Brandon Point, Co Kerry, on
18th, Bridges of Ross, Co Clare,
on 23rd and Annagh Head, Co
Mayo, on 25th. Scraping in at
the deadline was one off Loop
Head, Co Clare, on 31st.
Several uttering Barolo
Shearwaters were reported;BIRD NEWS ANALYSIS: RARITIES
http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch Birdwatch•October 2017 13
one off Prawle Point, Devon,
on 3rd was followed by one
off Porthgwarra on 13th. Hood
Head, Co Wexford, saw one on
16th, while the Bridges of Ross
continued its exceptional run for
the species with one on 18th.
Much like the Swinhoe’s Storm
Petrel mystery, whether or not
this means a small number are
being missed within extensive
Manx Shearwater colonies
poses an intriguing question.
In the nal week of the
month, variable winds meantRarities: August 2017
❯
a mixture of both eastern and
western avours, but it was
another ‘Yank’ which grabbed
the headlines: a Paci c Diver in
the Irish Sea off Bremore Point,
Co Dublin, from 27th, with brief
forays across the border into
the waters off Gormanstown, Co
Meath.Lingering wildfowl
Considering that it had moulted
the majority of its ight feathers,
the continued presence of
the Aberdeenshire AmericanWhite-winged Scoter off Murcar
Golf Course was no surprise;
it was last seen on 19th. The
American Black Duck was still
at Strontian, Highland, on 27th.
Ceredigion’s young ‘queen’ King
Eider was still in situ on the Dy
Estuary until 16th, with what
seems likely to be the same
individual up the coast off Aber
Dysynni, Gwynedd, on 27th.
The only Ferruginous Duck
record concerned one at Hesketh
Out Marsh RSPB, Lancs, on 16th,
which had been present butSIMON SLADEJOHN HEWITT ROGER RIDDINGTONThe true star bird of the early
autumn was this fi rst-winter
female American Redstart on
Barra, Outer Hebrides, from 7
September. It was the fi rst in
Britain since one in Winchester,
Hampshire, in 1985.One of three individuals on
Shetland in early September,
this Arctic Warbler at Quendale,
Mainland, stayed for just one
afternoon on 9th.This Western Bonelli’s Warbler
at Easington, East Yorkshire,
from 16-17th proved relatively
easy to identify as it was a
singing male.FIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFirst for bird newsFirst for bird news1710 p12-14 rarities FIN.indd 13 21/09/2017 15:30: