Week Ending 27 November 2015

Friday Night Roundup Week Ending 27 November 2015

 

Undoubted bird of the week was a first-winter RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE discovered in a Scalloway garden on Shetland on Wednesday (25th) - the first-ever to be recorded in mainland Shetland. It was frequenting a garden in Ladysmith Way, on the west side of the town, and afforded observer's with outstanding views. It is of the western form meena, of which the majority in the Northern Isles have been, and therefore much smaller in size and whiter in the tail than the long-staying Oriental Turtle Dove (orientalis) that wintered in Oxfordshire several years back.

 

Also in Scotland, a drake RING-NECKED DUCK is to be found on Loch of Skaill (Orkney), with at least 1 RICHARDSON'S CACKLING GEESE with Barnacle Geese on Islay (Argyll) and a first-winter drake RING-NECKED DUCK and drake Green-winged Teal at Caerlaverock WWT (Dumfries & Galloway). The drake SURF SCOTER remains off Joppa (Edinburgh), with another in Lower Largo Bay (Fife) and a further off Tankerness (Orkney), while in Fife on 25th, a drake LESSER SCAUP was seen on Loch Leven (Tayside). Notable, was a BARRED WARBLER on fatballs at Thorntonloch (Lothian) on 26th-27th.

 

The juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was still being seen in the Druridge Bay/Cresswell Pool area (Northumberland) until at least Thursday morning (26th), while best bird in the MIDLANDS was a HOOPOE NNW of Kingswinford at Wall Heath (Staffs/West Mids) from 25th (DY6 0BP).

 

At least 5 ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS continue to survive in East Anglia with the most reliable that confiding juvenile at Holland Haven NR (Essex), while newly discovered birds included juveniles at Elmley Marshes (Kent) on 22nd and Therfield Heath, Royston (Herts) on 24th-27th. The juvenile PALLID HARRIER has been present at Snettisham RSPB (Norfolk) all week, pre-roosting in sueda 700 yards south of the southernmost hide during each afternoon, while up to 4 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS have been feeding on the Hawthorn berries just where Beach Road leaves the A149 at Snettisham 24th-27th. At least 3, sometimes 6 SHORELARKS are commuting either side of the Thornham Creek (Norfolk), with up to 18 Twite opposite the brick coal bunker in the harbour.

 

The LESSER YELLOWLEGS reappeared on Breydon Water (Norfolk) on 23rd, while a flock of up to 23 TAIGA BEAN GEESE arrived in the Yare Valley at Cantley Marshes/Buckenham Marshes (Norfolk) on 26th. A probable female FERRUGINOUS DUCK visited Dagenham Chase LNR (Essex) on 22nd-23rd   A very confiding first-winter GREY PHALAROPE has graced Farmoor 1 Reservoir (Oxfordshire) since 22nd, where a RED-NECKED GREBE continues

 

Despite being seen by several observers on Saturday 21st, there has been no further sign of the juvenile Surf Scoter off North-east Kent near Reculver, while in Berkshire, the drake RING-NECKED DUCK reappeared at Bray GP, Maidenhead, on 25th. A GLOSSY IBIS spent the afternoon of 26th feeding on roadside pools at Pett Level (East Sussex), where a Red-throated Diver ha sremained on Arlington Reservoir since 25th.

 

The long-staying adult drake Ferruginous Duck of somewhat suspicious origin has returned to Kingfisher Lake, Blashford Lakes, north of Ringwood (Hants) (viewed only through the wire fence and very difficult to see), while 2 first-winter female RING-NECKED DUCKS have spent the entire week at Rooksbury Mill LNR, Andover (Hants). The adult winter RING-BILLED GULL has been roosting each evening at Ibsley Water, north of Ringwood (Hants), with the first-winter LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER still at Pennington Marshes (Hants) until at least 23rd

 

The juvenile SURF SCOTER was seen daily off of Blue Anchor, Carhampton (Somerset) until Wednesday (25th) but not since, with 2 masked PENDULINE TITS to the SW of Longham Lakes, Bournemouth (Dorset) until 26th. The 3 CATTLE EGRETS remain at Teigngrace (South Devon) and 1 at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) with the GLOSSY IBIS back again at Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset), with others at Seaton Marshes (South Devon) until at least 24th and at South Huish Marsh (South Devon) until at least 21st. The adult drake LESSER SCAUP remains on Chew Valley Lake (Avon), while in West Cornwall, the adult PACIFIC DIVER reappeared off Marazion Beach on 26th. Several YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS are being found in the far west with singles in Plymouth in Beaumont Park (Devon), at Sandy Cove, Newlyn, and in Cot Valley, St Just (Cornwall).

 

IRELAND has had a cracking week, highlighted by the first twitchable AMERICAN BITTERN to grace the green isle, attracting & delighting upwards of 85 Irish birders as it fed out in the open in the reedbed edge on the lake below Castlefreke House, just east of Owenahincha (County Cork). It was first seen on 25th, showed most of the day on 26th but just showed during this morning today. Also in County Cork, a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper has been showing well at Pilmore Strand, near Youghal, since 23rd, while in County Kerry, the long-staying adult GULL-BILLED TERN remains in Blennerville. A drake NORTH AMERICAN BLACK SCOTER identified amongst 300 Common Scoter off Waterville Golf Course (Kerry) on 26th was seen again today, as were two LESSER SCAUPS, an adult and first-winter drake, on Lough Gill. A long-staying GLOSSY IBIS remains at Tramore Back Strand (County Waterford), whilst the regular adult FORSTER'S TERN continues in County Galway off Nimmo's Pier and neighbouring Mutton Island Causeway.