10 Birdwatch•October 2017 http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch
BIRD NEWS THE BIG STORIES
FIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFIRST FOR BIRD NEWSFirst for bird newsFirst for bird newsBIRD NEWS THE BIG STORIES
FINDER’S REPORTMega warbler vanishes next day
A power cut and a visit from a relative forced Duncan Walbridge into the
fi eld, where he discovered that a brief but very special bird was waiting.American Yellow Warbler: Portland Bird Observatory, Dorset, 21 August 2017FIRSTLY, I’d like to thank
the National Grid for a power
cut and my mother-in-law for
showing up at my house while
I had no TV to distract me
from her customary woes of
the day. A drive out to Portland
Bird Observatory suddenly
seemed like a very attractive
proposition, despite having
been relatively migrant-free
earlier in the day.
On arrival, I was greeted by
‘obs’ warden Martin Cade, who
reported that it was still quiet
and that he was off out to mow
some net-rides in the nearby
Crown Estate eld. I decided
to give Culverwell a look and
was immediately encouraged
when a Sedge Warbler
responded to my pishing. A
second bout of pishing saw a
Willow Warbler surface from
the sallows, before another
bird appeared with its back
to me. The whole impression
was of brightness and was
enough to get the brain racing- certainly a “What the ****!”
moment. Another frustratingly
brief glimpse revealed yellow
undertail coverts and pale-fringed
primaries, but nothing by way of
an unobstructed view of the whole
bird.
Panic and excitement set
in. I knew this was most likely
something good and thoughts
of the American Yellow Warbler
that had been reported in Ireland
that morning sprang to mind.
Without a phone signal I was
unable to summon help, and
besides, I hadn’t even seen itshead. I took the decision to return
to the obs and get help. On the
way back, thoughts were running
through my head: ‘Am I stuf ng
up? Could it be something freaky
like a xanthistic Willow Warbler?’
A quick check of the eld guide
revealed there was nothing
wrong in what I’d seen for it to
be American Yellow Warbler. With
panic rising by the minute, I went
in search of Martin and, being
on crutches, I was so exhaustedMain photo: the fi rst American Yellow Warbler for England drew a large the following morning, but all were to leave disappointed as the bird had
done a fl it – or succumbed – overnight. Inset: the somewhat gymnastic bird had found habitat rather typical of its stateside range, where it is
usually found in thickets and dense herbage on the edge of fi elds and by watercourses.The Portland American Yellow Warbler was a more typically toned fi rst-
winter, and probably a female, too, like the Cork bird; no adults have
yet been recorded in Britain or Ireland.
TIM WHITE PHOTOGRAPHYTIM WHITE PHOTOGRAPHYby the time I found him that I
was only able to blurt out that I’d
found a warbler and that it looked
amazingly yellow.
In haste, we drove to Culverwell,
but further pishing drew a blank.
After a while, though, a couple
of unfamiliar chipping calls were
heard that reminded me of a call
I’d heard when I rst encountered
the bird. To follow these, Martin
moved into an old net-ride through
the sallow clump and after 10
minutes there was a sudden
arresting shout: “It’s here looking
down at me – it’s an American
Yellow Warbler!” Punching the
air, I just about managed a little
‘dance’ on my crutches. The bird
quickly vanished back into cover
but, on moving into the net-ride,
it wasn’t long before I too was
treated to my rst view of the
entire bird when it popped out
right in front of me.
Once the euphoria died down,
we began to realise both the
enormity of the situation and the
need to get into general circulation
news of what was not only a rst
for Dorset but also a rst for
mainland Britain. The lack of aby the time I found him that I
was only able to blurt out that I’d
found a warbler and that it looked
amazingly yellow.1710 p008-011 bigStories FIN.indd 10 22/09/2017 10: