Western Swamphen added to BOU's British list
The British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) has announced that it has accepted Western Swamphen on to its British list following last year’s well-watched bird at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, from 31 July – 5 August and subsequently at Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire, from 30 August in to early January 2017.
The Minsmere bird arrived amid a major northward irruption of the species noted throughout France during spring and summer 2016, at a time when the species’ population has recovered to a new high in its stronghold on the country’s south coast. Further isolated occurrences have occurred in northern France since then including one at Le Crotoy, not far south of Boulogne-sur-Mere, in July 2017.
Further details and information concerning last year’s Western Swamphen can be found in the following BirdGuides articles:
This, already the fourth addition to be announced in August, takes the BOU’s British list to 610 species and follows the acceptance of Red-footed Booby earlier this month and, days before that, Eastern Kingbird and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Western Swamphen has been placed after Sora on the British list.
Western Swamphen, Minsmere, Suffolk, 31 July 2016 (Craig Shaw).
