BIRD NEWS ANALYSIS: SCARCITIES
18 Birdwatch•October 2017 http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch
An unseasonal eclipse drake
American Wigeon rocked up at
Rutland Water towards the end
of the month, while a female at
Strathbeg, Aberdeens, on 18th
would have proved an impressive
nd if con rmed.
The trio of Black-winged Stilts
at Cliffe Pools, Kent, hung on
for most of the month after
breeding, last being reported on
25th. A further ve spent a short
period at Bowers Marsh, Essex.
The rst juvenile Nearctic
shorebirds of the autumn
appeared from the 19th, with
a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper
on Scilly claiming the crown;the species was noted at more
than 30 sites across Britain
and Ireland. Higher tallies
included three at Saltholme
RSPB, Co Durham, and two
each in Northumberland and
Nottinghamshire. An obliging
adult White-rumped Sandpiper
was at Tetney Marshes, Lincs,
from 30th, with others in
Northumberland, Co Durham
and the Outer Hebrides, while
Irish records included birds in Co
Cork, Co Wexford and Galway.
An adult American Golden
Plover was at Myroe Levels, Co
Derry, from 30th, with another
at Cahore, Co Wexford, on 24th.One found by torchlight on North
Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 23rd
wasn’t present the next day.
Scarce migrants remained just
that. Only four Icterine Warblers
were seen, with the only
mainland record concerning one
trapped at Kilnsea, East Yorks,
on 29th. Melodious Warbler
records were more numerous,
but came almost solely from
the south coast. At least ve
Greenish Warblers fairly evenly
spread across the country was
a relatively poor showing in the
context of recent years.
Three new Rosy Starlings were
found: adults at Scarborough,North Yorks, Fishtown of Usan,
Angus, and a juvenile at Kilnsea
on 20th.
There was a smattering of Red-
backed Shrikes, while a juvenile
Woodchat Shrike was found
near Chipping Sodbury, Glos, on
8th. Popular Hoopoes were at
Orcombe Point, Devon, from 17-
20th and in Loughborough, Leics,
from 25th. Others were in Scilly,
Co Durham and East Sussex.Passage by night
The Sound Approach’s discovery
of large numbers of night-
migrating Ortolan Buntings last
year (see last month’s Birdwatch,
pages 32-35) showed a hint of
continuing from 21st, with one
detected over Portland. Sight
records came from The Lizard
and Porthgwarra on 24th and
25th respectively.
Bluethroats were trapped and
ringed on RSPB reserves at Old
Hall Marshes, Essex, on 16th
and Lakenheath Fen, Suffolk,
on 22nd, and in Nanjizal Valley,
Cornwall, on 25th; one was
also at Tei Marshes, Pembs,
on 31st. Typically, the handful
of Common Rose nches were
restricted to the Northern Isles,
as were all bar one of the
early Barred Warblers, with an
individual present at Land’s End,
Cornwall, on 27th.
A Citrine Wagtail ew south
over Spurn, East Yorks, on
31st, and the site was also
graced with a decent arrival
of Wrynecks. The rst Aquatic
Warbler of the autumn was
trapped at Cuckmere Haven,
East Sussex, on 16th. ■This relatively showy Hoopoe at Loughborough, Leicestershire, from 25-27th was found in private gardens on
Lemontree Lane, and may have been present for several days beforehand.MARK RAYMENTIAN MERRILLPerhaps the key species during
late summer and autumn’s seabird
boom was Wilson’s Storm Petrel,
particularly off Scilly, where this
one was on 20th.A few Red-necked Phalaropes
began drifting south during
August, and included this
fi rst-winter at Frampton Marsh
RSPB, Lincolnshire, on 6th.SIMON KNIGHTFIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFirst for bird newsFirst for bird news1710 p16-18 scarcities FIN.indd 18 15/09/2017 10:12: