Review of the Week: 20th-26th August

Cory's Shearwater numbers appear to be falling away from their peak a week or two back, though there were still small numbers in the South-West Approaches and the odd record from the English North-East throughout — Flamborough Head, for example, registered a singleton on 20th and three on 24th, and there were also records from Durham and Northumberland. As is typical for the second half of August onwards, Great Shearwaters were more prominent, with an impressive 300+ from a Scilly pelagic on 21st; figures failed to live up to that elsewhere, but small numbers were seen off Cornish headlands more or less daily.

Great Shearwater, Scilly pelagic, Isles of Scilly (Photo: Joe Pender)

For east coast seawatchers, focus was on a decent skua passage in murky conditions on 25th, with Long-tailed Skuas quite prominent (albeit never in impressive numbers) — peak counts came from Suffolk, where reports included six off Landguard, seven past Kessingland and eight off Thorpeness. Arctic Skuas were the most numerous species, with several sites registering more than 30 individuals, while Great Skuas were also moving, as was the odd Pomarine Skua. A reminder that a lot of autumn skuas routinely use the overland route came from Sutton Bridge (Lincs) on 25th, with 20 Arctics and and six Greats flying inland by mid-morning.

A single drake Surf Scoter remained off Murcar Golf Course (Aberdeenshire) on 21st, though a Ferruginous Duck at Minsmere (Suffolk) from 20th was the best wildfowl discovery of the week. The Lesser Scaup was still at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) to at least 24th and an Anas sp. at Grimley (Worcs) eventually turned out to be a presumed Blue-winged Teal × Shoveler hybrid.

Ferruginous Duck, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk (Photo: David H Hatton)

Other waterbirds included the usual selection of Great White Egrets and Glossy Ibis, with the West Sussex Cattle Egret still knocking about the Sidlesham area to 24th and a White Stork reported over Abbotsbury (Dorset) on 23rd.

A white-morph Gyr Falcon bearing jesses was on Bardsey Island (Gwynedd) on 20th and 21st; presumably this is the bird seen last week on Skomer (Pembrokeshire) and also recently in Cornwall — it never ceases to amaze how far these birds routinely travel! Spotted Crakes included long-stayers at Rainham Marshes (London) and Tophill Low (E Yorks) early in the week, with new arrivals including two at Bowling Green Marsh (Devon), one at Rutland Water from 23rd and another on a pond in Scarborough (N Yorks) on 26th, this last bizarrely reported as being flushed by a cat!

Spotted Crake, Rutland Water, Leicestershire and Rutland (Photo: Chris Barlow)

The Long-billed Dowitcher remained at Lough Boora Parklands (Offaly) until at least 25th, the same day that a Broad-billed Sandpiper was reported from Pulborough Brooks (W Sussex). A Black-winged Stilt was a surprise at Doonbeg (Clare) on 23rd, with Temminck's Stints still at Blacktoft Sands (E Yorks) to 22nd and at Bowling Green Marsh (Devon) from 22nd. Pectoral Sandpipers included new birds at Halsham (E Yorks) on 22nd and The Cunnigar (Waterford) on 20th–25th; records on both Freiston Shore and Frampton Marsh (Lincs) may have involved the same bird, for they were never reported at both sites on the same day. Another remained on Tresco (Scilly) to 20th. Grey Phalaropes were at Slapton Sands (Devon) on 20th and still at Holland Haven (Essex) to 22nd; Red-necked Phalaropes graced Baltasound, Unst (Shetland) on 21st and Cliffe Pools (Kent) on 26th.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Freiston Shore RSPB, Lincolnshire (Photo: Dave Roberts)

A first-summer Ring-billed Gull was sitting about on Gormanstown Strand (Meath) on 25th, but the most notable gull news was the return of Durham's Bonaparte's Gull, which was in fields at Cleadon on 21st. The Kent bird was also still at Oare Marshes on 25th, with the Ballycotton Laughing Gull still present on 23rd. A possible longipennis Common Tern was on Arnold's Marsh, Cley (Norfolk), all too briefly on 21st.

Laughing Gull, Ballycotton, Cork (Photo: Derek Charles)

Autumn migration appeared to be slowly hotting up, with an Arctic Warbler on Fair Isle on 22nd the first of the autumn. Also in the Northern Isles, Blyth's Reed Warblers touched down at Halligarth (Unst) on 21st and on Foula on 25th, but the week's Greenish Warblers were further south — at Whitburn (Durham) and Flamborough Head (E Yorks) on 26th.

Blyth's Reed Warbler, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland (Photo: Brydon Thomason)

Barred Warblers were characteristically one of the more numerous species, with an impressive five on Fair Isle on 22nd (and one still there on 26th). Another Shetland record came from Unst on 20th–21st, while at least two were seen around Flamborough Head (E Yorks) from 23rd; others were at Eccles (Norfolk) from 24th and Saltfleet (Lincs) on 26th, though the most striking record was of a first-summer female trapped and ringed at Wheldrake Ings (N Yorks) on 23rd.

Barred Warbler, Fair Isle, Shetland (Photo: Alex Penn)

Barred Warbler, Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire (Photo: David Aitken)

Four Icterine Warblers arrived on 26th: one apiece on Fair Isle and North Ronaldsay, with others at Kilnsea (E Yorks) and Landguard (Suffolk). Earlier in the week a Melodious Warbler was at Birling Gap (E Sussex) on 20th, with it or another nearby at Hodcombe on 21st. A great occurrence for the Outer Hebrides concerned a bird at Ormiclate, South Uist, on 23rd–25th. Meanwhile, belated news from Lundy (Devon) concerned a Subalpine Warbler seen there on 18th.

Icterine Warbler, Fair Isle, Shetland (Photo: Alex Penn)

Melodious Warbler, Ormiclate, S.Uist, Outer Hebrides (Photo: Andrew Stevenson)

A decent flush of Wryneck records started with a bird on the Isle of Noss (Shetland) on 20th; another was reported in Ringwood (Hants) on 22nd and a third was at St Ouen's Pond (Jersey) on 24th. Several birds on 26th included up to four on Blakeney Point (Norfolk), with others in Norfolk at Winterton Dunes and Walsey Hills, as well as records from Kilnsea (E Yorks), Gibraltar Point (Lincs) and Titchfield Haven (Hants). Quite impressively, the Bee-eater flock at the breeding site at Wydcombe Estate (IoW) increased from nine on 22nd to 12 on 24th — have two pairs bred after all? Rather unfortunately for itself, a Hoopoe ended up on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) from 25th, remaining there the following day.

Hoopoe, North Ronaldsay, Orkney (Photo: Mark Warren/North Ronaldsay Bird Obs)

Other bits and pieces included the first juvenile Rose-coloured Starling of the autumn, from Lundy on 21st–23rd. The male Red-backed Shrike resurfaced at Winterton Dunes (Norfolk) on 20th, remaining there all week and looking somewhat more impressive now that its moult is complete. A juvenile was seen near Wylye (Wilts) on 24th. The Rustic Bunting was still gallivanting around Baltasound (Unst) on 23rd, while a nice spread of Common Rosefinches saw both Fair Isle and North Ronaldsay host up to three birds. Other Common Rosefinch records from Shetland included singles at Northdale (Unst) on 21st and Skaw (Unst) on 21st–24th, two at Baltasound (Unst) on 23rd, one at Sumburgh on 23rd, one at Virkie on 25th and two on Foula on 25th. Another was at Kilnsea (E Yorks) on 26th.

Red-backed Shrike, Winterton Dunes NNR, Norfolk (Photo: Nick Appleton)

Red-backed Shrike, Winterton Dunes NNR, Norfolk (Photo: Dave Hutton)

Common Rosefinch, Quendale, Mainland, Shetland (Photo: Roger Riddington)

Further afield, the big excitement concerned a first-calendar-year Pallas's Gull in the middle of Oslo (Norway) for a couple of days from 20th — the first national record. The bird has been fitted with a ring 'JU250' and has since disappeared — could Britain be next? Read a finder's account of the story here. In the Azores, an impressive two Trindade Petrels were seen from a pelagic west of Faial on Saturday 23rd.

Pallas's Gull, Norway (Photo: Julian Bell)