Missed opportunities 2nd half of 2024

In the total absence of any birding time and following on from my blog post about the missed opportunities in the first half of 2024 (see here) here is the post of the second half.

My time has been at a premium this year. Suzanne continues to need help at home, we lost her mum at the grand age of 94 back in November after a very long battle with dimentia and her Dad's been very ill of late to the point of hospitalisation and has needed support and company more than ever since losing his wife. I'm still using most of my limited free time to enjoy the company of my three grandchildren and this gives tremendous balance to the highs and lows of life. I will find time for birding again at some point in the future and will try to year list again in 2025 but like 2024 don't expect any fireworks.

 Anyway to the missed opportunities..................................

STEJNEGER'S SCOTER remained off Musselburgh until 7th September and was "reported" again on 7th October and 4th November in Gosford Bay Lothian. It gave me plenty of time to twitch it but I just couldn't find the time or indeed the motivation to make the long (13 hours return drive) expensive trip for it with little to no enthusiasm for this one from the Jims too. These sea ducks rarely give good views and after the drama I had earlier this year with Black Scoter in Norfolk I'm in no rush to try for this one unless I'm passing of course.

The obvious reports of Scopoli's Shearwater, Wilsons Petrels and South Polar Skuas came through from the various paleagics off Scilly and the south west with claims of both from land too on occasion. Another paleagic (Challenger 1) discovered such rarities as Desertas Petrel, Maderian Petrels and Barolo Shearwaters but all are well out of reach for me.

TAWNY PIPIT remains a bogey bird for me and one flew over Abbot's Cliff in Kent on 18th August but didn't settle and wasn't twitchable and another flew over Spurn on 29th August but wasn't seen on the ground by anybody. Two more brief sightings/reports in Somerset on 1st and 2nd of September. A fly over at Corton in Suffolk on 7th September and another was found at Windmill Farm NR in Cornwall on 14th September but didn't stay long enough for anybody but the finder to see it. One was reported on the beach at Abbotsbury in Dorset before flying off and again as is typical of this species it wasn't refound. Another was found on Scilly on 6th October, one was reported at Weybourne in Norfolk on 6th October and another on Bryher, Scilly Isles 14th October so another year goes by with little to no opportunity of me connecting with this bogey.

BRIDLED TERN/SOOTY TERN: One of shore briefly at Burnham on sea wasn't twitchable.

The dark morph BOOTED EAGLE seen and photographed on 20th May in Cornwall was reported as seen again in Devon on 8th June.  Another "dark morph" or the same bird was reported in Cornwall on 2nd September indicating that the bird may have stayed in the area since May. Roll on to 10th and 11th October when a pale morph juvenile bird was seen and photographed and a twitch was arranged for 12th but nobody connected. The same Cornwall bird or another dark morph then appeared on 1st November in Remenham Berkshire and was twitched by a few on Saturday 2nd November with those trying on 3rd not so lucky. We'll need to see how these get on as far as acceptance goes as it's a bird that historically struggles to get signed off. The last bird rejected was thought to be "too tatty" to have turned up too early and to have hung around too long as well as the belief that this species does not enjoy crossing water. (no previous accepted records)

SWAINSONS THRUSH: One on St Kilda on 10th September only (Around fifty previous records mostly on the islands with just a couple of mainland records, closest being Sandwich Bay Kent in 1976 and the latest mainland record being Cornwall 2008)

TENNESSEE WARBLER: Fair Isle, Shetland 15th until 19th September (Six previous records with none outside the islands )

LANCELOATED WARBLER: Fair Isle, Shetland 23rd September, North Ronaldsay 24th September, Mainland Shetland 24th September, another on North Ronaldsay 3rd October and another on Fair Isle 3rd-8th October with one at Unst from 4th October until at least 7th. (Over a hundred previous records but largely confined to the Scottish islands with Fair Isle a favourite and the last mainland one was 2012 at Long Nab, North Yorkshire, whilst 1997 saw one trapped at Landguard in Suffolk making it the only one remotely local to Essex)

YELKOUAN SHEARWATER: Probable off Pendeen on 26th September and another probable photographed past Dungeness on the same day. (Apparently soon to be lumped with Balearic Shearwater)

PECHORA PIPIT: One on Shetland 28th - 30th September and one flew over Fair Isle on 7th October. (Over a hundred previous records with just a handful outside of Shetland and the last mainland bird being Pembrokeshire 2007)

TWO-BARRED WARBLER: Saltwick Nab, North Yorkshire first seen on 2nd October and remained until 3rd October but was very elusive. (Just eleven previous records)

EASTERN CROWNED WARBLER: Mainland Shetland 3rd October (Just four previous records including Hertfordshire 2011 which was trapped but not twitchable)

THRUSH NIGHTINGALE: Blakeney Point 1st September was only seen once and not relocated and another trapped on Fair Isle on 2nd September. (Many records but mostly confined to the islands)

WILSON'S SNIPE: Scilly Isles, One was seen briefly on 7th October and not again until 13th October when a few more birders connected with it. It later transpired that the bird of the 7th was a different bird to 13th and that there could have been two birds present on 13th. (There are ten previous records and all from Scilly so this may be a bird I never connect with unless something changes and I find myself twitching or holidaying on the islands. )

SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT: female-type briefly on Orkney 13th October (17 previous records mainly on Shetland/Orkney but two mainland records Durham 2006 and Dorset 1997)

BLACK-FACED BUNTING: One trapped on North Ronaldsay, Orkney 19th October (nine previous records) remained through 28th October and was joined by two more on 25th - 29th October at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire and another one day bird trapped and ringed in Glamorgan on 26th October. 

EYE-BROWED THRUSH: One on North Ronaldsay, Orkney on 7th November was seen again on 9th but not after.  (29 previous records mostly confined to the islands)

SCARLET TANAGER: On the 10th November a facebook post highlighted a strange bird visiting a washing line in a garden in Yorkshire and I'm well used to these sorts of posts on facebook being hoax posts but it transpired over night that the bird was indeed there and it was a first summer Scarlet Tanager in it's more drab yellow/green plumage. News of the location came out over night and a few hundred birders twitched it on 11th assuming it to be a wild bird. On the back of news that the bird was un-ringed I planned to visit on 12th but Dad had a boiler service booked and Jim had a nasty cold so it would be a solo affair. I woke at 3am but couldn't get myself up for the long solo drive so put it on hold and the bird was only seen very briefly first thing on 12th and then not again until mid afternoon on 13th with one guy putting in 17hours and still not seeing it so maybe I made a wise choice not chasing this one but I doubt I'll ever get a better chance but of course this record still has to be accepted by the rares committee as a wild bird and against it is seems to be the location alone. (7 previous records since the first in 1970,  all confined to Scilly/Cornwall apart from one on Barra in 2014 and all first winters apart from an adult on Scilly in 1982)

BUFFLEHEAD: One on Foula,Shetland on 17th November to spend the winter ( c25 previous records )

GREY-HEADED LAPWING: One at East Chevington, Northumberland on 5th December which remained until 21st December when I type this at least. This must be the returning bird from spring 2023 which has been accepted as of wild origin and would therefore be a full fat life tick if I could find the time/money and motivation to try. Might still end up trying for this one if the mood takes me?

So in summary the mainland twitchable ticks I missed in the whole of  2024 were................

Grey-headed Lapwing , Scarlet Tanager (if accepted), Two-barred Warbler (two dayer but very elusive)

Booted Eagle (if accepted), Stegneger's Scoter, Bufflehead (the Aberdeen bird), Collared Flycatcher

Eastern Subalpine Warbler (bit of a bogey bird in the Eastern form), Sociable Lapwing,  Indigo Bunting (if accepted) & Bridled Tern (Coquet Island bird)

So 11 birds missed in 2024 but has it made a difference to my life? not one bit!  But I'd have liked to have had the time and money to make the trips, form the memories and of course see the birds.

Here's to finding more time and motivation in 2025

Pied Wheatear at Seaford

It's been a busy couple of weeks but I found myself free on Friday morning so asked Jim if he'd like me to take him down to Seaford as he still needed Pied Wheatear for a life tick and of course he wanted to try.

We set off at 5am to miss some of the commute traffic and this helped make the 100 mile trip in less than two hours. We parked up at the far end of the esplanade and searched for the parking meter which to my shock didn't exist as this was a very rare free parking zone. Amazing you could leave your car sitting still in the road and didn't have to give anybody money to do it, what's the world coming to.

The old hotel at Seaford

From the car park we could see the brick ruins of the old hotel and walked up to search for the Wheatear hoping it had remained and within a few minutes the first sighting was reported by another of the four of us searching for it. We quickly got on it to give Jim his eighth life tick of the year and me my 249th year tick. The bird remained mobile but never left the area of the ruin although it would hide for periods and would rarely sit still out in the open.

Two Black Redstarts were also present with the female "type" showing really well walking around our feet at times. Lot's of Meadow Pipit and a couple of Rock Pipit were busy feeding in the grassy areas too. 

Buzzard

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Rock Pipit

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

The old hotel

Year list now 249

Lapland Bunting at Staines reservoir

It's been a sad and difficult few days with the sad passing of my mother in law Tuesday morning following a long struggle with dimentia but I had a few hours spare this afternoon so decided I'd run around the M25 and try to see the Lapland Bunting at Staines in order to lift my spirits a bit.

I parked and walked up the ramp leading to the east of the causeway and quickly discovered three birders enjoying the very showy confiding Lapland Bunting. I joined them and one of the guys laid his coat on the ground for me to use in order to get some low profile shots. A jogger came up the ramp but on hearing about the bird agreed to take a different route so as not to disturb it proving that there are still some good people.

The bird entertained us all in the murky dark dank conditions but with high ISO and a bit of compensation I was able to grab a few pleasing shots of this new bird for my London list. 

Year list 248

London recording area list 241

Long-billed Dowitcher at Rainham

I haven't had a sniff of any birding for almost a month so when news came in this morning of a Long-billed Dowitcher being found at Rainham by Dave Smith and being well placed at my sons house in Hornchurch I couldn't help but make the ten minute drive for a chance of connecting with it. I had no binoculars or camera but luckily had the scope in the car so headed over to look for the bird and on arrival two guys were stood by the bench overlooking Purfleet scrape but told me the bird had recently flown off towards Target pools. I didn't really have time to walk round the reserve searching for the bird so decided I'd wait ten minutes and see if by chance it would return to Purfleet and within minutes I picked it up flying towards us with a group of Lapwing. I watched it land on a small island and managed to get the two guys with me on it and then a few more turned up and I was able to help them before rushing off back to my sons to play puppets and dragons etc with the grandchildren for what was a lovely day all round.

Scoping Purfleet scrape for the distant Dowitcher

The Dowitcher is a first ever for Rainham marshes and is also not only a year tick for me but both a London and Essex tick to boot.

Year list now 247

Essex list now 282

London list now 240

The history of Long billed Dowitcher in Essex is limited with just nine previous records and the last being the Tilbury bird of 2011.

As for London well there's just two previous records both at Staines with a bird in 1977 on the reservoir being a first for London followed by another bird on Staines Moor in 1987 so this is only a third for London and as such will attract a little local interest.

The small local twitch

The Dowitcher (on the right)

Sub Species

The latest talk of losing a few species to sub species had me thinking of all the sub-species I've encountered over the years.

Those that were at one time full species include

Common/Meally Redpoll  (Acanthis flammea flammea)

Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis Caberet)

Couse's Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis Hornemanni exilipes)

Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis Hornemanni hornemanni)

and of course there's also the Greenland Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata)

All these subspecies of Redpoll are now listed just as Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) (the old name for Common Redpoll) so although I've seen all these I've counted all these five sub species as one Species on my official list 

(449 +4 =453)

I've seen Steppe Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor pallidirostris) which was a species in it's own right but since reduced to sub species of Great Grey Shrike. (Lanius excubitor) (453 +1 = 454)

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Then the sub species that have always been confined to sub species........

Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigracans)

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicla hrota)

Dark-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicla bernicla)

All listed to species Brent Goose (Branta bernicla)

(454 + 2 = 456)

Todd's Canada Goose (Branta canadensis interior) listed with Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

(456 + 1 = 457)

Black-headed Wagtail (Matacilla flava feldegg) 

Grey headed Wagtail (Matacilla flava thunbergi)

Chanel Wagtail (Matacilla flava flavissima x flava)

these three sub species that I've seen listed with or as Yellow Wagtail (Matacilla flava)

(457 +3 = 460)

American Black Tern (Chlidonias niger surinamensis)

Listed with and as Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

(260 + 1 = 461)

Kumliens Gull (Larus glaucoides kumlieni)  

Listed with and as Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)

(461 + 1 = 462)

Northern Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus caudatus)

Listed as and with Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

(462 + 1 = 463 )

American horned Lark (Eremorphila alpestris alpestris)

Listed as and with Shore Lark (Eremorphila alpestris) 

(463 + 1 = 464)

Siberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita tristis)

Listed as and with (Phylloscopus collybita) 

(464 +1 = 465) 

Black bellied Dipper (Cinclus cinclus cinclus)

Listed as and with Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

(465 + 1 = 466)

Scandinavian Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus littoralis)

Listed as and with Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)

(466 + 1 = 467)

Russian White-fronted Goose (Anser Albifrons albifrons) and Greenland White-fronted Goose ( Anser albifrons flavirostoris)

Both listed as Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

(467 +1 = 468)

so there it is....if I include sub species in addition to my list of 449 full species I have a total of 468 an additional 19 bird types seen but a pointless exercise as I keep my British list in line with BOU records so it remains at 449 for now.

Another IOC update due

I try to follow BOU (British Ornithologists Union) rulings when it comes to my lists and update as they do which they do in line with IOC (International Ornithological Community) changes. This has cost me Steppe Grey Shrike and three Redpoll species as the IOC maintained their list with lumping these leaving them now as sub species. 

Well the IOU (International Ornithologists Union) have now stepped in to bring the IOC together with Clements/EBird and Birdlife International to produce one globally recognised bird taxonomy list. They set up a working group of ornithologists in 2018 to bring about the agreed list and the news leaking from the group is that in the UK we could lose Green-winged Teal which looks to become a sub-species of our Eurasian Teal, Hooded Crow which will become a sub-species of Carrion Crow and Hudsonian Whimbrel looks set to become a sub-species of Eurasian Whimbrel meaning I'll lose these three from my British list if this does indeed happen as part of the review.

Also affected could be Stejneger's Stonechat and Siberian Stonechat which look likely to be lumped and this again would result in me losing yet another bird from my total British list and Yelkouan and Balearic Shearwater looks likely to become one species and referred to as Mediterranean Shearwater, this won't affect me having dipped Yelkouan Shearwater a while back.

Once agreed the final list will be called AviList and will become the global list of taxonomic species globally. Currently the three lists from the three parties listed above (IOC 11276 / Clement 11017 and Birdlife Int. 11524) shows variation of upto 507 species and this work will bring them all in line which obviously makes sense but it would be nice if once in a while this kind of work produced some additions to the life list.

The work is due to be finalised later this year and published early in 2025 so I'm bracing myself for another four losses to my list in 2025. Will I ever get to the next landmark of 450 and does it really matter anyway?

Northern Lights

 I've been on this planet for sixty years and I've never come close to seeing the Northern Lights.

I missed the show earlier this year because a) I didn't believe I'd be able to see them and b) I was lazy so when there was talk this week of a second chance I took a bit more notice. I'd just watched England lose to Greece and decided to check the sky for signs of the promised showing from the North and I was amazed I could actually see the red and green in the sky. I called Suzanne and she managed a look from the bedroom window and I walked around the corner to get a clearer view without the street lights. At the top of the hill the lights were much more visible and when I lifted the phone/camera the views were even better allowing me to grab an image to remember the night by.

Pleased I made the effort to look outside on this occasion and pleased the sky was clear enough for us to see the show.

Now where's that next bird coming from?