, male, on 4th June 1979. Yorkshire (Humberside): Atwick, male, on 14th June 1983. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 23rd June 1987. The 11 previous records included seven in February-May and three in OctoberNovember, the most recent being in 1926; they were scattered from Kent and Aberdeenshire in the east to Scilly and Dublin in the west.

American Kestrel Falco sparverius

Breeds widely North America; northern populations wintering south to South America. A small falcon, smaller and shorter-winged and shorter-tailed than Common Kestrel F. tinnunculus. Male has complex head-pattern of two black stripes on buff sides below blue-grey cap with rufous central crown, chestnut back and tail and dark grey upperwings. Female browner with similar but less well-defined headpattern. Brit. Birds, 74: 199,227. There have been just two records, both in 1976: Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 25th-27th May 1976. Cornwall: Bearah Tor, Bodmin Moor, female, on 13th-28th June 1976.

70

Red-footed Falcon

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Falco vespertinus ','

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Breeds from Poland and Romania eastwards to Siberia. Winters southern Africa. In size and shape resembles Hobby F. subbuteo, but slightly smaller with wings slightly broader at base and tail slightly longer. Male dark grey with chestnut undertail coverts; female unstreaked buff below; juvenile differs from young Hobby by pale brown crown. 40

10

NOV

Apart from single birds in January and March, all 282 records in 1958-85 were between April and early November, with 75% in spring and a distinct peak in the second half of May.

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•.••

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SPRING

AUTUMN

Records have been annual since at least 1958 with numbers fluctuating from one (in 1966) to the exceptional influx of about 42 in 1973. A slight general increase is noticeable since the 1973 peak but this probably only reflects the increase in the number of observers which has occurred since then. Before 1958 over 100 were recorded. 71

Red-footed Falcon-continued

·45*

· ••• • •

1-2

•

3-4

• •

9-11

~ 7-8

• Occurrences were well scattered but with a bias to the English east and south coasts, especially from Norfolk to Hampshire and, in spring, to Shetland. Only two penetrated west to Ireland.

Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae

Breeds on Mediterranean islands, also Atlantic coast of Morocco. Winters in East Africa and especially Madagascar. Like a large Hobby F. subbuteo, with even longer narrower wings and longer tail. Two morphs occur: all dark sooty-grey (rather like a large male Red-footed Falcon), or grey-brown above with bold dark streaks on buff underparts and whitish throat (rather like a slim, long-winged Peregrine F. peregrinus). Agile flight; regularly hawks insects. Brit. Birds, 54: 235; 73: 328; 79: 206.

72

There have been only two records: Lancashire (Merseyside); Formby, probably first-summer, on 8th-9th August 1977. Yorkshire (Humberside): Patrington, second-year, freshly dead, in late October 1981.

Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus

Breeds circumpolar Arctic. Winters south to southern Norway, Finland and Siberia, also Canada to about SOON. Larger and heavier than Peregrine F. peregrinus with longer and wider tail, more rounded wing-tips which, at rest, do not reach end of tail; white phase unmistakable; intermediate, grey and dark phase have dark under wing coverts contrasting with pale under primaries. Beware Saker Falcon F. cherrug, Lanner Falcon F. biarmicus and especially falconers' escaped hybrids. Brit. Birds, 49: 310.

tu I

I

JAN

FEB

I MAR

APR

~ MAY

I

•

JUL

JUN

AUG

1~,iJ SEP

OCT

DEC

NOV

The 82 records in the period were well scattered from September to mid June, with slight peaks in December and March-April.

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SPRING

AUTUMN

Occurrences have remained fairly steady throughout the period (averaging about three per annum) but there were noticeable small influxes in the springs of 1972

73

Gyr Falcon-continued •

1

•

2

•••

•••

•• SPRING

and 1979. Records were formerly much more numerous; last century it was an irregular visitor rather than a vagrant. Most Gyrs that occur here are of the white candicans form which predominates in Greenland and Arctic Canada, and the geographical pattern (only one on the English east coast and ten in the three southwestern counties of Scilly, Cornwall and Devon) accords with an origin in the west. As might be expected with an Arctic-breeding species, Shetland received the lion's share, with 23% of the total.

74

Sora Rail Porzana carolina

Breeds North America. Winters from southern USA south to northern Peru. Similar to Spotted Crake P. porzana but triangular yellow bill has no green tinge and lacks red at base, and neck and upper breast lack white spotting; adults have black face-patch; immatures paler and more buff-coloured. Brit. Birds, 69: 443; 77: 108; 78: 145; 79: 563. There have been 11 records, six of them since 1958 are mapped: Berkshire: near Newbury in October 1864. Glarnorgan: near Cardiff in 1888. Argyllshire: Tiree, Inner Hebrides, male, on 25th October 1901. Outer Hebrides: Ness, Lewis, immature male, on 12th November 1913.

• • •

2 3

75

Sora Rail-continued

I I

JAN

FEB

MAR

~t

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

I. I

AUG

SEP

I

OCT

NOV

DEC

. ,I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~W~~EME~~.~mnnD~Th~n~nOO~~~ME

AUTUMN

Galway: Slyne Head Lighthouse, adult male, on 11th April 1920. Scilly: St Agnes, immature, from 26th September to 9th October 1973. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey, adult, on 5th August 1981. Scilly: St Mary's, adult, on 27th September 1982. Shetland: Foula, adult, on 30th October 1982. Scilly: Tresco, first-winter, on 19th-20th October 1983. Sussex (West Sussex): Pagham Lagoon, from 26th October to 24th December 1985.

Little Crake Porzana parva

Breeds from Germany eastwards to Kazakhstan and southwards to north Iran; also north Italy, Spain and, in small numbers, France and Holland. Winter range poorly known but occurs south to Kenya. Males distinguished from Baillon's Crake by pale olive-brown upperparts with indistinct pale flecks, longer primary projection and lack of barring on flanks; females have buff underparts. Both sexes have green legs and green bill with red base. Brit. Birds, 53: 118; 61: 422; 69: 443; 78: 259, 313. Apart from two in January, the records were all during March to mid May and mid August to mid November. 76

4

• .&1. I

2

II I JAN

I ·FEB

MAR

I

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

I II

AUG

I

I

SEP

I OCT

NOV

DEC

I AUTUMN

SPRING

The 29 records in the period include a remarkable four records from the inland county of Nottinghamshire, three of them since 1975 at the same site (Attenborough). Two, in spring, made it all the way north to Shetland but, apart from the Nottinghamshire records and one in Lancashire, all the others were from Norfolk southwards. Note that one in Shetland in 'April 1959' has been excluded from the histogram. There were 18 during the ten years 1966-75 but only five in the next ten, 197685. Before 1958 there were about 68 records so, taking into account the increase in the number of observers, there seems to have been a general decline which still continues.

•

••

1

2 3 4

77

Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla

Breeds from Iberia and France discontinuously eastwards through Asia to Japan and Australasia; also southern Africa. Winter distribution poorly known but majority of European population probably winters Africa south of the Sahara. Even smaller than Little Crake, with shorter wings and more rufous tinge to upperparts, which are distinctly streaked with white; bill lacks red base of Little and legs are brownish rather than green. Brit. Birds, 53: 518; 69: 443; 74: 147; 79: 676.

l

I

I JAN

II FEB

• MAR

APR

•

78

2

MAY

I

I JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

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I I I ! ! ! ! ! I I I I ! ! ! ! ! I ! ! I ! I I ! ! ! ! !

•• ro~~mA.~~M.ronn~~~ffin~mOOm~~M~ SPRING

There have been five records since 1958: Yorkshire: near Guisborough on 10th-12th May 1965. Leicestershire: Fleckney, taken from a cat and released, on 19th May 1970. Yorkshire: Fairburn lngs on 6th-l3th June 1970. Berkshire: Thatcham Marsh on 23rd February 1972. Glarnorgan (South Glamorgan): Llantwit Major on 7th-8th February 1976. Sporadic breeding occurred in East Anglia in the 19th century and this species was formerly much commoner here than the Little Crake.

Allen's Gallinule Porphyrula alieni

Breeds Africa south of the Sahara; also Madagascar. Rains migrant within Africa: West African breeding birds move south during dry season (December-March). Like a small Moorhen Gallinula chloropus with deep purple head, neck and underparts; dark green back and wings; pale blue forehead-shield and red legs; juvenile has rufous underparts. The sole record is of an exhausted juvenile caught alive on a fishing boat off the village of Hopton, Suffolk (now Norfolk) on 1st January 1902. Brit. Birds, 67: 405.

79

American Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica

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Breeds from southern USA south to Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina. Resident in tropics but most of USA population winters in central America. Distinguished from similar-sized Moorhen Gallinula chloropus by bronze-green back and wings and deep purple head, neck and underparts; lacks white flankstripe; pale blue forehead-shield and yellow legs; juvenile like pale juvenile Moorhen but more extensive white under tail. There has been one record: Scilly: Hugh Town, St Mary's, immature picked up exhausted, on 7th November 1958.

American Coot Fulica americana

Breeds from Canada south to northern South America. Northern population winters south to Central America. Distinguished from Coot Fulica atra by white outer feathers of undertail, smaller white forehead-shield surmounted by inconspicuous dark red knobs, and dark band across bill. Brit. Birds, 77: 12. There has been one record: Cork: Ballycotton from 7th February to 3rd April 1981.

80

Common Crane Crus grus

Breeds from Scandinavia and Germany eastwards across Siberia and discontinuously southwards to Turkey. European population winters France to north and northeast Africa, Turkey and southwest Iran. Body grey (tinged with brown), with blackish curved secondaries, giving bushy 'tail'; head and fore-neck black, with white stripe down from eye and red patch on crown; parties fly in V-formation; head and neck extended in flight. Brit. Birds, 49: 435; 56: 375.

60

40

•

•

--' .

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SPRING

AUTUMN

There were 1,171 seen in Britain during 1958-85, including the exceptional autumn invasions of about 500 in 1963,200 in 1982 and 110 in 1985. There has been a general increase since about 1976 and the species is now no longer considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee. A small group (up to six birds) has been established in Norfolk since 1979 and the occasional wanderings of these birds may be at least partially responsible for the apparent increase in records during the 1980s. As might be expected for a Scandinavian drift migrant, there are distinct peaks of occurrence in April to May and mid October to early November. 81

Common Crane--continued

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1-5 • •

••

6-10 11-20

•

21-40

•

41-70

·f

••

• Although Cranes bred in East Anglia until about 1600 and perhaps in Ireland until the 14th century and were scarce visitors prior to the 1930s, they then became exceedingly rare here and the records in our period represent a recent upsurge. Spring and autumn occurrences were both very scattered, with records west to Ireland, but with a noticeable east coast bias at both seasons, pointing to westwards displacement. However, the two main invasions of 1963 and 1982 were concentrated on the south coast. These influxes, when large flocks were seen, were attributed to westward displacement in southeast winds with poor visibility. The 1963 influx is documented in detail in Brit. Birds, 57: 502.

82

Sandhill Crane Crus canadensis

Breeds North America. Winters south to Mexico. Slightly smaller and narrower-winged than Common Crane with relatively paler, less contrasting flight feathers; adult all brownish-grey with dull red skin on crown and lores; whitish throat and cheeks; immatures lack red crown and have browner plumage, especially on head and neck. Brit. Birds. 76: 105. There have been two records: Cork: Galley Head about 11th-14th September 1905. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-summer, on 26th-27th April 1981.

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Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax

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Breeds France, Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards through southern Europe to Kazakhstan. Northern French population probably winters south to Iberia. Looks size of Mallard Anas platyrhynchos in flight, when largely white wings are decurved and action, including gliding with occasional wing-flicks, resembles Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus. Female and winter male are largely sandy-brown marked with black; breeding male has grey head and striking black-and-white neck pattern. Brit. Birds. 58: 43; 60: 80.

T I

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MAY

JUN

JUL

••••• I

I

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83

Little Bustard-continued

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AUTUMN

SPRING

There were ten records during 1958-85, which are mapped, and there have been a further two (offour birds) since: Berkshire: Compton Down, adult male of western form T. t. tetrax, found injured, on 28th July 1958. Kent: near Tonbridge on 17th October 1958. Suffolk: Leiston, female of eastern form T. t. orientalis, shot, on 3rd December 1959. Suffolk: Orford ness on 20th June 1960. Wigtownshire: Whithorn, male, on 29th April 1964. Norfolk: Scole, found dead, on 19th December 1968. Norfolk: North Wootton, found dead, on 31st December 1968. Pembrokeshire: St David's Airport, shot, on 23rd November 1968. Essex: Dengie, immature or female, on 28th January 1969. Scilly: St Agnes and St Mary's from 29th October to 3rd November 1975. Suffolk: three, Sud bourne, on 20th December 1987. Hampshire (Dorset): Christchurch from 30th December 1987 to 5th January 1988. Before 1958, when both subspecies were much more numerous on the Continent, there were over 90 records .

.~

84

••

1

2

Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata

Breeds north Africa, Israel and east Turkey eastwards to Mongolia. North African birds mainly resident but USSR population migratory and winters Persian Gulf area. Males are almost as large as female Great Bustards but primaries and secondaries are largely black and there is a prominent white patch on the forewing. In flight, which is low with slow wing-beats, the wings are kinked, rather like a Stonecurlew Burhinus oedicnemus. On the ground, looks mainly sandy, with a blackand-white ruff down either side of neck. Brit. Birds, 57: 247; 58: 43. There have been five records, but only one this century: Lincolnshire: Kirton-in-Lindsey in October 1847. Yorkshire: near Redcar, adult male, on 5th October 1892. Yorkshire: near Spurn, male, on 17th October 1896. Aberdeenshire: St Fergus, female, on 24th October 1898. Suffolk: Westleton from 21st November to 29th December 1962. Arab falconers have decimated the populations from Morocco to Pakistan in recent years so, sadly, the species seems unlikely to occur again.

Great Bustard Otis tarda

Breeds Iberia, Germany, Austria, Poland and southeast Europe discontinuously eastwards through Asia. Iberian birds mainly resident, but eastern populations migratory; birds from western USSR winter south to Iran and Turkey; eastern European birds move west in response to hard weather. Males are heavier and have longer wings than a Mute Swan Cygnus olor and even the females look about the size of a Greylag Goose Anser anser; in flight both show a broad white band across the upper primaries and secondaries, and black trailing edges to the wings. On the ground, stately and turkey-like. Brit. Birds, 58: 43; 59: 22,491; Scot. Birds, 6: 171. 85

Great Bustard-continued

I i~ • I .I :~J I

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~WOOm~~M~~.~OOmnnnHnronro~oom~~M~

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AUTUMN

SPRING

All but one of the 13 records during 1958-85 were between mid December and March. The exception, in May in Gloucestershire, was possibly an escape. Formerly a British breeding species, the bird in 1963 in Norfolk was the first for 27 years but a further 12 appeared between then and 1981. This increase follows a build-up of the east European population and hard weather influxes from there to West Germany and the Netherlands (Brit. Birds, 72: 277, 591; 73: 258; Dutch Birding, 4: 36). A bird seen in Yorkshire in August 1973 has not been included because of its doubtful origin. Formerly bred in parts of England but became extinct as a breeding species in the first half of the 19th century. There were only five vagrant records (of eight birds) between 19lO and 1963. The winter records were all in southeast England (Norfolk and Kent) apart from one on Fair Isle, Shetland, in 1970: this again points to an arrival of east European birds across the North Sea .

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Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

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Breeds southern Eurasia, Australia, Africa and the Americas. European population winters mainly Africa south of the Sahara. Unmistakable, with enormously long pink legs which trail beyond tail in flight; long, straight, black bill; black back and wings; otherwise white, with some black on head and hind neck in summer; wings long and pointed, with black under- as well as upper-surfaces .

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Recorded from April to early November, the 86 records in 1958-85 were mostly in April-June. One was at Steart, Somerset, on 19th December 1974, and one overwintered, staying at Marston, Lincolnshire, from 25th December 1968 to 6th February 1969. Has twice bred successfully in Britain (1945 and 1987) Brit. Birds, 38: 322; Twitching, 1: 48. There has been a marked increase in records recently, with several each year since 1978. Many occurrences have concerned individuals wandering from site to 87

Black-winged Stilt-continued 1+ 12 10

4-

JAN

FEB

MAR

18 15 12

2

L ••

-

• SPR1NG

AUTUMN

-

••

site; whenever this has been assumed to be the case, only the first sighting has been plotted on the maps and histograms. Prior to 1958 there was a total of98. The spring records suggest arrival from the southeast but in autumn there is a more southerly element to the pattern, with only three north of Huntingdon, compared with fourteen in spring.

Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor

Breeds desert regions of north and east Africa, and southwest Asia east to Afghanistan. Winters south to northern Kenya and Arabia. Plover-like wader with sandy-coloured plumage and long white legs; a white stripe from eye to nape is bordered with black (stripes obscure in immature plumage); bill curved; underwing and distal half of upperwing black. Brit. Birds, 65: 120. 88

·L I

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AUG

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OCT

I NOV

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~W~.mM

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There have been six records since 1958: Devon: Dawlish Warren on 11th-14th October 1959. East Lothian: Aberlady Bay on 9th-21st October 1965. Carmarthenshire: Cefn Sidan Sands, Pembrey, on 23rd October 1968. Norfolk: Blakeney on 18th-29th October 1969, and presumed same, Ormesby, from 29th October to 20th November 1969, when found dead. Cornwall: Ruan Lanihorne on 8th October 1980. Essex: Hadleigh Marsh, first-winter, from 29th September to 2nd October 1984.

•

There were about 26 records before 1958; these were all during SeptemberDecember, mostly October, and were well scattered in England (mostly southeast), with two in Wales, one in Scotland and one in Ireland.

89

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to Kazakhstan and south to Iran and Iraq; also Africa south of Sahara. Winters Africa south of Sahara. Tern-like in general shape, and forked tail, flight and call. Upperparts brown and tail black with white base - in flight may momentarily suggest Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus; underparts buff, with white belly; throat creamy, bordered with black; axillaries and underwing coverts rufous, but can look merely dark. Best distinguished from Black-winged Pratincole by strongly contrasting upperwing pattern with pale inner primaries and secondaries, which have white trailing edge. Brit. Birds, 49: 312. 10

6 4-

NOV

DEC

There were 38 between 1958 and 1985, all between May and early November, mostly in May-July, suggesting occurrence as spring overshoots. This species and Black-winged Pratincole are often difficult to separate, and some records (especially old ones) cannot be assigned to one or the other: there were 15 such indeterminate records in the period (seven in spring, eight in autumn) which are not shown on the maps or histograms. The numbers seen have increased dramatically in the period, yet with considerable fluctuation from year to year. There were notable spring influxes in 1973, 1974 and 1983.

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All but three of the 27 spring records were in England, half of them north of the Wash, with two in Wales, one in Scotland and none in Ireland.

Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum

Breeds from northern India to eastern China. Winters south to Indonesia and Australia. Distinguished, with care, from Collared Pratincole by darker upperwing lacking white tips to secondaries and tail shorter even than Black-winged Pratincole. Birding World, 1: 359-360. There have been two Western Palearctic records: Suffolk: Dunwich from 22nd June to about 14th August 1981; then transferring to Old Hall Marshes, Essex, to about 10th October 1981. Kent: Elmley, Isle of Sheppey, from 4th September to 3rd October 1988. These records are still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list. 91

Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni

Breeds from Romania eastwards through the Ukraine to Kazakhstan, south to the Caucasus. Winters western and southern Africa. Very similar to Collared Pratincole; rufous axillaries and underwing coverts of Collared Pratincole may look black in field, so Black-winged best distinguished by lack of contrast in wing and generally darker upperparts, which contrast more with white rump, giving more of a black-and-white effect. Brit. Birds, 49: 312; Dutch Birding, 7: 143.

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AUTUMN

In contrast to the spring bias of Collared Pratincoles, all 16 records during the period were in autumn, between July and October. Before 1958, two of the five positively identified Black-winged Pratincoles were in spring (Fair Isle, Shetland, in May 1927 and Somerset in June 1952). All but two were in south and southeast England, north to Norfolk.

Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus

Breeds northern North America. Winters from USA south to Chile and Argentina. Closely resembles Ringed Plover c. hiaticula (and sometimes considered conspecific) but has slightly more extensive webbing between toes; bill shorter and stubbier, breast band usually broader and white supercilium usually less prominent; call a distinctive, whistled, upslurred 'chu-weet'. Brit. Birds, 73: 458; 78: 661; 80: 239. There has been one record: Scilly: St Agnes, juvenile, from 9th October to 9th November 1978.

93

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

JPPW

Breeds North America, West Indies and Peru. Winters USA south to Peru. Suggests large Ringed Plover C. hiaticu/a, but has long wedge-shaped rufous tail with black subterminal and white terminal bands, bright golden-rufous rump and double black breast band (immature has only one); strong white wing-stripe; often vociferous in flight. Winter occurrences are typical, with slight peaks in late autumn and early spring, and only four (one in April, one in August and two in September) of the

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AUTUMN

SPRING

33 in 1958-85 were outside the period October-March. The timing suggests that arrival is due to late autumn and winter storms, which sometimes result in northward movements on the American Atlantic coast (Brit. Birds, 52: 205). There has been a slight increase during the period, with small influxes in 1976, 1979 and 1984. There were nine prior to 1958. Records were well scattered but with a distinct westerly bias - a pattern typical of Nearctic vagrants. A remarkable 21 % (seven of the total of 33) were on Scilly.

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Greater Sand Plover

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Charadrius leschenaultii

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Breeds Turkey eastwards to Mongolia. Winters south and east Africa, and south Asia to Australia. Resembles Kentish Plover C. alexandrinus but larger than Ringed Plover C. hiaticula, lacks white collar round nape and has pale legs; bill black, long and thick for a plover; summer adult has chestnut breast-band and black, white and chestnut face-pattern. Beware Lesser Sand Plover C. mongolus (not yet recorded in Britain) which is slightly smaller with slighter bill. Brit. Birds, 66: 376; 73: 206, 568, 583; Dutch Birding, 4: 113; Birding World, 1: 249, 250.

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• •• •

JAN

FEB

MAR

T

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

•• I

I

I

AUG

SEP

OCT

••

NOV

DEC

•• I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~ID~~M~~~M~ronn~N~~nre~OO~~MMM

SPRING

~~~ID~~M~~~M~ronn~N~~nre~OO~~MMM

AUTUMN

There were seven in the period, which are mapped, (there were no records before 1978) and there have been two more since: Sussex (West Sussex): Pagham Harbour, first-winter, from 9th December 1978 to 1st January 1979. Orkney: Sandside Bay on 9th-14th June 1979. 95

Greater Sand Plover-continued ~

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Somerset (Avon): Chew Valley Lake, first-winter, from 17th November 1979 to 10th February 1980. Norfolk: Breydon Water on 17th April 1981. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn from 29th July to 6th August 1981. Lincolnshire: North Cotes Point on 7th August 1981 (same as above Yorkshire individual). East Lothian (Lothian): Aberlady Bay on 24th June 1982. Norfolk: Cley and Blakeney Harbour, first-summer or adult, from 30th July to 2nd September 1985. Devon: Dawlish Warren from 27th April to 4th May 1988. Monmouthshire (Gwent): St Brides Wentloog on 16th May 1988 (probably same as above Devon individual). Lancashire (Cumbria): Walney island on 19th-31st July 1988. Records were well scattered, but with an east coast bias, between April and December.

96

Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus

Breeds from northern Caucasia eastwards across Kazakhstan. Winters south and east Africa. Distinguished from slightly larger Greater Sand Plover by smaller, finer bill, more prominent white supercilium and less distinct wing-stripe; prefers dry grassland habitats; summer adult has broad chestnut breast-band bordered below by black. (Oriental Plover C. veredus, not recorded in Europe, is similar with longer and paler legs and dusky-brown underwing). Brit. Birds, 77: 356; Dutch Birding, 5: 37. There were none in the period, but two (together) before and two since: Norfolk: North Denes, Great Yarmouth, adult male shot and another seen, on 22nd May 1890. Scilly: St Agnes, adult male, on 21st May 1988. East Lothian (Lothian): Aberlady Bay on 12th-13th July 1988.

American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica

Breeds northern North America. Winters central south America south to Argentina. Resembles a long-legged Golden Plover P. apricaria, with shorter neck, longer wings, more prominent whitish supercilium and dusky underwings and axillaries; upperparts spangied regularly with small, fine dots, more uniform than Golden's; dark crown; at distance, in autumn, upperparts appear greyish and underparts buffish; in summer, black of belly extends to flanks and undertail. Brit. Birds, 75: 112; 77: 339.

97

American Golden Plover-continued 15

-I

FEB

APR

MAR

MAY

DEC

The 108 records in the period were scattered from April to November, with 91% in autumn, mostly September-october. The six records before 1958 were all in August-November.

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SPRING

AUTUMN

With only eight records before 1966, there has been a dramatic and steady increase since the four (all in Ireland) in that year. It may well be that those records drew observers' attention to the possibility of occurrences, so that migrant golden plovers subsequently received more than just a casual glance. It is likely that many earlier occurrences were overlooked. ~

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98

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Autumn records were well scattered but, as is typical with Nearctic vagrants which have made a recent direct transatlantic crossing, were predominantly in the southwest: the three counties of Cornwall, Scilly and Cork accounting for 64% of the total at that season. The ten spring records were equally divided between the southwest and the southeast, indicating that most were probably birds wandering after crossing the Atlantic in an earlier autumn.

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis Julva

Breeds northern Siberia and western Alaska. Winters south Asia to Australasia; also Pacific and Ethiopia. Formerly considered conspecific with American Golden Plover; best distinguished by longer tertials almost cloaking primaries; generally more golden, less greyish plumage; slightly longer legs which may extend beyond tail in flight; in summer, tends to have less black on flanks; juvenile has underparts bright yellowish-white, finely streaked, not dull greyish and barred like American. Brit. Birds, 75: 112; 77: 339; Birding World, 1: 54. There have been seven records: East Lothian (Lothian): Aberlady Bay, adult, on 10th-16th July 1976. East Lothian (Lothian): Aberlady Bay, adult, on 9th July 1977 (perhaps the same returning individual as above). Yorkshire (Humberside): Bempton Cliffs, on 1st September 1975. Yorkshire (Humberside): Fraisthorpe, from 26th January to 2nd February 1985. Lincolnshire: Tetney and North Cotes, adult, from 21st July to 19th August 1986. Wexford: Tacumshin, adult, on 17th-23rd August 1986. Shetland: Uyeasound, Unst, adult, on 5th-13th November 1988. These are the only certainly identified individuals but it seems likely that a few of those recorded as P. dominicaffulva, and dealt with under the former, were also this species.

99

Sociable Plover Chettusia gregaria

Breeds from Volga River eastwards through Kazakhstan. Winters Sudan and Ethiopia, Iraq and Pakistan. Size and habits much as Lapwing Vanellus vanellus, with which vagrants often associate; flight like Lapwing but rounded wings are narrower; largely pinkish brown, with black crown and striking white supercilium meeting on nape; tail white with black subterminal band; upperwing pattern resembles Sabine's Gull Larus sabini, with black primaries, white secondaries and dusky coverts; adult has blackish belly-patch. Brit. Birds, 45: 295; 55: 233; Dutch Birding, 6: l.

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100

SPRING

AUTUMN

The 23 records during the period were scattered throughout the year but with a distinct peak in September to early November. The slight increase in numbers probably reflects only the greater number of observers. There were five records prior to 1958. Though scattered north to Orkney and west to Cornwall, there is a considerable southeasterly bias with records in every coastal county from Norfolk to Cornwall, except Hampshire. Two of the previous five were in Ireland.

White-tailed Plover Vanellus leucurus

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Breeds Turkey, Iraq and Kazakhstan. Winters Sudan and northern India. Taller than Lapwing V. vanellus, sandy-brown with white lower breast and belly, and very long, bright yellow legs. Striking flight pattern resembles Sociable Plover but tail all white. Brit. Birds, 70: 465; Dutch Birding, 7: 79. There have been four records: Warwickshire: Packington Gravel Pits on 12th-18th July 1975. Dorset: Abbotsbury on 3rd July 1979. Durham (Tyne and Wear): Cleadon on 21st May 1984. Shropshire: (locality withheld) on 24th-25th May 1984.

101

Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla

Breeds northern North America. Winters Central America south to Ecuador and Brazil. Resembles Little Stint C. minuta but slightly larger and bulkier; back paler and duller with only faint stripes; bill stubbier and blunt-ended; feet semi-palmated; summer adult lacks orange-rufous colouration; juvenile shows distinctive anchorshaped subterminal markings on lower scapulars. Brit. Birds, 77: 293; 79, 620.

4

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

•

JUN

All 40 records but one were in autumn, July-November, mostly September. The sole spring record was at Ballycotton, Cork, on 31st May 1981. 12 10

4

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~~~M~~ooronn~H~~n~rooom~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

The number of records has risen considerably during the 1980s thanks to the advances in identification skills and improved knowledge of the characters which separate this difficult species from Little Stint, Western Sandpiper and Rednecked Stint. Earlier occurrences were undoubtedly overlooked; indeed, in the light of improved identification criteria, some earlier records have been reviewed

102

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and are no longer considered acceptable (Brit. Birds, 72: 264). The only accepted record prior to 1958 was an adult at Cley, Norfolk, on 19th July 1953. Records were scattered east to Suffolk and Kent, but the majority were in the southwest, especially Cork and Wexford, a pattern typical of many Nearctic birds. There are no accepted records for Scotland.

Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri

Breeds Alaska and northeastern Siberia. Winters USA south to Colombia and Venezuela. Very like Semipalmated Sandpiper but with usually longer bill, drooping from deep base like Dunlin C. alpina; feet semi-palmated; summer adult has grey upperparts with rich chestnut scapulars and ear-coverts, and breast boldly streaked with chevrons; juvenile may also show rufous scapulars. Brit. Birds, 77: 293; 79: 617. 103

Western Sandpiper-continued

l

I

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MAR

l

APR

MAY

JUN

I

JUL

I I I I

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I

SEP

OCT

NOV

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I! I I ! ! I I I I .~Mm

•• M•• ~.Mmnn~Mmronro~OO~ •• M. AUTUMN

There have been six records: Shetland: Fair Isle from 28th May to 3rd June 1956. Scilly: Tresco, adult, on 19th August 1969. Essex: Rainham, adult, on 21st-23rd July 1973. Devon: Axmouth on 9th-12th September 1973. Cheshire: Elton Hall Flash, Sandbach, on 28th-30th September 1975. Shetland: Virkie, juvenile, on 25th September 1988 .

•

104

DEC

Red-necked Stint Calidris rujicollis

Breeds northeast Siberia. Winters southeast Asia to Australasia. Very like Little Stint C. minuta and distinguished only with extreme care; fractionally deeper bill, shorter legs and longer wings; summer adult has variable amount of unstreaked brick-red on throat area and wing coverts mostly grey; juvenile has paler mantle and scapular lines than Little Stint, rarely shows 'split supercilium' and has lower scapulars greyish with dark shaft-streak and subterminal smudge. Brit. Birds, 77: 293; 79: 612. There has been only one record: Yorkshire (Humberside): Blacktoft, adult, on 22nd-29th July 1986. The sole record followed shortly after the important identification paper by P. J. Grant and Lars Jonsson (1984, Brit. Birds, 77: 293). It seems likely that occurrences may have been overlooked in the past.

Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii

Breeds northern Scandinavia eastwards across northern Siberia. Winters west and central Africa and south Asia. Size of Little Stint C. minuta but with duller plumage and dull orange/yellow legs; lacks strong supercilium and pale mantle Vs; sides of tail white; more sluggish feeding action. Brit. Birds, 77: 293.

160 120

80 40

JAN

DEC

105

Temminck's Stint-continued

AUTUMN

SPRING

A total of 1,714 was recorded during the period, with records in all months except January, but a dramatic spring peak in the second half of May and a less concentrated autumn passage peaking in August-September.

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1-5 6-15 16-25 26-40 41-55 56-75

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• The autumn records show a slight increase throughout the period, which is probably in line with the growth in the number of observers. The spring records, however, show a more significant increase since about 1972, which suggests that more have been occurring, genuinely, since then. Occurrences were widespread at both seasons, with many in inland counties, but with a distinct bias to the English east coast and relatively few in the extreme west and Ireland. Norfolk produced more records than any other county at both seasons, and accounted for 190/0 of the total. Singles recovered in Britain in 1962 and 1980 had been ringed in Finland and Norway respectively.

106

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta

Breeds Siberia. Winters India, southeast Asia and Australia. Very like Least Sandpiper, but tends to look longer necked and has noticeably longer toes; dark on forecrown meets bill; rather brighter supercilium; juvenile more brightly patterned, like Little Stint C. minuta. Field identification requires extreme care. Brit. Birds, 77: 293; 78: 567. There has been one record: Durham (Cleveland): Saltholme Pool, juvenile, from 28th August to 1st September 1982.

Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla

Breeds northern North America. Winters USA south to Peru and Brazil. Small dark brown stint, with small head, short wings, fine bill and short, pale yellowish legs. Compare with very similar Long-toed Stint. Brit. Birds, 77: 293; 78: 657; Dutch Birding, 8: 139. All but two of the 21 records in 1958-85 were in autumn, with most in AugustSeptember. One on Lundy, Devon, on 8th September 1966 was trapped with a

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

lO7

l

Least Sandpiper-continued

• •

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AUTUMN

SPRING

Semipalmated Sandpiper. The two spring records were at Marazion, Cornwall, on 7th-8th June 1970, and at Farlington Marshes, Hampshire, on 22nd May 1977. There were six records before 1958 (four last century and singles in 1955 and 1957). Most records in the period were in the southwest, but occurrences included four inland, and were scattered east to Kent. The six previous records were similarly distributed, with three in Devon, two in Cornwall and one in Shetland.

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108

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White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis

JPPW

Breeds northern North America. Winters southern South America. More slender than Dunlin C. alpina, with shorter dark legs; short, straight, black bill; long wings extend beyond tail; obscure wing-stripe; white rump. Z5

20

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JAN

FEB

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APR

All but six of the 262 records in 1958-85 were in autumn, July-November. Perhaps the four records in January-March are best regarded as overwintering individuals rather than spring migrants. ~

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109

White-rumped Sandpiper-continued 30

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I I 1 I I 1 111111 I 11 I 11 I 1 I 1 I I 1 1111 ~.W~~UM~.u

•• mnnnM~ron~~oo~~roME SPRING

AUTUMN

There were about 24 records before 1958. The considerable number of records in the southwest is to be expected with this Nearctic species, but, perhaps surprisingly, 39% were found in east coast counties of England and Scotland. Interestingly, the east coast records peaked in July-August and the western ones in September-October, suggesting that the majority of early autumn birds on the east coast had crossed the Atlantic in a previous autumn and successfully overwintered and summered in Europe. It seems possible that this species may even have established a small, as yet undiscovered, breeding population in northern Europe which is producing these records. The later occurrence in western counties is more in line with the expected pattern for transatlantic vagrants.

Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii JPPiV

Breeds from northeast Siberia eastwards across northern North America to northwest Greenland. Winters southern South America north to Ecuador. Size of large stint or small Dunlin C. alpina, with very long wings extending beyond tail; buffish, with round-tipped scaling on back; buff breast band; horizontal stance. Brit. Birds, 78: 589. 20

15 10

JAN

110

FEB

MAR

10

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~M~E~

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AUTUMN

SPRING

Three records were in spring, May, but the remainder of the period total of 117 were in autumn, July-November. Records peaked in September both in the west (southern Ireland, Scilly and Cornwall) and on the east coast. The numbers found increased greatly after about 1965 - a date which approximately coincides with a greater awareness on this side of the Atlantic of the species' identification characteristics - but have remained almost static since then (averaging six per annum for the last ten years). Prior to 1958 there were five records. As with occurrences of other Nearctic waders, there is a distinct southwesterly bias, with 40% in the five counties of Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Scilly and Cornwall. Others records were well scattered, however, even inland, and there were records in almost every east coast county. As with Pectoral Sandpiper, which also occurs in numbers on the east coast, Baird's Sandpiper breeds in Siberia as well as North America, so perhaps a proportion reaches eastern Britain from the east rather than across the Atlantic. ~

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111

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos

Breeds northeast Siberia and northern North America. Winters southern South America. Larger than Dunlin C. alpina with stance often resembling Ruff Philomachus pugnax; upperparts rich brown and black, with pale stripes down back like Snipe Gal/inago gal/inago; throat and upper breast finely streaked, giving pectoral band sharply demarcated from white lower breast and belly; legs yellowish. Brit. Birds,

78: 281.

200

160

120

80 40

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

The 1,404 records during 1958-85 were spread throughout the year, but with very few in winter and most in a dramatic autumn peak in September-October.

12D

80 40

1IIIIIml'I'IIIA'lnm'I"

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AlITUMN

The few spring records have remained fairly steady throughout the period, but the autumn records have increased steadily, peaking at the 150 in 1984, in line with the growth in the number of observers. The autumn records were well scattered, with a good number in the southwest (29% at this season were in the four counties of Kerry, Cork, Scilly and Cornwall) as might be expected for a transatlantic vagrant, but many were also on the English east coast (8% in Norfolk) suggesting an easterly arrival (and Siberian rather 112

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•• than North American origin) for some. Spring records were more scattered; the relatively high number of inland occurrences is perhaps to be expected with a wader which prefers freshwater habitats.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata

Breeds northeast Siberia. Winters Australasia. Similar in shape to Pectoral Sandpiper but stockier and shorter billed; lacks clearly defined gorget and has dark or rufous crown, clearly defined by prominent supercilium; legs greenish; summer adult has breast and flanks marked with dark brown chevrons; juvenile has white supercilium and bright orange-buff breast with fine gorget of streaks across upper neck. Brit. Birds, 73: 333; 77: 156.

113

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper-continued

l

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MAY

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I

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••

I SPRING

SEP

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DEC

AUTUMN

Of the 14 records in the period all but one were in autumn, late July-October. The sole spring record was at Langton Herring, Dorset, on 2nd April 1978. Before 1958, there were five records (one in Lanark in October 1956, and singles in Norfolk in September 1848, September 1865, January 1868 and August 1892). Records in the period were well scattered but with a distinct easterly bias, as would be expected of a Siberian wader. Interestingly, however, the sole southwestern record, on Scilly on 20th-29th September 1974, arrived in company with three Pectoral Sandpipers, strongly suggesting a western origin for this particular individual.

•

•

114

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus

Breeds Norway, Sweden, northern Finland and northern Siberia. Winters mainly south Asia and Australia. Smaller and darker than Dunlin Calidris alpina, with shorter legs, striking double supercilium and long bill, strongly kinked at tip. Brit. Birds, 66: 378. 16

There were 79 records in 1958-85, all but one of them between May and September. The sole record outside this pattern was one which was unusually far north, as well as late, on Whalsay, Shetland, on 3rd November 1976. 12

10

4

.........

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~W~~~~~Mu~~ronnnH

SPRING

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AUTUMN

The overall pattern reveals a distinct peak on spring passage, in late May, and a smaller autumn one in late August-September. However, there has been a noticeable change towards a predominance of spring records in recent years: during the fifteen years 1958-72, 80% were in autumn Guly-September); but during 1973-85, 90% were in spring (May-June). It is interesting that this change in pattern coincided with a greater understanding of the identification characters of the species. A number of previously accepted older records, included in Sharrock & Sharrock (1976), are no longer accepted and are not included here (Brit. Birds, 79: 546).

115

Broad-billed Sandpiper-continued

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There were 23 records before 1958. Records at both seasons were well scattered, but with a distinct southeasterly bias and with Norfolk receiving the lion's share at both seasons. The two Northern Ireland records in spring were in 1963.

Stilt Sandpiper Micropalama himantopus

Breeds northern North America. Winters mainly central South America. A tall, long-necked wader with exceptionally long legs and a long bill with decurved tip; in flight recalling a long-winged Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, with unpatterned wings and square white rump; prominent pale supercilium; greenish legs; in winter, grey above and whitish below; in summer has rufous earcoverts and barred underparts and rump. Brit. Birds, 75: 534. 116

1.1.1 ••

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I

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.I •••••••

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Y.OOm~~M~~~M~mnnn~~ronrorooo~~aM~

AUTUMN

SPRING

Whereas most Nearctic waders occur in September-October, Stilt Sandpipers have generally been recorded earlier in the autumn, mostly July-September. (The only pre-1958 record, in Yorkshire in 1954, was in August.) The three spring records were also rather early, two in April and one in early May. There were 16 records during 1958-85. The pattern of autumn occurrences - mostly in eastern England - is strange for a transatlantic vagrant. Together with the early timing, this perhaps suggests that the records include individuals which had crossed the Atlantic in previous years.

.¢

••

2

3

117

Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis

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Breeds Alaska and northwest Canada. Winters northern Argentina and Uruguay. Resembles small Ruff Philomachus pugnax but has buff underparts, short bill, small rounded head, long neck, plain wings and rump, yellowish legs and highstepping gait; usually prefers dry grassland habitat. 120 100

80

4lI

20

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

Though recorded from late April to mid November, 94% were in autumn, nearly all September to early October.

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118

1-3 4-7 8-13 14-20 21-29 30-39

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~w~~~a~~oo~~~ronn~H~ronroroMm~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

The autumn records show striking peaks in 1975, 1977 and 1980. Those in 1977 included up to 15 together on St Mary's, Scilly, at which locality records were annual 1967-85. The 495 records during 1958-85 compare with 30 before 1958. Buff-breasted Sandpiper was dropped from the list of species considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee at the end of 1982 because of the increased numbers being recorded. The autumn records were well scattered and few coastal counties were without a record during the period. A southwesterly bias is noticeable, however, as would be expected for a Nearctic vagrant, with the four counties from Scilly to Somerset plus Cork and Wexford producing 55% of the total at this season. The many fewer spring records were scattered and showed no bias, suggesting that most were probably birds wandering after a transatlantic crossing in an earlier autumn.

Great Snipe Gallinago media

Breeds Scandinavia and from Poland eastwards to west Siberia. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Larger than Snipe C. gallinago, with shorter, stouter bill and heavier, unswerving flight, recalling Woodcock Scolopax rusticola, with bill held more horizontally; black wing panel bordered by white tips to greater and median coverts; adults especially have more extensively barred underparts and underwing, and extensive white on outer edges of tail; when flushed, usually rises silently (but may utter short grunting croak) and flies only short distance; often in drier habitats than Snipe. Beware large, sluggish, silent Snipe, particularly C. g. faeroeensis. Brit. Birds, 70: 283.

119

Great Snipe--continued

4

~.~ I

MAR

APR

.

• MAY

JUN

AUTUMN

SPRING

There is a remarkable scatter of records, in every month from August to May. This might suggest that there is a tiny wintering population here, yet most were seen on only a single date and the eight-week stay of one on watercress-beds in Buckinghamshire (December 1962 to February 1963) was quite exceptional. Apart from the winter scatter, however, there is a striking autumn peak, mainly September, with Fair Isle, Shetland, dominating at this season and producing a remarkable 22% of the period total of 54.

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120

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Before 1958 there were over 180 records indicating a considerable decline, although this may partly reflect the decline in snipe-shooting that has occurred since then. There has been perhaps a slight increase in records again during the 1970s, matching the decline and recent slight recovery of the Norwegian population (Cramp et al. 1983). There are marked concentrations in Shetland and eastern England, as would be expected with a vagrant from the north and east.

Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus

Breeds northern North America. Winters USA south to Ecuador and Brazil. Very similar to Long-billed Dowitcher, and best distinguished by characteristic 'tu-tu' call resembling Greenshank Tringa nebularia; usually has shorter bill and dark tail-bars narrower than the white bars in between; juveniles have irregularly barred tertials. Field identification of dowitchers requires great care and detailed notes. Brit. Birds, 61: 366; 78: 506. There has been only one record since 1958: Wexford: Tacumshin, juvenile, from 30th September to 2nd October 1985. The only accepted records prior to this (Cley, Norfolk, in 1957 and three old specimen records in 1862, 1872 and 1902) are currently under review by the BOU Records Committee.

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus

Breeds northeast Siberia and northwest Alaska. Winters USA to Central America. Dowitchers resemble Snipe Gallinago gallinago but have white rump and lower back, and dark-barred white tail; trailing edge of wing white; they feed by rapid 'sewing machine' action of long bill in mud. Specific identification of Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers in the field demands very careful observation: best 121

Long-billed Dowitcher-continued features are characteristic 'keek' call and dark tail-bars generally wider than white ones in Long-billed; juvenile has tertials plain with narrow pale edging. Brit. Birds, 61: 366; 78: 506. 15 20

15 10

- - -- ... JAN

APR

MAR

FEB

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

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NOV

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30 25 20

ALL DOWITCHERS

15

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L

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JUN

JUL

Of the 208 dowitchers during 1958-85, 96 (mostly the more recent ones thanks to advances in identification knowledge) were identified as Long-billed and only one as a certain Short-billed. The records for Long-billeds and unidentified dowitchers (most of which were presumably also Long-billed) show a scatter throughout the year but with a considerable peak from mid September to early November as is typical for Nearctic waders. A number have overwintered here and the scatter of winter records suggests that this is a quite regular occurrence. The nine Long-billeds before 1958 were all in September-October. As with most Nearctic waders, records are well scattered with good numbers on the well-watched east coast, but a bias in autumn towards the southwest (especially Cornwall) as would be expected. 15 12

9

.-

6 3

I I I I I I I I I I I I I

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER

......

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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AUTUMN

ALL DOWITCHERS

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122

AUTUMN

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10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17

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ALL DOWITCHERS

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10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17

SPRING

123

Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica

Breeds northern Northern America. Winters Argentina. Resembles Black-tailed Godwit L. limosa and best distinguished by blackish underwing coverts. Brit. Birds. 80: 466, 492. There have been three records, all presumed to be of the same wandering individual: Yorkshire (Humberside): Blacktoft Sands, adult, from 10th September to 3rd October 1981. Devon: Countess Wear, adult, from 22nd November 1981 to 14th January 1982. Yorkshire (Humberside): Blacktoft Sands, adult, from 26th April to 6th May 1983.

Little Whimbrel Numenius minutus

•

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Breeds central northern Siberia. Winters New Guinea and Australia. Like a small Whim brei N. phaeopus with shortish bill and lacking white rump patch; underwing coverts and axillaries buff, barred brown. Beware Hudsonian Whimbrel N. phaeopus hudsonicus which also lacks white rump and has been recorded four times in Britain and Ireland. Brit. Birds. 76: 438; 77: 524; 80: 494. There have been two records: Glamorgan (Mid Glamorgan): Sker, adult, from 30th August to 6th September 1982. Norfolk: Blakeney, Cley and Salthouse area, from 24th August to 3rd September 1985. 124

Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis

Breeds northern Canada. Winters northern Argentina. Once thought to be extinct, a tiny population may still persist. Closely resembles Little Whimbrel but has coarser breast streaking and less distinct crown-stripe; rich cinnamon, not buff, underwing coverts; warmer, rustytoned upperparts. Brit. Birds, 76: 441. There have been seven records, all last century when the species was very numerous in America: Suffolk: Woodbridge, two in November 1852. Kincardineshire: 6th September 1855. Ireland (probably Sligo): October 1870. Aberdeenshire: 28th September 1878. Kincardineshire: Birse, 21st September 1880. Scilly: September 1887. With its virtual extinction in North America, this species seems very unlikely to occur here again.

Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda

Breeds North America. Winters south Brazil to northern Argentina. Strange shape, with small head, long neck, long wings and long wedge-shaped tail; size of Ruff Philomachus pugnax; plumage brown and buff, rather like Curlew Numenius arquata but with prominent supercilium; legs and bill yellowish; runs plover-like in short bursts. 125

Upland Sandpiper-continued

I JAN

:~

FEB

MAR

APR

I I

I

JUL

.111 I

I

JUN

MAY

AUG

I

SEP

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... J..... I

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~.W~~aM~~~~~mnnDN~ronrorooo~~~M~

~.Wm~aM~~~~~ronnDN~ronroroOO~~~M~

AUTUMN

SPRING

All but one of the 23 records in 1958-85 were in autumn, July-December, with 65% in mid September to October. The sole spring occurrence was on Hirta, St Kilda, Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), on 24th April 1980. The 15 records before 1958 were all in late autumn, September-December. The records show a strong bias to the southwest (especially Scilly where there have been seven) - a typical pattern for a Nearctic vagrant.

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Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis

Breeds Bulgaria and Romania discontinuously eastwards through Kazakhstan and eastern Asia. Winters Africa south of Sahara, south Asia and Australia. Smaller than Redshank T. totanus with plumage recalling Greenshank T. nebu[aria, but very slender and elegant, with graceful movements, needle-thin straight black bill and very long greenish legs which extend beyond tail in flight; forehead and face conspicuously pale; in summer, upperparts boldly spotted with black.

!!

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127

Marsh Sandpiper-continued

4

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 47 records in 1958-85 were remarkably evenly spread between mid April and early October. There were no winter records. There have been annual and increasingly frequent occurrences since 1976, with an average of four a year since 1977, including an exceptional 11 in 1984. Before 1958 there were 12 records (six of which were in 1951-56). As would be expected for an eastern wader, there is a distinct southeasterly bias to the records, with Norfolk and Kent together accounting for 34% of them.

Greater Yellow legs Tringa melanoleuca

Breeds northern North America. Winters USA south to southern South America. Slightly larger and more angular than Greenshank T. nebula ria, with long, even stouter, slightly upturned bill; white tail and rump-patch not extending up back in wedge; bright yellow legs (beware of Greenshanks with yellow legs); larger and heavier than Lesser Yellowlegs. Brit. Birds, 74: 94 .

I JAN

FEB

MAR

I I APR

MAY

I I JUN

JUL

I

.&I I

AUG

SEP

• I

OCT

I NOV

I DEC

Twelve of the 15 records were in autumn, July-November, and the other three were in spring, March-May. 58% of the records prior to 1958 were in JulyOctober. 128

I

II

.1 I •

I

II

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 15 records in the period compare with 12 before 1958. Surprisingly, therefore, this species has not matched the apparent increase that has occurred with all other Nearctic waders (except Eskimo Curlew!) and has only just doubled its previous total during the period. A real decline might therefore be indicated .

.¢

•

•

The records show the expected pattern for a Nearctic wader: a westerly bias, but it is still perhaps surprising that there were three autumn records in southeast England (Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent). Seven of the previous 12 were in the west: Ireland, Scilly, Cornwall and Devon.

129

Lesser Yellow legs Tringa flavipes

Breeds northern North America. Winters USA south to southern South America. About size of Redshank T. totanus, but much more graceful and slender, with long neck, fine bill, and very long yellow legs extending beyond tail in flight; greyish upperparts spangled with whitish dots; tail (apart from dark bars at tip) and rump white. 18

15 12

J

There were records in every month, but most were in autumn, August-October. Several have overwintered here.

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AUTUMN

SPRING

The 153 records in the period compare with 35 before 1958. Autumn numbers rose markedly after 1967, in line with the increase of observers. The average in the last ten years 1976-85 was seven records per annum, with a peak of II in 1981. Records were well scattered, but there was the usual Nearctic vagrant's southwesterly bias in autumn. Spring records were more on the east and south coasts, suggesting that these were birds which had crossed the Atlantic in a previous autumn and were subsequently moving north.

Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria ___ __

d"~_

Breeds northern North America. Winters Central to South America. Recalls Wood Sandpiper T. glareola but lacks white rump: central portion of tail dark brown and outer tail barred brown and white; conspicuous orbital ring; paler than Green Sandpiper T. ochropus but upper- and underwing same colour.

All of the 18 records 1958--85 were in autumn, July-October. There were six before 1958; apart from one undated, all fell in the same four-month period.

l ... L....

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~wm~~M~OO~~Mmnn~Mmren~nrom~MM~

AUTUMN

131

Solitary Sandpiper-continued Occurrences were quite evenly distributed throughout the period, and 1974 (with four) is the only year to have produced more than a single record. Six of the 12 since 1974 were on Scilly. The records prior to 1958 were in Norfolk (two), Cornwall, Kent, Lanarkshire and Scilly.

••

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2

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-

------ ---

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=---~-,

--~ Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus

Breeds from Finland eastwards through northern USSR to eastern Siberia. Winters southern Africa and south Asia to Australia. Size and build somewhat resemble Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos, with similar tail-bobbing, and rather short legs, but with long, slender, upturned bill; legs yellow/orange; wing-pattern resembles Redshank T. totanus but rump is dark; in summer, adult has dark brown scapular line. Brit. Birds, 66: 377. l32

I

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

I.I~ I. I

MAY

I

I

JUL

JUN

AUG

SEP

OCT

•

NOV

DEC

The 21 records in the period were all in May-August. The three previous ones were on 30th May 1951 in Sussex, on 2nd-6th June 1951 in Suffolk, and on 27th28th September 1952 in Durham.

~t..

. .1 ••

••••

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AUTUMN

SPRING

Records have been almost annual since 1971. All records, spring and autumn, have bcen in south and east coast counties - a pattern typical of an eastern vagrant.

•

•

•

1

2 3

133

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia

Breeds North America. Winters USA south to Uruguay. Similarity to Common Sandpiper A. hypoleucos demonstrated by the fact that it was for a time considered conspecific. Quite distinct in breeding plumage, with boldly spotted underparts and yellow bill with black tip; tail noticeably shorter than Common Sandpiper, extending only just beyond wing-tips; legs usually bright and yellower; juvenile has pale-edged tertials lacking dark notches. Brit. Birds, 63: 168; 64: 318; 70: 346. 10

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

SEP

MAY

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•

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•••

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•• SPRING

l34

OCT

NOV

1

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8

SPRING

AUTUMN

All of the 73 records in 1958-85 were between May and December. Several autumn birds have remained to overwinter here and a pair bred (unsuccessfully) on Skye, Inverness-shire, in 1975. All 16 spring records fell in May-June, and there is an autumn peak in September to mid October. Before 1958 there were six records and there was just one in 1958-64. Numbers increased noticeably from the mid 1960s and then, again, after about 1976, coinciding with a greater awareness and understanding of the identification characters of autumn birds. Records show the distinct southwesterly bias typical of Nearctic waders in autumn, as well as more of an east coast bias in spring which suggests birds moving north after a transatlantic crossing in a previous autumn.

Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes

Breeds northeast Siberia. Winters southeast Asia to Australasia. A medium-sized wader reminiscent of a short-legged Redshank Tringa totanus; dark grey above and completely lacking any tail- or wing-pattern; underparts whitish with greyish wash on breast in winter, scaly in summer; legs yellow; call a disyllabic upslurred whistle. Beware Wandering Tattler H. incanus (not yet recorded in the Western Palearctic) which is very similar but has longer nasal groove, reticulated rear tarsus and trilling call. There has been only one Western Palearctic record: Cardiganshire/Merionethshire (Dyfed/Gwynedd): Dovey Estuary from 13th October to 17th November 1981. 135

Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor

Breeds North America. Winters Peru south to Argentina and Chile. Larger than Grey Phalarope P. fulicarius or Red-necked Phalarope P. lobatus, and swims less often; very pale, grey above and white below, with thin black bill and yellowish legs (black in summer); no wing-stripe, but distinct white rump; in summer has black and chestnut patterning on neck and back (paler in male). 3D

,5 20

15 10

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

The 190 in 1958-85 were in all months from May to November, with most in autumn and 58% in just five weeks, from 27th August to 30th September. 10 11)

12

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•

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

•• ronnD~~ronroMoo~a~M~ SPRING

AUTUMN

There has been a gradual, but considerable, increase throughout the period; the average for each of the last ten years was about eleven. Prior to 1958, there was just one record, at Rosyth, Fife, from 11 th September to 5th October 1954. Autumn records were very well scattered with plenty in the southwest (as would be expected for a Nearctic wader) but also, perhaps surprisingly, with good numbers on the English east coast. The spring records were mostly in eastern Britain, as with many Nearctic waders, suggesting that they were not new transatlantic arrivals, but had wintered in the Old World (or crossed the South Atlantic in early spring). A number of repeat records from certain sites, and known wandering birds (especially in summer), suggests that some records relate to recurring individuals. 136

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Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus

Breeds circumpolar Arctic, south to southern Norway. Winters at sea south of the Equator. Smaller and lighter than Arctic Skua S. parasiticus and with exceedingly rare dark phase (Furness, 1987). Summer adult has much longer central tail 'streamers', less prominent white primary flash and blackish belly-patch. Juvenile more barred, especially on underwings, than corresponding Arctic Skua and has blunt-ended, not pointed, central tail-feathers. Brit. Birds, 72: 120; 74: 257; 77: 443. 137

Long-tailed Skua-continued

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

NOV

DEC

~.[ 150 100

50

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 1,915 records in the period were almost all between May and November, with a very dramatic spring peak in May (78% of the total in that season were in the Outer Hebrides), and a more diffuse autumn passage, peaking in September. Numbers increased noticeably after 1975 in line with an increase in observerawareness (especially ofimmatures). Long-tailed Skua was considered as an official rarity by BBRC during 1976-1979, but the dramatic peaks from 1976 onwards

·1 It~<

••

•••

••

61-90

••

•• 138

1-10 11-20 21-40 41-60

575

·1

were caused by the discovery, then, of a regular May passage past the Outer Hebrides - principally witnessed at Balranald, North Uist, where the largest passage recorded was 390 birds between 18th and 25th May 1983. The 160 spring records away from the Outer Hebrides were well scattered around the coasts of Britain and Ireland; the 40 in Galway no doubt reflecting the Hebridean passage further north. Autumn records, however, whilst also quite widespread, showed a distinct east coast bias, with 60% at this season in the five counties from Northumberland to Norfolk. There have been several instances of individuals frequenting colonies of Arctic Skuas in northern Scotland, mainly in Orkney and Shetland, sometimes for long periods, and one summered on a peak in the Scottish Highlands in 1980.

Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus

Breeds south Russia and west and central Asia. Winters from east Mediterranean (Israel), Red Sea, Persian Gulf and eastwards to south Asia. Size of Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus with pale grey mantle and wings like Herring Gull L. argentatus. Long, sloping forehead and very heavy bill, yellowish with black subterminal band and red tip in adult which also has irregular black band across outer primaries and, in summer, black hood with broken white eye-ring. Juvenile and immature more closely resemble Herring Gull, but separable by size, head- and bill-structure and more clear-cut tail band. Brit. Birds, 73: 151; 74: 523; Birding World, 1: 65. There have been five records, but none since 1932: Devon: off Exmouth, adult, at end of Mayor in early June 1859. Sussex: Telscombe Cliffs on 4th January 1910. Hampshire: Bournemouth from November to December 1924. Norfolk: Cromer on 2nd-9th March 1932. Sussex: Hove on 9th August 1932.

139

Laughing Gull Larus atricilla

Breeds North America and Caribbean. Winters from USA to northern South America. Slightly larger than Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus with black (not brown) head in summer and slate-grey mantle and wings blending into black wing-tips, large bill and legs deep red; in flight, white trailing edge to wing; in winter, head smudgy and legs and bill black; immature has wide black terminal band to tail, white rear edge to wing and dark blotched breast and axillaries. Brit. Birds, 72: 168; 77: 351.

:~-. I

I

JAN

FEB

I

.. ... .1. • 11.111..1 APR

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~

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140

I

I

MAR

JUN

MAY

•

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JUL

I

I

AUG

I

SEP

OCT

I

1 2

DEC

~

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3 4

riO:

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I

I

NOV

••

I AUTUMN

SPRING

The records were spread through all months (except March) and this lack of pattern suggests individuals wandering after arrival. The 43 records in the period compare with two before 1958: in Sussex in July 1923 and in Essex in December 1957. The sharp increase, especially since about 1974, seems likely to be linked directly to the increase in the numbers of birdwatchers. Records at both seasons show a surprising geographical scatter, with only a slight westerly bias pointing to the Nearctic orgin; again this suggests wandering by individuals after earlier transatlantic crossings. Several have stayed for long periods, eg one remained in the Newcastle area, Northumberland (Tyne & Wear) from February 1984 to January 1986.

Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan

Breeds North America. Winters coast of western South America, from Guatemala to Chile. Similar to Laughing Gull but distinguished by size (smaller than Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus), shorter bill and legs, adults' pale grey centre to white tail, and the black wing-tips being separated from the otherwise dark grey wing by a white band, which also extends along trailing edge. Brit. Birds, 72: 176, 478; 74: 298; 77: 351.

:~

I

••

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

• .1 •• MAY

JUN

I

JUL

I

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•• I

SEP

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141

l

Franklin's Gull-continued

•

.1

• I •••

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~.oo~~~~~~~~~mnnnM~Mnromoom.~M~

SPRING

~.OO~~~M~~~M~mnnnM~Mnromoom.~M~

AUTUMN

There were eleven records in the period (none before 1970): Hampshire: Farlington Marshes, adult, from 21st February to 16th May 1970. Sussex (East Sussex): Arlington Reservoir, adult, on 4th July 1970. Durham (Cleveland): North Gare, adult, on 24th July 1977. Suffolk: Lowestoft, second-winter, from 13th November 1977 to 30th March 1978. Ayrshire (Strathclyde): Irvine, first-summer, on 2nd-6th July 1980. Inverness-shire (Highland): Isle of Canna, Inner Hebrides, second-summer, on 5th-11th July 1981. Devon: Plymouth, first-winter, from 22nd January to 24th March 1982. Cornwall: Millbrook Lake, first-winter, on 5th-7th February 1982 (same as above Devon individual). Dorset: Radipole Lake, first-winter, from 29th April to 7th May 1982 (same as above Cornwall and Devon individual). Lancashire: Martin Mere, adult, from 29th December 1983 to 2nd January 1984. Cheshire: near Runcorn, adult, on 18th January 1984; and presumed same, Fordsham, on 27th January 1984 (presumed same as above Lancashire individual). Gloucestershire (Avon): Severn Beach, second-summer, on 19th May 1984. Cornwall: Devoran, adult, from 22nd June to 1st July 1984. Outer Hebrides (Western Isles): North Boisdale, South Uist, adult, on 6th14th August 1985.

142

Sabine's Gull Larus sabini

Breeds Greenland, Arctic North America and northeast Siberia. Atlantic population winters at sea off Namibia and western South Africa. A small gull with a striking, black, white and grey wing-pattern and forked tail. Summer adult has dark grey hood with thin black band at bottom, blackish legs and black bill with yellow tip. Brit. Birds, 74: 125. fj.

.~

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•

•

•••

••

••

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1-5 6-10 11-20 21-{30

fj.

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51-70

482

There were records throughout the year but 94% of the total of 1,869 recorded in the period were in autumn, mostly late August to October and peaking in September. Records increased steadily throughout the period in line with the growth in the number of observers, but the pronounced peak in 1983 was caused mainly by birds occurring close inshore as a result of an exceptional Atlantic storm on 3rd September (over 100, almost all adults, were noted at St Ives, Cornwall, on this date). 143

Sabine's Gull-continued 400

~

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I I I I

JAN

~~OOMgaW

FEB

JUL

NOV

DEC

•• ~~wronnnM~ronromoo~~~M.

AUTUMN

SPRING

Autumn records were well scattered around the coasts, but 27% of those at this season were in Cornwall - as might be expected with an Atlantic seabird which, from time to time, gets pushed inshore by westerly gales. The fewer spring records, however, were dominated by Yorkshire, which accounted for 34%.

Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia

Breeds northern North America. Winters USA to northern Mexico and West Indies. Like small Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus (beware runts), but primaries have white undersides; bill is more slender and black; legs are orange. Summer adult has slate-grey hood. Brit. Birds, 71: 145; 72: 33; 77: 358; 80: 16 .

•• . 1.-'1 . .lI

JAN

144

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

I

JUN

I

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I

AUG

I

I

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4

.. L.... &.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~ID~~MM~gM~ronnnN~~n~ro~~~~M~

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 37 records in 1958-85 were evenly spread throughout the year and included occurrences in all months except May and December. Some individuals have been long-stayers, eg a returning individual to Cornwall during 1968-1971. Before 1958 there were 11 records. Records were well scattered and Cornwall was the only county with more than two. The pre-1958 records were in Antrim, Cornwall (3), Dunbarton, Hampshire, Northumberland, Sussex (3) and Yorkshire.

·1

• • •

2 3

•

4

•

5

·f

145

Slender-billed Gull Larus genei

Breeds southern Spain, eastern Mediterranean and very discontinuously in central and southern Asia. Mainly resident in Mediterranean area, but Russian birds winter south to Persian Gulf. Despite name, bill is not slender, but is longer, deeper and heavier than that of Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus and this, combined with a flat forehead, small head and long neck, gives quite different shape. Wing-pattern resembles Blackheaded Gull's, but head is wholly white in summer adult. Brit. Birds, 71: 145; 76:

137.

There have been five records, involving three singles and a pair: Sussex: Langney Point, first-summer, from 19th June to 10th July 1960. Sussex: Rye Harbour, immature, on 28th April 1963. Kent: Dungeness, adult, from 21st July to 1st August and 31st August to 12th Septem ber 1971. Suffolk: Minsmere, adult, on 15th August 1971 (presumed same as above Kent individual). Norfolk: Cley, pair, on 12th-15th May 1987. These are the only records.

146

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Breeds North America. Winters USA to Mexico. Similar to Common Gull L. canus but larger with paler mantle, thicker bill (which in adult has black ring near tip) and longer legs. Brit. Birds, 72: 160; 73: 310; 81: 126. The first record was as recent as 1973 but between then and 1985 there were an almost incredible 449. This tremendous rush of records is probably due in part to the greater understanding of the field-characters which has developed progressively since 1973, but a dramatic increase in eastern North America in recent years seems likely to be the main cause for the relative abundance on this side of the Atlantic. In just fourteen years this species had advanced from a new addition to the British and Irish list to one that is no longer (after 1987) considered as a rarity by the British Birds Rarities Committee. There are records in all months (many individuals have been long-stayers) but with most in winter and a distinct peak in late March, suggesting a small northwards 40

35 30

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

!>lAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

80

10

60 50

40 30 20 10

SPRING

AUTUMN

147

Ring-billed Gull-continued 1~

~

.~

• •


•

11-14

•

15-19

••

••

• spring passage of birds perhaps wintering on this side of the Atlantic. There is a strong southwesterly bias to the records at both seasons, typical of Nearctic vagrants such as waders but not so apparent with the other American gulls. One ringed in New York, USA, was found in Donegal in 1981.

Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea

Breeds northeast Siberia. Winters Arctic Ocean. Small tern-like gull with small, delicate black bill, wedge-shaped tail and long, pointed wings. Adult's wings almost entirely lacking black on upperside and, in summer, has narrow black necklace and overall pink flush. Brit. Birds, 74: 119. There were 43 records during 1958-85. Most were in winter, with a peak in the cold months of January and February, as might be expected with an Arctic 148

species, but with a few also in April, May, June and August. One even summered on the south coast, at Christchurch Harbour, Hampshire (Dorset), from 16th June to 20th August 1974.

ll.. • • •••• ~ .. .. ~ .I L ....... 1

1

JAN

I.

1

FEB

••• MAY

I I I I 1 1 1 1 1 1111 I I 1 I I I I I I I I I

1

1

1

APR

MAR

JUN

JUL

AUG

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OCT

1

NOV

1 III III I I I I I 1 1 III 1 1 III

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1

DEC

1 II I 1 1 I I I I I

•• OO~~~M~~~~wronn~M~~n~mOOm~~~M AUTUMN

SPRING

With all but four records being since 1970, a genuine increase in vagrancy may be occurring. There were two records before 1958: Yorkshire in winter 1846/47 and Shetland in April 1936. The winter records show a distinct northerly bias, especially Shetland which alone accounted for 23%, as would be expected for an Arctic-wintering species. Small numbers at both seasons were scattered south to the south coast but there is a noticeable North Sea coast bias, especially in late spring/summer (at which time there was none in Ireland).

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149

Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea

Breeds Arctic. Winters Arctic Ocean. Horizontal stance, rounded dove-like head and heavy chest, long tapering body and long wings; dark eye and short dark legs; adult wholly white, but immatures have dark subterminal bar on tail and variable amounts of sooty-brown blotching on face and spotting on wings. Brit. Birds, 74: 139.

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All but three of the 28 records during 1958-85 were in October-March, with most between November and early January, thus peaking rather earlier in the winter than Ross's Gull.

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SPRING

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AUTUMN

Records were quite evenly spread through the period and compare with about 76 prior to 1958, suggesting a significant real decrease in recent years. Though recorded south to the English Channel and west to Ireland, there is a distinct northeasterly bias, with 32% of the total in Shetland as might be expected for a vagrant from the Arctic.

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

Breeds from Denmark, southern France and Iberia discontinuously eastwards to eastern Kazakhstan and south to northwest Africa, Pakistan, southeast China and Australia; also North, Central and South America. European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Distinguished from Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis by wholly black, stubby bill, shallowly-forked grey tail, stockier and broader-winged appearance and heavier flight. Brit. Birds, 71: 466.

20! t6

12

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The records extended from March (East Lothian, 1968) to October, but most were between late April and mid September. 12

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SPRING

AUTUMN

151

Gull-billed Tern-continued ~

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• The 171 records in the period compare with about 50 before 1958. The lack of a significant increase in numbers in line with that of observers during the 1970s and 1980s suggests that a real decline has taken place. The relative difficulty of identification may have clouded the picture somewhat but there is a distinct southeasterly bias to the records at both seasons, especially in spring. This, together with the scatter of records right through the summer and the recent fall in numbers, suggests that many were birds from the now declined north European colonies (Cramp et al. 1985).

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia

PJc,

Breeds Baltic and Black Sea coasts, Tunisia and very discontinuously eastwards to Manchuria and south to southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand; also North America. Western Palearctic population winters mostly west Africa. Almost the size of a Herring Gull Larus argentatus with huge orange-red bill; dark undersides to primaries; crown wholly black in summer and wholly mottled in winter, without white forehead. Brit. Birds, 80: 257; 81: 211. 152

15 12

The records show an unusual pattern, with more in midsummer, especially July, than in spring or autumn. All of the l36 records in the period were between mid April and mid October. 12

10

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AUTUMN

SPRING

There were about 30 prior to 1958. A ringed American bird (Lake Michigan, July 1927) has reached Britain (Y orkshire, August 1939), but the distributions, with most in the southern North Sea and eastern English Channel counties, clearly point to the majority coming from the east, probably the Baltic population. Another, ringed in Sweden, was recovered in Shetland in 1976.

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153

I

Royal Tern Sterna maxima

Breeds North America, Caribbean and northwest Africa. Nearctic population winters south to Ecuador and Argentina, and African birds winter south to Angola. Similar to Caspian Tern but smaller; bill more slender, paler and more orange; tail longer and more deeply forked; underside of primaries paler and forehead usually white. Larger and paler than Lesser Crested Tern, and has virtually white rump and tail. Brit. Birds, 80: 257; 81: 21l. There has been a total of four records (three of them since 1958): Dublin: North Bull, long dead, on 24th March 1954. Kent: Sandwich Bay on 28th-29th July 1965. Cornwall: St Ives on 2nd September 1971. Glamorgan (Mid Glamorgan): Kenfig Pool, first-winter, on 24th November 1979.

Elegant Tern Sterna elegans

Breeds California and western Mexico. Winters south to Peru. Distinguished from Lesser Crested Tern by longer, fine drooping bill and whitish, not grey, rump and tail. Brit. Birds, 80: 257; 81: 211. There has been only one record: Down: Greencastle from 22nd June to 3rd July 1982; and same at Ballymacoda, Cork, on 1st August 1982.

154

Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis

Size and shape as Sandwich Tern S. sandvicensis, or very slightly larger, but has bright orange bill, slightly darker grey mantle and wings, and grey rump and tail. Brit. Birds, 80: 257; 81: 211, 276, 282. There was a total of six records in the period (it is presumed concerning three individuals), with the first ever in 1982: Anglesey (Gwynedd): Cymyran Bay on 13th July 1982. Norfolk: Blakeney Point (also Cley, Scolt Head and Holme) from 9th August to 17th September 1983. Durham/Yorkshire (Cleveland): Seaton Snook, South Gare and Redcar on 17th-20th June 1984 (presumed same as above Norfolk individual). Northumberland: Farne Islands on 4th-13th August 1984 (presumed same as above Cleveland individual). Northumberland: Farne Islands, female, from 16th May to 18th July 1985 (presumed returning Northumberland individual same as above). Devon: Dawlish Warren on 17th-20th July 1985. Others, or the same returning individuals, have been recorded each year 1986-1988.

155

Forster's Tern Sterna Jorsteri

Breeds North America. Winters USA to Mexico. Distinguished from Common Tern S. hirundo by longer bill and legs, mainly grey tail and silvery primaries. In winter has dark eye patches not joined at nape. Brit. Birds, 75: 55; 79: 504.

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There was none before 1980, but between then and 1985 ten were found: Cornwall: Falmouth Bay, first-winter, from at least 20th February to 18th March 1980. Cornwall: River Lynher, first-winter, on 4th-8th October 1982. Dublin: Dublin Bay, first-winter, from 21st November to February 1983. Wexford: Lady's Island Lake, first-summer, on 11th September 1983.

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156

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I I I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~~~oo~ooMronnnR~~nn~OO~~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

Wicklow: Broadlough on 16th-17th September 1983 (same as above Wexford individual). Derry: Bann Estuary, first-winter, on 3rd-5th December 1983. Flint (Clwyd): Point of Air, first-summer, from 3rd July to at least 6th August 1984. Anglesey (Gwynedd): near Penmon, adult, from 30th September to 20th October 1984 (presumed same as above Flint individual). Down: Groomsport on 19th-20th March and, same, Quoile Pondage from 1st May to 1st June 1984. Louth: Termonfeckin, Dundalk and Clogher Head, adult, from 3rd August to 21st September 1985. Dublin: Bull Island, adult, from 16th November 1985 to at least February 1986 (same as above Louth individual). Waterford: Dungarvan, first-winter, from 26th January to 2nd February 1985. Midlothian (Lothian): Musselburgh and Granton from 6th October to 9th November 1985. There have been six records of new birds during 1986-88. The recent flush of records can be linked with the northward spread on the east coast of America (Cramp et al., 1985) as much as with increased observer awareness. The species overwinters well north in the USA, so the winter records on this side of the Atlantic are not surprising.

Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica Aj-. Breeds Alaska and extreme northeast USSR. Wintering area unknown. Resembles a small Bridled Tern but underparts, mantle and wings slate grey and rump and tail white. Brit. Birds, 74: 411. There has been only one Western Palearctic record: Northumberland: Farne Islands, adult, on 28th-29th May 1979. 157

Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus

PJ0

Breeds Caribbean, west Africa, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Disperses at sea around breeding areas. Distinguished from Sooty Tern by smaller size, whitish collar around nape, narrower white supercilium which extends behind eye, and browner back and wings. Brit. Birds, 76: 348.

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There have been twelve records, seven of them in the period: Kent: Dungeness, found dead, on 19th November 1931. Dublin: North Bull, found dead, on 29th November 1953. Glamorgan: Gower, found dead, on 11th September 1954. Somerset: near Weston-super-Mare, freshly dead, on 17th October 1958. Devon: Lundy, wing found, on 22nd April 1977 .

•

158

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DEC

SPRING

AUTUMN

Orkney: Stromness, immature, on 6th-7th August 1979. Isle of Man: Calf of Man, adult, on 5th September 1980. Cornwall: St Ives, first-winter, on 14th October 1982. Leicestershire: Rutland Water, adult, on 8th-9th June 1984. Dorset: Lodmoor, adult, on 11th July 1984. Anglesey (Gwynedd): Cemlyn Bay on 2nd-23rd July 1988. Northumberland: Coquet Island area, intermittently, from 10th July to 15th August 1988.

Sooty Tern

~.--.~

Sterna Juscata

~-'.'-'--.~

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---

Breeds on tropical and subtropical islands in all oceans, and Red Sea. Disperses at sea in same regions. Slightly smaller than Sandwich Tern S. sandvicensis, largely black above and white below, with very deeply forked tail; white forehead extends back only to eye. There have been ten records since 1958: Hampshire: Hurst, adult, on 17th June 1961. Suffolk: Minsmere on 11th June 1966.

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~oom~~~~ffiuMwronnnMThMnromM~~~M~

AUTUMN

159

Sooty Tern-continued Norfolk: Scolt Head and Blakeney Point, intermittently from 14th June to 11 th July 1966. Northumberland: Inner Farne on 21st June 1966. Hampshire: Fawley, adult, found dead, on 18th August 1969. Middlesex: Staines Reservoir, immature, on 18th August 1971. Suffolk: Minsmere, adult, on 3rd August 1976. Devon: Berry Head on 9th July 1979. Northamptonshire: Ditchford Gravel Pits, first-summer, on 29th-30th May 1980. Kent: Dungeness on 9th July 1984. Sussex (East Sussex): Rye on 9th July 1984 (same as above Kent individual). It seems likely that the three 1966 records related to the same individual. Before 1958 there were 16 records, most of which were found dead or dying .

••

160

·f

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus

Breeds from southwest Europe discontinuously eastwards to Manchuria, and south to southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Easily distinguished from other marsh terns in summer by white cheeks separating black crown from dusky underparts. Out of breeding season, lacks shoulder patches of Black Tern C. niger and has grey nape and rump. Bill deeper than Black Tern or White-winged Black Tern, and actions more closely resemble Sterna terns, as does winter plumage. Brit. Birds, 53: 243; 74: 43; Birding World, 1: 398.

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161

Whiskered Tern-continued

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SPRING

~~OO~~UMm~~MWmnn~~~ronro~oo~~EMm

AUTUMN

The records were all from mid April to September, with 75% in the spring period. Though birds in autumn plumage are more difficult to identify than those in spring, this is also true of White-winged Black Tern which showed the opposite pattern, with most in autumn. Notable spring influxes occurred in 1970 (9) and 1983 (8). The 63 records in the period compare with 20 before 1958. There was a distinct south coast bias, especially in spring as might be expected of an overshooting southern vagrant, but occurrences were scattered north to Northumberland. None in the period reached Scotland, where the only record is from Dumfries-shire in May 1894.

White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus

Breeds from Hungary and Bulgaria eastwards through Asia. Western Palearctic population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Unmistakable in summer, with black body and underwing coverts, and white rump, tail and upperwing coverts. In winter, requires careful separation from winter-plumaged Black Tern C. niger by lack of dark patches at sides of breast, black earcoverts separated from black crown, shorter bill, etc. Juveniles have distinctive dark brown mantle, giving saddle effect in contrast with white collar and rump. Brit. Birds, 75: 129; 78: 378. 50 ~o

30

20 10

162

Apart from one in March (Carmarthenshire, 1958), all 465 records in 1958-85 were between mid April and early November. There is a noticeable spring peak (28%, mostly May) and a much larger autumn peak (72%, mostly August and September).

AUTUMN

SPRING

There were about 50 records before 1958. While spring occurrences remained fairly steady, with a peak of 13 in 1977 and an average of five per year, autumn records varied from one (1961) to 26 (1968). The difficulty of separating birds in winter plumage from Black Terns (generally thought to be impossible until about 1960) makes it difficult to compare past and present records, but the increase in the number of observers during the period would probably account for most of the apparent increase in records. Records at both seasons were widely scattered north to Shetland (spring) and west to Kerry but there was a distinct southeasterly bias, with the five counties from Norfolk to Sussex accounting for 34% of the total.

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•• 163

Briinnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1I I il,I,!,I,I,I,!I I,!,~I \I I I\ I I I I I I\ \W,\ \1I I I I'I\ I I I I !I I

JPPW

Breeds on Arctic coasts and islands. Winters at sea in same regions. Similar to Guillemot U. aalge but bill shorter and thicker, with pale lateral lines at base; white of breast reaches further to centre of lower neck, forming a point. Dutch Birding, 2: 19. Only two birds (Fame Islands, Northumberland, on 13th July 1978 and Fair Isle, Shetland, on 16th-17th October 1980) of the 18 recorded in 1958-85 were observed alive, all of the rest were found as tide-line corpses. However, others were observed alive at Ballyteigue Bay, Wexford, on 24th December 1986 and Hamnavoe, Burra, Shetland, on 3rd-7th February 1987. Apart from the Fame Islands bird and one found freshly dead at St Cyrus, Kincardineshire (Grampian), on 14th July 1978, all were between October and April. The three previous records were in Dublin (October 1945), East Lothian (December 1908) and Wicklow (September 1938). {#

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164

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~~~~u~wronn~Mm~n~mOO~~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

Apart from two in northern England, all records were in Scotland, as might be expected for a visitor from the Arctic. In addition, one was seen at sea, in the Brent Oilfield area, at 61°03'N 01°41'E, on 26th December 1980. The relatively large number of corpses found suggests that many may be occurring as unseen winter visitors to our northern offshore waters.

Pallas's Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus

Breeds from Kirgiz and Aral-Caspian steppes eastwards to Manchuria. Partially migratory, wintering in south of breeding range; occasionally eruptive. Sandgrouse shape, in flight resembling Golden Plover P/uv;a/is apricaria and on ground resembling short-legged Partridge Perdix perdix with dove-like head; long pointed tail; small black belly-patch. Brit. Birds, 60: 416; 62: 533. There were five records (of six birds) in the period: Kent: Stodmarsh on 28th December 1964. Shetland: Foula on 26th-31st May 1969. Northwnberland: Seahouses, male, shot, on 5th September 1969. Northwnberland: Elwick on 6th September 1969. Fife: Isle of May, two, on lIth May 1975.

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~oo~~~~~oouoowronn~M~~n~roOO~~~M~

SPRING

~$OO~~~~~oou~~ronn~M~~n~mOO~~~M~

AUTUMN

165

Pallas's Sandgrouse-continued ~

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Apart from two unidentified sandgrouse (either this species or Black-bellied Pterocles orientalis) in Wexford in May 1954, the record in Kent in 1964 was the first here since 1909. Large invasions occurred in May 1863 and May 1888, with the largest flock recorded being up to 180 in the C1ey area of Norfolk from May 1888 to February 1889. Smaller numbers were recorded in ten other years during 1859-1909 and some even bred here, two clutches of eggs being found in Yorkshire in 1888, and young being reared in Morayshire in 1888 and 1889. These invasions occurred after heavy snowfall or a hard snow crust had prevented feeding in the breeding area (Brit. Birds, 62: 452).

166

Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

Breeds from Urals east to China and Japan. Winters south to India and southeast Asia. Similar to Turtle Dove S. turtur but larger and darker, lacking blue-grey in wing; scapulars and wing-coverts with rounded dark centres giving scaly appearance; two fairly prominent pale wing-bars. Dutch Birding, 8: 77.

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There have been eight records, the six since 1958 are mapped: Yorkshire: Scarborough, immature, on 23rd October 1889. Norfolk: Castle Rising, immature female, shot, 29th January 1946. Scilly: St Agnes on 2nd-6th May 1960. Cornwall: Land's End on 5th October 1973 .

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167

.

Rufous Turtle Dove-continued

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SPRING

~~OO~~~M~M~M~ronnn~~ron~rooo~~~M~

AUTUMN

Shetland: Fair Isle from 31st October to 1st November 1974. Lincolnshire: Donna Nook on 25th October 1975. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn on 8th November 1975. Cornwall: Consols, near St Ives, on 18th~19th May 1978.

Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius

Breeds from Iberia and southern France discontinuously east to southwest Iran, and south to South Africa. Winters Africa, mainly south of the Sahara. Larger than Cuckoo Cucu/us canorus, with white-spotted brown upperparts, creamy underparts and a crest; rounded wings and long graduated tail make flight silhouette resemble Magpie Pica pica. Brit. Birds, 53: 358.

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I I I I I ! ! ! ! ! ! I I I I I I! ! I I I I ! I I ! ! I ! I ! ! ! ! I ! ! I ! ! ! ! I ! ! I ! ! ! I ! I ! I I I I ~~~m~~M~M~M~ronnn~~ron~rooo~~~M~

SPRING

168

~~oo~~mM~M~M®ronnn~~ron~rooo~~~M~

AUTUMN

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•

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The records were all between March and October, with eleven in spring, one in midsummer and eight in autumn. One in Cornwall in 1968 stayed from 23rd April to the end of June. The 20 records in the period compare with six before 1958. The spring and autumn patterns are very distinct, 91% in spring were in the west (from Scilly and Cornwall north to Isle of Man), whereas 78% in autumn were in the east (from Sussex to Orkney).

169

Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus

Breeds North America. Winters South America south to Peru. Similar to Yellow-billed Cuckoo but lacks rufous in wings, has far less white in tail, and bill is black. Brit. Birds. 47: 164.

:~

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FEB

MAR

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OCT

&2

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3

~:

GV

There have been 12 records, the eight during 1958-85 are mapped: Antrirrt: Killead on 25th September 1871. Scilly: Tresco on 27th October 1932. Argyllshire: Southend, Kintyre, on 8th November 1950. 170

NOV

DEC

if .. •

I.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~.OOm~.M~OO&~~ronnnN~ronro~oom~MM~

AUTUMN

Shetland: Poula, dying, on 11th October 1953. Cornwall: Gweek, dying, on 30th October 1965. Devon: Lundy, first-year female, dying, on 19th October 1967. Yorkshire (Cleveland): Redcar, trapped, on 23rd-24th September 1975. Scilly: St Agnes, juvenile, dying, on 29th August 1982. ScilIy: St Mary's on 21st-23rd October 1982 (found dead on 24th). Devon: Barnstaple, first-winter, caught, on 21st-22nd October 1982. Cheshire (Merseyside): Red Rocks, first-winter, on 30th October 1982. ScilIy: St Mary's, first-winter, on 12th October 1985.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus

Breeds North, Central and South America. Winters South America south to Argentina. Smaller and more elegant than Common Cuckoo Cucu/us canorus. with long, graduated tail, yellow lower mandible, black tail feathers with large white tips and rufous primaries showing as conspicuous patches in flight. Brit. Birds, 47: 164, 172,173.

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FEB

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APR

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The records in 1958-85, and all those previously, were from late September to December, with most in October. 171

YeHow-billed Cuckoo-continued

AUTUMN

There were 22 records prior to 1958, compared with 24 in our period. There were only three in the 15 years 1954-68, so there has been a marked resurgence, akin to the six which occurred in 1952-53, culminating in a peak of five in 1985. Many of the records have concerned birds found dead or dying. As might be expected for a Nearctic species, there is a westerly bias but perhaps the three Hampshire and four east coast records point to a ship-assisted arrival for some of them.

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172

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3 4

6 7

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~~

Scops Owl Otus scops

Breeds from France, Iberia and northwest Africa east to Japan and Indonesia. Most of European population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Smaller and slimmer than Little Owl Athene noctua but with typical wavering flight of other owls, lacking Little's undulations, and is far more strictly nocturnal; head smaller and flatter than Little Owl's, but has ear-tufts which, when raised, give Scops the appearance of miniature Long-eared Owl Asio otus; song monotonous low whistle, repeated regularly. Brit. Birds, 45: 401; 51: 149.

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1.1.1. I

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DEC

The 15 records in the period were divided between April-June (12) and September-November (3). Previous records were all in April-September (mostly spring).

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173

Scops Owl-continued

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SPRING

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~Mru~~~~~~~oomnnnNmronro~oo~~~M~

AUTUMN

There were 64 records before 1958 compared with 15 during 1958-85, which suggests a very marked decrease. Eight of the 15 records in the period were in southern England, and the scattered distribution is similar to that of the earlier records (40 England, 13 Scotland, 9 Ireland, 2 Wales).

Eagle Owl Bubo bubo

Breeds most of continental Europe (except north France to Denmark) and east to India, China and Japan; also north Africa. Mainly resident in Europe, but some hard-weather movements undertaken by northern and eastern populations. Like a huge Long-eared Owl Asio otus; size of Buzzard Buteo buteo. There have been about twenty records, all in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the last in Argyllshire in February 1883. Many of the records are poorly documented and rather vague, with some at least referring to escapes.

174

Snowy Owl

""'.,

Nyctea scandiaca ,

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....

Breeds Arctic from Iceland and Scandinavia east to Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Partially migratory, occasionally erupting southwards. Huge white owl, females flecked and barred with brown. Combination of colour, size and yellow eyes diagnostic, but Barn Owls Tyto alba are still occasionally misidentified as Snowy Owls by tyros. In flight, broad rounded wings give similarity to Buzzard Buteo buteo. Brit. Birds, 62: 33; 79: 228.

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JAN

FEB

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Occurrences in Shetland in the summers of 1963 and 1964, and then throughout the year in 1965 and 1966, culminated in the first recorded breeding in Britain and Ireland on Fetlar in 1967, with further breeding there each year to 1975. A total of 20 young successfully fledged during the nine years. After careful consideration of the Shetland and Orkney records, all those that can be attributed clearly to the wanderings of Shetland-bred young or adults of Shetland stock, have been omitted from the maps and histograms. It is very likely that these wanderings have contributed to some of the occurrences in the Outer Hebrides and on the Scottish mainland. 10

SPRING

AUTUMN

The records show that marked incursions occurred in 1963-65 and 1972, but that only the occasional new bird has reached Britain since then. The eastern bias to the spring and autumn records suggests a Scandinavian (rather than Icelandic or Nearctic) origin. A pair remained in the Outher Hebrides throughout 1972 and 1973 and several others have stayed for long periods in the Scottish highlands. Since 1958 there has been just one record in Ireland (Roscommon, November 1968). 175

.,

Snowy Owl-continued

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•••

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3 4

6

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7

9

10

Formerly an irregular winter visitor, particularly to Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides in the 19th century.

Hawk Owl Surnia ulula

Breeds from Scandinavia eastwards to northeast Siberia, Alaska and Canada. Dispersive and occasionally eruptive in winter. Truly a very hawk-like owl, in flight resembling Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, with short, rather pointed, wings and long tail. Often perches in conspicuous position and is fearless of Man. Underparts are barred and has flat-topped head and striking black border to face. Brit. Birds, 46: 398; 53: 446.

176

There have been eleven records, eight of them prior to 1958: Cornwall: offshore in March 1830. Somerset: Yatton in August 1847. Shetland: Onst in winter 1860-6l. Lanarkshire: Maryhill in December 1863. Renfrewshire: near Greenock in November 1868. Wiltshire: Amesbury prior to 1876. Aberdeenshire: Gight on 21st November 1898. Northamptonshire: one on 21st November 1903. Lancashire: Bleasdale Fells above Chipping on 13th September 1959. Cornwall: Gurnard's Head on 14th August 1966. Shetland: near Lerwick on 12th-13th September and same, Bressay, on 20th21st September 1983. The above records include examples of both the European race S. u. ulula (1876 and 1898) and the American race S. u. caparoch (1830, 1847 and 1863).

Tengmalm's Owl Aegolius funereus

/

.

Breeds in central and southeast Europe and from Scandinavia eastwards to northeast Siberia, Alaska and Canada. Dispersive, with northern populations occasionally eruptive. Comparable in size to Little Owl Athene noctua but with large rounded head and wide, deep facial discs bordered by black; spotted crown and general reddishchocolate colouration; does not have Little Owl's bounding flight and is exclusively nocturnal. Brit. Birds, 46: 15; 52: 12.

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There have been seven records since 1958, the six in the period are mapped: Orkney: Cruan Firth from 26th December 1959 to 1st January 1960. 177

Tengmalm's Owl-continued ~

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•••

2

3

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Orkney: Stromness on 1st May 1961. Orkney: Finstown, adult, on 13th-20th October 1980, and another adult there on 18th October. Durham: Fishburn, dead (leg only), on 10th January 1981, ringed as nestling near Yang, Hedmark, Norway, on 10th June 1980. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn on 6th-27th March 1983. Orkney: Egilsay from 31st May to 1st June and, presumed same, Glims Holm, dead for about three weeks, on 25th June 1986. Before 1958 there were about 50 records, most before about 1918.

178

Red-necked Night jar Caprimulgus ruficollis

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Breeds Iberia and northwest Africa. Winters west Africa. Distinguished from Night jar C. europaeus by slightly larger size, more reddishbrown colouration, yellow-rufous collar, and large white throat patch; white wing and tail marks more conspicuous than europaeus and present in both sexes. There has been only one record: Northumberland: Killingworth, shot, on 5th October 1856. The individual concerned was of the north African race C. r. desertorum.

Egyptian Night jar Caprimulgus aegyptius

Breeds North Africa and in Asia from Sinai to Turkistan and Baluchistan. Winters in Sahel zone south of Sahara. Much paler and sandier in colouration than slightly larger Night jar C. europaeus, and lacks striking white primary and tail spots. Underwings and undertail noticeably pale barred. There have been only two records: Nottinghamshire: Rainworth on 23rd June 1883. Dorset: Portland Bill on 10th June 1984.

179

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor

Breeds North America. Winters in South America south to Argentina. Slightly smaller than European Night jar Caprimulgus europaeus; long, pointed wings, slightly forked and barred tail and larger white oval patch on each wing apparent in flight. Brit. Birds, 65: 301, 302.

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There have been 12 records (of 13 birds), ten of them since 1958 (mapped): Scilly: Tresco on 17th September 1927. Scilly: St Agnes, two, on 28th September 1957 (one remained to 5th October). Scilly: St Agnes on 12th-13th October 1971.

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Nottinghamshire: Bulcote, immature, on 18th and 21st October 1971. Scilly: St Mary's, female, found dead, on 14th October 1976. Scilly: St Mary's, female, found dead, on 25th October 1976. Orkney: Kirkwall, trapped, on 12th September 1978. Scilly: St Mary's on 12th-14th October 1981. Scilly: St Agnes, immature, from 20th October to 4th November 1982. Dorset: Studland on 25th October 1983. Surrey (Greater London): Barnes Common, adult male, dying, on 23rd October 1984. Cheshire (Merseyside): Moreton, first-winter, exhausted, 11th October 1985.

Needle-tailed Swift Hirundapus caudacutus

Breeds eastern Siberia to Japan. Winters Australia. Much larger than Swift Apus apus, though smaller than Alpine Swift; white forehead, chin and upper breast; white V-shaped patch undertail; conspicuous pale greyish-buff triangular patch on back; tail square-ended (needle-like projections seldom visible in the field). Brit. Birds, 53: 431. There have been seven records, five of them since 1958: Essex: Great Horkesley on 8th July 1846. Hampshire: Ringwood on 26th or 27th July 1879. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 20th June 1964. Orkney: South Ronaldsay on 11th June 1983. Shetland: Quendale from 25th May to 6th June 1984. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Fairburn Ings on 27th May 1985. Orkney: Hoy from 28th May to 7th June 1988. 181

Pallid Swift

---

Apus pallidus

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Breeds northwest Africa and eastwards from Iberia through the Mediterranean basin to south Iran. Winters mainly north tropical Africa. Like a pale, milky-brown plumaged Swift A. apus; identification requires extreme care: paler secondaries and wing coverts contrast with rest of wing; more conspicuous and extensive white throat area; distinct scaliness to wing coverts and flanks; slightly broader and blunter wings. Brit. Birds, 74: 170; 79: 209; 80: 498.

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There have been five records (of six birds): Kent: Stodmarsh on 13th-21st May 1978.

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SPRING

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AUTUMN

Hantpshire: Farlington Marshes on 20th May 1983. Dorset: Portland, two, on 10th November 1984. Pentbrokeshire (Dyfed): Strumble Head on 12th-13th November 1984. Kent: Warden Point, Isle ofSheppey, on 14th-16th November 1984.

Alpine Swift Apus melba IW

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa, through southern Europe (north to the Alps) eastwards to India, and eastern and southern Africa. Western Palearctic population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Shape like Swift A. apus, but large size, brown colour and white belly are diagnostic. White throat, separated by brown breast-band from white belly, not easy to see except at close range. Brit. Birds, 52: 221. The records, between March and early November, show a broad spring peak, especially in May and early June, and a more restricted autumn peak, in late September.

12 10

+

183

Alpine Swift-continued 10

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 212 records during 1958-85 compare with about 50 records of single birds before 1958, but there were also some records of parties, including about 100 flying northwest over Kingsdown (Kent) on 15th July 1915 (and five on 22nd July and five on 3rd August in the same year). Spring and autumn records both show a very similar pattern, with most in southern and eastern coastal counties. A September bird in Scilly (1969) had been ringed as a nestling in Switzerland two months previously.

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184

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Pacific Swift Apus pacificus

Breeds from Siberia eastwards to Kamchatka and Japan, and south to southeast Asia. Northern populations winter from Malaysia to Australia. More rakish than Swift A. apus, with deeper tail fork and conspicuous white rump-patch; underbody feathers show narrow white scaling. Brit. Birds, 76: 571. There has been only one Western Palearctic record: At sea: North Sea Shell B. T. gas platform, Leman Bank, 53°06' N 02°12' E, about 45 km northeast of Happisburgh, Norfolk, caught exhausted, on 19th June 1981 (and released Beccles, Norfolk, later same day).

Little Swift Apus affinis

Breeds Africa and southern Asia. Mainly resident within breeding areas but also partially migratory. Smaller than Swift A. apus with less pointed shorter wings and square-ended tail; prominent square white rump patch, white throat patch and pale forehead. Brit. Birds, 60: 286.

T

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AUTUMN

There have been seven records (none before 1967): Cork: Cape Clear Island on 12th June 1967. Denbighshire: Llanrwst, picked up, on 6th November 1973 (and released next day). 185

Little Swift-continued Cornwall: Skewjack on 16th May 1981. Pembrokeshire (Dyfed): Skokholm from 31st May to 1st June 1981. Dorset: Studland on 26th November 1983. Fife: St Andrews on 29th May 1985. Devon: Slapton Ley on 15th-16th August 1985.

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186

•

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Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

Breeds North America. Winters Central and northeastern South America. Like a small Swift Apus apus but with a square-ended tail and lacking the conspicuous white rump of Little Swift. Requires careful separation from Vaux's Swift C. vauxi which is slightly smaller and more extensively and obviously pale on throat and upper breast. Brit. Birds, 79: 423. There have been three records (of four birds): Cornwall: Porthgwarra on 21st-27th October 1984, two at least 23rd-25th. Scilly: St Mary's on 4th-{ith November and, same, St Martin's on 7th-9th November 1986. Cornwall: Grampound on 18th October 1987.

Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon

Breeds North America. Winters south to Caribbean and Panama. Shape of Kingfisher A/cedo atthis but size of Jackdaw Corvus monedula; crested head; dark grey upperparts; white underparts with grey (male) or grey and chestnut (female) breast-bands. Brit. Birds, 74: 242. There have been six records of five birds: Cornwall: Sladesbridge, female, shot, in November 1908. Mayo: Bunree River from 10th December 1978 until shot on 3rd February 1979. Cornwall: Sladesbridge area, immature male, from 21st November 1979 to at least June 1980, and, presumed same, Boscathnoe Reservoir, Penzance, on 23rd29th August 1980. Down: Dundrum Bay, female, shot, on 12th October 1980. Clare: Ballyvaughan from 28th October to early December 1984. Tipperary: Killaloe, female, from 6th February to 21st March 1985 (presumed same as above Clare individual). 187

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus

Breeds from northwest Africa discontinuously eastwards through south Iran to Kirgiz and south to India, Madagascar, Mozambique and Angola. Winters mainly Africa south of the Sahara. Slightly larger than European Bee-eater, with longer tail streamers and predominantly green colouration; bright yellow-chestnut throat and, in flight, conspicuous copper-chestnut underwing; blue supercilium above black eye-stripe often narrow and inconspicuous. Brit. Birds, 45: 225. There have been four records: Scilly: St Mary's, adult, shot, on 13th July 1921. Scilly: St Agnes on 22nd June 1951. Cambridgeshire: Peterborough, adult, on 17th September 1982. Devon: Budleigh Salterton from 30th June to 1st July 1987.

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Breeds from Iberia, southern France and northwest Africa east to Kashmir and eastern Kazakhstan; also South Africa. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Brilliantly-coloured with turquoise underparts, tail and primaries, bright yellow throat, chestnut crown, head and nape and yellow scapular patches; projecting central tail feathers, long decurved bill, graceful flight and liquid call-note. 25 20

15 10

JAN

188

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•

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Records were scattered from mid April to early November (this last bird staying in Cornwall from 10th November to 3rd December 1963, when found dead), but most were in spring, with a distinct peak in late May to early June. 1.4

10

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• The 199 birds (some records involved small parties) recorded in the period compare with 154 before 1958. A significant increase is apparent since 1973, in which year occurrences included a party of seven in Glamorgan and then Cornwall. Seven were again seen together in 1983, on St Agnes, Scilly, on 4th-13th May and then on 17th-18th May, at Valentia Island, Kerry. One pair attempted to breed in Midlothian in 1920 and three pairs nested (two successfully) in Sussex in 1955. Records were well scattered at both seasons, but with an east and south bias, Cornwall and Scilly accounting for 18% of the total.

189

Roller Coracias garrulus

IW

Breeds Iberia, southern France and northwest Africa, and from Germany and Italy north to Estonia and east to Kashmir and southwest Siberia. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Habits rather like a huge shrike, often sitting on prominent perch (especially telegraph wires) and dropping to ground to take prey; shape and flight resemble Jackdaw Corvus monedula; brilliantly coloured, mostly turquoise and blue, with chestnut back. Brit. Birds, 56: 58. 10

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190

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Records extended from May to October, but with most in spring (55% in May and June) and a noticeable autumn peak in late September.

SPRING

AUTUMN

The 76 records in the period compare with 135 prior to 1958. Appearances are very erratic. Even in years when unusual numbers occur, records are not synchronous: the six in spring 1970 were spread over a period of seven weeks, the five in autumn 1968 over at least 11 weeks, and the six in autumn 1976 over 13 weeks. Records were very scattered at both seasons, but with a southeasterly bias, especially in spring, with Norfolk accounting for 11 % of the total.

Hoopoe Upupa epops

Breeds from France and Iberia eastwards across Asia to China and southwards to southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Western Palearctic population winters mainly Africa south of the Sahara. Unmistakable: slimmer than Jay Garrulus glandarius with pinkish-buff body plumage; wings and tail black with conspicuous whitish bars and spots; long, fine decurved bill; head with long, erectile, black-and-white-tipped crest.

300 200

JAN

FEB

OCT

NOV

DEC

191

Hoopoe-continued There were records in all months but 78% of the 3,505 records in the period were in spring, peaking in late April--early May, with a much smaller and more protracted autumn passage, peaking in September.

AUTUMN

SPRING

Numbers have remained more or less steady throughout the period, averaging 125 per annum, in both spring and autumn. This might suggest a real decline (since records of most other species have increased in line with the growth in the number of observers), but Hoopoes are such striking and conspicuous birds that probably few earlier occurrences were overlooked. Occurrences at both seasons were well scattered north to Shetland, but with the southerly bias that would be expected of a migrant with a principally south European origin.

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192

1-5 6-10 11-20 21-35 36-55

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Breeds North America. Winters from USA to Central America and Greater Antilles. Small woodpecker, between Great Spotted Dendrocopos major and Lesser Spotted D. minor in size, with black and white mottled back, black wings with narrow white stripe, and red crown; throat red in male, white in female; sootybrown immature also has diagnostic white wing-stripe. Brit. Birds, 72: 410. There have been two records: Scilly: Tresco, immature male, from 26th September to 6th October 1975. Cork: Cape Clear Island, immature female, on 16th-19th October 1988.

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Breeds North America. Winters USA to Mexico. Larger than Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata, brownish-grey above, darkest on head, wings and tail; underparts creamy-white, with greyish-olive wash to sides of breast; black bill and legs; lacks eye-ring and conspicuous wing-bars of most other American flycatchers; has characteristic habit of pumping and spreading tail when perched. Twitching, 1: 93. There have been two records, perhaps of the same bird: Devon: Slapton on 22nd April 1987. Devon: Lundy on 24th-25th April 1987. These are the only Western Palearctic records; they are still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list. 193

Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra

Breeds from Iberia and Morocco eastwards through the Mediterranean to Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Mainly resident in Europe but partially migratory in east of range. Large lark with the bulk of a Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, but with very short tail; broad rounded wings; underparts whitish with conspicuous black neckpatches; underwing black with white trailing edges; white outer tail feathers. Brit. Birds, 55:44; 80:382. There have been three records: Dorset: Portland Bill on 2nd April 1961. Shetland: Fair Isle on 28th April 1978. Scilly: St Mary's on 26th-29th April 1985.

Bimaculated Lark Melanocorypha bimaculata

Breeds Turkey and Lebanon eastwards to Kazakhstan. Winters south to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Resembles a rufous Calandra Lark, but smaller, lacks white in outer tail and on trailing edge of wing; whiter supercilium and white tips to tail feathers, forming a terminal band. Brit. Birds, 58: 309; 70: 298; 71: 462. There have been three records: Devon: Lundy on 7th-lith May 1962. Scilly: St Mary's on 24th-27th October 1975. Shetland: Fair Isle on 8th June 1976. 194

White-winged Lark Melanocorypha leucoptera

Breeds Kazakhstan to western Mongolia. Winters south and west to Iran and northern Black Sea. Resembles a long-tailed Calandra Lark with blackish primaries and broad white trailing edge to wing; upperparts chestnut on crown and wing-coverts; underparts mainly white with slight streaking on upper breast and flanks, thus bears superficial resemblance to smaller Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis. Brit. Birds, 49: 41; 79: 332. There have been five records (of seven birds): Sussex: Brighton, female, on 22nd November 1869. Sussex: Hove, three, on 15th November 1917. Sussex: Rye on 19th August 1933. Hertfordshire: Hilfield Park Reservoir, 12th-17th August 1955. Norfolk: King's Lynn on 22nd-24th October 1981.

Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla

...

Breeds from Iberia, southern France and northwest Africa east to Manchuria. Western Palearctic population winters mostly Sahel zone of south Sahara. Small compact lark, reddish- or greyish-brown above and whitish below, with variably distinct dark patches at sides of upper breast; dark centred median coverts form dark bar; long tertials almost reaching tips of primaries; usually has flatcrowned appearance; typical call a short, dry 'tchirrup'. Brit. Birds, 68: 238. Though occurrences were noted from mid April to December, the peaks were exceedingly well marked, in early May and late September to mid October. 195

Short-toed Lark-continued 40

20

'0

JAN

FEB

OCT

APR

MAR

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 253 records during 1958-85 compare with 40 before 1958. Autumn records, mostly involving greyish birds of the eastern races, have increased noticeably since 1966. Spring records, which usually involve birds of the reddish southern races, have, on the other hand, increased only slightly. The two archipelagos of Shetland (especially Fair Isle) and Scilly accounted for the lion's share of the records. Shetland had 45% of those in spring and 34% of those in autumn. Whereas Scilly, which is much more intensively watched in autumn than in spring, had only 14% of those in spring but 36% of those in autumn.

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Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens

Breeds from Spain and north Africa eastwards to Manchuria. Mainly resident and dispersive in western parts of range, but more northerly eastern populations winter south to Pakistan. Like Short-toed Lark but lacks dark patches on neck and usually has regular well-defined streaking on breast and flanks; tertials shorter, not cloaking primaries as much as Short-toed; high-crowned, round-headed appearance; wings more uniform, lacking dark median coverts; typical call a sharp, protracted 'prrrrt'. Brit. Birds, 53: 241; 68: 238. There have been four records, involving a total of 42 birds, all in Ireland: Kerry: Derrymore Island, 30, on 4th January 1956. Wexford: Great Saltee Island, five, on 30th-31st March 1956. Mayo: Belmullet, two, on 21st May 1956. Wexford: Great Saltee Island, up to five, on 22nd-25th March 1958.

Crested Lark Galerida cristata

Breeds throughout continental Europe and southernmost Sweden, east to Korea, Arabia and northern Africa, both north and south of Sahara. Western Palearctic population resident but some dispersal occurs. Large short-tailed lark with conspicuously large crest; tail has dark centre with buff sides; no white in tailor wing; bill longer and more pointed and underwing more warmly coloured than in very similar Thekla Lark C. theklae. Brit. Birds, 77: 289.

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197

Crested Lark-continued

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SPRING

~~rom~~M~~u~~ronnnH~ronro~oom~~~~

AUTUMN

There have been six records since 1958: Devon: Exmouth from 29th December 1958 to 10th January 1959. Cornwall: Marazion on 4th April 1965. Somerset: Steart Point on 8th April 1972. Yorkshire: Tunstall on 11 th June 1972. Kent: Dungeness from 28th September to 1st October 1975. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey on 5th-6th June 1982. There were 13 (including two together twice) prior to 1958. Apart from one in Shetland (Fair Isle, in November 1952) all were in southern England - Cornwall (5), Sussex (4), London (2) and Kent.

Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Breeds northwest Africa and Iberia through southern Europe and south Central Asia to Far East. Northernmost populations winter further south in Europe and North Africa, but most Western Palearctic birds resident. Chunky hirundine with almost square-ended tail showing characteristic row of sub-terminal white spots. Earthy brown-grey upperparts and largely off-white underparts; blackish underwing coverts contrasting with rest of underwing which is much paler. There have been two records: Cornwall: Stithians Reservoir on 22nd June 1988. Sussex (East Sussex): Beachy Head on 9th July 1988. These records are still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

198

Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica

Breeds Iberia, southern France and northwest Africa; Balkans east to Japan and south to Sri Lanka; central Africa. Western Palearctic population winters Africa south of the Sahara. Very distinct from Swallow H. rustica not only in plumage but also shape, with blunter wings, shorter and thicker, incurved, tail streamers; lacks Swallow's dark gorget and tail spots; cream or buff and rufous rump, and orange-red supercilium, neck and nape. Brit. Birds, 46: 263; 56: 416.

:~

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MAR

APR

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2

3 4

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5

6 7

8 9 1G-11

199

Red-rumped Swallow-continued The records stretched from early March to mid November, but with 69% in spring, mostly mid April to May. 10

SPRING

AUTUMN

The 87 records in the period compare with only seven before 1958: three on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 2nd June 1906, one in Hertfordshire in June 1949 and singles in Norfolk, Devon and Wexford in March-April 1952. The dramatic increase in vagrancy here has occurred as the species has spread northwards from extreme southern Spain into France. Records have been annual since 1964, with peaks of 13 in 1977 and 1980. Records have been well scattered at both seasons but with a distinct south and east coast bias, and with only one in Ireland and none on the Scottish mainland (the Fife record was on the Isle of May, on 23rd-24th May 1984).

American Cliff Swallow Hirundo pyrrhonota

Breeds North America. Winters Brazil to Argentina. Resembles Red-rumped Swallow but has a squarish, and not deeply-forked, tail; upperparts browner, with dark striations on mantie, and underparts duskier. There have been two Western Palearctic records: Scilly: St Agnes and St Mary's, juvenile, on 10th-27th October 1983. Yorkshire (Cleveland): South Gare, juvenile, on 23rd October 1988.

200

Richard's Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae

Breeds from western Siberia east to Mongolia and southeast to New Zealand, also Africa. Northern population winters Pakistan and India east to southeast Asia. Large, heavily streaked pipit, recalling Skylark Alauda arvensis in brownish colour, bulkiness, bold upright stance and habit of hovering before landing; long, stout pale legs with large feet; call explosive, rasping 'schreep'. Brit. Birds, 65: 287; 77: 412; 78: 347; Dutch Birding, 5: 67.

JAN

FEB

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APR

·1 ~('

~

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•

••

••

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JUL

1-5 ~10

11-20 21-30

SEP

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·4

31-50 51-70

• 201

Richard's Pipit-continued 150

125 100

15 50 25 I I I I I I I I I I I

ii

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

~$OO~~~~MM~M~ronnnH~renn~oom~~M~

SPRING

AlITUMN

There were records in all months except February but 97% were in autumn, mostly late September to October. There were about 140 records before 1958, compared with 1,245 in the period, but during 1958-65 there was an average of only seven per year. The numbers since then, and especially those in the peak year of 1968, thus constitute an extraordinary upsurge in what was formerly a rare vagrant. Records during 197682 averaged 48 per annum and Richard's Pipit was then dropped from the list of species considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee. The autumn occurrences (1,212) were well scattered, but with Shetland (15%), Yorkshire, Lincolnshire & Norfolk (32%) and Scilly & Cornwall (25%) recording most. The many fewer spring records (33) were mostly in England (six in Scotland, four of them in Shetland) and were widely scattered.

Blyth's Pipit Anthus godlewskii

Breeds from southern Transbaikalia and eastern Manchuria south to Tibet. Winters in India and Sri Lanka. Distinguished from Richard's Pipit (and Tawny Pipit) only with extreme care; slightly smaller and less heavily built than Richard's and slightly shorter-tailed; tends to have more orange-buff underparts; adults have diagnostic blunt-tipped dark centres to median coverts; characteristic call a double 'prit-prit'. Brit. Birds, 72: 96; 75: 381; 80: 50; Ibis, 122: 565; Bull. BOC, 97: 60-61; Birding World, 1: 268. There have been two records: Sussex: Brighton on 23rd October 1882. ·Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 13th-27th October 1988. 202

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris

Breeds from northwest Africa, Iberia, southern and eastern France and southern Sweden eastwards to Mongolia. Western Palearctic population winters Sahel zone of south Sahara and Saudi Arabia. Brit. Birds, 65: 287; 77: 412; 78: 347. Wagtail-like pipit; adult has uniform sandy-coloured upperparts and creamy underparts, relieved only by fine streaking on breast and line of dark spots on median coverts; immature greyer and more heavily streaked, but not as brown as Richard's Pipit and distinguished by distinct dark stripe on lores, more delicate build, more horizontal stance, less heavy legs and feet, and soft, less explosive call. Brit. Birds, 72: 96; 75: 381; 80: 50. 120 100

80 60

20

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

Though 14% were in spring, there was no clear peak, records extending from mid March to mid June. Autumn records, mainly from August to early November, showed a marked peak in September to early October. 50

20

10

_-

-d'

F

•

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~ro~~~~~~~~~mnnnMmMn~~oo~~~~~

SPRING

AUTUMN

Records have increased since about 1967 but this, probably, merely reflects the growth in the number of observers. The 637 records in the period compare with about 110 prior to 1958. Tawny Pipit was dropped from the list of species 203

Tawny Pipit-continued

·1

~<

~

••

•••

••

••

1-5 &-10 11-20 21-30 31-45

·1

_0

• considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee at the end of 1982. Spring occurrences were well scattered but show a bias to the British east and south coasts. The greater numbers in autumn were more concentrated on the south coast, with Sussex (25%), Dorset (15%) and Scilly (17%) recording the majority at this season, indicating that most reach us by crossing the English Channel.

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Breeds northeast USSR to central and east Asia and Japan. Winters India, southeast Asia and Philippines. Similar in size, shape and stance to Meadow Pipit A. pratensis but more contrasting in plumage: underparts very white, with bold black spots on breast, combining into dark smudge at sides of neck; upperparts greenish-olive, only

204

lightly streaked; striking supercilium, orange-buff in front of eye and white behind, down-curving and split by continuation of narrow dark eyestripe to form characteristic 'drop' shape adjacent to dark spot at rear of ear-coverts. Brit. Birds, 72: 94; 73: 415; Dutch Birding, 4: 50.

DEC

l . . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

•• OO~~roM~w~Mwmnnn~mron~~oo~~~M~ SPRING

AUTUMN

Apart from one February and two May records, all occurrences were between late September and November.

.,

There were only four records before 1973, but since then occurrences have been annual and a total of 35 was recorded during 1958-85. It seems highly likely that earlier occurrences were overlooked; indeed, the first British record, and the only ~

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9-10 11-12

205

Olive-backed Pipit-continued one before 1958, on Skokholm, Pembrokeshire, on 14th April 1948, only came to light when a photograph.of it was identified in 1977 (Brit. Birds, 72: 2). The peak year was 1984, with seven birds. The 32 autumn records were almost entirely at locations which are intensively searched for such vagrants: 47% were on Shetland (13 of the 15 birds were on Fair Isle), 31% were on Scilly and 9% (three birds) were at Holkham, north Norfolk.

Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi

Breeds northeast USSR, across Siberia to Bering Strait. Winters Philippines, Borneo and Sulawesi. Exceptionally skulking pipit, with pair of white lines on back, forming 'braces'; underparts very white, boldly streaked; call clear, loud 'pwit'. Brit. Birds, 46: 210; 47: 299; 81: 452; Dutch Birding, 8: 141.

JAN

:~

FEB

MAR

•

APR

MAY

JUN

I

I I I I I! I I I I I I ! ! I I I I I ! ! ! ! I I I I I I ~.oom.~a~w~wMronn~Mmronrorooom.aMffi

SPRING

..l

I JUL

I

AUG

I

SEP

...

I

OCT

NOV

DEC

AUTUMN

Apart from one in April, all the records during 1958-85 were in September to mid October. There was 15 during the period compared with 13 before 1958. Remarkably, 25 of the 29 records (including one on 10th October 1986) have come from the Shetland island of Fair Isle. This species thus highlights Fair Isle's exceptional ability to produce Siberian vagrants which is partly, no doubt, due to its geographical location but also because it is very intensively watched in autumn and cover is sparse for such skulking species to hide and escape detection. 206

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~

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•

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2

3 4

5

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!HI 10-11 12-13

The remaining records were at Spurn, Yorkshire, on 26th September 1966; Whalsay, Shetland, on 3rd October 1972; Minsmere, Suffolk, on 27th April 1975; and Portland, Dorset, on 27th September 1983.

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus IW

Breeds extreme northern Eurasia, from Norway to northeastern Siberia. Western Palearctic population winters mainly Africa south of the Sahara. Size as Meadow Pipit A. pratensis, but upperparts darker and greyer, with no greenish tinge, and more heavily streaked with black (including rump and uppertail coverts); underparts more heavily streaked; in summer, throat and usually breast, lores and supercilium, brick-red; calls include explosive 'chup', and characteristic hoarse 'peez', latter resembling Tree Pipit A. trivia/is but softer and more hissing. Brit. Birds, 79: 34. 207

Red-throated Pipit-continued lO

16 12

8

4 JAN

FEB

MAR

10

•• .-...1 I I

I

I

AUTUMN

SPRING

1-2

• •

•••

3-4 5-6

•

7-9

•

10-12

•• The records were neatly divided, with 43% in spring (mid April to mid June) and 57% in autumn (late August to mid November, with one in December). The 157 records in the period compare with 30 before 1958. A slight increase is noticeable since about 1973, but this probably only reflects the increase in numbers of observers. The peak year was 1975, with 17 birds. In spring, there was a distinct northeasterly bias, with Shetland and the five counties from Northumberland to Norfolk accounting for 69% of those at this season, and none in Ireland. In autumn, records were more scattered, but were mainly in eastern and southern coastal counties and dominated by the intensively watched archipelagos of Scilly (with 34%) and Shetland (with 22%).

208

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola

Breeds northern central USSR and Soviet Central Asia east to Amurland. Winters India and southeast Asia. Combines characters of Yellow and White Wagtails M.flavaflavissima and M. alba alba; immatures have uniform soft grey upperparts, white-edged black tail, white supercilium curving round to join complete pale surround to ear-coverts, prominent double white wing-bars, prominent white edges to tertials and white underparts sometimes with black gorget; no olive and usually no yellow in plumage; summer male has bright yellow head and underparts, and black half-collar on nape; female and winter male have reduced yellow; call shriller and more buzzing than that of Yellow Wagtail. Brit. Birds, 79: 464; Dutch Birding, 2: 28. All arrival dates but one were between 27th August and 17th October. The exception was an adult male in Essex on 4th-24th July 1976 which was observed feeding four unidentified young wagtails.

•

•

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1 2 3-4 6-6 7-8

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4

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• 209

Citrine Wagtail-continued 8

2

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

:~ AUTUMN

The 37 records in the period compare with just two before 1958 (both were on Fair Isle, Shetland, in September/October 1954). Records have been annual since 1966 and it seems likely that earlier occurrences were overlooked: all but the July bird were immatures. Of the total, 51% were in Shetland (mostly on Fair Isle) but the remainder was scattered through eastern and southern coastal counties - a pattern typical of many Asian vagrants.

Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum

Breeds USA and southern Canada. Winters south and east USA. Size of slim, long-tailed Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, with rufous upperparts, two conspicuous pale wing-bars and white underparts with bold brown streaks; long tail is frequently cocked, jerked and flicked. Brit. Birds, 61: 550. There has been only one Western Palearctic record: Dorset: Durlston Head from 18th November 1966 to 5th February 1967.

210

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Breeds North America. Winters east USA south to central Panama and West Indies. Size of Starling Sturnus vulgaris but longer-tailed and reminiscent of a large, heavy warbler; plain dark grey with black cap and tail; dark chestnut undertail coverts; cat-like mewing call. Brit. Birds, 74: 526. There has been only one record: Cork: Cape Clear Island on 4th November 1986.

Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris

Breeds mountains from Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to Japan. Resident or partial migrant with altitudinal movement.

I

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~~~~~~M~ronn~N~~nn~~~~~M~

~~~~~~M~M~M~ronn~N~~nn~~~~~MM

SPRING

AUTUMN

There have been six records since 1958: Shetland: Fair Isle on 27th-28th June 1959. Kent: Ramsgate on 7th May 1975. 211

Alpine Accentor-continued

.~

~

•

•

Kent: Dungeness on 8th May 1976. Scilly: St Mary's from 20th October to 9th November 1977. Dorset: Portland Bill on 8th-30th April 1978. Norfolk: Sheringham on 30th April to 4th May 1978. Before 1958 there were 29 records, mostly in August-January (a few MarchJune), nearly all in southern England.

212

Rufous Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas galactotes

Breeds Iberia, north Africa (both north and south of Sahara) and east to Pakistan and eastern Kazakhstan. Winters Sahel zone of south Sahara, south to Kenya. Frequently cocks, wags and fans very striking long graduated tail, which is tipped black-and-white; upperparts rufous (western race) or greyish-brown (eastern races); long pale legs; hops rapidly on ground. Brit. Birds, 63: 294.

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____L -__- L____L __ _- L____L __ _- L____~I____~I____~I____L __ _~_ _~ JUN JUL AUG SEP NOV DEC APR MAY OCT MAR JAN FEB

There have been eleven records, five of them since 1958 (mapped). Sussex: near Brighton on 16th September 1854. Devon: Start Point on 25th September 1859. Cork: Old Head of Kinsale in September 1876. Devon: Slapton on 12th October 1876.

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213

T

Rufous Scrub-Robin-continued

I

I

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~M~~~~~mnn~N~~n~rooom~~~~

~~OO~~~M~~~~Mmnn~N~~n~rooom~~~~ AlJTUMN

SPRING

Wexford: Great Saltee Island from 22nd September to 4th October 1951. Kent: Wicks, Dungeness, on 12th September 1951. Devon: Prawle Point on 20th October 1959. Lincolnshire: Butlin's Holiday Camp, Skegness, on 2nd-9th September 1963. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 20th April 1968. Yorkshire (Humberside): Flamborough Head on 5th-6th October 1972. Devon: Prawle Point on 9th August 1980.

Thrush Nightingale lSuscinia luscinia

Breeds from Denmark and southern Sweden east to south and central Siberia. Winters east Africa, mainly in tropics. Very closely resembles Nightingale L. megarhynchos, but has dusky-mottled breast and colder brown upperparts and rump, with less rufous in tail; song similar but contains more harsh notes and lacks crescendo phrase of Nightingale. Brit. Birds, 69: 265; 76: 119.

15! 12

9

6

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The records were in May to early June and late July to early October, with 70% in May. The 64 records in the period compare with just two prior to 1958 (both in May, on Fair Isle, Shetland, in 1911 and 1957). A dramatic increase has occurred since 214

I

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~WOO~~~~~~~~~ronnn~~~nn~OOm~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

1970, in line with the increase in breeding numbers in northwest Europe (Brit. Birds, 76: 118). Future breeding in eastern Britain seems a distinct possibility. All spring records were in Scotland and the North Sea counties of England from Northumberland to Suffolk, with 50% of the total at this season in Shetland (mostly on Fair Isle). The fewer autumn records were more scattered and included three in the extreme southwest. One ringed in Vestfold, Norway, on 14th August 1984 was seen at Beachy Head, East Sussex, from 26th August to 1st September 1984.

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215

Siberian Ruby throat Luscinia calliope

Breeds Siberia from the Urals eastwards. Winters India to southeast Asia and Philippines. In size and shape resembles long-legged Bluethroat, with wings held drooped and tail cocked in the same way; upperparts brown, more rufous on rump and wings; underparts pale buff with whitish belly, supercilium and submoustachial stripes; throat bright red in adult male, white in female and immature. Brit. Birds, 72: 89;73: 108;74: 99. There has been one record: Shetland: Fair Isle on 9th-11th October 1975.

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica

Breeds Iberia, France, Norway and north Sweden across Eurasia to northeast Siberia and Mongolia. Western Palearctic population winters mainly Sahel zone of south Sahara and Saudi Arabia. Brit. Birds, 61: 524; 76: 119; Dutch Birding, 7: 18. Like a slim, long-legged Robin Erithacus rubecula with striking white supercilium and reddish-orange sides to base of longish tail; male has striking blue throat and upper breast with red spot (Scandinavia and Russia) or white spot (central and southern Europe) and whitish lower breast and belly; female and immature lack bright throat and breast colouration and have narrow, dark-streaked gorget. 216

100 600 500

300 200

100

FEB

MAR

APR

DEC

There were records in all months except July and December, but the 3,021 records during 1958-85 were concentrated into spring (62% of the total, almost all in May) and autumn (38% of the total, mainly in September). The small, early peak in the spring section of the weekly histogram is associated with birds of the white-spotted form which, having a more southerly distribution, tend to occur earlier than the more numerous Scandinavian red-spotted birds.

300

zoo 100

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 AUTUMN

SPRING

• •

1-10 11-20

•

21-30

•

31-50

•

51-70

••

••

•

•

928

217

Bluethroat-continued Numbers in spring have generally increased during the period. This may only reflect the growth in the number of observers, but the tendency to ever increasing influxes at this season (especially, 1970, 1981 and 1985) could reflect a real change in distributional or migration patterns. The 1985 influx of at least 590 birds represented 19% of the total recorded throughout the period. In complete contrast, the autumn records have declined somewhat (from a peak during about 1965-69), again suggesting a change in migration pattern. Spring records show a good scatter across Britain but have a clear northeasterly bias (with Shetland producing 49% of the total at this season), as might be expected for a species with a primarily Scandinavian origin (the great majority of males are of the red-spotted form; the south European white-spotted being much scarcer). The autumn pattern is similar (21 % in Shetland) but with fewer inland records and more on the south coast. The south coast birds tend to be slightly later than those on the east coast, suggesting that they are birds moving south from an earlier arrival in the northeast.

Red-flanked Bluetail T arsiger cyanurus

Breeds from Finland eastwards to Japan. Winters southeast Asia. Adult males unmistakable with blue-grey upperparts - cobalt-blue shoulders, rump and sides to tail - and white underparts with orange flanks; females and immatures are olive-brown above, with blue rump and blue-grey tail, and white throat demarcated by olive-grey wash on breast. Brit. Birds, 66: 3, 282; 73: 107, 314.

:r

I

• I

JAN

1[

FEB

MAR

•

APR

MAY

JUN

.1I

JUL

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••••

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~oo~.aM~.~.~mnnn~~ronro~oo~.roM~

SPRING

~~w~.aM~.~.~mnnn~~ronro~oo~.roM~

AUTUMN

There have been ten records, seven of them since 1958 (mapped): Lincolnshire: North Cotes in September 1903. Shetland: Whalsay, shot, on 7th October 1947. Kent: Sandwich, male, dead, on 28th October 1956. Northumberland: Hartley, female or first-winter, on 16th October 1960. 218

•

1

•

2

Shetland: FetIar, male, from 31st May to 1st June 1971. Fife: Isle of May, immature, on 14th-15th October 1975. Fife: Fife Ness on 28th October 1976. Lincolnshire: Donna Nook, immature female, on 10th October 1978. Shetland: Fair Isle, immature, on 29th-30th September 1981. Shetland: Fair Isle, female or immature, on 21st September 1984.

White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis

Breeds from Turkey east to Iran and Kirgiz. Winters east Africa. Like B1uethroat in shape but slightly larger with longer black tail; male has slate-grey upperparts, blackish cheek, white supercilium and throat patch, and rich buff underparts; female much browner grey, with cheek grey and lacks white supercilium. There has been only one record: Isle of Man: Calf of Man, male, on 22nd June 1983. 219

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus

Breeds from south central Siberia and Mongolia eastwards to Sea of Japan. Winters Japan and southern China. Resembles Common Redstart P. phoenicurus but has white wing-flash (bases to secondary feathers) and orange, not whitish, belly and undertail coverts. Male has rest of wings, back and mantle blackish and lacks white forehead but has black face-patch separated from grey crown by broad white, down-curving supercilium. Birding World, 1: 162. There has been one Western Palearctic record: Fife: Isle of May, male, died, on 29th-30th April 1988. This record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

Moussier's Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri

Breeds Morocco, Algeria and northwest Tunisia. Resident or short-distance migrant within northwest Africa. Like a small Common Redstart P. phoenicurus but male has black upperparts with striking white wing-patch, broad white supercilia which meet above black forehead and entire underparts orange (including throat). Birding World, I: 160. There has been one record: Pembrokeshire (Dyfed): Dinas Head, male, on 24th April 1988. This record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list. 220

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina

Breeds from southwest USSR, southern Greece and Middle East eastwards to Mongolia. Winters Sahel zone of south Sahara, Arabia and Pakistan. Closely resembles rather pale female Wheatear O. oenanthe but slightly larger and longer-legged, with broader dark tail-band, pale buffish-white under wing coverts and isolated dark alula feather. Brit. Birds. 74: 181, 182; 80: 137, 187; Dutch Birding, 8: 12. There have been five records, three of them in the period: Cumberland: Allonby on llth November 1887. Norfolk: Winterton on 28th May 1977 Kincardineshire (Grampian): Girdleness, immature, from at least 17th October to 10th November 1979. Northumberland: Bamburgh on 16th-20th September 1980. Scilly: St Mary's on 2nd-3rd October 1988.

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka

Breeds Bulgaria and Romania eastwards across south Central Asia to Mongolia. Winters east Africa. Slightly smaller and more slender than Wheatear O. omanthe with black tailband narrower on all but outer feathers on which black extends further forward; like Black-eared Wheatear, perches more often on trees, etc, than does Wheatear; male has black back, wings and mask, with rest of underparts whitish (tinged buff except on undertail coverts) and crown and nape whitish; female closely resembles female Black-eared Wheatear but back and mantle darker and fringed distally with pale buff in fresh plumage. Identification of female and immature wheatears requires great care. Brit. Birds. 80: 137, 187. 221

Pied Wheatear-continued

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~~~~~~M~ronnnNm~n~~OO~~~M~

SPRING

~~~~~~~~~~M~ronnnNm~n~~OO~~~M~

AUTUMN

There have been fourteen records, nine of them during 1959-85 (mapped): Fife: Isle of May, female, on 19th October 1909. Orkney: Swona, female, on 1st November 1916. Dorset: Portland Bill, female, on 17th-19th October 1954. Pembrokeshire: Skokholm, female, on 27th October 1968. Aberdeenshire (Grampian): Mouth of River Don, adult male, from 26th September to 7th October 1976. Norfolk: Winterton, first-summer male, on 28th May 1978. Northumberland: Boulmer, adult male, on 28th-29th October 1979. Cork: Knockadoon Head, male, on 8th-16th November 1980. Norfolk: Weybourne, female, from 30th October to 4th November 1983. Wexford: Ballynaclesh, first-winter male, on 19th-20th November 1983. Devon: Preston, Paignton, female, on 4th-6th December 1983. Norfolk: Sheringham, first-winter male, on 21st-23rd November 1985. Kent: Reculver, male, on 18th-19th October 1986. Kent: Foreness, male, on 7th November 1987 .

.~

222

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Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa through southern Europe east to Iran. Winters Sahel zone of south Sahara. Slightly smaller and more slender than Wheatear O. oenanthe, and more prone to perch on trees, bushes, etc. Males have black mask, with throat either white or black; body pale buff; wings and scapulars black; distinguished from Wheatear by narrower, often broken and irregular, black tail-band; female closely resembles Pied Wheatear, but back and mantle slightly paler and browner and lacks pale buff fringes to feathers. Brit. Birds, 80: 137, 187.

i~

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MAR

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3

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223

Black-eared Wheatear-continued

:~

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II

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~oo~~aM~~~~wmnn~H~~nn~oo~~~~~

.~oo~~aM~~~~wmnn~H~~nro~oo~~~~~

AUTUMN

SPRING

The records were in April to June and late August to early Octob~r, with one (Caithness 1969) in early July. Previous records were mostly in April-May (8) and September (4), with others in March, June and November. The 23 records in the period compare with 15 before 1958. Records were well scattered and unpredictable at both seasons, but with a south and east coastal bias. Only Shetland, with five, and Norfolk, with three, produced more than two during the period. Most have been short-stayers.

Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti

Breeds north Africa from northern Sahara, Arabia and southern Caucasus east to Mongolia. Winters Sahara, Arabia and Pakistan. Slightly smaller and more slender than Wheatear O. oenanthe with at least the distal 50-60% of tail wholly black; buffish upperparts and underparts; male has black throat like some Black-eared Wheatears. Brit. Birds, 80: l37, 187.

I JAN

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ! I I ! I ! J I ~~oo~~aM~~~~wmnn~H~~nro~oo~~~~~ SPRING

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I .~OO~~~M~~~.wmnn~H~~nro~oo~~~~~

AUTUMN

There have been 12 records in the period (mapped) and five since: Essex: East Mersea, immature male, from 12th January to 3rd February 1958. Sussex: Selsey Bill, female, from 28th October to 8th November 1960. Hampshire: Farlington Marshes, female, on 4th-19th November 1961. 224

I

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Yorkshire: Easington on 16th-19th April 1962. Sussex: Beachy Head, male, on 17th-21st April 1966. Lincolnshire: Donna Nook, immature male, on 23rd September 1970. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 20th November 1970. Yorkshire: Fraisthorpe, male, from 29th November to 1st December 1974. Scilly: St Agnes, male, on 23rd-30th March 1976. Norfolk: Cley, male, on 14th-17th October 1978. Cornwall: Porthgwarra, male, on 17th-20th November 1984. Caithness (Highland): Freswick, male, from 26th December 1984 to 13th January 1985. Lancashire (Cumbria): South Walney on 15th-21st November 1986. Essex: Walton-on-the-Naze on 12th October 1987. Suffolk: Landguard, male, on 20th-24th October 1987. Devon: Prawle, male, on 26th-30th October 1987 (same as above ringed Suffolk individual). Orkney: South Ronaldsay, male, on 21st-30th October 1988. Shetland: Boddam, female, on 2nd-3rd November 1988. There were 11 prior to 1958: in Cornwall, Norfolk, Yorkshire (2), Durham, Clackmannanshire, Angus, Orkney and Shetland (3).

225

White-crowned Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga

Breeds north Africa and Arabia. Mainly sedentary. An all black wheatear with white rump and tail-pattern like Black-eared Wheatear: black tail-band very narrow and broken with white on outer feathers; some individuals have white crown. Brit. Birds, 79: 221; 80: 137, 187. There has been only one certain record: Suffolk: Kessingland, male, on 1st or 2nd to 5th June 1982. In addition, a bird at Portnoo, Donegal, on 10th June 1964 is considered to have been either this species or Black Wheatear O. leucura.

Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura

Breeds Iberia, southern France, northwest Italy and northwest Africa. Mainly sedentary. Larger, and more thrush-like in shape, than any other European wheatear; tail pattern like Wheatear O. oenanthe and undertail coverts white; otherwise entirely black except for tinge of brown in wings; female similar but browner. Brit. Birds, 48: 132; 53: 553. There have been four records, all before 1958: Shetland: Fair Isle on 28th-30th September 1912. Cheshire: Altrincham on 1st August 1943. Shetland: Fair Isle on 19th October 1953. Kent: Dungeness on 17th October 1954.

226

Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa, through southern Europe (north to Switzerland) eastwards to Mongolia. Winters Sahel zone of south Sahara to Kenya. Brit. Birds, 62: 63.

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SPRING

All records in the period were during mid April to June, apart from one at Minster, Kent, from 5th February to 1st April 1983 and one on St Mary's, Scilly,

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Rock Thrush-continued on 16th-18th October 1984. Those prior to 1958 were in May-June (4) and October-November (2). The 14 during 1958--85 compare with six before 1958. The records were well scattered, as were the previous ones - in spring in Kent, Hertfordshire and Orkney (2), and in autumn in Shetland (2).

White's Thrush Zoothera dauma

Breeds from central Siberia east to Japan and south to New Guinea. Northern populations winter southeast Asia. Resembles Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus but is even larger, with striking gold-and-black-and-white crescentic barring on upperparts and underparts; underwing has bold black-and-white stripes; vaguely similar Mistle Thrushes distinguished by white underwing and lack of mottling on rump. Brit. Birds, 46: 455 .

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There have been 12 records in the period: Shetland: Fair Isle on 6th November 1958. Durham: South Shields on 7th November 1959. Cheshire: Weaverham on 7th May 1964. Scilly: Tresco on 3rd-4th November 1965. G10ucestershire: Lechlade on 30th October 1966. Shetland: Fair Isle on 13th February 1971. Shetland: Fair Isle, immature, on 24th-25th September 1973. Shetland: Whalsay on 11th October 1975. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Felixkirk, Thirsk, on 18th-19th December 1976. Lanarkshire (Strathclyde): Libberton on 2nd January 1979. Devon: Salcombe on 12 January 1984. Shetland: Catfirth on 10th October 1985. 228

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There were 29 records prior to 1958, of which only four were since 1940.

Siberian Thrush Zoothera sibirica

Breeds from central Siberia east to Japan. Winters India, southeast Asia and Indonesia. Male resembles male Blackbird Turdus merula but has striking white supercilium and whitish mottled undertail, black-and-white underwing stripes, black bill and yellow legs. Female and immature brown with barred underparts and conspicuous pale supercilium. Brit. Birds, 48: 21, 517; 72: 121; 81: 73. There have been five records, four of them in the period: Fife: Isle of May, adult male, on 2nd October 1954. Hampshire: Alice Holt Forest, male, on 28th December 1976. Norfolk: Great Yarmouth, male, on 25th December 1977. Orkney: Widewall, South Ronaldsay, male, on 13th November 1984. Cork: Cape Clear Island, immature female, on 18th October 1985. 229

Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius

Breeds north California to northwest Alaska. Winters southwest Canada to south California. A large thrush with slate-grey upperparts and striking orange-buff double wingbars, supercilium and underparts; male has bold black breast-band; female similar but duller and browner, with indistinct breast-band. Brit. Birds, 76: 99. There has been just one Western Palearctic record: Cornwall: Nanquidno on 19th-25th November 1982.

Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina

Breeds North America. Winters Central America south to Panama. Resembles a small, brightly-<:oloured Song Thrush Turdus philomelos; upperparts reddish-brown, brightest on head and nape; underparts creamy-white with very bold black spotting; conspicuous white eye-ring. Twitching, I: 299. There has been only one record: Scilly: St Agnes on 7th October 1987. The record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

230

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

Breeds North America north to Arctic. Winters southern USA south to Guatemala. Small thrush, resembling Grey-cheeked in size and shape, but has reddish or chestnut-brown tail contrasting with olive-brown back. Brit. Birds, 72: 414; 79: 297. There have been three records: Shetland: Fair Isle on 2nd June 1975. Scilly: St Mary's on 28th October 1984. Scilly: St Agnes on 15th-16th October 1987.

Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus

Breeds North America north to Arctic. Winters from Central America south to Argentina. Very similar to Grey-cheeked Thrush but distinguished by earcoverts uniform with rest of head, and conspicuous buff eye-ring. Brit. Birds, 72: 346; 74: 301. There have been thirteen records, nine of them in the period (mapped): Mayo: Blackrock Lighthouse, dead, on 26th May 1956. Pembrokeshire: Skokholm on 14th-19th October 1967. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 14th-16th October 1968 .

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231

Swainson's Thrush-continued

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Kent: Sandwich Bay on 27th October 1976. Scilly: St Mary's, first-winter, on 20th-28th October 1979. Cornwall: StJust on 21st October 1979. Scilly: Tresco on 23rd-28th October 1979. Shetland: Scatness on 25th-29th October 1980. Scilly: St Mary's on 17th-19th October 1983. Scilly: St Agnes from 30th September to 11th October 1984. Cornwall: Cot valley on 11 th-20th October 1987. Scilly: St Mary's on 12th-13th October 1987. Devon: Lundy on 15th-31st October 1987.

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Grey-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus

Breeds northern North America and northeastern Siberia. Winters South America south to Peru and Brazil. Like tiny plump Song Thrush Turdus phi/orne/os. Distinguished from other small thrushes by greyish earcoverts, lack of rufous in plumage and absence of distinct eye-ring. Brit. Birds, 72: 346; 74: 301. 10

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All of the 19 records in the period were during the three weeks 10th-31st October, apart from one at Lossiemouth, Morayshire, on 26th November 1965. The only previous record was on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 5th--6th October 1953. Three of the first eight British records were on Bardsey, Caernarvonshire (1961, 1968 and 1971), but seven of the next 11 were on Scilly where multiple arrivals occurred in 1976 (4) and also in 1986 (7), in which year there were a further three in west Cornwall. These multiple arrivals were associated with exceptional westerly storms which presumably resulted in the successful Atlantic crossings. Many of those found have been exhausted, dead or dying.

Veery Catharus fuscescens

Breeds North America. Winters northern South America. Resembles Grey-cheeked and Swainson's Thrushes in size and shape, but has rich warm brown or rusty upperparts and less distinctive and less extensive spots on breast. Best distinguished from superficially similar Thrush Nightingale by slightly notched, not rounded, tail. Brit. Birds, 65: 45; Twitching, 1: 371. There have been two records: Cornwall: Porthgwarra on 6th October 1970. Devon: Lundy from 10th October to 11th November 1987.

234

Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus

Breeds Siberia. Winters India to southeast Asia, Philippines and south Japan. Slightly larger than Redwing T. iliacus; prominent white supercilium and unstreaked underparts with apricot-coloured flanks. Brit. Birds, 61: 218. There has been a total of eleven records, eight in the period (which are mapped) and three since: Northamptonshire: Oundle on 5th October 1964. Outer Hebrides: North Rona on 16th October 1964. Scilly: St Agnes on 5th December 1964. Renfrewshire (Strathclyde): Lochwinnoch, male, on 22nd October 1978. Yorkshire (Humberside): Aldbrough on 16th-23rd April1981. Aberdeenshire (Grampian): Newburgh on 27th May 1981.

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235

Eye-browed Thrush-continued

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SPRING

Orkney: Evie, immature, on 25th-26th September 1984. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 20th October 1984. Shetland: Fair Isle on 7th-15th October 1987. Scilly: St Mary's on 12th October 1987. Scilly: St Agnes on 27th October 1987.

Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni

Breeds Siberia. Winters Assam to southeast Asia and Japan. Size of Song Thrush T. phi/ome/os, with whitish supercilium; two blackish breast-bands (lower one incomplete); wings and rump with much chestnut; tail dark. Brit. Birds, 53: 275.

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AUTUMN

There have been eight records, six of them in the period (mapped): Nottinghamshire: Gunthorpe, shot, on 13th October 1905. Durham: Hartlepool, first-winter male, from 12th December 1959 to 24th February 1960. 236

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Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter female, on 18th-21st October 1961. Shetland: Whalsay on 24th September 1968. Shetland: Firth on 6th-13th November 1975. Warwickshire (West Midlands): Shirley from 17th February to 23rd March 1979. Cornwall: Coombe Valley, Bude, on 13th November 1983. Pembrokeshire (Dyfed): Skomer on 4th~th December 1987.

237

Black-throated Thrush Turdus rujicollis

Breeds central Asia. Winters Iran to northern India and Burma. Slightly larger than Song Thrush T. philomelos, with upright stance recalling Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe; uniform grey-brown upperparts and whitish lower breast and belly; underwings rufous; male has black throat and upper breast; this area is whitish speckled with black in female and immature.

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238

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There have been 17 records, 11 of them during 1958-85 (mapped): Sussex: Lewes, male, on 23rd December 1868. Perthshire: near Perth in February 1879. Shetland: Fair Isle from 8th December 1957 to 22nd January 1958. Shetland: Toab, adult female, on 5th-6th October 1974. Norfolk: Holkham, immature, on 21st-24th October 1975. Norfolk: Coltishall from 21st February to 3rd April 1976 (perhaps the same as the above Holkham bird). Shetland: Loch of Hillwell, female, on 6th-14th November 1977. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 17th October 1978. Staffordshire: in north of county, immature, on 26th November 1978. Northumberland: Holy Island, male, on 28th January 1979. Shetland: Rova Head, first-winter, on 7th December 1981. Scilly: St Mary's on 7th-14th October 1982. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 13th October 1982. Cheshire (Greater Manchester): Sale Meadows, male, on 24th November 1984. Yorkshire (South Yorkshire): Sheffield, first-winter, on 9th-20th January 1987. Scilly: St Mary's on 23rd-24th October 1987. Shetland: Bigton, male, on 30th October 1987.

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Breeds North America north to Arctic. Winters USA south to Guatemala. Shape, behaviour and size resemble Blackbird T. merula but has rufous breast and belly, and white chin, throat, incomplete orbital ring, undertail coverts and tips to outertail feathers.

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AUTUMN

The 18 records in the period were mostly in November-February, but there were also two in May and one in June. The previous records, four in 1952-55 and 239

American Robin-continued seven in 1876-1937, formed a similar pattern: September, October (3), December (4), January, April or May and May. Though there is a risk of escapes, the pattern of records, mostly in the west and also in the northern isles, suggests that transatlantic vagrants are involved in the majority of cases. Past records show a similar pattern, with seven out of 11 in the west (five in Ireland, two in Devon, two in Kent and singles in Leicestershire and Shropshire).

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Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis

Breeds in Mediterranean basin, Atlantic (and recently Channel) coasts of France, central and southern Africa, and southern Asia to Australia. Mainly resident but dispersive. Brit. Birds, 70: 153; 71: 275; 73: 37. 240

Resembles a tiny streaked Acrocepha/us, with short, rounded, black-and-white tipped tail, which is often cocked, and short rounded wings; back and crown bright buff with dark streaks; rump tinged rufous; to be distinguished with care from other species of grass-warbler. Brit. Birds, 65: 501; 68: 45. There have been four records: Cork: Cape Clear Island on 23rd April 1962. Norfolk: Cley on 24th August, and then Holme from 29th August to 5th September 1976. Dorset: Lodmoor on 24th-28th June 1977. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 18th April 1985.

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola

Breeds western Siberia and central Asia to Japan. Winters southeast Asia. Like Grasshopper Warbler L. naevia and best distinguished by greyish-white tips to tail feathers (more prominent on underside) and rufous rump and uppertail coverts. Brit. Birds, 64: 197; 73: 398, 417; 75: 133; 76: 88. There have been 12 records, but only five were in the period: Dublin: Rockabill Lighthouse, male, on 28th September 1908. Shetland: Fair Isle on 6th-9th October 1949. Shetland: Fair Isle on 2nd October 1956. Norfolk: Cley on 13th September 1976. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 20th-24th September 1976. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 21st September 1981. Shetland: Out Skerries, first-winter, on 4th-8th October 1983. NorthulTlberland: Farne Islands on 26th October 1985. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 26th September 1986. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 5th October 1988. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 9th October 1988. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 12th October 1988.

241

Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata

Breeds east Eurasia from central USSR to north Japan. Winters southeast Asia. Like a tiny, drab-coloured Grasshopper Warbler L. naevia and even more skulking; often creeps like a mouse; neat gorget of fine streaking on upper breast. Brit. Birds, 54: 142.

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All records during the period were in autumn, September to mid November, and all but two were between 14th September and 14th October. Previous occurrences

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showed a similar pattern, but with one in spring (on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 2nd May 1953).

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AlITUMN

The 27 records in the period compare with nine before 1958. There was a pattern of short bursts ofrecords - three in 1908--10, three in 1925-28, singles in 1938, 1953 and 1957 and then, in the period, three in 1960-61. This perhaps suggests high population levels in central USSR being reflected here. Since 1973, however, there has been a dramatic and more sustained increase in line with the westward spread towards Finland (Brit. Birds, 80: 14). Fair Isle, Shetland, hosted 21 of the 27 records. This tiny island with its sparse cover and intensive watching is the ideal site for finding this inconspicuous, skulking species. One can only wonder how many others go undetected elsewhere. Both birds away from Shetland (Damerham, Hampshire, on 23rd September 1980 and Prior's Park, Northumberland (Tyne & Wear), on 13th November 1984) were unseen until discovered in mist-nets.

243

River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis

Breeds from Poland eastwards to western Siberia. Winters east Africa. Differs from Grasshopper Warbler L. naevia by dark olive-brown upperparts being un streaked, and whitish underparts having indistinct grey-brown streaking on throat and upper breast. Brit. Birds, 55: 137; 66: 312; 77: 205, 213, 214; 79: 283.

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There have been 10 records: Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 24th-25th September 1961. Shetland: Fair Isle on 16th September 1969. Caernarvonshire: Bardsey, dying at lighthouse, on 17th September 1969. Shetland: Fair Isle on 23rd-24th (found dead 25th) May 1981.

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Norfolk: Roydon from 29th May to 6th June 1981. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn, first-winter, on 24th August 1981. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, 22nd September 1982. Shetland: Fair Isle, adult, on 24th-26th September 1982. Shetland: Fair Isle on 7th June 1984. Suffolk: locality withheld, from l3th July to 3rd August 1984.

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon

Breeds Mediterranean region, eastern Europe and southwest Asia. Mainly resident or short-distance migrant. Similar to Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus, but crown black, supercilium white and square-ended, underparts whiter and less creamy and upperparts more rufous; cocks tail at times; beware variation in Sedge Warblers. Brit. Birds. 40: 98; 41: 360, 387; 73: 367; 75: 346. There have been five records, including a remarkable instance of breeding: Cambridgeshire: Cambridge sewage farm, pair seen feeding three young, on 3rd-20th August 1946. Hampshire: Totton, two, on 13th August 1951. Kent: Cliffe on 14th Apri11952. Buckinghamshire: Wendover on 31 st July 1965. Sussex (West Sussex): Angmering on 18th August 1979.

245

Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola

Breeds from Germany eastwards through European USSR; also northern Italy, Hungary. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Resembles sandy-coloured Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus but back more heavily streaked black, giving greater contrast, and streaking extends onto rump; prominent buff crown-stripe and supercilium give head a very stripy appearance; young Sedge Warblers with crown-stripe are a trap for the unwary. Brit. Birds, 76: 342; 77: 377. 150

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AUTUMN

All records but one were in autumn, with most in August-September. The sole spring record was at Blagdon Reservoir, Somerset, on 13th May 1963. There were about 50 records before 1958, compared with 650 during the period. A slight increase has been maintained through the period but the exceptional peaks during 1972-77 were due largely to intensive Acrocephalus ringing programmes in those years at a number of south coast reed bed localities, notably at Radipole Lake, Dorset (where 22 were trapped in 1972), and Marazion Marsh, Cornwall. The records are strongly concentrated on the south coast. This suggests arrival with a greater southerly than easterly element which is perhaps surprising in view of the eastern breeding range. However, the southerly bias may have been exaggerated by the concentration of reed bed ringing sites on the south coast. 246

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Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola

Breeds from southwestern USSR through Central Asia to Mongolia. Winters India and southeast Asia. Bright and rather rufous, with striking creamy or off-white supercilium, much more prominent than in other species of unstreaked Acrocephalus; looks long-tailed and short-winged, with short primary projection. Brit. Birds, 66: 385; 73: 399.

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There have been 18 records, ten of them during 1958-85 (mapped): Shetland: Fair Isle on 1st October 1925. Shetland: Fair Isle on 16th September 1953. Durham: Hartlepool on 18th-21st September 1969. Scilly: St Mary's from 30th September to 15th October 1974 .

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Northulllberland: Low Hauxley on 12th October 1974. Northulllberland (Tyne & Wear): Priors Park on 27th September 1981. Hertfordshire: Tring Reservoirs on 9th November 1981. Lancashire (Cumbria): South Walney on 11th-13th September 1982. Scilly: St Mary's on 26th-27th September 1983. Shetland: Fair Isle on 30th May 1984. Durhalll (Cleveland): Hartlepool on 27th-28th October 1984. Wexford: North Slob on 3rd December 1984 (died on 4th). Shetland: Fair Isle on 26th September to 1st October 1986. Shetland: Fair Isle on 22nd September 1987. *Essex: Walton on the Naze on 11th October 1987. Fife: Isle of May on 5th June 1988. Suffolk: Landguard Point on 11 th June 1988. *Scilly: Tresco on 28th October 1988.

Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum

Breeds from Finland eastwards through central and southern Asia. Winters India and southeast Asia. Very similar to Marsh Warbler A. palustris and Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus but upperparts cold earth-brown (not olive-brown or rufous-brown) in autumn, greyer in spring; best distinguished, with care, by lack of pale edges to wing feathers giving very plain appearance; legs greyish; short, indistinct supercilium bulging before eyes; slightly shorter wings and longer bill than Reed Warbler. Brit. Birds, 77: 393; 79: 392; Birding World, 1: 49, 180. There have been 12 records (of 15 or 16 individuals), but only four of them were during the period: Shetland: Fair Isle on 29th-30th September 1910. Yorkshire: Spurn on 20th September 1912. Shetland: Fair Isle, four or five single birds during 24th September to 1st October 1912. 249

Blyth's Reed Warbler-continued Northumberland: Holy Island on 25th September 1912. Norfolk: Dudgeon Lightship on 20th-21st October 1912. Shetland: Fair Isle on 24th September 1928. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 13th-19th October 1969. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Filey Brigg on 30th August 1975. Orkney: Holm on 5th-13th October 1979. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn, male, on 28th May 1984. Shetland: Fair Isle on 26th-29th September 1987. Northumberland (Tyne & Wear): Prior's Park on 20th-21st October 1987.

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Breeds northwest Africa and most of continental Europe, north to southern Sweden and east to Sinkiang-Uigur. Winters Africa south of Sahara. Europe's largest warbler, long-tailed, rather rufous, with marked pale supercilium; strident song from reed-beds may attract attention before bird is seen; very similar to more eastern Clamorous Reed Warbler A. stentoreus, which looks marginally paler, longer and slimmer in the field. Brit. Birds, 66: 383; 76: 122; 81: 280. 25 20

1S 10

SEP

.

-

Though records extended from April to November, 81 % were in spring, mostly mid May to mid June. The small autumn peak was in late August, but at that season silent birds are more likely to be overlooked than the vocal ones in spring. The three late records were all in the southwest (two at Thurlestone, Devon, in October 1969 and November 1972, and one on St Mary's, SciIIy, in October 1978). 250

4

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~M~~~M~mnn~N~~nm~M~~~M~

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 117 records in the period compare with 23 before 1958. Great Reed Warblers occurred at an average of four per year throughout the period and did not show an increase in line with the numbers of observers, so a real decline is perhaps indicated. The spring records show a southeasterly bias but also a concentration in Shetland, a pattern shared by other overshooting southern vagrants. In autumn, all occurrences were in the southern half of Britain and were clearly divided into southeastern (mean arrival third week of August) and southwestern (mean arrival last week of September) concentrations.

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251

Thick-billed Warbler Acrocephalus aedon

Breeds southern Siberia, Mongolia, Manchuria, northeast China and Japan. Winters India to southeast Asia. Size of Great Reed Warbler but lacks supercilium and blackish throat streaks and bill is much shorter and deeper; also has relatively shorter wings and longer, more rounded tail; shape and colour resemble Garden Warbler Sylvia borin (but larger). Brit. Birds, 49: 89; 60: 239; 76: 186. There have been two records: Shetland: Fair Isle on 6th October 1955. Shetland: Whalsay on 23rd September 1971.

Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida

Breeds Iberia, north Africa and Balkans east to Pakistan and Kazakhstan. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Like Melodious Warbler, with short wings, but bill much longer and more dagger-like, with yellowish base, and plumage lacks green or yellow; pale outer tail feathers; somewhat resembles greyish-brown Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus but Hippolais lack long undertail coverts of Acrocephalus. Brit. Birds, 57: 282; 77: 393.

..L . I

JAN

252

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

I

SEP

OCT

I NOV

DEC

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I MW~~~~~~~~M~ronnnN~~nnN~~~~M~

AUTUMN

There have been 14 records, 12 of them in the period (mapped): Pembrokeshire: Skokholm from 23rd September to 3rd October 1951. Dorset: Portland on 16th August 1956. Donegal: Tory Island on 29th September 1959. Scilly: St Agnes on 3rd-4th October 1961. Dorset: Easton, Portland, on 5th September 1962. Scilly: St Agnes from 30th September to 2nd October 1962. Dorset: Portland on 27th August 1967. Fife: Isle of May on 24th-26th September 1967. Kent: Sandwich Bay on 27th September 1967. Cornwall: Porthgwarra on 14th September 1968. Yorkshire (Humberside): Flamborough Head on 22nd October 1976. Cork: Dursey Island on 16th September 1977. Scilly: St Mary's on 16th-26th October 1984. Scilly: St Mary's on 17th-27th October 1985.

• • •

2 3

•

4

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253

Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata

Breeds from northwestern USSR east to western Mongolia and south to southern Iran. Winters India. Small, short-winged and only slightly larger than Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita with, for Hippolais, small weak bill; uniform grey-brown upperparts, indistinct supercilium, thin pale eye-ring and thin pale outer margins to tail. Brit. Birds, 57: 282; 72: 436; 79: 588.

•••

•••

254

The 21 records during 1958-85 were all between 20th August and the end of October. The only one prior to 1958 was also in the same period (on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 3rd September 1936).

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~~~~~goo~ronn~~m~n~~M~~~~M

AUTUMN

Formerly a late August to September Fair Isle speciality, with six of the nine before 1977; strangely, records there have since ceased and now Scilly in October is the best place and time to see this species, with four since 1980. There were no mainland records before 1977, but since then there have been eight in eastern and southern coastal counties of England.

Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina

Breeds from northeast France north to Norway and Sweden and east to western Siberia; also northern Iran. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Larger and more robust than Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochi/us, with long pink bill and greyish legs; pale-edged secondaries give contrasting wing panel; long primary projection; adults have olive upperparts and lemon-yellow underparts; juveniles much greyer above and virtually lack yellow below. Brit. Birds, 57: 282; 77: 116. .lOO 250 200

150 100

50

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

255

Icterine Warbler-continued The records were all between April and December, with 14% of the total of 1,990 during 1958-85 in spring (mostly mid May to mid June) and 86% in autumn (mostly August to October, peaking in early September). 150

100

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AUTUMN

SPRING

Numbers during the period have increased both in spring and autumn (peaking in autumn 1977 with 160 recorded) largely in line with the increase in observers. Spring records show a strong east coast bias (with most, 51%, in Shetland) pointing to an arrival from across the North Sea. Autumn records are spread on the east and south coasts (with most, 17%, in Norfolk), suggesting arrival on a broader front, including across the English Channel, and also that some birds, having arrived earlier in the northeast, have filtered south and west.

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256

1-10 11-20 21-40 41-60 61-90 91-120

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Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta

Breeds northwest Africa, Iberia, France, Switzerland and Italy. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Distinguished from Icterine Warbler by shorter primary projection, lack of pale secondary panel, usually browner legs and usually yellower underparts ( juveniles often yellow on throat and upper breast). Brit. Birds, 57: 282; 77: 116.

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1-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31-50 51-70

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Melodious Warbler-continued 60 40

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SPRING

AUTUMN

The 871 records during 1958-85 were divided into spring (6%, mostly mid May to mid June) and autumn (94%, mostly August to mid October). Numbers have increased slightly during the period, perhaps less than the growth in numbers of observers. The relatively few spring records were well scattered, but with a noticeable southeast bias (most, 24%, in Kent), as would be expected for a species which breeds across the English Channel. The much larger number of autumn occurrences shows a south and southwest bias (with 23% in Scilly and 18% in Dorset). Very few were recorded on the east coast at either season, pointing to the expected southerly origin.

Marmora's Warbler Sylvia sarda

Breeds western Mediterranean islands and sparsely on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Mainly resident but some movement to Algeria and Tunisia occurs in winter. Distinguished from similar Dartford Warbler S. undata by grey underparts. Brit. Birds, 78: 475. There has been only one record: Yorkshire (South Yorkshire): Midhope Moor, male, from 15th May to 24th July 1982.

258

Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans

Breeds south Europe, west Turkey and northwest Africa. Winters in Sahel zone of south Sahara. Superficially resembles Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca but lacks dark ear-coverts; legs pinkish-yellow; wing feathers edged warm brown lack bright rufous tone of Spectacled Warbler S. conspicillata; males have blue-grey upperparts and pink underparts with white moustaches; females and immatures duller and browner above, and with pale suggestion of underparts pattern and colouration of male. Brit. Birds, 55: 90; 60: 123. 26 16

12

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FEB

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APR

MAR

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259

Subalpine Warbler-continued There were records in every month from April to November, but 76% occurred in spring, with most in May. Those prior to 1958 were all in May-June (8) or September-October (4).

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SPRING

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The 143 in the period compare with only 12 prior to 1958. Records have been steadily increasing, especially in spring, reaching a peak of 17 in 1985. Records, especially in spring, were well scattered but almost all were at coastal sites. In spring, Shetland (especially Fair Isle) dominated, with 26% of the records, while in autumn, Scilly did best, with 28%. In autumn, apart from Scilly, there was more of an east coast bias, suggesting a southeastern rather than southern origin at that season.

260

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala

Breeds Mediterranean basin eastwards to Afghanistan. Resident and partial migrant south to Sahara in winter. Resembles plump Whitethroat S. communis in shape, but has heavier bill and no rufous in wing. Male has glossy black cap extending to below eye, grey upperparts and conspicuous red eye-ring; female browner, with brown cap like upperparts and rufous-brown eye-ring. Brit. Birds, 48: 515; 55: 90; 60: 480, 483.

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FEB

MAR

APR

I

I

MAY

JUN

•

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AUG

SEP

I

I

I

OCT

NOV

DEC

There have been 14 records, 12 of them in the period (mapped) and only one of them female: Devon: Lundy, male, on 10th May 1955. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 26th-27th May 1967.

·1

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2

261

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Sardinian Warbler-continued

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SPRING

AUTUMN

Pernbrokeshire: Skokholm, male, on 28th October 1968. Kent: Dungeness, female, on 17th April 1973. Norfolk: Waxham, male, on 28th-29th April 1973. Sussex (East Sussex): Beachy Head, male, from 23rd August to 30th October 1976. Lincolnshire: Gibraltar Point, male, from 30th June to 15th September 1979. Norfolk: Weybourne Camp, male, from 1st September to 5th October 1980. Scilly: Tresco, first-winter male, from 25th September to 31st October 1980. Scilly: St Agnes, male, on 16th April 1981. Fife: Isle of May, male, on 30th May 1981. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn, male, on 4th-6th June 1982. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 23rd-24th October 1985. Lincolnshire: Gibraltar Point, male, from 6th July to 31st August 1986.

Riippell's Warbler Sylvia rueppelli

Breeds Greece, Crete, south and west Turkey to Lebanon. Winters northeast Africa. Resembles Sardinian Warbler but lacks red eye-ring (has red eye) and legs reddish not yellowish-pink; nape greyish. Male has jet-black throat and upper breast and contrasting white moustaches. Brit. Birds, 74: 279, 528. There have been two records: Shetland: Boddam, male, from 13th August to 16th September 1977. Devon: Lundy, male, on 1st-10th June 1979.

262

Desert Warbler Sylvia nana

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Breeds northwest Sahara and from Caspian Sea and south Iran east to Mongolia. Winters southwest Asia, Arabia and south and east Sahara. Like a small pale greyish-brown or sandy Whitethroat S. communis with yellow legs and eyes and yellow, black-tipped bill. Brit. Birds, 65: 460; 70: 168; 72: 6, 123. There have been four records: Dorset: Portland from 16th December 1970 to 2nd January 1971. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn on 20th-24th October 1975. Essex: Frinton-on-Sea on 20th-21st November 1975. Cheshire (Merseyside): Meols from 28th October to 22nd November 1979.

Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to northwest India. Winters in the Sahel zone of the south Sahara and in India. Distinguished from other black-capped warblers by large size, dull cap extending below eye and merging with grey mantle, white throat and white in outer tail feathers; may resemble large Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca, due to earcoverts being blacker than crown; usually has striking whitish eyes. Brit. Birds, 49: 180; 63: 168; 64: 68; 85: 150. There have been five records: Yorkshire: Wetherby, female, shot, on 6th July 1848. Dorset: Portland on 20th September 1955. Cornwall: Porthgwarra on 22nd October 1967. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 16th-22nd October 1981. Aberdeenshire (Grampian): Aberdeen, on 10th October 1983.

263

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

Breeds from north Italy, Germany and south Sweden eastwards to Mongolia. Winters northeast Africa south to Kenya, and southern Arabia. Like a large Garden Warbler S. borin with longer, fuller tail, two whitish wingbars and whitish tertial edgings; adult has off-white underparts scaled with grey bars and whitish eye; immature has grey bars confined to undertail coverts and lower flanks. Brit. Birds, 68: 108. 600 500 400

300 200 100

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

150

100

50 1 II 1 1 1 1 II 1 II 1-1-1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II II 1 1 ~~~m~.M

•• ~MMmnnnN~ronroMoom~.M. SPRING

AUTUMN

There were only seven spring records (mostly May) during 1958-85, but there were 2,933 in autumn (mostly mid August to October and peaking at the end of August). A noticeable increase took place during 1958-75, but a slight decline has occurred since then. In view of the increase in observers, this may indicate a slight but real decline in numbers. There is a strong easterly bias to the records (37% in Shetland, 11 % in Yorkshire and 10% in Norfolk), pointing to the expected arrival from across the North Sea. Many of the southwestern records have been later in the autumn (October, especially on Scilly), and perhaps these are individuals filtering southwest after an earlier arrival in the northeast. One ringed on Fair Isle, Shetland, was recovered in Yugoslavia (1979). 264

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1-10 11-20 21-40 41--<>0 61-90 91-120 121-160

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161-210 211-270 271-340 1104

SPRING

Green Warbler Phylloscopus nitidus

Breeds eastern Turkey, Caucasus, north Iran and north Afghanistan. Winters south India and Sri Lanka. Distinguished from closely related Greenish Warbler by yellowish underparts and yellower supercilium and wing-bars. Brit. Birds, 72: 9; Dutch Birding, 9: 167. There has been one record: Scilly: St Mary's, first-winter, from 26th September to 4th October 1984.

265

Two-barred Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus

Breeds eastern Siberia to Mongolia and north China. Winters southeast Asia. Distinguished from closely related Greenish Warbler by second wing-bar (pale tips to median coverts as well as greater coverts) in fresh plumage. Brit. Birds, 72: 7; Twitching, I: 333. There has been one record: Scilly: Gugh, first-winter, on 21st-27th October 1987. The record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides

Breeds from northeast Germany and Finland east to Sea of Japan; also Himalayas. Winters India to southeast Asia. Resembles greyish Chiffchaff P. collybita with single narrow wing-bar and long supercilium; underparts greyish-white; legs darkish; bill weaker than Arctic Warbler, which is larger, has pale legs, longer bill and, often, two wing-bars. Eastern races of Chiffchaff with faint wing-bars have been mistaken for Greenish Warblers and care is needed. Brit. Birds, 62: 89; 72: 8; 78: 437; 79: 437.

25! 20

15

•

10

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5

APR

266

MAY

OCT

NOV

DEC

The records were spread from mid May to early November but 85% were in autumn, with a distinct peak in late August to early September.

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AUTUMN

SPRING

The 119 records during 1958-85 compare with only 12 prior to 1958 (which included two in June and one in July). Spring records have not shown an increase parallel with that in autumn. The spring records were well scattered in coastal counties but the autumn records show a distinct east coast bias, with Norfolk doing best with 19% of those at that season (and 16% of the total). A number of earlier records, mainly from the 1960s, were reviewed in 1984 and many were considered no longer acceptable, resulting in a fall of about 25% in the total recorded; they are considered to have been mis-identified eastern form Chiffchaffs P. collybita, which often show a slight wing-bar (Brit. Birds, 78: 437451).

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267

Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis

Breeds from northern Scandinavia east through north Siberia to Alaska. Winters in southern southeast Asia. Largely dull greenish above and dusky-greyish below; slightly larger than Greenish Warbler, between Bonelli's Warbler and Wood Warbler P. sibilatrix in size, with pale legs and one or two narrow wing-bars on each wing; pinkish bill long and dagger-like; supercilium exceedingly long and usually upcurved behind eye. Brit. Birds, 62: 89. 25 20

15 10

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

•

1-2 3-4 &-7 8-11

•••

••

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• 268

12-17 18-25 28-35 36-47 48-61 62-77

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OCT

NOV

DEC

All records have been in autumn, August to mid November, apart from two in the first week of July (Titchwell, Norfolk, in 1975 and Fair Isle, Shetland, in 1982), with a distinct peak in mid September. There has never been a spring record. 20 16

12

4-

AUTUMN

There were 19 records before 1958, compared with 127 during 1958-85. The number during the period merely kept pace with the increase in records of other rare birds (attributed to the increase in observers) and on Fair Isle, where the bird observatory has maintained high recording levels throughout, a yearly average of one to two records for the species has been the norm. Shetland received the lion's share (50%), with the remainder mainly in eastern coastal counties and in the southwest.

Pallas's Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus

Breeds from south central Siberia east to Sea of Okhotsk; also Himalayas. Winters Himalayan foothills, northern southeast Asia and southern China. Resembles Yellow-browed Warbler with prominent supercilium and double wing-bars, but is even smaller and more active, constantly on the move and with habit of hovering like hummingbird when feeding; central crown-stripe and square pale yellow rump-patch; upperparts bright green, recalling Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus. Brit. Birds, 62: 89; 78: 381,457. 269

Pallas's Warbler-continued 105

90

15 4-5 30

15

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

All records (including those prior to 1958) were between late September and November, with most in October.

AUTUMN

•

•••

••

••

• 270

1-3 4--6 7-10 11-14 15-19 20-24 25-30 31-36 37-43 44-50

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With only three records prior to 1958 (1896, 1951 and 1957), there has been a dramatic increase during the period, culminating in the phenomenal 1982 peak of 123 (37% of the then all-time total). There was a total of 341 during 1958-85, 87% of them in the last 12 years. In recent years, numbers recorded have been noticeably affected and increased by the prevalence of easterly winds during October. For a full discussion of Pallas's Warbler vagrancy see Brit. Birds, 78: 381-392; 457-458. Records were predominantly on the English east coast, in Shetland and also in the southwest (especially Scilly), the typical pattern for a Siberian vagrant.

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

Breeds northern Siberia south to Afghanistan and northwest India and east to Sea of Japan; also eastern Tibet. Winters India and southeast Asia. Much smaller than Chiffchaff P. collybita and recalls Goldcrest Regulus regulus with two wing-bars, pale-edged tertials and active movements; prominent, long creamy supercilium; sometimes has faint crown-stripe but lacks pale rump of Pallas's Warbler. Brit. Birds, 62: 89; 72: 124; 73: 193; 80: 93; Dutch Birding, 7: 129. 600 500

400 .lOO 200

100

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

There were 2,648 recorded in the period, all but six of them in autumn (September-December, mostly mid September to October). A few late autumn birds have remained to overwinter so the few spring records (late March to mid May) probably reflect this rather than new arrivals from Asia. 271

Yellow-browed Warbler--continued 600

500 400 300 200

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AUTUMN

SPRING

Numbers increased steadily throughout the period (as did those of observers) but there were exceptional influxes in 1984 and 1985. Autumn records show an east and south coast bias, a pattern typical of eastern vagrants. Shetland had 17% of the total, mostly in September, Scilly 19%, mostly in October, suggesting that some of the latter had filtered southwestwards after an earlier arrival in the northeast. The few spring records were all on the English south coast (and Scilly), suggesting that these were birds which were moving north after overwintering in southwest Europe (perhaps in France) following vagrancy from Asia in the previous autumn, ~

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272

1-10 11-20 21-40 41-70 71-110

4

Radde's Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi

Breeds from south-central Siberia eastwards to Sakhalin. Winters southeast Asia. Skulking, often ground-feeding, dark, heavy Phylloscopus with deliberate movements; long buffish supercilium narrowly bordered blackish above and below; olive-brown upperparts; underparts yellowish-buff (darkest on under-tail coverts); legs long, thick, yellowish; stout bill with pinkish-orange base to lower mandible; frequently calls a soft 'tchuk'. Brit. Birds, 65: 497; 80: 595.

"! 12

9

6 3

JAN

FEB

MAR

•

•

•

•••

••

APR

MAY

JUN

2

3 4

5

•• 273

Radde's Warbler-continued All records have fallen between 26th September and 1st November, a period slightly earlier than for Dusky Warbler. 15 12

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AUTUMN

The 49 records in the period compare with just one before 1958 (in Lincolnshire on 1st October 1898). Only two years since 1973 have failed to produce records. The exceptional peak of 14 in 1982 coincided with the record numbers of Pallas's Warblers and doubtless was due to the same weather systems. As with many Asian vagrants, there is a distinct east coast bias to records, but in the case of Radde's Warbler there is also a more southerly bias (only two records in Shetland) with Scilly (24%) and Norfolk (20%) dominating. Two sites in particular had more than their fair share: St Agnes, Scilly, and Holkham, Norfolk, each with seven.

Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus Juscatus

Breeds from west-central Siberia eastwards to northeast Siberia. Winters northeast India and southeast Asia. Resembles Chiffchaff P. collybita but darker brown above with long rustywhite supercilium, greyish-white underparts, more rounded tail and pale-based bill; skulking and often ground-feeding; call a Sylvia-like 'tak'. Brit. Birds, 65: 497; 80: 595.

12~ 9 6

3 I DEC

274

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SPRING

AUTUMN

The records were all between late September and November, apart from one on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man, on 14th May 1970, and one at Bamburgh, Northumberland, on 18th August 1980. (The Calf of Man individual was ringed and subsequently found dying in Limerick on about 5th December 1970, suggesting that it had probably overwintered in western Europe after westwards vagrancy in autumn 1969.) Whilst the periods overlap, the mean is a week later than for Radde's Warbler. There was only one record prior to 1958 (in Orkney on 1st October 1913), compared with 47 during 1958-85. The peak year, with seven, was 1982 as it was with Radde's and Pallas's Warblers. The distribution, as well as number recorded, closely matches that of Radde's Warbler: the English east coast counties, particularly Norfolk (21%), and Scilly (19%) dominated.

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275

Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli

Breeds Iberia and France east to Germany and Austria; also Balkans, southern Turkey and Lebanon and northwest Africa. Winters in Sahel zone of south Sahara. Pale Phylloscopus warbler; dark eye contrasting with greyish head and nape; weak whitish supercilium; bright greenish-yellow panel in wing, on edges to tail feathers and patch at carpal joint; underparts gleaming white; adults have pale yellowish rump.

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I JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

~

.~

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JUN

•

••

•••

••

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•• SPRING

276

1

2 3 4

6 7-8

SEP

OCT

.,

NOV

DEC

•• • •• ~ .1 1

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~~~~aM~~~~~Mnn~~~ronro~oom~~~ffi

AUTUMN

SPRING

83% were in autumn (August to early November), with most in late August to September (which is also the period when the three previous records occurred). There were only 15 in spring, all during Apri1~May. Before 1958 there were only three records (1948, 1954 and 1955), compared with 86 in the period. The peak year, with 11, was 1976. The spring records were mostly in the south, suggesting overshooting by west European birds. Autumn records, however, were more widespread, north to Shetland. One (Yorkshire on 15th October 1970) has been referred to P. b. orienta/is and others of the late birds (Cork, Northumberland and Scilly) may also have been of this eastern race, rather than P. b. bonelli.

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva

Breeds from southern Sweden south to Austria and Bulgaria eastwards across Siberia. Winters Pakistan, India and southeast Asia. Like a small Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata but plain grey-brown above and whitish below, with yellowish wash on breast; white outertail-base, striking when tail characteristically cocked and flicked; large eye and pale eye-ring; adult male has dull red throat and upper breast. 400 300

200 100

. JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

DEC

The 2,l41 records during 1958~85 were divided into spring (5%, April~June, peaking in late May) and autumn (95%, July~December, peaking in early October). 277

Red-breasted Flycatcher-continued

#

.~ tA<

•

•••

••

1:'0

4

1-5 6-10 11-20 21-35

••

••

420

There has been a slight increase throughout the period, in line with observer Increase.

150 100

-

50

-

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

•• ~~~~M~oo~~ooronnn~~~n~mOO~~~M~ SPRING

AUTUMN

The autumn records show a distinct east and southwest coastal bias - a pattern typical of eastern vagrants, and pointing to the expected arrival across the North Sea, followed by a proportion of birds filtering southwest (especially to Scilly, which accounted for 19% and where almost all were in October). The fewer spring records showed a strong easterly bias (with none at all in the extreme southwest), suggesting that they were fresh arrivals from the cast rather than birds which might have overwintered in southwest Europe (cfYcllow-browed Warbler).

278

Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

Breeds from eastern France and Italy through central Europe east to European Russia. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Breeding male resembles Pied Flycatcher F. hypoleuca but has broad white collar, whitish rump, more white on forehead and much more white on wings (but less on tail); female greyer than female Pied, usually with traces of collar and rump-patch and with white patch on primaries; first-winter may have whitishtipped median coverts. Brit. Birds, 47: 302; 51: 36; 69: 20.

~~

I JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

.a1 I

I

MAY

·4

I JUN

JUL

•

•

•

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SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

·f

~<

~v

279

Collared Flycatcher-continued All the records during 1958-85 were between 4th May and 6th June, apart from one at North Fambridge, Essex, on 21st-23rd September 1962 (but another autumn bird was also recorded in 1986, on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 8th October). Autumn birds are much less distinctive, so might be expected to be overlooked. Of the spring records, all were males except for one female on Out Skerries, Shetland, on 25th May 1976.

•

I SPRING

• I.

I

I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~

•• m.mM •• ~ •• mnnnNmron~~oom~~M~ AUTUMN

There were two prior to 1958 (Shetland 1947 and Caernarvon 1957, both in May) compared with 13 in the period. There is an easterly bias to the records, as might be expected with a vagrant from eastern Europe, with five in the northern isles and only two of the remainder away from the English east coast.

Wall creeper Tichodroma muraria

Breeds in mountains discontinuously from Pyrenees and Alps eastwards to China. Mainly resident or short distance dispersive migrant in winter. Unmistakable, with very broad rounded wings which are constantly flicked at rest and give a butterfly-like appearance to the bird in flight; plumage various shades of grey, with white spots on wing and tail feathers, and large brilliant crimson patches on wings. Brit. Birds, 63: 163. There have been ten records: Norfolk: Stratton Strawless on 30th October 1792. Lancashire: Sabden on 8th May 1872. Sussex: Winchel sea in about 1886. Somerset: Mells in September 1901. 280

Dorset: near Dorchester on 24th April 1920. Sussex: Rottingdean in early June 1938. Dorset: Worth Matravers, male, from 19th November 1969 to 18th April 1970. Somerset: Cheddar from early November 1976 to 6th April 1977; and again from early November 1977 to 9th April 1978. Sussex (East Sussex): Ecclesbourne Glen, Hastings, on 6th-10th April 1977. Isle of Wight: St Catherine's Point, male, on 16th May 1985.

Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla

Breeds continental Europe (including the Channel Islands), northwest Africa and Turkey. Mainly resident. Closely similar to Treecreeper C.jamiliaris but tends to have duller, greyer and mealier upperparts, duskier underparts with brownish flanks, a less rufous rump and shorter and less distinct supercilium; difficult characters are longer and more curved bill and shorter hind claws, even in hand. Two of several call-notes, a shrill, piping, explosive, loud 'zeet', recalling Dunnock Prunella modularis, and a penetrating, quite loud 'chink', slightly recalling Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, seem to be specific to brachydactyla. Very great care and detailed descriptions are needed to establish identity, even of trapped birds. Brit. Birds, 69: 177, 508; 70: 83; 77: 262; 78: 298; Dutch Birding, 9: 63, 125.

~t

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JAN

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I

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____L -__~____~I____~___LI____~___L____~___LI____~I____~__~

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

•

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

OCT

•

NOV

DEC

I

~~~~~~~M~~~Mronn~~Th~nn~~m~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

There have been eight records, seven of them in the period: Kent: Dungeness on 27th-30th September 1969. Yorkshire: Hornsea on 26th October 1970. 281

Short-toed Treecreeper-continued

.¢

•

1

•

2

•

3

•

4

Kent: Worth on 26th September 1973. Kent: Sandwich Bay on 4th April 1974. Essex: Epping Forest on 26th May 1975. Kent: Dungeness, two, on 7th-10th October 1978. ·Kent: Sandwich Bay on 19th-24th October 1988.

282

·f

Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus

,''' Breeds discontinuously from Spain and southern France and from Holland and Germany to the Balkans eastwards to Manchuria. Mainly resident, but some dispersive, eruptive and cold weather movements. Smaller than Blue Tit Parus caeruleus, with longer tail; plumage suggests a tiny male Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, with rufous upperparts, pale grey head and neck and black face patch; frequently utters distinctive thin plaintive call. Brit. Birds, 60: 517; 72: 483; 75: 385.

~~

I JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

•

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JUL

•

•

•

1

2

3

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I

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283

Penduline Tit-continued

SPRING

•

I

I

II

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~woo~~~~~oo~oooownnnHMronnrooom~~~M

AUTUMN

There have been 14 records (of 17 birds); ten of them (mapped) in the period: Yorkshire: Spurn on 22nd-28th October 1966. Scilly: St Agnes, juvenile, on 25th October 1977. Kent: Stodmarsh, male, on 18th May 1980. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey, male, on 9th-13th May 1981. Yorkshire (Humberside): Blacktoft Sands, male and female, from 25th November 1981 to 4th January 1982. Essex: Ockendon in June 1982 (not shown on weekly histogram). Kent: St Margaret's Bay on 17th and 27th October 1983. Northamptonshire: Ditchford Gravel-pits on 22nd October 1983. Kent: Stodmarsh, male, on 21st November 1983. Kent: Stodmarsh, male, 1st-25th March 1984 (presumed same as November 1983, above). Cheshire (Merseyside): Moreton, immature, on 14th September 1986. Norfolk: Hickling Broad on 4th-10th April 1987. Sussex (East Sussex): Pett Level, adult, on 4th October 1987. Sussex (East Sussex): Near St Leonard's, two adults and one first-winter, on 26th-27th October 1987. There were further records in 1988.

284

Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus

,£~

~

Breeds continental Europe eastwards to Mongolia and India; also northwest Africa, and a few pairs now breed regularly in East Anglia (mainly Norfolk and Suffolk). Winters Africa south of the Sahara, and in the Indian region. Slightly larger than Starling Sturnus vulgaris; male unmistakable bright goldenyellow with mainly black wings and tail; female olive-green above, off-white with dark steaking below; both sexes have black legs and conspicuous pink bill. Male has distinctive loud, mellow fluty song and both sexes have cat-like screeching call. zoo 150

100

50

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

The 1,311 recorded during 1958-85 were spread from March to November but with the great majority (94%) in spring, mostly May to early June and, perhaps surprisingly, with no sign of an autumn peak at all. The maps and seasonal histograms are split at 15th July (rather than the usual 1st July) since the early July records clearly fit in with late spring arrival rather than being indicative of any autumnal movement. tw

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~

.

.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~oo~~~~~oo~oo~ronn~~~~nn~oom~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

There has been a dramatic increase in spring since 1964 and, whilst breeding had been recorded before, a small population has become established (mainly in Norfolk and Suffolk) since the early 1970s. As far as possible, breeding birds have 285

.,

Golden Oriole-continued • • •

~

•

••

1-5 6-10 11-20

21-30

•

31-45

•

4EH>0

•• been omitted from the maps and histograms and therefore the East Anglian counties are relatively under represented. The records were widely scattered, but with a south and east coast bias typical of over-shooting Continental migrants in spring.

Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus

Breeds Iran and Afghanistan, eastern Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Winters in south and southwestern Asia and northeast Africa. Females and immatures distinguished from Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio by distinctly rufous tail and lower rump contrasting with grey-brown to sandy mantle and virtually unmarked body plumage; males lack grey head and tail of Red-backed and often have small white patch at base of primaries and pink-tinged bill-base. Brit. Birds, 72: 539, 573; 74: 534; 75: 395.

286

i~

I

I

I

JAN

FEB

I MAR

APR

• MAY

JUN

JUL

j. JL

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I

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I

I

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NOV

DEC

The 17 records during 1958-85 were all in autumn (mid August to mid November), apart from one in March (Sidlesham, Sussex, in 1975) and one in May (Fair Isle, Shetland, in 1960).

t

I

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..J. ...

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~m~~~~~~~~~ronn~~~~nre~~m~~M~

SPRING

~~m~~~M~~~~~ronn~~~renre~~m~~M~

AUTUMN

There were only three records during 1958-74, but then from one to four were recorded annually 1975-85 (apart from 1980 and 1983). This might suggest a sudden real increase, but this species was treated as a race of Red-backed Shrike until the late 1970s and so some earlier occurrences are undocumented. The records show the pattern typical of an eastern vagrant: east coast and Shetland records, with others in the southwest. This points to the expected arrival across the North Sea, followed by a proportion of birds perhaps filtering southwest rather than making a direct arrival there.

·1

•

•

•

2

3

.~

287

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus

Breeds from central Siberia east to Kamchatka and south to southern China. Winters India and southeast Asia. Requires careful separation from Isabelline Shrike and Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio but more robustly built, with larger head, more prominently hooked bill and slimmer, more graduated tail; both sexes have well-defined blackish eyepatches and broad white supercilium (less clear in immatures); crown similar to, or more rufous than, russet-brown mantle; tailless rufous than Isabelline Shrike; breast and belly often have russet flush. Brit. Birds, 75: 395; 76: 229. There has been only one record: Shetland: Sum burgh from 30th September to 2nd October 1985.

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor

Breeds from France and Germany eastwards to Turkestan and Afghanistan. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Resembles Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor but smaller and has black forehead (adults only) and very little white on scapulars; relatively shorter tail, longer wings, shorter and stubbier bill; lacks white supercilium; adults have underparts pinkish or creamy-white. Brit. Birds. 53: 397. 12

"I 9

6

3

NOV

288

DEC

AUTUMN

SPRING

58% occurred in spring (mid May to the end of June), peaking during 4th10th June and 42% in autumn (spread from July to mid November, mostly September). The 92 records during 1958-85 compare with 32 before 1958. Records have declined noticeably from a peak during the late 1960s and early 1970s: 1985 was the first blank year since 1963, and the declining previous four quinquennial totals were 25, 23, 17 and 14, respectively, despite the increase in observer activity in the same period. At both seasons, most occurred in Shetland (which accounted for 20% of the total) and on the British east coast, and a few on the English south coast (11 % in spring and 15% in autumn), with only one in well-watched Scilly, and just two ever in Ireland. This suggests that most derive from eastern Europe rather than the nearer parts of the breeding range.

.,

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289

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator

Breeds from France and northwest Africa east to Ukraine and southern Iran. Winters Africa south of the Sahara. Strikingly-patterned black and white, with chestnut crown and nape; white underparts; immatures show traces of adults' scapular and rump-patches and are greyer, paler and more scaly than young Red-backed Shrikes L. collurio. Brit. Birds, 58: 461. 40

20 10

Though records extend from April to early November, there were clear peaks in late May to early June and late August to early September. 55% occurred in spring.

·f

~

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•• SPRING

290

1-2 5-6

7-9 10-12 13-16

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is

AUTUMN

SPRING

There were 375 records in the period, compared with 101 before 1958. Numbers fluctuated considerably from year to year: the eight in 1984 were the fewest since 1975, but 22 in 1983 was the highest number since the record 24 in 1968. However, there has been no overall increase to match the increase in the numbers of observers so a general decline is indicated. In spring, records were widespread, mainly in coastal counties, but with a southerly bias (apart from Shetland). In autumn, there was a more pronounced southwesterly bias, with Scilly accounting for 20% of all records at this season.

Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes

Breeds mountains of central and southeastern Europe and from southern FennoScandia eastwards to Kamchatka. Resident and eruptive dependent on conifer seed crop. Slightly smaller than Jay Garrulus glandarius, dark brown flecked with white spots, but most conspicuous features are white undertail coverts, white tip to underside of tail and habit of perching on the tips of conifers. Brit. Birds, 63: 353; 64: 196.

I JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

Lil I

AUG

I

SEP

I

OCT

I

NOV

II

DEC

The records were scattered from August to February. Before 1958 most had been in October-December. Records for 1968-69, when there was an unprecedented influx, are omitted from this histogram. 291

I

Nutcracker-continued

5

Nutcrackers averaged only just over one per year in the period, except for the invasion in 1968 (and only three, all in October/November 1985, during the 1980s). At least 315 arrived in 1968, from 6th August to October, with some staying through until autumn 1969. This irruption has been documented in great detail in Brit. Birds, 63: 353~373. The apparent small influx in 1971 was largely due to five in Peebles-shire on 28th August. Prior to 1958 there were about 45 records in Britain (there has still been none in Ireland). The four counties from Norfolk to Kent accounted for the majority of the records in 'normal' years, and also the 1968 invasion. Only two British records have been referred to the thick-billed race N. c. caryocatactes (Cheshire 1860 and Sussex 1900), all others which have been identified being of the slender-billed eastern race N. c. macrorhynchos, which periodically irrupts when an abundant cone crop of its food, the Arolla Pine Pinus cembra, is followed by a poor crop in the following year. Thus high numbers of Nutcrackers, facing a food shortage, are forced into long-distance wandering. &2

.~

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••

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•• 292

1-4 5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54

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Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus

Breeds from Hungary and Balkans east to Kazakhstan and southern Iran; occasionally erupts west in summer. Winters Indian region. Similar in shape to Starling S. vulgaris but adult conspicuously patterned glossy black and pink, with shaggy crest; immature sandy-brown like some young Starlings, but with shorter yellowish bill, paler rump and darker wings. Brit. Birds, 73: 408; 75: 38; Dutch Birding, 4: 60, 136.

4 2

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

.,

MAY

This species is a famous nomadic wanderer and irruptive migrant. Though birds in Britain and Ireland are often suspected of being escapes, the marked concentration of records in May to October, with very few during December to

~<

~

•

•

•

••

••

••

•

1-2 3-4 !HI 7-ll

9-10

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11-12 13-14 15-16 17-19

293

Rose-coloured Starling-continued 12

_..L"'. L...I.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~M~~~~~~.~~ro~n~Hnron~~~m~~M~

SPRING

AUTUMN

April, accords with genuine vagrancy. Adult and first-summer birds accounted for most records, except those in September-October when juveniles predominated. In Scilly, in fact, juveniles have been almost annual in October since 1975. It should be noted that all records are included here, even those which, because of the bird's tameness, worn plumage or urban habitat, had doubt cast on them at the time. The 156 records in the period compare with 160 prior to 1958. May to October records were widely scattered. Sixteen of the 21 in Shetland were in May-July, whereas all 13 of the records in Scilly were in October.

Daurian Starling Sturnus sturninus

Breeds eastern Siberia and north Manchuria. Winters southeast Asia. Smaller than Starling Sturn us vulgaris with head and underparts grey; black nape-patch, back, tail and wings; buff rump and whitish wing-bars. There has been one record: Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 7th-28th May 1985.

294

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis

\vi

Breeds Iberia and northwest Africa, Sardinia and the Balkans eastwards to southwest Asia. Resident and partial migrant, some moving south a short distance in winter. Similar to House Sparrow P. domesticus, but male has chestnut crown and very extensive black breast and black-streaked flanks, contrasting white cheeks and darker back; female and juvenile less distinct from House Sparrow but also have streaks on flanks, white cheeks and darker back. Brit. Birds, 74: 109, ISO. There have been three records, all in the period: Devon: Lundy, male, on 9th June 1966. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 21st October 1972. Scilly: Bryher, male, on 22nd-24th October 1977.

Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia

Breeds Mediterranean basin eastwards through Afghanistan to Mongolia and China. Mainly resident but some dispersive movement and short distance migration occurs. Distinguished from female House Sparrow Passer domesticus by conspicuous pale crown-stripe and supercilium; white spots at tips of tail feathers noticeable in flight; adults have inconspicuous yellow patch on upper breast. Brit. Birds, 55: 158; 76: 245. There has been one record: Norfolk: Cleyon 14th June 1981.

295

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceous

Breeds North America. Winters South America south to Argentina. About size of House Sparrow Passer domesticus with shape and actions of a stocky Hippolais warbler; crown blue-grey, striking white supercilium and black eye-stripe, green upperparts, silky-white underparts, thick blue legs and stout bill. Brit. Birds, 56: 462; 61: 176; 65: 400.

1-

15 12

I

JAN

FEB

APR

MAR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

All 33 records in the period were between 21st September and 19th October, with a distinct peak in the first week of October.

•

•••

••

••

• 296

~

3 4

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~W~~~M~ffiu~~ronn~M~MnmmOO~~~M~

AUTUMN

The only record prior to 1958 was one found dead on Tuscar Rock, Wexford, on 4th October 1951. The total of 12 in 1985 was more than half the previous total and was the largest influx ever of any American landbird. The pattern is typical of American passe rines, with most (78%) in the three counties of Scilly, Cornwall and Cork where recent intensive watching has produced annual records since 1980.

Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus

Breeds Canada. Winters Central America south to Panama. Like a stocky Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita with dark olive upperparts, yellow underparts, greyish crown and thick, dark bill; short pale supercilium. Brit. Birds, 79: 7; Twitching, I: 301. There have been two Western Palearctic records: Cork: Galley Head on 12th-17th October 1985. Scilly: Tresco on 10th-13th October 1987.

297

Citril Finch Serinus citrinella

Breeds mountainous areas of Spain, Alps north to Belgium, Corsica and Sardinia. Mainly resident but some altitudinal movement in winter. Distinguished from Siskin Carduelis spinus by grey nape and neck sides, and lack of yellow in tail; rump dull greenish-yellow, not bright yellow like Serin Serinus serinus. Beware escaped Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus. Brit. Birds, 75: 547; 76: 317. There has been only one record: Norfolk: Yarmouth Denes, female, on 29th January 1904.

Serin S erinus serinus ,w

Breeds continental Europe, Turkey and northwest Africa. Winters mainly southern Europe. Smaller and more compact than Siskin Carduelis spinus, with stubbier bill, no yellow tail-flashes but a conspicuous clear bright yellow rump (except juvenile which has streaked rump lacking yellow); short cleft tail; male has yellow forehead, supercilium, throat and breast, with brownish flank streaks; female duller and more streaked. Brit. Birds, 75: 547-553; 76: 317-318.

JUL

AUG

SEP

There were records in all months but with distinct spring (April-May) and late autumn (October-November) peaks, which were also the peak months for records before 1958 (see Brit. Birds, 64: 213-223). 298

SPRING

AUTUMN

There were about 70 records prior to 1958, compared with 492 in the period. Spring and summer records increased dramatically from 1967, and very small numbers have bred in various south coast counties in most years since the first breeding in Dorset in that year. The breeding range has been spreading north from southern Europe. Most of the breeding birds have been omitted (as far as possible) from the maps and histograms. Records show a strong bias to the English south coast (75% in spring and 92% in autumn), as might be expected with a southern species which is slowly expanding its range northwards. &2

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1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 16-20 21-27

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299

Arctic Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni

Breeds circumpolar Arctic. Variable limited movement southwards in winter. Distinguished from northern Mealy Redpoll C. jlammea jlammea with extreme care; best separated by extensive unstreaked white rump; grey back; two prominent white wing-bars; stubbier bill; purer white, less streaked underparts, with streaking especially limited on undertail coverts.

... I

JAN

FEB

MAR

I

APR

.~ .~

~

MAY

JUN

•••

•••

••

•• 300

•

JUL

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AUG

SEP

I

OCT

1-2

3-4 &-7 8-11 12-16 17-22

., I

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SPRING

AUTUMN

Records were scattered through all months except June and August, but with 75% in autumn, mostly October-November. Some remain to overwinter here. Marked influxes occurred in the winters of 1961-62, 1972-73, 1975-76 and, especially 1984-85. The 109 records during 1958-85 compare with 30 prior to 1958. Note, however, that during 1967-72, sight records were not considered by British Birds Rarities Committee and thus many older records could well have been lost; indeed, numbers are still difficult to determine because of a continuing identification problem. With records almost entirely confined to the British east coast, from Shetland to Kent, it is clear that most originated from northern Eurasia rather than Greenland or Canada. Past specimens which have been racially assigned related to C. h. hornemanni (Ellesmere and Baffin Islands and Greenland) and C. h. exilipes (rest of species range) in approximately equal numbers. The sight records from Fair Isle, Shetland, on 4th-6th November 1965, Bryher, Scilly, from 19th October to 5th November 1977, and Fetlar, Shetland, two on 13th October 1980, were of large and pale individuals presumed to be C. h. hornemanni, but most recent records have been of C. h. exilipes. Most records prior to 1958 were on Fair Isle, Shetland, mainly from mid September to mid November.

301

Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera

Breeds from northern Fenno-Scandia east to Amurland; also northern North America and West Indies. Mainly resident but some eruptive and dispersive movement dependent on conifer seed crop. Resembles Crossbill L. curvirostra but rather smaller and finer-billed with prominent double white wing-bars recalling Chaffinch Fringilla coe/ebs and also prominent white tips to tertials. Beware occasional Crossbill which can have fairly conspicuous whitish wing-bars and tertial tips approaching those of Two-barred. Dutch Birding, 4: 100.

:~ I lI

JAN

FEB

•

APR

..... J.- • I

I

MAR

JUN

MAY

I

JUL

I

I

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

This species usually arrives here accompanying Crossbills when that species undergoes periodic population irruptions, so the peak period of July-September is expected. Several have overwintered and the October-February records (and

••

•

302

one in April) may be of individuals which had arrived earlier and remained to overwinter here.

..1.1 ....

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SPRING

AUTUMN

The 25 in the period compare with 40 before 1958. The peaks in 1966 and 1972 coincided with large irruptions of Cross bills in those years. Records were widespread in Britain, but the only counties with more than two were Shetland with four and Norfolk with three. Past records were mostly in eastern Britain from Shetland southwards, and Eurasian birds are clearly usually involved, but there were four records before the period in Ireland and one in Wales, and the Nearctic race L. I. leucoptera might have occurred. An exceptional arrival took place in Shetland in mid August 1987; at least 25 birds, nearly all immatures, were recorded. They were not accompanying Common Cross bills and the only other one recorded at this time, also an immature, was just to the south on North Ronaldsay, Orkney (Twitching, 1: 217).

Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus

Breeds from Norway east across north Russia to the Urals. Mainly resident but eruptive, dependent on conifer seed crop. Distinguished with care from closely related Crossbill L. curvirostra by slightly larger size, proportionately bigger head and, especially, bigger bill; bill is typically deeper and broader at base than Crossbill's, has a pronounced bulge at the base of the gonys and prominent whitish cutting edges to both mandibles. Brit. Birds, 78: 482; Dutch Birding, 9: 178; 8: 98, 103. This species was only added at the beginning of 1978 to the list of species considered by British Birds Rarities Committee (Brit. Birds, 71: 423) because of the identification and taxonomic problems surrounding the species. Reports in 303

Parrot Crossbill-continued 40

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80

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~.~Mffi®.OO~MnnnN~mnm~OOm.aM.

AUTUMN

SPRING

1958-77 were considered retrospectively, and two irruptions have thus become apparent, one in 1962 (63), when 33 occurred in Fair Isle, Shetland, in October, and one in 1982-83 (81), when most occurred in the four English east coast counties from Yorkshire to Suffolk in October-November and also in pine woods of the Derbyshire Peak District. Many remained to overwinter and, following the 1982 invasion, breeding occurred at Holkham in Norfolk, and probably also in Suffolk, in 1984 and 1985. Young reared in Britain are omitted from the histograms and maps.

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304

1-3 4-7 8-12 13-18 19-25

., ~

Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus

Breeds North Africa (and recently southern Spain) eastwards through Iran to India. Mainly resident and dispersive, dependent on desert conditions. Size of Linnet Acanthis cannabina but large heavy pink bill (with rounded tip), big head, plump body and short wings and tail; pale sandy-brown except for darker wings and tail; rump, wings and underparts often tinged pink, especially in breeding male. Brit. Birds, 70: 45; 79: 299; 80: 499 .

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There have been six records, five of them in the period: Suffolk: Minsmere from 30th May to 15th June 1971. Sutherland: Handa Island on 8th-9th June 1971. 305

Trumpeter Finch-continued

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~wro~~~~~~~MWmnnnN~~n~~OOm~~~~

AUTUMN

SPRING

Orkney: Sanday, male, on 26th-28th May 1981. Sussex (West Sussex): Church Norton on 19th-23rd May 1984. Essex: Foulness on 21st September 1985. Northumberland: Holy Island, male, on 1st August 1987.

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

Breeds from Germany and southern Sweden eastwards to Kamchatka, and from Georgia eastwards to central China. Winters India, southeast Asia and southern China. Size of Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula; females and immatures nondescript, rather uniform greyish-brown above and greyish- or buffish-white below; double white wing-bars, heavy conical bill and beady black eye are most useful marks; notched tail; adult males have pink head, breast and rump. Brit. Birds, 77: 133. 120 100

80 fC 40

zo FEB

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Apart from one in February (Middlesex 1971), all were between April and November, with 14% in spring (mostly mid May to early June) and 86% in autumn (mostly September). 306

60 50 40

.JO 20 10

SPRING

AUTUMN

There were some 200-300 occurrences prior to 1958, compared with 882 in the period. There was only one spring record before 1958 (2nd April 1926 on Fair Isle) and records in both seasons have increased considerably throughout the period. A strikingly high proportion of records was from Shetland (55% of spring and 64% of autumn records, and 62% of the total) and the numbers on Fair Isle, where observer coverage has been consistently high throughout the period, reflect the increase. The surge in spring records accords with the westward expansion of the species' range, and breeding occurred for the first time, in the Scottish Highlands, in 1982. Apart from the Shetland bias, spring records were well scattered (though with none in Ireland) and the autumn records showed an east coast and southwest bias, a pattern typical of an eastern vagrant, pointing to an arrival across the North Sea followed by a proportion of birds drifting southwest (especially to Scilly and Cork, where most occurrences were in October).

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1-5 6-10 11-15 16-25 26-35 36-45

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431

307

Pallas's Rosefinch Carpodacus roseus

Breeds from central Siberia east to Sakhalin. Winters south to Kazakhstan, central China and Japan. Larger and stockier than Common Rosefinch; females and immatures are darker and more streaked, with pinkish rump; males more extensively pink than Common Rosefinch, with white streaking on crown and chin. Birding World, 1: 196. There has been only one record: Orkney: North Ronaldsay, first-summer male, from 2nd June to 14th July 1988. The record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator

Breeds from northern Sweden and Finland eastwards across Siberia to Kamchatka. Mainly resident but some irregular southwards movement in winter. Almost as large as Redwing Turdus iliacus but in shape and colour resembles a massive, elongated Crossbill Loxia curvirostra with long tail, and bill like a Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula; double white wing-bars; pink areas of male are bronze in female. Brit. Birds, 48: 133. There have been nine records: Durham: before 1831. Middlesex: before 1843. Yorkshire: about 1861. Nottinghamshire: two on 30th October 1890. Fife: Isle of May on 8th November 1954. Kent: Charing, male, on 7th April 1955. Kent: East Mailing on 2nd November 1957. Kent: Maidstone on 15th May 1971. Northumberland: Holy Island, male, on 11th-12th May 1975. 308

Evening Grosbeak Hesperiphona vespertina

Breeds North America. Winters mainly USA. Size and shape of Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes, with heavy whitish or lime-green bill and predominantly yellowish plumage (duller in female) with black tail, primaries and wing coverts, and white secondaries and tertials. Brit. Birds, 64: 189. There have been two records: Outer Hebrides: St Kilda, male, on 26th March 1969. Inverness-shire (Highland): Nethybridge, adult female, on 10th-25th March 1980.

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Breeds North America. Winters southern USA to Ecuador. About size of Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca with stripy black and white plumage; distinguished from summer Blackpoll Warbler by white stripe through crown and habit of searching bark of trees for food by creeping like a treecreeper Certhia sp.; female lacks male's black throat-patch and cheeks and has brownish flanks; immature also has browner black areas and white areas tinged buff. Brit. Birds, 53: 98; 71: 541.

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309

Black-and-white Warbler-continued

AUTUMN

SPRING

There have been eleven records, nine of them (mapped) in the period: Shetland: Scalloway, dead, in mid October 1936. Scilly: St Mary's on 27th-30th September 1975. Scilly: St Mary's from 29th September to 1st October 1977. Devon: Tavistock on 3rd March 1978. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 18th October 1978. Pem.brokeshire (Dyfed): Skomer on 10th September 1980. Cornwall: Mylor Bridge, Penryn, dead, on 1st September 1982. Cornwall: The Lizard, first-year, on 24th September 1983. Derry: Loughermore Forest, female, from 30th September to 2nd October 1984. Norfolk: How Hill, Ludham, on 3rd-15th December 1985. Devon: Prawle Point on 8th-15th October 1987.

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Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina

Breeds Canada. Winters Central America to Venezuela. Size similar to Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus; in spring and summer, head grey with white supercilium, olive-green back and white underparts (female has less grey head and yellow tinge on underparts); in autumn, unstreaked yellow underparts except for white undertail coverts, yellowish supercilium, and pale wing-bar; bill and legs blackish. Brit. Birds, 74: 90; 77: 160. There have been three records: Shetland: Fair Isle, first-year, on 6th-20th September 1975. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-year, on 24th September 1975. Orkney: Holm, first-year, on 5th-7th September 1982.

Northern Parula Parula americana

Breeds eastern North America. Winters Central America. Size of Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita but more robust with heavier bill and more forked tail; upperparts bluish-grey; underparts yellow to upper breast and then white (male has rufous breast-band); two very prominent broad white wingbars; white crescentic marks above and below eye. Brit. Birds, 63: 149; 70: 263; 79: 432, 563.

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311

Northern Parula-continued

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~~OO~~~~~~~~Mronn~~~ronrorooom~~M~

AUTUMN

There have been 13 records, ten of them in the period (mapped): Scilly: Tresco on 16th--17th October 1966. Cornwall: St Ives on 26th November 1967. Dorset: Portland Bill on 9th October 1968. Lancashire (Greater Manchester): Wigan, moribund, on 2nd November 1982. Scilly: Tresco, first-winter, on 1st October 1983. Scilly: St Agnes, first-winter, on 10th-13th October 1983. Cork: Firkeel, first-winter male, on 19th-24th October 1983. Dorset: Hengistbury Head, first-winter female, from 30th September to 12th October 1985. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 3rd-17th October and, presumed same, St Agnes on 18th-21st October 1985. Cornwall: Penlee Point, first-winter female, on 17th-19th October 1985. Cornwall: Nanquidno, male, on 13th-23rd October 1987. Dorset: Portland from 30th October to 7th October 1988. Cornwall: Cot Valley on 9th-19th October 1988.

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312

y ellow Warbler Dendroica petechia

Breeds North and Central America. Winters south to Peru. Head and underparts primrose-yellow (with rusty streaks on breast of male); upperparts greenish, wing and tail feathers edged pale yellow; prominent black eye. Brit. Birds, 58: 457. There has been one record: Caernarvonshire: Bardsey on 29th August 1964.

Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica pensylvanica

Breeds North America. Winters from Guatemala to Panama. Has long, frequently cocked, blackish tail and blackish wings with two yellowish wing-bars; underparts greyish-white; bill and legs black. Non-breeding adults and immatures have rest of upperparts lime green with white eye-ring; spring adults have yellow crown, blackish streaked upperparts and chestnut flanks. There has been one record: Shetland: Fetlar, immature, on 20th September 1985.

313

Cape May Warbler Dendroica tigrina

Breeds North America. Winters Central America and West Indies. Underparts yellowish with bold blackish streaking; upperparts dark, with streaked mantle and yellowish supercilium and rump; male has white wing-patch, and chestnut cheeks in breeding plumage. Brit. Birds, 73: 2. There has been only one record: Renfrewshire (Strathclyde): Paisley, male, on 17th June 1977.

Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia

Breeds North America. Winters Central America and West Indies. Greyish and olive above with whitish supercilium, yellow rump, two prominent white wing-bars; underparts yellow with some blackish streaking, and white vent and undertail covers; male has noticeable white patches in tail and, in summer, black face and mantle. There has been one record: Scilly: St Agnes on 27th-28th September 1981.

314

Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata

Breeds North and Central America. Winters USA to Panama. Bright yellow rump-patch and (in all but juvenile plumage) yellow patches on crown and flanks; black tail with white patches near tips of outer feathers; incomplete pale orbital ring round large dark eye; two pale wing-bars; breeding male has black breast and cheeks, blue-grey upperparts streaked with black. Brit. Birds, 48: 204, 216; 54: 250; 71: 186, 224.

OCT

NOV

DEC

There were 14 records in the period, 11 of them in October, one in September and two in May. The only record prior to 1958 was one seen and finally found dead at Newton St Cyres, Devon, from 4th January to 10th February 1955.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler-continued

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~WW~~~~~M~~~ronn~Nm~nn~~~~~~~

SPRING

~WW~~~~~M~M~ronn~Nm~nn~~~~~~~

AUTUMN

The increase that has occurred during the period is almost certainly due to more observers specifically looking for such Nearctic vagrants in October, especially on Scilly and on Cape Clear Island, Cork, which have accounted for four and five respectively. All but one of the autumn records were in the extreme southwest and most were associated with westerly gales which accords with transatlantic vagrancy. The two spring records were on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 18th May 1977, and the Calf of Man, Isle of Man, on 30th May 1985.

Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica Jusca

Breeds eastern North America. Winters from Guatemala south to central Peru and Venezuela. Slightly smaller than Blackpoll Warbler, with plumage predominantly black above with two white wing-bars and yellowish-white, with blackish streaking, below. Adult male has striking fiery orange head and throat, with dark ear-covert area; this area paler orange/yellow in female and immature. Birding World, 1: 355356. There has been only one Western Palearctic record: Shetland: Fair Isle, immature male, on 7th October 1988. The record is still under consideration for admission to the British and Irish list.

316

Blackpoll Warbler ~.

Dendroica striata

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Breeds Canada. Winters South America south to Brazil. Larger and heavier than Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus. Breeding male grey, striped with black, with white cheeks and underparts and black cap; in other plumages, olive-green upperparts, yellowish underparts (including throat), both faintly streaked; white under tail coverts; two white wing-bars; pale yellowish legs. Brit. Birds, 63: 153; 71: 41, 186; 74: 203. 10

6 4

There has been a total of 24 records, all since 1968. All were between 30th September and the end of October, apart from one, on 18th-29th September 1976, at Prawle Point, Devon.

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317

Blackpoll Warbler-continued 10

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~~OO~~~~~~~M~ronn~~~~n~~~~~MM~

AUTUMN

Records have increased in line with the much greater observer coverage at southwestern localities in October in recent years, especially on Scilly which has accounted for 15 of the records. Apart from one on Whalsay, Shetland, from 30th September to 3rd October 1985, all records ha ve been in the southwest, a pattern typical ofNearctic land birds.

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Breeds North America. Winters West Indies and Central America south to Peru. Floating, butterfly-like flight; large tail, usually fanned, black or grey-brown with a large primrose-yellow flash on each side; head smoky-grey; upperparts greenish-olive; wide yellow wing-bar; off-white underparts (undertail coverts pure white) with yellow or orange patch on each side of breast; adult male has black upperparts and orange wing-bars, breast- and tail-patches. Brit. Birds, 63: 151; 66: 36; 78: 245.

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There have been six records: Cornwall: Porthgwarra on 21st October 1967. Cork: Cape Clear Island, male, on 13th-14th October 1968. 318

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AUTUMN

Argyllshire (Strathclyde): Portnahaven, Islay, female or immature, on 1st November 1982. Lincolnshire: Gibraltar Point, first-winter, from 7th November to 5th December 1982. Cornwall: StJust, first-winter male, on l3th-24th October 1983. Cork: Galley Head, on 13th-15th October 1985.

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319

Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus

Breeds North America. Winters West Indies and Central America. Appearance of small thrush with striped rather than spotted underparts; olivegreen or greenish-brown upperparts; streaks on upper breast; prominent creamywhite eye-ring; dark coronal stripes with centre of crown orange; stance, with cocked tail and drooped wings, may recall Nightingale Luscinia rnegarhynchos. Brit. Birds, 68: 453; 80: 500. There have been four records (including one of a wing only): Lancashire (Merseyside): Formby, wing found, on 4th January 1969. Shetland: Out Skerries on 7th-8th October 1973. Mayo: Lough Carra Forest, freshly dead, on 8th December 1977. Devon: Wembury, freshly dead, on 22nd October 1985.

Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis

Breeds North America. Winters West Indies and Central America south to Peru. Shape like small Song Thrush Turdus philornelos but otherwise resembles a plump pipit, feeding on ground and bobbing. Dark olive-brown above and creamywhite below, with clear cut dark brown streaks and spots; bold creamy-white supercilium. Brit. Birds, 53: 513; 65: 484; 69: 27; 74: 531; 77: 368. There have been four records: Scilly: St Agnes from 30th September to 12th October 1958. Scilly: Tresco on 3rd-7th October 1968. Scilly: Bryher from 29th September to 4th October 1982. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 10th-11th September 1983. 320

Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas

Breeds North America. Winters USA south to Central America. Larger and heavier than Willow Warbler Phy/loscopus trochi/us, with plain dark olive upperparts and yellow underparts (brightest on throat); dark bill and bright pinkish-orange legs; male has striking black mask through eye, from earcoverts to forehead. Brit. Birds, 48: 145, 170; 79: 435. There have been three records: Devon: Lundy, immature male, on 4th November 1954. Shetland: Fetlar, male, on 7th-11th June 1984. Scilly: Bryher, first-winter male, on 2nd-17th October 1984.

Wilson's Warbler Wi/sonia pusilla

Breeds North America. Winters Central America south to Panama. A small, active warbler with olive upperparts (darker wings and tail) and bright yellow face and underparts; fine blackish bill; orange legs; male has neat, small black cap. There has been one Western Palearctic record: Cornwall: Rame Head on 13th October 1985.

321

Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina

Breeds eastern USA. Winters Central America south to Panama Larger than Wilson's Warbler and with pale outer tail feathers; male has black hood with yellow mask from ear-coverts through eye to forehead. Brit. Birds, 65: 203. There has been one Western Palearctic record: Scilly: St Agnes on 20th-23rd September 1970.

Summer Tanager Piranga rubra

Breeds USA and northern Mexico. Winters Central America south to Ecuador and Brazil. Larger than Scarlet Tanager with general colouration more mustard to gold rather than greenish-yellow; bill larger than Scarlet Tanager's; adult male is all red. Brit. Birds, 56: 49. There has been one record: Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey, first-winter male, on 11th-25th September 1957.

322

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea

Breeds North America. Winters South America south to Peru. Nearly size of Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra, sometimes resembling a finch and sometimes a bulky warbler; colour of Greenfinch Carduelis chloris, with greenish-olive head and back and greenish-yellow underparts; underwing-coverts white; large pale bill, larger than that of most finches; breeding male is scarlet with black wings and tail. Brit. Birds, 65: 155; 70: 300; 76: 580; 77: 490.

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There have been seven records: Down: Copeland Island on 12th October 1963. Scilly: St Mary's, first-winter male, on 4th October 1970.

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323

Scarlet Tanager-continued

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AUTUMN

Scilly: Tresco, first-winter male, from 28th September to 3rd October 1975. Cornwall: Nanquidno, first-winter male, on 11th October 1981. Scilly: St Mary's, female, on 12th-18th October 1982. Cork: Firkeel, first-winter female, on 12th-14th October and adult male, on 18th October 1985.

Rufous-sided Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Breeds North America and Mexico. Winters USA to Central America. Shape and stance recall huge Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata but bill finchlike; on ground resembles Song Thrush Turdus philorne/os in actions, and in flight a shrike Lanius sp. Upperparts, chin and throat black (male) or reddish-brown (female); white breast and belly, with chestnut-red flanks; white tips to sides of tail; eye red (brown in immature). Brit. Birds, 63: 145; 72: 291. There has been one accepted record: Devon: Lundy on 7th June 1966. One later record, at Spurn, Yorkshire (Humberside), from 5th September 1975 to 10th January 1976 was assigned to one of the western races and consequently placed in Category D (see Introduction).

324

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Breeds North America. Winters mainly USA. Colour, shape and rather skulking habits recall Dunnock Prunella modularis, but has bunting-like bill and striped head; heavily streaked breast, with dark central spot; rounded tail. Brit. Birds. 52: 419; 59: 198; 65: 260, 340.

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SPRING

There have been five records. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, from 27th April to 10th May 1959. Yorkshire: Spurn on 18th May 1964.

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325

Song Sparrow-continued Caernarvonshire: Bardsey on 5th-8th May 1970. Isle of Man: Calf of Man from 13th May to 3rd June 1971. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, from 17th April to 7th May 1979 and, presumed same, Sumburgh on 10th June 1979.

Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis

Breeds North America. Winters mainly USA. A brown, streaky sparrow best distinguished from Song Sparrow by shorter, notched tail and yellowish lores or supercilium. Brit. Birds, 78: 647; Twitching, 1: 337. There have been two records: Dorset: Portland, P. s. princeps, on 11th-16th April 1984. Shetland: Fair Isle, P. s. sandwichensis, from 30th September to 1st October 1987.

326

Fox Sparrow Zonotrichia iliaca

Breeds northern and western North America. Winters USA. Larger than House Sparrow Passer domesticus, with rump, uppertail-coverts and tail chestnut, and whitish underparts very heavily streaked with large chestnutbrown spots. Brit. Birds, 55: 560. There has been one record: Down: Copeland Island on 3rd--4th June 1961.

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Breeds northern and western North America. Winters USA to northern Mexico. Distinguished from slightly smaller White-throated Sparrow by pinkish-yellow bill, less clear-cut white throat and lack of yellow in fore-supercilium. Brit. Birds, 73: 466. There have been two records, each in the same week: Shetland: Fair Isle on 15th-16th May 1977. Yorkshire (Humberside): Hornsea Mere on 22nd May 1977.

327

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Breeds mainly Canada. Winters USA to northern Mexico. Shape, colour and actions recall Dunnock Prunella modularis, but has dark bunting-like bill; head boldly striped with black and white, with supercilium lemon-yellow in front of eye; throat white bordered with black. Brit. Birds, 53: 97; 54: 366,439; 58: 230;65: 222;66:449.

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Records were divided between April-June and October-November, unusually for American buntings and sparrows, most of which occur in spring on this side of the Atlantic. The 13 records in the period compare with only one before 1958 (18th May 1909 on Flannan Islands, Outer Hebrides). A number of individuals, and particularly the

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SPRING

AUTUMN

1961 and 1984 birds, almost certainly crossed the Atlantic on board ship (the former was at Needs Ore Point, near the entrance to Southampton Water, Brit. Birds, 54: 439, and the latter at Duncrue Street Marsh, near Belfast Docks), while others not included here are known to have done so (Brit. Birds, 58: 230). The spring records suggest recent transatlantic arrivals (perhaps on ships). At least three of the five in autumn were first-year birds, so they too were newly arrived, despite the pattern atypical of Nearctic passerines (only one in Cork and none in Scilly or Cornwall) and again perhaps suggesting that they have been shipassisted.

Dark-eyed Juneo Junco hyema/is

Breeds North America. Winters mainly USA. Mostly dark grey, with white lower breast, belly and outer tail feathers (very obvious when tail flicked); bill pinkish; immatures have browner plumage. Brit. Birds, 69: 452.

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There have been 13 records, 12 of them in the period including one at sea (11 records are mapped): Clare: Loop Head, shot, on 30th May 1905. Kent: Dungeness, male, on 26th May 1960. 329

Dark-eyed J unco--continued

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SPRING

Shetland: Foula on 1st May 1966. Shetland: Foula on 10th May 1967. Shetland: Out Skerries on 7th May 1969. Gloucestershire: Haresfield on 1st-12th April 1975. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey from 25th April to 3rd May 1975. Yorkshire (South Yorkshire): near Rotherham on 3rd January 1977. Inverness-shire (Highland): Loch Affric on 19th May 1977. At Sea: North Sea, 53° 19 N 02"37 E, about 50 km northeast of Cromer, caught on board ship, 24th May 1980. Hampshire (Dorset): Christchurch, male, on 20th May 1983. Somerset: Langford Budville, male, on 21st May 1983. Cornwall: The Lizard, male, on 27th May 1983.

330

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3

Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos

Breeds from eastern USSR through Asia and Siberia. Winters mainly Pakistan, northwest India and northern China. Male has complicated chestnut, black and white head-pattern, with white crown; rump chestnut; lesser coverts brown; female like Yellow hammer E. citrinella, but with white replacing yellow. Brit. Birds, 71: 314, 363.

tl I

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I

I

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FEB

MAR

APR

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JUL

I

I I I

AUG

SEP

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NOV

DEC

There have been thirteen records, seven of them (mapped) during 1958-85: Shetland: Fair Isle on 30th October 1911. Orkney: Papa Westray, male, on 15th October 1943. Orkney: North Ronaldsay, male, on 7th-11th August 1967. Dorset: Portland, male, on 15th April 1975.

•

•

1

2

331

l

Pine Bunting-continued

•

I

I

I

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SPRING

~WOOm~aMffi~~M~mnn~u~ronro~oo~~aM.

AUTUMN

Sutherland (Highland): Golspie on 6th-8th January 1976. Shetland: Fair Isle, immature, on 14th-16th October 1980. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 3rd-8th November 1980. Yorkshire (North Yorkshire): Knaresborough, male, on 6th April 1985. Scilly: St Mary's, male, on 19th-23rd April 1985. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 11th-20th October 1987. Orkney: North Ronaldsay, first-winter male, on 19th-20th October 1987. Shetland: Fair Isle, female, from 22nd October to 13th November 1987. Orkney: North Ronaldsay, first-winter male, on 3rd-9th November 1987.

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia

Breeds from Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards to China. Mainly resident but undertakes some altitudinal movement. Head and breast cold grey; bold black head stripes; upperparts warm chestnutbrown, streaked with black; buffish-orange underparts (especially bright on flanks); chestnut rump unstreaked; often flicks tail, showing white outer tail feathers. Brit. Birds, 53: 35; 55: 158. There have been five records (of six birds): Sussex: near Shoreham, two, at end of October 1902. Kent: Faversham on about 14th February 1905. Pernbrokeshire: Dale Fort on 15th August 1958. Yorkshire (Humberside): Spurn from 19th February to 10th March 1965. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey, male, on 1st June 1967.

332

Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana

Breeds continental Europe and Fenno-Scandia eastwards to northern Iran and Mongolia. Winters south Arabia and sahel zone of the south Sahara. Bunting with greenish-olive head and upper breast; yellow eye-ring, moustachial stripe and throat patch; rest of underparts pinkish-cinnamon; pink bill.

150[

100

50

JAN

FEB

MAR

••

•••

••

••

1-5 tHO 11-20 21-30 31-50 51-70

• 333

Ortolan Bunting-continued 100

80

SPRING

AUTUMN

The 1,320 records during 1958-85 were divided into spring (30% in AprilJune, mostly May) and autumn (70% in August-November, mostly September). Numbers in spring have scarcely increased since 1972 (there was an exceptional influx in 1969, followed by a smaller one the following year), or at all throughout the period in autumn, so a real decline is suggested. Spring records were mainly on the south and, especially, east coasts, with 58% of the total at this season in Shetland. In autumn this pattern was reversed, with the south (and southwest) having rather more than the east coast, with Dorset (where almost all were at Portland Bill) producing 17% of the total at this season.

Cretzschmar's Bunting Emberiza caesia

Breeds south Yugoslavia to Greece, southeast Turkey and Israel. Winters northeast Africa and southern Arabia. Closely resembles Ortolan Bunting but slightly smaller, with blue-grey head and breast, orange throat, brown wings and faint eyering; compared with young Ortolan, immature is more buffish-chestnut, chin is more orange; axillaries and underwing coverts dirty white (pale yellow in Ortolan Bunting). Brit. Birds, 62: 144; 74: 532. There have been two records: Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 10th-20th June 1967. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 9th-10th June 1979.

334

Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys

Breeds central Siberia. Winters southeast China. Size between Little Bunting and Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus; distinctive summer male has black head with rufous ear-coverts, white crown-stripe and streak through ear-coverts, and yellow supercilium; upperparts brown, streaked black; underparts white, streaked dark brown on breast and flanks; male in winter and female duller, with black replaced by chestnut-brown, and white by buff. Brit. Birds, 76: 217. There have been two records: Norfolk: Holkham, on 19th October 1975. Shetland: Fair Isle, male, on 12th-23rd October 1980.

Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica

Breeds from Fenno-Scandia eastwards to Kamchatka. Winters from Turkestan to Manchuria and eastern China. Recalls rufous Reed Bunting E. schoenic/us with white underparts and orange breast-band and flank-streaks; white stripe behind eye; crown feathers ruffled to form crest.

:! 12

8

4-

FEB

MAR

335

Rustic Bunting-continued

.1 u.ill L.I .... LI.a.I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I I I!

I

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I

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AUTUMN

SPRING

,

.,

The records were divided between late March to June, mostly May, and the end of August to early November, with 55% in autumn .

. ~<

tf

•

••

•••

••

1-2

3-4 f>-7 S-10 11-14 1f>-18

•• The 149 records in the period compare with 34 prior to 1958. In both spring and autumn, records were predominantly on the British east coast, especially Shetland which accounted for 65% in spring and 43% in autumn. Spring records included five on the west coast of Britain from Pembrokeshire north to the Outer Hebrides. In autumn, however, there were none in northwest Britain but two on the south coast of England and 22 (27%) on well-watched Scilly, mostly in October. There were only two in Ireland, both Cork (1959 and 1985). One ringed on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 12th June 1963 was recovered on the island of Chios, Greece, on 15th October 1963.

336

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla

Breeds from Fenno-Scandia eastwards to Sea of Okhotsk. Winters from Turkestan to southeast Asia and China. Like small neat compact Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus, the size of Linnet Carduelis cannabina, but whitish underparts neatly marked with fine black streaks; crown and cheeks chestnut, outlined with black; pointed conical bill with straight, or even concave, culmen; short tail usually not fanned or flirted, so white less conspicuous; ticking call-note. Brit. Birds, 69: 465; 72: 387; 74: 39; 79: 497. 40 30

20 10

JAN

FEB

--

APR

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MAY

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SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Records were spread from September to May, with a noticeable spring peak in April-May but with 85% in autumn, mostly late September-October. The scatter of records in December-March indicates that a few autumn arrivals remain to overwinter here.

ri<

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·4

••

•••

•••

1-5 6-15 16-25 26-40 41-55 56-70

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•• 337

Little Bunting-continued 40

3D 20

•••

• .aL.'""'.............~. . . . . . . . . SPRING

AUTUMN

The 274 in the period compare with 93 before 1958. The general increase in both seasons during the period is in line with the growth in observer activity, though there was an exceptional influx of 41 in 1984. The spring records were well scattered and included a number at inland localities. Autumn records were mostly in Shetland, especially Fair Isle (54%), on the British east coast (21 %) and on Scilly (15%).

Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola

Breeds from Finland eastwards to Kamchatka and Japan. Winters India and southeast Asia. Smaller and paler than Yellowhammer E. citrinella, females and immatures with pale yellow throat, breast and belly almost unstreaked; yellowish supercilium and narrow buff crown stripe, recalling Aquatic Warbler; pale double wing-bars; summer males have black face and chin and narrow chestnut breast-band. Brit. Birds, 52: 161; 53: 229.

338

Apart from two in June and singles in May and July, all records were between late August and mid October, mostly September. Nine of the ten records before 1958 fell in the same autumn period (the exception being an adult male on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 13th July 1951).

:[

•• •

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ~~OO~~~~~~~~MronnnNm~n~~OOm~~~~

AUTUMN

SPRING

The 113 records in the period compare with ten before 1958. There has been a steady increase throughout the period which is probably genuine, as most were on Fair Isle, where coverage has been consistently high. The ten records before 1958 were in Shetland (4), Norfolk (3), Fife (2) and Outer Hebrides (I). In the period, however, the bias was even greater towards Shetland, where most of the 80 (71%) were on Fair Isle. Otherwise only two counties recorded more than three in the period: Fife (11, all but one on the Isle of May) and Northumberland (5, all but one on the Fame Islands). A singing male in Highland Region on 14th June 1982 is omitted from the map (but included in the histograms).

-1f

~

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•

•

•

•••

••

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1-2 3-5

H 1()-15

.,

16-23 24-33

34-45 46-59 60-73 74-91

339

Pallas's Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi

Breeds central and east Siberia. Winters Mongolia and China. Smaller than Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus and distinguished with care by greyish, not rufous, lesser-coverts and paler rump; underparts almost unstreaked. Brit. Birds, 72: 98; 73: 400,402; 75: 40; 76: 174. There have been two records: Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, from 29th September to 11th October 1976. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-winter, on 17th-18th September 1981.

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala

Breeds Italy and southeast Europe eastwards to Iran. Winters in western India. Bulky bunting; male with black head, yellow underparts and collar, rufous back and no white in tail; female has unstreaked underparts, usually with yellow undertail-coverts, and olive-brown upperparts. Brit. Birds, 45: 229.

JAN

340

FEB

DEC

The records were spread from April to November, with 60% in spring, mostly May. Though this is a common cagebird and occurrences often come under suspicion of being escapes, the pattern suggests that at least some are genuine vagrants.

4

I

•

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AUTUMN

There were only nine records prior to 1958, compared with 55 in the period. The surge of records in 1965-67 was, at the time, considered to relate mainly to probable escapes and the same may be true of the six in 1979. Interestingly, almost all have been males. Records were well scattered at both seasons except that Shetland accounted for 25% in spring and 41 % in autumn, a pattern shared by other southeastern vagrants (but also by some obviously escaped cagebirds) .

,

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~

•

••

•••

••

•

1 2 3 4

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5

6 7

8 9

341

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

Breeds North America. Winters southern Central America to Peru. Almost size of Song Thrush Turdus phi/ome/os with build of Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes; underwing coverts crimson (male) or yellow (female); adult male largely black above and white below with red breast; female and young streaky brown with strikingly striped head; both sexes have white bars and patches in wing. Brit. Birds, 58: 440; 61: 176.

i~

I JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUl

AUG

SEP

l I

OCT

I

NOV

•

DEC

All records were in October (apart from one at Leigh-on-sea, Essex, from 20th December 1975 to 4th January 1976), the peak time for most Nearctic landbirds in Britain and Ireland.

••

••

••

342

·f

2

3 5

&1

~~

•

-

.. I

AUTUMN

There were no records before 1958, 17 in the period, and at least three since. The increase is in line with the growth in observer activity that has occurred, especially in Scilly and Cork which have produced seven and five respectively. All have been immatures. The southwesterly bias is typical for a Nearctic landbird vagrant. Most occurrences were in association with westerly gales, which presumably aided their transatlantic flight.

Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea

Breeds North America. Winters Central America. Size and shape similar to Linnet Carduelis cannabina but female nondescript, unstreaked dark brown above, buff below with faint streaking on breast; adult male deep blue overall; immature male shows blue tinges. Birding World, I: 385. There have been two records: Cork: Cape Clear Island, immature, on 9th-20th October 1985. "Norfolk: Holkham on 21st-30th November 1988. Two earlier records were placed in Category D (see Introduction): Shetland: Fair Isle on 3rd-7th August 1964. Essex: Walton-on-the-Naze on 8th September 1973.

343

Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Breeds North America. Winters South America from Peru to southern Brazil and Argentina. Recalls Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra but generally yellowish with striped head-pattern (yellow crown-stripe and yellow supercilium, bordered by black coronal stripes and line behind eye), pointed tail feathers and large conical pointed bill; breeding males have black head and underparts, yellow nape and white rump and shoulder patches. Brit. Birds, 58: 208; 70: 222. There have been 14 records, 12 of them during the period (mapped): Scilly: St Agnes on 19th September 1962.

l I

JAN

FEB

MAR

•••

•••

••

344

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

1

.~

2 3 4

~<

~v

7

8

AUG

.u SEP

I

OCT

NOV

DEC

- -AUTUMN

--

Scilly: St Mary's on 10th October 1968. Wexford: Hook Head on 12th-14th October 1971. Shetland: Out Skerries on 18th September 1975. Scilly: St Mary's on 9th October 1975. Scilly: Tresco on 28th-29th September 1976. Scilly: St Agnes on 7th October 1979. Scilly: St Mary's on 7th October 1981. Cork: Cape Clear Island on 13th-24th September 1982. Scilly: St Mary's from 22nd September to 14th October 1983. Devon: Lundy on 23rd-25th September 1984. Scilly: St Mary's on 9th-21st October 1985. Outer Hebrides (Western Isles): St Kilda on 28th September 1986. Shetland: Fair Isle from 29th September to 2nd October 1986.

Northern Oriole Icterus galbula

Breeds North America. Winters Mexico to Venezuela. About size of Starling Sturnus vulgaris with similar pointed bill; male has black head, upper back and throat contrasting with brilliant orange underparts, lower back, rump, sides to black tail and primary coverts; conspicuous white wing-bars and edges to secondaries; female and immature duller, mainly olive above and orange-yellow below, with double white wing-bars. Brit. Birds. 56: 52,464.

~[

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APR

• I

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I.IJ

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345

Northern Oriole-continued The records were concentrated into six days in spring (6th and 11th May) and 30 days in autumn (19th September to 18th October), plus one on 16th December 1968 (first-winter male, dead, at Coventry, Warwickshire).

i~

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I

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SPRING

~~~m~~MM~~~~ronn~N~~nn~~m~~M~

AUTUMN

One in Shetland on 26th September 1890 has not been regarded generally as having been a wild bird (though the date is appropriate for a transatlantic vagrant), and the 14 in the period are the only accepted British records: there has been none in Ireland. More than half of the total were recorded in just three years, 1966-68, and it is strange that only two have been recorded since 1970, whereas most Nearctic land birds have increased since then in line with the number of observers. The patterns of spring and autumn records suggest transatlantic vagrancy immediately prior to discovery, with all but three records (Warwickshire, Sussex and Shetland) in western Britain.

•

••

346

1

2 3

·f

Category D species (see Brit. Birds, 64: 429)

As stated in the Introduction, the possibility must always be borne in mind that some of the records in this book refer to birds which have escaped from aviculturalists' collections. The escape likelihood is so high and the chance of vagrancy so low for some species (e.g. single Orange-gorgeted Flycatchers Ficedula strophiata, recorded on Lundy, Devon on 17th November 1973 and lIth August 1976 - the only two British occurrences), that the records are completely omitted from the British and Irish list. Certain other species, however, as well as being very suspect because of the likelihood of a captive origin, could also occur as genuine vagrants. Such species are placed by the BOU Records Committee in a special list, Category D, which also includes species which have only ever been recorded as tideline corpses, or are known (as distinct from suspected) to have occurred only as a result of a ship-assisted sea crossing. These Category D species are included here for completeness. If future records justify it, some may eventually earn a place in the main British and Irish list (as has already happened with Baikal Teal, Ovenbird, Dark-eyed Junco and Indigo Bunting).

Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus

Breeds very discontinuously from Romania, Greece and Albania eastwards to Mongolia. European population winters mainly east Mediterranean from Greece to Egypt. Unmistakable pelican shape; mainly greyish-white; larger than white Pelican; in flight, black primaries and blackish secondaries above but little or no black below wings; legs grey; eyes yellow. There has been one record in the period: Essex: near Colchester on 29th October to 8th November 1967. This bird was subsequently seen in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset and Cornwall in November/December 1967 and, finally, the Isles ofScilly in January 1968. Records of pelicans are often dismissed as relating to escapes but vagrancy is a possi bili ty . 347

White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

Breeds very discontinuously from Romania, Greece and Albania eastwards through Kazakhstan; also tropical east and south Africa. European population winters mostly Egypt and perhaps further south in east Africa. Unmistakable pelican shape; mainly white, tinged pinkish; slightly smaller than Dalmatian Pelican; in flight, distinct black wing-tips above and whole of rear of wing black beneath; legs pinkish or orange; eyes red. The following records have been accepted into Category D: Norfolk: off Great Yarmouth and many other localities from 9th July 1964 to 20th February 1965. Norfolk: Breydon Water, three, on 31st August 1971. Kent: Dungeness, two adults, on 11th-12th November 1972. Surrey (Greater London): Barn Elms Reservoirs on 22nd-24th May 1973. Suffolk: Minsmere, adult, on 2nd May 1975. Essex: Hanningfield Reservoir, adult, on 6th July 1975. Kent: Fordwich, adult, on 8th-lith July 1975. Lincolnshire/Yorkshire (Humberside): River Humber, adult, on 16th July 1975. Dorset: Portland on 5th September 1975. Kent: near Appledore on 18th September 1977. Records of pelicans are often dismissed as relating to escapes, but vagrancy is a distinct possibility. The three July 1975 records may well refer to one wandering individual.

348

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber

Breeds very locally in south France, south Spain, northwest Africa, from southwest USSR and Iraq eastwards to west India, and Kenya and South Africa (P. r. roseus); also Caribbean and South America (P. r. ruber). Typical flamingo shape; distinguished from other species by pale pinkish-white plumage (apart from striking crimson and black wings); bill mostly pale pink with black tip. Most, if not all, occurrences of flamingos in Britain and Ireland are now considered to relate to escapes. Various species are involved, the most common being Chilean Flamingo P. chilensis. Even the records of the Eurasian and African race of the Greater Flamingo P. r. roseus, the most likely to occur naturally, are so suspect, however, that they are probably often neither reported nor published. This species was included on the British and Irish list until 1971, but was then relegated to Category D. The status of this species in Britain and Ireland was discussed in Brit. Birds, 60: 423-426, and the status in northwest Europe was discussed in Dutch Birding, 9: 2-7.

Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica

Breeds Iceland, southwest Greenland, northwest Canada and western North America. Icelandic population resident but American birds winter south along both coasts of northern USA. Male distinguished from Common Goldeneye B. clangula by crescent-shaped white face-patch and rather less white on scapulars; female and immature distinguished, with care, by steeper forehead and more yellow on bill. One record has been accepted: Ayrshire (Strathclyde): Irvine, male, from 4th November to 28th December 1982. 349

Saker Falcon Falco cherrug

Breeds from eastern Europe eastwards to Siberia and south to Iran. Winters southeast Europe, Turkey, east Africa and across south Asia from Iraq to China. Distinguished from Peregrine F. peregrinus by larger size, browner plumage lacking grey tones and tail showing pale spots rather than bars; adult is pale headed with indistinct facial pattern. Requires very careful and critical examination for successful identification: beware browner Gyr Falcons F. rusticolus, Lanner F. biarmicus, escaped Lagger Falcon F.jugger and escaped falconers' hybrids between any of these! There have been two records: Shetland: Out Skerries on 1st-5th October 1976. Shetland: Fetlar on 27th-29th May 1978.

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus .w

Breeds North America. Winters USA to northern Mexico. Woodpecker with barred brown back and white rump; boldly spotted underparts; yellow underwings and tail (eastern form 'Yellow-shafted Flicker'); grey crown, with red nape-patch; black breast-band. There have been two records: Cork: one flew ashore from RMS Mauretania at Cobh Harbour at dawn on 13th October 1962; it had been first seen aboard 2~ hours out of New York at dusk on 7th October (Brit. Birds, 56: 157). Caithness (Highland): a corpse found in July 1981. This was thought to have died on board ship (Brit. Birds, 75: 531).

350

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Breeds southern Europe, northwest Africa and southern Asia. Mainly resident but partial winter migrant south to north Africa. Almost size of Redwing Turdus iliacus but plumper with short tail and with longish, thin dark bill; male blue-grey with slaty wings and tail; female bluishbrown above and paler with barring below. Brit. Birds, 61: 303. There have been four records: Orkney: North Ronaldsay from 29th August to 6th September 1966. Sussex (East Sussex): Rye on 10th August 1977. Argyllshire (Strathclyde): Skerryvore Lighthouse, South Minch, on 4th-7th June, found dead on 8th, 1985. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Moel-y-cest, male, on 4th June 1987.

Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps

Breeds from Kazakhstan eastwards to northwest China and southwards to Iran and Afghanistan. Winters Indian region. Size and shape like a stocky Yellowhammer E. citrinella; male has chestnut or orange head and throat, greenish mantle and yellowish rump, nape and underparts; female closely resembles female Black-headed Bunting but usually has pale yellow (not pale chestnut) rump and a greenish tinge to upperparts. Fair Isle Bird Obs. Bull., 1 (3): 34. 351

Red-headed Bunting-continued The record of one on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 19th June 1931, was formerly accepted as relating to a wild bird but it, and most, if not all, of the numerous records since, are now considered to be attributable to escaped cagebirds. A total of 33 was reported in 1958-61, between 20th April and 28th October, with seven in May, June, August and September, three in July and singles in April and October. Since 1961, records of this species have not been collected or assessed by the British Birds Rarities Committee and many occurrences are probably not now reported or published. Genuine vagrancy is possible, however, and despite the high escape likelihood some birds may be occurring naturally. The British and Irish records were discussed in Brit. Birds, 60: 344-347,423-426,529; 61: 41-43.

Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum

Breeds North America. Winters from eastern USA to Central America and West Indies. Distinguished from immature Blackpoll Warbler D. striata by yellow vent and undertail coverts, dark legs and less conspicuous wing-bars; summer adult has rufous cap and yellow supercilium. There has been one record: Lancashire (Cumbria): Walney Island, adult male, remains found on tideline, on 18th May 1976.

352

Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila

Breeds southern-central and southeastern Siberia. Winters Burma, southern China and northern Indochina, Smaller than House Sparrow Passer domesticus; male has head, breast, wingcoverts and upperparts to rump bright chestnut; streaks on flanks dark olive or rich chestnut, underparts otherwise bright yellow; tail and flight feathers olive grey; bill dark, eye black, legs pinkish; female browner and duller, with white throat; call similar to Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus but more mellow. There have been four records: Shetland: Foula on 9th-13th June 1974. Fife: Isle of May, first-year, on 11th June 1985. Shetland: Fair Isle, first-summer male, on 15th-16th June 1986. Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd): Bardsey, first-summer male, on 18th-19th June 1986.

Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea

Breeds North America. Winters south to Mexico. Like a slim, long-tailed Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra with large bill like a Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes; both sexes have double wing-bars, rusty (male) or buff (female); male dull blue, apart from brownish wings and tail; female brown. There have been three records: Shetland: Out Skerries from mid August to 26th August 1970. Inverness-shire: Kiltarlity, immature male, on lOth-ll th March 1972. G1oucestershire: Newent, caught by cat, on 9th May 1986. 353

Painted Bunting Passerina ciris

Breeds North and Central America. Winters Greater Antilles and Central America south to Panama. Male splendidly colourful, with blue head, yellow-green mantle and red eye-ring, underparts and rump; female brilliant yellow-green. There have been six records: Shetland: Voe, male, on 28th May 1972. Lancashire: Carnforth on 2nd-6th April 1974. Scilly: St Mary's, adult male, on 25th June 1978. Shetland: Burravoe, Yell, adult male, on 9th-27th July 1978. Shetland: Fair Isle, female, from 19th June to 1st July 1979. Shetland: N oss, male, on 8th June 1981.

Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus

Breeds North America. Winters from USA south to EI Salvador. Larger and longer-tailed than House Sparrow Passer domesticus with striking complex chestnut, black and white head pattern, long black tail with white corners and dark spot in centre of greyish-white breast. There has been one record: Suffolk: Landguard Point from 30th June to 4th July 1981.

354

Extreme Vagrants Species recorded less than 10 times in Britain and Ireland, 1958-85. Readers may be interested to see when and where the most exciting rarities have occurred. They have, in fact, been spread throughout the year but with a spring peak in late May to early June and a larger autumn peak in late September to October.

JAN

FEB

•

MAR

AlITUMN

SPRING

.~ .~

tf

••

•

••

••

••

1-2 3-5

6-a 9-12

.~

13-16 17-21

• 355

In spring, Shetland (especially Fair Isle) and Yorkshire (especially Spurn - now Humberside) produced most, but there was also a concentration in English south coast counties, as well as in Cork and, to a lesser extent, in Norfolk, Durham, Orkney and Caernarvonshire (especially Bardsey). In autumn, the bias was to the northern isles, the English east and south coast counties, also Cork. Scilly, which is so intensively watched in October, did best at this season, followed by Shetland, Cornwall, Norfolk and Cork.

356

References and Bibliography

The following books have been used or cited by the authors and will be of interest to readers: British Ornithologists' Union (1971). The Status of Birds in Britain and Ireland. Blackwell, England. Bull, J. (1964). Birds of the New York Area. Dover, New York, USA. Cramp, S. and Simmons, K. E. L. (1977 and subsequently). The Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vols I-V. OUP, England. Grant, P. J. (1982). Gulls: a guide to identification. Poyser, England. Harrison, C. (1982). An Atlas of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. Collins, England. Harrison, P. (1983). Seabirds. Croom Helm, England. Hayman, P., Marchant, J. and Prater, A. (1986). Shorebirds. Croom Helm, England. Heinzel, H., Fitter, R. and Parslow, J. (1972). The Birds of Britain and Europe. Collins, England. Hollom, P. A. D., Porter, R. F., Christensen, S. and Willis, I. (1988). Birds of the Middle East and North Africa. Poyser, England. King, B., Woodcock, M. and Dickinson, E. C. (1975). A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. Collins, Scotland. Meyer de Schauensee, R. (1971). A Guide to the Birds of South America. Oliver and Boyd, Scotland. National Geographic Society, (1983). A Field Guide to the Birds of North America. NGS, Washington, USA. Pemberton, J. (1986), The Birdwatcher's Yearbook. Buckingham Press, England. Peterson, R. T. and Chalif, E. L. (1973). A Field Guide to Mexican Birds. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, USA. Porter, R. F., Willis, I. W., Christensen, S. and Nielsen, B. P. (1974). Flight Identification of European Raptors. Poyser, England. Sharrock, J. T. R. (1974), Scarce Migrant Birds in Britain and Ireland. Poyser, England. Sharrock, J. T. R. and E. M. (1976), Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland. Poyser, England. Wild Bird Society of Japan (1982), A Field Guide to the Birds ofJapan. WBSJ, Tokyo, Japan. Williamson, Kenneth (1976), Identification for Ringers. BTO, England.

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Index of English names Accentor, Alpine 211 Albatross, Black-browed 19 Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked 188 European 188 Bittern, American 28 Little 29 Bluetail, Red-flanked 218 Bluethroat 216 Bobolink 344 Bufflehead 62 Bunting, Black-headed 340 Chestnut 353 Cretzschmar's 334 Indigo 343 Little 337 Ortolan 333 Painted 354 Pallas's Reed 340 Pine 331 Red-headed 351 Rock 332 Rustic 335 Yellow-breasted 338 Yellow-browed 335 Bustard, Great 85 Houbara 85 Little 83 Catbird, Gray 211 Coot, American 80 Courser, Cream-coloured 88 Crake, Baillon's 78 Little 76 Crane, Common 81 Sandhill 83 Crossbill, Parrot 303 Two-barred 302 Cuckoo, Black-billed 170 Great Spotted 168 Yellow-billed 171 Curlew, Eskimo 125 Diver, White-billed 16 Dove, Rufous Turtle 167 Dowitcher, Long-billed 121 Short-billed 121

Duck, American Black 51 Harlequin 60 Ring-necked 54 Eagle, Bald 66 Spotted 68 White-tailed 65 Egret, Cattle 34 Great White 38 Little 36 Eider, King 56 Steller's 58 Falcon, Eleonora's 72 Gyr 73 Red-footed 71 Saker 350 Finch, Citril 298 Trumpeter 305 Flamingo, Greater 349 Flicker, Northern 350 Flycatcher, Collared 279 Red-breasted 277 Frigatebird, Magnificent 27 Gallinule, Allen's 79 American Purple 80 Godwit, Hudsonian 124 Goldeneye, Barrow's 349 Goose, Lesser White-fronted 45 Red-breasted 47 Grebe, Pied-billed 17 Grosbeak, Blue 353 Evening 309 Pine 308 Rose-breasted 342 Guillemot, Briinnich's 164 Gull, Bonaparte's 144 Franklin's 141 Great Black-headed 139 Ivory 150 Laughing 140 Ring-billed 147 Ross's 148 Sabine's 143 Slender-billed 146 Harrier, Pallid 68 359

Heron, Green 32 Night 31 Purple 39 Squacco 33 Hoopoe 191 Ibis, Glossy 44 Junco, Dark-eyed 329 Kestrel, American 70 Lesser 69 Killdeer 94 Kingfisher, Belted 187 Kite, Black 63 Lark, Bimaculated 194 Calandra 194 Crested 197 Lesser Short-toed 197 Short-toed 195 White-winged 195 Martin, Crag 198 Merganser, Hooded 63 Nighthawk, Common 180 Nightingale, Thrush 214 Night jar, Egyptian 179 Red-necked 179 Nutcracker 291 Oriole, Golden 285 Northern 345 Ortolan Bunting 333 Ovenbird 320 Owl, Eagle 174 Hawk 176 Scops 173 Snowy 175 Tengmalm's 177 Parula Northern 311 Pelican, Dalmatian 347 White 348 Petrel, Bulwer's 22 Capped 21 Gadfly 21 Soft-plumaged 21 Phalarope, Wilson's 136 Phoebe, Eastern 193 Pipit, Blyth's 202 Olive-backed 204 360

Pechora 206 Red-throated 207 Richard's 201 Tawny 203 Plover, American Golden 97 Caspian 97 Greater Sand 95 Pacific Golden 99 Semipalmated 93 Sociable 100 White-tailed 101 Pratincole, Black-winged 92 Collared 90 Oriental 91 Rail, Sora 75 Redpoll, Arctic 300 Redstart, American 318 Daurian 220 Moussier's 220 Robin, American 239 White-throated 219 Roller 190 Rosefinch, Common 306 Pallas's 308 Ruby throat, Siberian 216 Saker Falcon 350 Sandgrouse, Pallas's 165 Sandpiper, Baird's 110 Broad-billed 115 Buff-breasted 118 Least 107 Marsh 127 Pectoral 112 Semipalmated 102 Sharp-tailed 113 Solitary 131 Spotted 134 Stilt 116 Terek 132 Upland 125 Western 103 White-rumped 109 Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied 193 Scaup, Lesser 56 Scoter, Surf 60 Scrub-Robin, Rufous 213 Serin 298 Shearwater, Cory's 22 Little 24 Shelduck, Ruddy 48

Shrike, Brown 288 Isabelline 286 Lesser Grey 288 Woodchat 290 Skua, Long-tailed 137 Snipe, Great 119 Sora 75 Sparrow, Fox 327 Lark 354 Rock 295 Savannah 326 Song 325 Spanish 295 White-crowned 327 White-throated 328 Starling, Daurian 294 Rose-coloured 293 Stilt, Black-winged 87 Stint, Long-toed 107 Red-necked 105 Temminck's 105 Stork, Black 41 White 42 Storm-Petrel"Madeiran 27 White-faced 26 Wilson's 26 Swallow, American diff 200 Red-rumped 199 Swift, Alpine 183 Chimney 187 Little 185 Needle-tailed 181 Pacific 185 Pallid 182 Tanager, Scarlet 323 Summer 322 Tattler, Grey-tailed 135 Teal, Baikal 51 Blue-winged 53 Tern, Aleutian 157 Bridled 158 Caspian 152 Elegant 154 Forster's 156 Gull-billed 151 Lesser Crested 155 Royal 154 Sooty 159 Whiskered 161 White-winged Black 162 Thrasher, Brown 210

Thrush, Black-throated 238 Blue Rock 351 Dusky 236 Eye-browed 235 Grey-cheeked 233 Hermit 231 Rock 227 Siberian 229 Swainson's 231 Varied 230 White's 228 Wood 230 Tit, Penduline 283 Towhee, Rufous-sided 324 Treecreeper, Short-toed 281 Veery 234 Vireo, Philadelphia 297 Red-eyed 296 Vulture, Egyptian 67 Griffon 67 Wagtail, Citrine 209 Wallcreeper 280 Warbler, Aquatic 246 Arctic 268 Barred 264 Black-and-white 309 Blackburnian 316 Blackpoll 317 Blyth's Reed 249 Bonelli's 276 Booted 254 Cape May 314 Chestnut-sided 313 Desert 263 Dusky 274 Fan-tailed 240 Great Reed 250 Green 265 Greenish 266 Hooded 322 Icterine 255 Lanceolated 242 Magnolia 314 Marmora's 258 Melodious 257 Moustached 245 Olivaceous 252 Orphean 263 Paddyfield 248 Pallas's 269 361

Warbler-contd. Pallas's Grasshopper 241 Palm 352 Radde's 273 River 244 Riippell's 262 Sardinian 261 Subalpine 259 Tennessee 311 Thick-billed 252 Two-barred Greenish 266 Wilson's 321 Yellow 313 Yellow-browed 271

362

Yellow-rumped 315 Waterthrush, Northern 320 Wheatear, Black 226 Black-eared 223 Desert 224 Isabelline 221 Pied 221 White-crowned Black 226 Whimbrel, Little 124 Wigeon, American 49 Yellowlegs, Greater 128 Lesser 130 Yellowthroat 321

Index of scientific names Acrocephalus aedon 252 agricola 248 arundinaceus 250 dumetorum 249 melanopogon 245 paludicola 246 Actitis macula ria l34 Aegolius funereus 177 Anas americana 49 discors 53 formosa 51 rubripes 51 Anser erythropus 45 Anthus campestris 203 cervinus 207 godlewskii 202 gustavi 206 hodgsoni 204 novaeseelandiae 201 Apus affinis 185 melba 183 pacificus 185 pallidus 182 Aquila clanga 68 Ardea purpurea 39 Ardeola ralloides 33 Aythya affinis 56 collaris 54 Bartramia longicauda 125 Botaurus lentiginosus 28 Branta ruficollis 47 Bubo bubo 174 Bubulcus ibis 34 Bucanetes githagineus 305 Bucephala albeola 62 islandica 349 Bulweria bulwerii 22 Butorides striatus 32 Calandrella brachydactyla 195 rufescens 197 Calidris acuminata 113 bairdii 110 juscico/lis 109 mauri 103 melanotos 112 minutilla 107

pusilla 102 ruficollis 105 subminuta 107 temminckii 105 Calonectris diomedea 22 Caprimulgus aegyptius 179 ruficollis 179 Carduelis hornemanni 300 Carpodacus erythrinus 306 roseus 308 Catharus fuscescens 234 guttatus 231 minimus 233 ustulatus 231 Cercotrichas galactotes 213 Certhia brachydactyla 281 Ceryle alcyon 187 Chaetura pelagica 187 Charadrius asiaticus 97 leschenaultii 95 semipalmatus 93 vociferus 94 Chettusia gregaria 100 Chlamydotis undulata 85 Chlidonias hybridus 161 leucopterus 162 Chondestes grammacus 354 Chordeiles minor 180 Ciconia ciconia 42 nigra 41 Circus macrourus 68 Cisticola juncidis 240 Clamator glandarius 168 Coccyzus americanus 171 erythrophthalmus 170 Colaptes auratus 350 Coracius garrulus 190 Cursorius cursor 88 Dendroica coronata 315 fusca 316 magnolia 314 palmarum 352 pensylvanica 313 petechia 313 striata 317 tigrina 314 Diomedea melanophris 19

363

Dolichonyx oryzivorus 344 Dumetella carolinensis 211 Egretta alba 38 garzetta 36 Emberiza aureola 338 bruniceps 351 caesia 334 chrysophrys 335 cia 332 hortulana 333 leucocephalos 331 melanocephala 340 pallasi 340 pusilla 337 rustica 335 rutila 353 Falco cherrug 350 eleonorae 72 naumanni 69 rusticolus 73 sparverius 70 vespertinus 71 Ficedula albicollis 279 parva 277 Fregata magnificens 27 Fulica americana 80 Galerida cristata 197 Gallimago media 119 Gavia adamsii 16 Gelochelidon nilotica 151 Geothlypis trichas 321 Glareola maldivarum 91 nordmanni 92 pratincola 90 Grus canadensis 83 grus 81 Guiraca caerulea 353 Gyps fulvus 67 Haliaeetus albicilla 65 leucocephalus 66 Hesperiphona vespertina 309 Heteroscelus brevipes 135 Himantopus himantopus 87 Hippolais caligata 254 icterina 255 pallida 252 polyglotta 257 Hirundapus caudacutus 181

364

Hirundo daurica 199 pyrrhonota 200 Histrionicus histrionicus 60 Hylocichla mustelina 230 Icterus galbula 345 Irania gutturalis 219 Ixobrychus minutus 29 Ixoreus naevius 230 Junco hyemalis 329 Lanius cristatus 288 isabellinus 286 minor 288 senator 290 Larus atricilla 140 delawarensis 147 genei 146 ichthyaetus 139 philadelphia 144 pipixcan 141 sabini 143 Limicola falcinellus 115 Limnodromus griseus 121 scolopaceus 121 Limosa haemastica 124 Locustella certhiola 241 fluviatilis 244 lanceolata 242 Lophodytes cucullatus 63 Loxia leucoptera 302 pytyopsittacus 303 Luscinia calliope 216 luscinia 214 svecica 216 Melanitta perspicillata 60 Melanocorypha bimaculata 194 calandra 194 leucoptera 195 Melospiza melodia 325 Merops apiaster 188 superciliosus 188 Micropalama himantopus 116 Milvus migrans 63 Mniotilta varia 309 Monticola saxatilis 227 solitarius 351 Motacilla citreola 209 Neophron percnopterus 67 Nucifraga caryocatactes 291

Numenius borealis 125 minutus 124 Nyctea scandiaca 175 Nycticorax nycticorax 31 Oceanites oceanicus 26 Oceanodroma castro 27 Oenanthe deserti 224 hispanica 223 isabellina 221 leucopyga 226 leucura 226 pleschanka 221 Oriolus oriolus 285 Otis tarda 85 Otus scops 173 Pagophila eburnea 150 Parula americana 311 Passer hispaniolensis 295 Passerculus sandwichensis 326 Passerina ciris 354 cyanea 343 Pelagodroma marina 26 Pelecanus crispus 347 onocrotalus 348 Petronia petronia 295 Phalaropus tricolor 136 Pheuticus ludovicianus 342 Phoenicopterus ruber 349 Phoenicurus auroreus 220 moussieri 220 Phylloscopus boneUi 276 borealis 268 Juscatus 274 inornatus 271 nitidus 265 plumbeitarsus 266 proregulus 269 schwarzi 273 trochiloides 266 Pinicola enucleator 308 Pipilo erythropthalmus 324 Piranga olivacea 323 rubra 322 Plegadis Jalcinellus 44 Pluvialis dominica 97 Julva 99 Podilymbus podiceps 17 Polysticta stelleri 58 Porphyrula alieni 79 martinica 80

Porzana carolina 75 parva 76 pusilla 78 Prunella collaris 211 Pterodroma hasitata 21 moUis 21 sp.21 Ptyonoprogne rupestris 198 Puifinus assimilis 24 Remiz pendulinus 283 Rhodostethia rosea 148 Sayornis phoebe 193 Seiurus aurocapillus 320 noveboracensis 320 S erinus citrinella 298 serinus 298 Setophaga ruticilla 318 Somateria spectabilis 56 Sphyrapicus varius 193 Stercorarius longicaudus 137 Sterna aleutica 157 anaethetus 158 bengalensis 155 caspia 152 elegans 154 Jorsteri 156 Juscata 159 maxima 154 Streptopelia orientalis 167 Sturn us roseus 293 sturninus 294 Surnia ulua 176 Sylvia cantillans 259 hortensis 263 melanocephala 261 nana 263 nisoria 264 rueppelli 262 sarda 258 Syrrhaptes paradoxus 165 Tadorna ferruginea 48 Tarsiger cyanurus 218 Tetrax tetrax 83 Tichodroma muraria 280 Toxostoma ruJum 210 Tringa flavipes 130 me/anoleuca 128 solitaria 131 stagnatilis 127 Tryngites subruficollis 118

365

Turdus migratorius 239 naumanni 236 obscurus 235 ruficollis 238

Wilsonia citrina 322 pusilla 321 Xenus cinereus 132

Upupa epops 191 Uria lomvia 164 Vanellus leucurus 101 Vermivora peregrina 311 Vireo olivaceus 296 philadelphicus 297

366

Zonotrichia albicollis 328 iliaca 327 leucophrys 327 Zoothera dauma 228 sibirica 229