Another puzzling peep

Mark Golley discovered a first-winter SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at Cley NWT Reserve (North Norfolk) on Monday 28 November and the bird is still commuting between Pat's Pool and Simmond's Scrape today. It is a very long-billed individual and still retains many of its juvenile scapulars and wing-coverts and has been very well photographed (see Cley Birds Gallery). Some observers feel that Western Sandpiper has not been eliminated. It is somewhat similar to a winter-plumaged peep that was present at Felixstowe Ferry in Suffolk in winter 1982/83.

In Avon, the juvenile SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER still remains with the Dunlin flock on the muddy foreshore at Chew Valley Lake. Now present for well over a week, it is best observed from Herriott's Bridge - but be patient, the flock is often obscured by the reedbed. On the opposite side of the road, an adult winter SPOTTED SANDPIPER is still to be seen, favouring the concrete edge - again, view looking along from the bridge turrets. From time to time, two highly mobile first-winter LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS join the show and Lapwing and Common Snipe flock - again favouring the muddy foreshore between Moreton Bank and Herriott's - but spend an equal amount of time at neighbouring Blagdon Lake in Somerset. A herd of 7 BEWICK'S SWANS is also at Chew - and a drake Greater Scaup. Just 7 miles away, a GREAT GREY SHRIKE is on farmland at Queen Charlton (Avon) close to Publow and Hinton Organics at ST 643 660 (access from Charlton Field Lane).

Further SPOTTED SANDPIPERS are to be found at Lyme Regis Cobb (Dorset) and at the north end of the Plym Estuary by the Marsh Mills Roundabout in Plymouth (South Devon) whilst in Northumberland, the juvenile GREATER YELLOWLEGS is still present at Hauxley Nature Reserve.

A couple of DESERT WHEATEARS continue to be seen with a nice male on the path by Staple Neuk Viewpoint at Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire) and a female around the disused quarry buildings below the summit car park at Titterstone Hill Clee in Shropshire (from the A4117, take Dhustone Lane to the summit).

A white morph GYRFALCON was seen this morning in the Bay of Navershaw on Orkney Mainland

So, with all of these aforementioned major rarities out of the way, the more standard fare includes............

No less than 15 GREAT WHITE EGRETS are wintering, with long-staying CATTLE EGRETS in the Salthouse/Blakeney area (North Norfolk) and on Thorney Island (Hants).

TUNDRA BEAN GEESE are cropping up all over with some sizeable flocks in some areas, including 95 at Newtonhill (NO 889 938) in Aberdeenshire, 15 at Munlochy Church, Black Isle (Highland), an exceptional 108 at Wainfleet St Mary (Lincs), 20 at Weybourne Station Road (North Norfolk), 5 on Minsmere Levels (Suffolk), 3 at Cainhoe GP, Clophill (Beds) and singles at Bredon's Hardwick (Worcs) and Tyttenhanger GP (Herts). TAIGA BEAN GEESE include 21 back at Buckenham Carrs RSPB (Norfolk) and 2 at Lackford (Suffolk) whilst a vagrant GREENLAND WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was an excellent record for Pulborough Brooks RSPB (West Sussex).. The first-winter RED-BREASTED GOOSE is still with Dark-bellied Brent Geese at the north end of the Exe Estuary at Topsham (South Devon), with a single SNOW GOOSE at Drummond Farm, Evanton.

Drake AMERICAN WIGEONS remain at Loch Bee, South Uist (Outer Hebrides), Wintersett Reservoir (South Yorks) and at Castlemaben (D & G) whilst the Rutland Water drake was fatally wounded and killed by a Great Black-backed Gull on the weekend. The female LESSER SCAUP continues at Marden Quarry, Whitley Bay (Northumberland), drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK at Dinton Pastures CP (Berks) and the first-winter female BUFFLEHEAD at Helston Loe Pool (West Cornwall), with the drake RING-NECKED DUCK at St Gwithian Sands (Cornwall) and a first-winter female BLUE-WINGED TEAL on Porthellick Pool, St Mary's (Scilly) on 27-28 November.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS include up to 3 at Sleddale Moors (Cleveland), 3 in the East Hills, Wells and Holkham Freshmarsh areas (North Norfolk), 1-2 in Suffolk and single juveniles at Ouse Fen (Cambs), Nickoll's Quarry, Botolph's Bridge (East Kent) and at Burpham (West Sussex).

A party of 7 COMMON CRANES is frequenting fields at Boyton Marshes RSPB (Suffolk), with 31 roosting at Horsey Mere (Norfolk), 8 at Guyhirn (Cambs) and a number of small parties scattered widely west to Somerset. Salisbury Plain Great Bustard number 6 continues to attract admirers at Middle Soar (South Devon).

LITTLE AUK passage has been notable at Cley Coastguards (North Norfolk) this week despite southerly winds, with 20 counted today and a BLACK GUILLEMOT too in recent days - Flamborough Head (East Yorks) logging 164 LITTLE AUKS on 28 November..

Adult RING-BILLED GULLS have returned to Walpole Park Lake, Gosport (Hants) and Oban (Argyll) (with a 'new' 2nd-winter at Radipole Lake RSPB, Dorset, today), whilst an influx of CASPIAN GULLS has seen up to 6 at Calvert Sailing Lake (Bucks), 5 at Minsmere Scrape (Suffolk), 3 first-winters at Seaton Common (Cleveland) and 4 at Albert Village Lake (Leics). A juvenile SABINE'S GULL was an odd addition to the Bardsey Island (Gwynedd) ringing list - being trapped and ringed on a small pool possibly due to exhaustion caused by the gale force winds - today.

SHORE LARKS are few and far between with just 5 at Holkham Bay and 1 at Salthouse Beach car park (North Norfolk), with an inland SNOW BUNTING at Deer Hill Reservoir (West Yorks)

A HUME'S LEAF WARBLER has been present in Dorset in Sallows at Littlesea Holiday Camp, Wyke Regis (Dorset) for several days whilst YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS are present at Romsey (Hants), Conwy RSPB (Caernarfon) and 2 in Lower Moors, St Mary's (Scilly). The latter site also continues to harbour up to 3 DUSKY WARBLERS, with a PALLAS'S LEAF WARBLER on Bardsey island yesterday.

A juvenile ROSE-COLOURED STARLING continues to inhabit Lodmoor Country Park (Dorset) with Common Starlings, whilst the largest flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS to be found are the 70 at Eastbridge (Suffolk). A single PENDULINE TIT remains elusively in reeds at the north end of ARC Pit, Dungeness RSPB (Kent).

A scattering of water birds inland include a juvenile RED-THROATED DIVER at William Girling Reservoir (London), a BLACK-THROATED DIVER and female COMMON EIDER at Hanningfield Reservoir (Essex), GREAT NORTHERN DIVERS at Ogston Reservoir (Derbyshire), Caldecotte Lakes (North Bucks) and Queen Mother Reservoir (Berks) and LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Prescott Lakes (Lancs) and Bromley Trout Fishing Lakes (London).

It still remains an exceptional late autumn for both HEN HARRIERS and SHORT-EARED OWLS

Three different SPOTTED SANDPIPERS are present in IRELAND with singles on the Nanny Estuary opposite Soneirte at Laytoown (County Meath), by the Victoria Quay in Cork Harbour (Co. Cork) and on the River Blackwater at Ballyduff (Co. Waterford), with a very late juvenile LEAST SANDPIPER at Black Rock Strand (Co. Kerry), a juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER on the Myroe Levels (Co. Derry) and a CATTLE EGRET at Hillsborough Lake (Co. Down).

A juvenile NORTH AMERICAN HERRING GULL is frequenting the fish factory at Baltimore near Dursey (Co. Cork), with 2 COMMON CRANES present for over a fortnight at Belderry (Co. mayo) and the HOUSE CROW still resident at Cobh Town (Co. Cork).

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING in Essex

There is a ROSE-COLOURED STARLING moulting out of juvenile plumage at West Bergholt. It has been visiting back gardens not visible from the roads but does sometimes perch on wires or aerials. It is favouring the area by the junction of Chapel Road & Pirie Road though doubtless roams around. If trying for it, please park sensibly (there are various side-roads not far away) and respect the privacy of the residents (Simon Cox).

BLACKPOLL WARBLER in Kent - first county record and 44th for Britain

BLACKPOLL WARBLER - PENNINE WALK, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT - 19 NOVEMBER 2011

Short description
I was outside attempting to mend the back gate when I heard a strange call and decided to go and investigate - good job I did as it was a Blackpoll Warbler.

Full story
I dropped my son of in Speldhurst at 2pm and decided to pop back to Haysden. However after about 15 or 20 minutes I thought of the list of jobs I had to sort at home and as I had done Haysden for three hours in the morning decided to head back to Tunbridge Wells.

And so it was - I was outside the house attempting to mend the back gate on Saturday 19 November 2011 when at about 2.45pm I heard and saw what I assumed to be a Grey Wagtail fly over - it veered round and flew low into the sun and I lost it. I moved a few yards but couldn’t see that it had gone down so assumed it had carried on.

It was sunny, and not that cold. I went back to the job in hand and then popped to the garage for a hammer. Locating the hammer I came out of the garage and heard a strange call - it appeared to be coming from the trees but surely this wasn’t Grey Wagtail. I suppose you could have described the call as resembling a metallic Grey Wagtail.

I dropped the afore-mentioned hammer and wandered up the road to investigate (fortunately with my binoculars which I had with me in case!). About 50 yards up the road I came across the trees where the sound was coming from, looked up and almost immediately found what appeared to be a warbler species.

From the underneath my first reaction was Wood Warbler due to the fairly bright yellowy green throat and breast and pure white underparts from there down, but I quickly realised it was November and the faint streaking in the sides on the breast didn’t work for Wood Warbler.

I then glimpsed two wing-bars and immediately thought Yellow-browed Warbler, but there was no hint of yellow in them and thoughts turned to Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler but it was roughly the size of Chiffchaff with a seemingly longer slim bill so that really didn’t make sense.

And those wing-bars - they were white and far larger than any phyllosc I had ever seen! This was surely an American warbler - and Blackpoll Warbler sprang to mind...

If it was Blackpoll Warbler it was a first for Kent, if it wasn’t it was even rarer, much rarer in fact - I started shaking! I decided to think carefully for a minute: not much of a supercilium, bright orange legs, olive-green mantle, grey wings, white tertial stripes (in addition to the two white wing-bars) - time to get someone else here...

…so a couple of minutes or so after 3pm I rang Miles Wheeler, as he lives just the other side of Tunbridge Wells - he was at Worthing; I was horrified. By now I was fairly sure it was Blackpoll Warbler. Next up, I tried Jerry Warne, partly to check the identification and eliminate other similar American warblers and partly to get the news out.

This telephone call confirmed that the gleaming white underparts and under-tail coverts eliminated Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler and Bay-breasted Warbler (shame, not that I’m complaining really) and within minutes put the news out.

I managed to get a brief email out to quite a few Kent birders at 3.11pm and then rang Chris Gibbard who was just drawing up at Chiddingstone - about 20 minutes later he was just drawing up in Pennine Walk and within five minutes he had re-found the bird which had gone missing - quite a relief.

At 3.16pm my ‘mega alert’ went off. Shortly after Chris had re-found it Barry Wright turned up and also managed to see the bird - phew!

CG noted its yellow feet, which I hadn’t noticed and will also hopefully put together a description, maybe.

It was last seen at about 4pm, and disappointingly could not be located the next day despite the best efforts of about 100 birders.

Andrew Appleton

Record is well and truly smashed as we break through the 450 barrier.......

We've made it ! Today's VEERY in NW Scotland takes us to 450 species in Britain and Ireland in 2011 - smashing the previous record by five species.......

The latest addition - VEERY - was discovered on the island of Muck in Highland Region - showing well until dusk at Gallanach Farm. Note that there is no ferry to the island until Friday and even then you get just 20 minutes on the island before returning......

Another overlooked addition was EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL - of which there were two photographed in Shetland in October

But still the autumn produces, with the mild SE winds ensuring an almost constant run of new rarities on a daily basis...

It has been a superb autumn for DESERT WHEATEARS with the most recent being males on Skomer Island (Pembs), at Titchwell Beach (North Norfolk) and a female at Dungeness (Kent)

DUSKY WARBLERS and HUME'S LEAF WARBLERS have also been in plentiful supply with DUSKYS today or very recently at Girdleness (Aberdeenshire), trapped and ringed on the Isle of May (Fife), at Spurn Point Dunes (East Yorks) (one of two birds present in recent days), Horsey (East Norfolk) (in Willows and scrub around the car park entrance), on The Lizard (Cornwall), Gimble Porth, Tresco (Scilly), and in Lower Moors, St Mary's (Scilly) and HUME'S LEAF WARBLERS at Trondra (Shetland), in Roker, Sunderland (Co. Durham), in Lowestoft (Suffolk) (in gardens along London Road North and opposite Tesco's - access along the alleyway adjacent to the Crop Shop), at Gunton (Suffolk) (present since Sunday but not seen today), in the large area of scrub at Foveran Bushes (Aberdeenshire) A few PALLAS'S LEAF WARBLERS are also still to be seen, with singles at the north end of Flycatcher Alley in Lowestoft (Suffolk) and at Balmedie Country Park (Aberdeenshire).

In East Kent, only the second EASTERN BLACK REDSTART for Britain continues for its 6th day at Walpole Bay, Margate, showing extremely well by the slipway below Palm Bay Cafe north of the B2051 at TR 372 713. A further nine individuals have appeared elsewhere in Western Europe this autumn, including 5 in Sweden and singles in Germany, Holland and France. And as I type, news is coming in of yet another - on the beach below the vicar's garden on Holy Island in Northumberland.

An OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT was frequenting the famous Shetland garden at Wick, Gulberwick, this morning, with another on the archipelago in dunes at Norwick on Unst.

A confiding juvenile GREATER YELLOWLEGS present since Saturday in Northumberland has been hugely popular, coming hard on the heels of the summer adult in Wadebridge (Cornwall) much earlier in the autumn. It is favouring the main scrape at Hauxley Nature Reserve and showing very well from the Wader Hide; a first-winter GREY PHALAROPE is on the same pool also. It also regularly commutes to East Chevington Pools nearby. The long-staying first-winter LESSER YELLOWLEGS remains on Tresco Great Pool (Scilly).

The juvenile female BUFFLEHEAD remains mobile and elusive on The Loe Pool at Helston (Cornwall).

An adult RED-BREASTED GOOSE is with Dark-bellied Brent Geese in fields near The Strood at East Mersea (Essex) whilst the first-winter of unknown origin continues on the Exe Estuary in South Devon.

A long-staying juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER is still to be found in the Teesmouth area (Cleveland), favouring Seal Sands with Dunlin at low tide and Greatham Creek pools at high tide, whilst the WILSON'S SNIPE is still present on Lower Moors, St Mary's (Scilly).

Up to 4 GREY PHALAROPES were on the sea off Kelling Water Meadows (North Norfolk) today, with another on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes HWT (Hampshire), with the adult SPOTTED SANDPIPER still at Herriott's Bridge at Chew Valley Lake (Avon) and the juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at Wigtown Harbour (D & G).

A cracking summer adult WHITE-BILLED DIVER just beginning to moult remains for at least its third day off of Peninerine Beach on South Uist (Outer Hebrides)

COMMON CRANES have proved eventful in the past week with a flock of 24 birds (including one juvenile) between Padstow and Wadebridge at St Issey in North Cornwall and the resident 30 in the Horsey area (East Norfolk). There have also been 7 birds in a field just south of Burgh Castle (Norfolk) in recent days - at TG 483 050 and viewable from Burgh Castle monument car park on Butt Lane

GREAT WHITE EGRETS include singles at Chainbridge Lane Scrape, Idle Valley NR (Notts), Linford Nature Reserve (North Bucks), by the Royal Military Canal in fields behind Wyevale Garden Centre in Hamstreet (Kent), at Denge Marsh, Dungeness RSPB (Kent), on Southport Marine Lake (Lancs), on Warton Marsh (Lancs) and at Greylake RSPB (Somerset).

The long-staying CATTLE EGRETS remain at Blakeney Freshmarsh (North Norfolk) and in the cattle field at the end of Thorney Lane on Thorney Island (West Sussex)

A GLOSSY IBIS has been roosting each evening on Drake's Island, off Devil's Point, in Plymouth Sound (South Devon), whilst the first-winter continues to show well at Stodmarsh (Kent) from the Marsh Hide and another remains for a second day on the pool viewable from the footpath between the car aprk and the river at Malltraeth Marsh RSPB on Anglesey. The long-staying and very confiding first-winter also remains at Stanpit Marsh in Christchurch Harbour (Dorset).

There has been a tremendous arrival of Eurasian White-fronted and TUNDRA BEAN GEESE throughout the country, as well as many arrivals of BEWICK'S SWAN herds. TUNDRA BEAN parties include 19 at Bigton (Shetland), 23 on North Ronaldsay (Orkney), 4 on Echna Loch, Burray (Orkney), 9 at Cara, South Ronaldsay (Orkney), 17 in stubble field pools at the crossroads NW of Crail (Fife) on the B9405, 5 at Girdleness (Aberdeenshire), 10 at Nethy Bridge (Spetside), 2 at Capringstone Flash (Ayrshire), 2 on Holy Island (Northumberland), 4 at Low Newton-by-the-Sea (Northumberland), 14 at Benacre Broad (Suffolk) and 2 on Huxter Well Marsh at Potteric Carr YWT (South Yorks). Meanwhile, 3 apparent TAIGA BEAN GEESE are on Anglesey, in fields near Llyn Coron

A drake AMERICAN WIGEON remains at Wintersett Reservoir (West Yorks) with that on the River Exe in Shutterton Creek at Cockwood (South Devon) present also, and a further wintering bird at the south end of Loch Bee, South Uist (Outer Hebrides).

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS also remain in good numbers, with two in the Holkham Freshmarsh area of North Norfolk, a showy juvenile at The Burgh at Burpham (TQ 048 110) (West Sussex) and a very confiding juvenile between the Nickoll's Quarry and sewage works atBotolph's Bridge, Hythe in East Kent. Bedfordshire's latest-ever OSPREY continues to fish daily at Warren Villas. Sandy.

Another vexing juvenile High Arctic gull resembling Thayer's Gull has been seen and photographed in Dunnstaffnage Bay at Dunbeg, just north of Oban (Argyll) in recent days - work is still ongoing as to its identification.

RICHARD'S PIPITS on the other hand, have been noticeable by their absence, with only small numbers being detected. The Cheshire Leasowe bird was still around today, being seen in the paddocks and rough fields by the lighthouse

The 3 SHORE LARKS are still present on the edge of the lagoon just north of the John Weston Reserve at The Naze (Essex), with 5 on the saltings east of Holkham Gap (North Norfolk). One is also well north at the West Voe of Sumburgh (Shetland).

A PENDULINE TIT showed well on bulrushes in front of the Sea Wall Hide at Oare Marshes NR (North Kent) today, whilst yet another RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL was at Whitburn (Co. Durham) on 10 November.

It also seems as though WAXWINGS will again invade us this winter, with a flock of 28 in St Andrews (Fife), 60 by the road in Budle village today (Northumberland), 23 in Stafford, 20 in Kessingland (Suffolk), 8 in Burnham Deepdale (North Norfolk) and 6 in Ramsgate (East Kent)

Also of interest, a RED-NECKED GREBE is at Valley Lakes RSPB at Llyn Penrhyn, an immature VELVET SCOTER remains on Staindale Lake in Dalby Forest (North Yorks), a RED-THROATED DIVER is on Lake Lothing, Lowestoft (Suffolk), a juvenile GREAT NORTHERN DIVER at Caldecott North Lake (North Bucks) representing the 18th county record, 5 PIED AVOCETS are at Port Meadow, Oxford (Oxon) and another at Boddington Reservoir (Northants)

IRELAND

The PALLAS'S LEAF WARBLER remains in Cork today at Power Head, whilst elsewhere in County Cork, the flock of 19 COMMON CRANES are still to the west of Waterrock up the cul-de-sac lane. Another PALLAS'S LEAF WARBLER is at Brownstown Head (Co. Waterford), in the main Willow garden, and a juvenile PALLID HARRIER again at Poer Head on 13th. A HOOPOE was at Clougher Head at Almondstown yesterday, with the two male DESERT WHEATEAR still at Bray (Co. Wicklow).

Twitchable ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD in West Sussex

With the prospect of a RLB on the menu we spent the day birding around The Burgh and the viewpoint at Peppering Lane, Burpham. The morning still had plenty of low cloud and poor visibility although as the day went on a little blue sky and practically no wind was a real treat. We had a couple of RedKite and 2 ringtail Hen Harriers and 3 Peregrines. The juvenile ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD was found to the east of the viewpoint in Peppering Lane around mid morning before it moved to the north and was watched hunting north of the dew pond during the afternoon . Great scope views were had as it roamed the farmland hovering frequently during its hunting forays. Male and female Peregrine were working in tandem hunting when they swooped on a flockof pigeons knocking one of the pigeons right in front of an admiring crowd of birders with feathers drifting to the ground we were unable to see if the Peregrines retrieved their supper. Also seen in the area Merlin, 3 Raven a single Golden Plover flew over calling as did an unknown number of Crossbill. 2 Redpoll and at least 20 Corn Bunting. It appears that Dick Gilmore found the Rough -legged Buzzard on Monday 7 November although not confirmed until Wednesday 9 November. (Bernie Forbes, Dave Smith & Dorian Mason)

Record well and truly beaten!

As of today, with the first HUME'S LEAF WARBLERS of the year appearing, the total of species recorded in Britain and Ireland this year is an incredible 448 - a new record........

It has been another few days filled with Eastern surprises with the pick of the bunch being two different ISABELLINE WHEATEARS (a well-twitched bird on the beach at Spurn Point, East Yorkshire, for a couple of days and the third of the year at Wernffrwwd, on the Gower, frequenting the mound on the saltmarsh at SS 506 939 - still present today). Spurn has also attracted a PIED WHEATEAR - showing well today on the beach adjacent to the Point car park) whilst male DESERT WHEATEARS include singles midway between Boulby mast and Hummersea Farm opposite the Micklow Junction at Loftus (Cleveland) and at and in the bulb field near Mill Bay, 200 yards beyond Faraway Cottage, in Nanjizal Valley (West Cornwall) (3rd day).A female PINE BUNTING remains in the crop at Clibberswick on Unst (Shetland)

Warblers of Siberian origin include the aforementioned HUME'S LEAF WARBLER on Shetland at Kergord Plantation (with putative additional birds in Lothian and Suffolk), with a DUSKY WARBLER still in bushes at the north end of the car park at Balmedie Country Park (Aberdeenshire) and another in Willows south of the central track at North Warren RSPB, Aldeburgh (Suffolk). The only PALLAS'S LEAF WARBLER of the day was in the Point Dunes at Spurn Point (East Yorks).

Of Nearctic origin, the first-winter NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH survives on the Isles of Scilly at Lower Moors, nearly two months after it first arrived, whilst virtually sharing the same bush is an exceptionally late GREAT REED WARBLER. The long-staying WILSON'S SNIPE remains on the main ISBG pool. On neighbouring St Agnes, the CENTRAL ASIATIC LESSRER WHITETHROAT continues, with the RUDDY SHELDUCK nearby on Porth Killier Beach.

A HOOPOE remains popular in West Sussex, favouring lawns by the thatched cottages in Climping, whilst an adult SPECTACLED WARBLER was present at Needs Ore (Hampshire) from 29-30 October.

A GLOSSY IBIS continues to show well on the main pool at Filey Dams Nature Reserve (North Yorks) with another on Carter's Flood at Pett Levels (East Sussex), a first-winter at Fingringhoe Wick EWT (Essex) and the Plymouth Sound (Devon) bird again on Drake's Island, whilst the juvenile SQUACCO HERON was still present in the Attenborough NR (Notts) area this morning.

A first-winter RED-BREASTED GOOSE of unknown origin was still present at Exminster Marshes RSPB (South Devon) today, this individual being formerly seen with Dark-bellied Brent Geese at Christchurch Harbour and on The Fleet in Dorset.

The juvenile female BUFFLEHEAD is now building up strength on the Loe Pool at Helston (Cornwall), favouring the eastern side of the northern end to dive and feed.

The first-winter LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was again in Wigtown Harbour (D & G) today, with one of the two juveniles still at the east end of Blagdon Lake (Somerset) and the other at Chew Valley Lake (Avon). Meanwhile, the long-staying AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER remains in Europie village, by the Atlantic Cottage in Fivepenny at the extreme north end of Lewis (Outer Hebrides) and the LESSER YELLOWLEGS by the bridge at the east end of the Alaw Estuary on Anglesey. A WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER remains for a second day at Black Hole Marsh, Seaton (South Devon), with the adult still at Rutland Water (Leics) and a juvenile on St Agnes (Scilly), whilst SPOTTED SANDPIPERS remain at Chew Valley lake (Avon) and at the north end of the River Plym, Plymouth (South Devon).. A very late juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE continues to survive at Cley Marshes NWT (North Norfolk) (viewable from Avocet Hide), whilst the two juvenile WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER remain on Harris (Outer Hebrides) at the south end on the saltmarsh at Scarasta, north of Northton (at NF 999 928).

GREAT WHITE EGRETS are becoming ever more familiar in the UK with birds today still present at Linford NR (North Bucks), on the Windsurfing Pit at the Idle Valley NR (Notts), on the North Marsh at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk), at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (Cheshire) (two birds), at Old Hall Marshes RSPB (Essex), at Campfield Marsh RSPB (Cumbria), at Capel Fleet Marshes, Isle of Sheppey (North Kent), at Walmsley Sanctuary (Cornwall) and on the Out Skerries on Shetland. A CATTLE EGRET continues on the Camel Estuary feeding opposite the sewage works west of Wadebridge (Cornwall).

The party of 8 COMMON CRANES are still feeding in the field 300 yards from the A47 between Thorney and Guyhirn (Cambs), with another on the north shore of The Fleet at Langton Hive Point, south of Langton Herring (Dorset).

A second-winter RING-BILLED GULL is still present by the Lifeboat Station in Stornoway Harbour, Lewis (Outer Hebrides), with a first-winter at Balivanich on Benbecula.

A party of 6 TUNDRA BEAN GEESE arrived today at Covehithe (Suffolk), favouring a stubble field NE of the church with 6 European White-fronted Geese.


A juvenile ROSE-COLOURED STARLING is present for at least its 5th day at garden feeders at Mumbles Head on the Gower Peninsula, visible from All Saints Church on the Mumbles Road, whilst another was in gardens along Manse Road, Inverkeithing ((Fife) yesterday..

Five SHORELARKS are back for the winter at Holkham Gap saltings (North Norfolk), whilst a juvenile ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD has been showing very well at Nicholl's Quarry, Hythe (East Kent), just one of a major influx of this species into Britain this autumn.

It has been an excellent period inland, with Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Red-breasted Mergansers and Velvet Scoters passing through) whilst highlighting include inland LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Bromley Trout Fishing Lake (London) (accessed along the track between George and Rookery Lanes) and at the west end of the Green Lawn at Blagdon Lake (Somerset), a SLAVONIAN GREBE at Spade Oak Nature Reserve, Little Marlow (South Bucks) and a PURPLE SANDPIPER at Queen Mother Reservoir (Berks). Many SNOW BUNTINGS have been displaced inland, including twitchable individuals in Essex, Bucks and Berks

SHORT-EARED OWLS are plentiful throughout the UK due to an excellent breeding season in northern Scandinavia, whilst HEN HARRIERS are also very evident. It is also a good late autumn for GREAT GREY SHRIKES - those reported recently including singles just north of the Box Car Park at Ashdown Forest (East Sussex) (TQ 463 294), just east of the waterworks and south of the railway line in Cromer (Norfolk), in trees around Kingshill Farm, Elmley RSPB (North Kent), along the coastal path 400 yards west of Morston Quay (North Norfolk), along the track leading to the hides at Swale NNR (North Kent). in the hedgerow along Muspit Lane - SK 759 849 - at South Wheatley (Notts) and by the Cemetery Road junction at Donna Nook (North Lincs).

North Norfolk and elsewhere have seen small numbers of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS arrive in recent days on the easterly winds

In IRELAND, a WATER PIPIT is on the Silver Strand at Ballycotton (Co. Cork), with the same general area boasting an AMERICAN BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT, BARRED WARBLER, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER.