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| Looking back - July firsts http://lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=19323 |
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| Author: | Matthew Harrison [ Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:09 am ] |
| Post subject: | Looking back - July firsts |
For a month often regarded as one of the quietest in the birding calendar, sandwiched between peak migration times, the list of firsts seen in July is perhaps surprisingly long. The list includes some remarkable, (perhaps, once in a lifetime) sightings which have eluded all active birders in the county, some long awaited firsts, some fascinating circumstances surrounding some of the sightings, and a species which has seen a remarkable change in fortunes within most of our lifetimes……………… 2007 – ATLANTIC YELLOW NOSED ALBATROSS The story behind this Lincolnshire first involves one of the most astonishing encounters within the County and forms just part of an incredible story behind the documentation of a first for Britain (and beyond). At about 7.00pm on Monday 2nd July, a local fisherman noticed a dozen or so gulls mobbing a large seabird swimming on the main 38 acre lake at Manor farm Fishing Lakes near Messingham. Present for a nights fishing the observer woke early the next morning to find the seabird was still present but by now it was quite close to the bank at only a few yards range and being attacked by the resident Mute Swans. It appeared sick and hunched up as it swan on the lake, and did not react to the swans which soon gave up their attack. Realising the bird was something very special, and indeed convinced that it was an albatross a series of photographs were taken. Whilst fishing, an aniseed-smelling bait-dropping device was being used when casting out into the water, and twice the albatross flew up and landed on it and picked it up, but fortunately it dropped it quickly each time and it soon lost interest. It stayed close to the bank for about another hour and then took off and disappeared. At about midday, however, it suddenly flew in again from the back of a large island. It then circled both lakes for a few minutes and then flew off into the distance never to return. The manager of the fishery was told about this bird and the photographs were shared with him. Some of these were emailed to the RSPB who then suggested they should be forwarded to the County recorder. They made it onto the Lincs Bird Club website on 10th July and to say they came as a bit of a shock is perhaps a wild understatement! Full credit to the fisherman for obtaining photographs otherwise this sighting may never have come to light. On the flip side however, it has to be said it is somewhat galling to think that a twitchable (!!) Yellow nosed Albatross was present in the County over two days but was not seen or known about by any birders! Over the coming weeks, and after further sightings came to light, the remarkable story and journey of this bird could be pieced together. It made its first appearance in Somerset when it was picked up at Brean Beach on 29th June. Kept overnight at a local wildlife hospital it was checked over before being released from the top of Brean Down at 4.00pm on 30th June, with this record making the National Press the following day. On 2nd July this bird was remarkably then seen for 10 minutes from 3.00pm at Carsington Water, Derbyshire before making its appearance at Manton later the same day. Manton is some 188 miles northeast overland from Brean, 52 miles from Carsington Water and some 25 miles short of the North Sea. On each of the 3 occasions the bird was not identified until after it had departed and was not seen by any active birders. However, this was not the end of this birds story as amazingly it was seen passing along the west coast of Scania to Malmo, Sweden on 8th July. Around the same time as this bird another Yellow-nosed Albatross was seen off Grip, Norway on 28th June and then 170miles to the north off the Heidrun Oil Platform on 4th to 8th July. Although this bird seen in Britain in 2007 is regarded as the first British record of Yellow-nosed Albatross, Lincolnshire does have another claim on the species presence on the British list. There is a report of a Yellow-nosed Albatross being shot on the River Trent at Stockwith near Gainsborough (less than 10 miles from Messingham (!) on 25th November 1836, but the record has been refuted, mainly because the type specimen cannot be found. This was also the first British record of any Albatross species. In light of the events of 2007 is this record really that unlikely? The only western Palearctic record prior to these 2007 birds was an adult Yellow-nosed Albatross found and photographed by a fisherman, off Halten, Norway on 13th April 1994. 2005 – TEREK SANDPIPER The first record of this long predicted addition to the County list occurred at Gibraltar Point on 11th July 2005. Unfortunately, this bird only visited briefly during the evening and thwarted many birders attempts to add this species to their County lists. A second chance for birders to catch up with this species in the County came just four years later however, when another bird was found at Gibraltar Point on 17th June 2009. Found on Tennyson Sands it remained until dark at 22:20 in loose association with a small party of Redshanks but unfortunately it could not be relocated the following day. This bird had previously been seen at the RSPB Saltholme reserve in Cleveland on 16th June and then again on the morning of 17th June up to 07:45 before making the mad dash down to Gib. Terek Sandpiper remains a very rare bird in the UK, despite small numbers breeding as close as Finland, with just 74 accepted records up to the end of 2011 since the first records in Sussex and Suffolk in 1951. It has however showed a marked increase in records since the early 1970s with East Anglia faring particularly well and a Lincolnshire record has been long anticipated. Although two have now been seen in the County, a longer staying individual would be welcome. 1989 – BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER A bird seen flying up to roadside wires inland of the inner sea bank at Leverton Marsh on 12th July was soon realised to be something rather different. With the aid of binoculars and a suitable field guide, the combination of key features led the observers to the conclusion this could only be a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, the first record for Lincolnshire. The bird gave views down to 50 metres as it perched on the roadside wires to then drop down to take prey items along a ditch. It was heard to call on several occasions, but did not appear settled and flew off to the north after just 20 minutes viewing time, never to be seen again. It is presumed that this Lincolnshire sighting involved the same bird as that seen in East Yorkshire just a few days previous and was in the process of making its way back south. The Yorkshire individual was the first widely twitchable bird in the UK and frequented the coastal camp site at Cowden village between 8th and 10th July attracting at least a thousand observers. It disappeared on 10th, flying off high to the south early in the day before then making its brief reappearance at Leverton on 12th. This bird was only the fifth British record and followed on from a sighting in the Lizard area of Cornwall on 1st June 1989 and was followed by a bird seen briefly over Church Hougham, Kent on 18th July 1989 which may have been the E Yorks/Leverton bird continuing its journey. There are still only 10 British records of this striking species (the first being on Scilly in July 1921) with the last concerning a series of records in 2009 with brief sightings in Hampshire and Devon in June and then lingering for 4 hours in Kent in July allowing 60 birders to see it. Only two of the 10 records have proved truly twitchable; the 3 day Cowden bird mentioned above and a bird which visited Bressay, Asta, Tingwall Valley and Lerwick area of Shetland between 20th June and 3rd July 1997 and which also had a star turn on TV, appearing in the first programme of the second series of Birding with Bill Oddie. 1988 – RING-BILLED GULL The search for some previously reported Yellow-legged Gulls in a flooded area at Bagmoor on 24th July led to the discovery of Lincolnshire's first Ring-billed Gull when a first-summer bird was discovered amongst the large numbers of Herring, Lesser black-backed and smaller numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls present at the site. The bird was seen again on a few dates during the next week, although fairly inactive mainly just roosting with other gulls until last seen on 3rd August when it was further advanced in moult to second-winter plumage. Although not totally unexpected, bearing in mind the rapid increase in British records at that time, the seasonal appearance of the first record was perhaps more surprising. Still an extremely rare bird in Lincolnshire there have only been a further 3 records. A summer-plumaged adult roosted at Whisby Pits during 27th to 29th April 1990, a first-summer bird was present at the same locality from 17th to 19th April 1992 and a 2nd calendar year bird was at Chowder Ness, Barton from 28th to 30th June 2010. In an amazing set of circumstances this last bird was discovered sitting within 3 metres of Lincolnshire's second ever Bonaparte's Gull which had just been found at the site a few moments before! The remarkable change in UK status of the Ring-billed Gull since the first at Blackpill Glamorgan in March 1973 is well known. The species averaged 5 per year until 1981 when an astonishing 55 were seen and since then the species has continued to be recorded annually in large numbers leading to it be removed from the list of species considered by the BBRC at the end of 1982. There is no doubt, however that a key factor linked to this astronomical change in fortunes is largely linked with a greater observer awareness and better understanding of its identification criteria. This is very much a species with a southern and western distribution in Britain, and, despite the numbers recorded, records from the eastern side of Britain remain genuinely rare. 1986 – PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER At 11:45hrs on 21st July a 'Golden Plover' was flushed from the borrow pits at Tetney showing the characteristic dark grey underwing of 'Lesser Golden Plover'. The bird was watched until 12:00hrs when it flew off but was relocated at 16:00hrs when the bird was seen to fly over the seawall into a sugar beet field where it landed with a small flock of Golden Plover. After consulting the literature the opinion was formed that the bird was of the Asiatic race 'fulva' the first record for Lincolnshire. The bird was seen again briefly on 22nd and 23rd July and then more extensively on the 24th July down to 10-15 metres range in the canal where detailed notes were obtained. On 26th July the Pacific Golden Plover was located in a tidal creek as the tide fell and was watched by a large number of observers. It was again present in the creek on 27th when amazingly it was joined by an adult American Golden Plover – a unique British occurrence at the time. The Pacific Golden Plover then followed the same routine of being present in the tidal creek at low tide and disappearing at high tide until the 29th July by which time it had been seen by a large number of observers, although unfortunately for most, at considerable range. The bird was generally solitary in its habits associating with Dunlin on occasions and with Golden Plover when taking refuge inland, but feeding alone. It was also seen at Tetney on 3rd and 4th August and then again on 17th to 19th August, the last date it was recorded. By the end of its stay it was in an advanced state of moult to winter plumage. During its time away from Tetney the bird was also seen on one occasion on the foreshore at Horseshoe Point on 5th August 1986 when it was watched for around 2 hours down to 15 metres. This bird constituted only the 5th British record. The Lesser Golden Plover was originally split into two recognised races, the Asiatic Pluvialis dominica fulva and the Nearctic P.d. dominica but were split by the BOURC in 1986 into full species as the Pacific and American Golden Plovers with which we are now familiar. There have been a further 3 records (of 4 birds) in the County. An adult in almost full summer plumage was found at South Ferriby-Read's Island on 2nd July 1993 remaining until dark. Despite extensive searching over ensuing days it was not seen again until 18th and 19th July. Remarkably the third record occurred at the same location almost a year later when an adult male was found at South Ferriby from 10th to 11th July 1994. The last record concerned two summer plumaged adults found at Horseshoe Point from 17th to 19th July 2002 with one reported at nearby Tetney on 21st July. With a better understanding of its field characters this species is now almost an annual vagrant to Britain with 77 birds being identified up to the end of 2011 but it remains an excellent find and great bird to catch up with. 1966 – LITTLE EGRET There is reference to two nineteenth century specimens being obtained in the County but no specific details have been traced. Therefore the first county record concerned that of a bird seen by two observers on Kirton and Frampton Marshes on 23rd July 1966. This was one of only 7 British records in 1966. The next county records occurred in the southern heron influx year of 1970 with 4 possibly 5 birds seen in the County. Two were at Donna Nook on 25th May, the same day a bird was also seen at North Coates. Another bird was seen on the Lincs/Notts border between Marton and Littleborough on 29th May and another was at North Coates on 29th June, although this could conceivably be one of the May birds. These sightings formed part of an unprecedented spring influx at the time which produced 40 birds in the UK. It remained a very rare but increasingly seen bird in the County through the 1970s with a further 5 spring birds but with the last record of the decade being a rather significant one. A bird was found long dead (shot) at Moulton Marsh adjacent to the River Welland on 15th September 1979. It had been ringed as a juvenile at Zuid Flevoland, Netherlands on 9th July 1979 from the first Dutch breeding record and confirmed what was suspected at the time that many of the birds arriving on UK shores were from the expanding north-west Europe population. The 1980s and early 1990s provided little change in the status of this species in the County with just a further 13 birds mainly concentrated on the north-east coast and around the Wash but with notable inland sightings at Messingham on 22nd June 1983 and Kirkby Pits on 6th May 1990. From the mid-1990s a more pronounced increase in sightings was noted with birds being recorded in most months of the year, including wintering birds frequently recorded on the north-east coast and around the Wash. Single birds were still the norm however, and inland sightings remained rare with just 4 records between 1994 and 1999. The new millennium then brought a boom in numbers in the County in line with a rapidly developing national trend. Large roosts became established (particularly around the Wash) and sightings became widespread across the County. The first breeding record in Lincolnshire occurred in 2005 when up to 13 pairs possibly bred. Just 3 years later breeding occurred at 3 localities totalling 22 nests with a peak count of 567 birds noted in the County in September from just 20 sites. By 2011 over 800 records were received the length and breadth of the County. Large roost counts at the Witham mouth included 204 in August and 240 in September whilst breeding occurred at 7 sites totalling 45 nests. It is interesting to compare Lincolnshire status against the national perspective. Before 1952 this was an extreme rare vagrant in the UK and Ireland with just some 12 records and was open to the suspicion of escapes. Interestingly, what is widely regarded as the first British record of Little Egret occurred very close to Lincolnshire just the other side of the Humber Estuary when a bird was obtained at Paull in March 1826. Since 1952 it started to become an annual visitor with between 3 and 6 records per year. In the 10 years 1958-67 there were 57 British records and an annual influx at this time started to become taken for granted. However, back then an influx still only constituted up to 10 birds per annum – oh, how times have changed! The first UK breeding of Little Egret occurred in 1996 when a single pair nested on Brownsea Island, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, successfully raising 3 young from a nest originally containing four individuals. Far from being a one off, from then on the British breeding population of Little Egrets boomed increasing year on year. Between 2003 and 2005 alone the UK breeding population doubled and by 2009 84 sites recorded breeding or birds suspected of breeding producing a minima of 820 pairs. Milder winters have also no doubt helped the population of wintering birds which by 2011 was in the region of 4,500 individuals. There is no doubt Little Egret is now a UK resident and here to stay. Despite losing its rarity appeal, this small white heron still brightens up any birding day and is a most welcome addition to the British avifauna. 1963 – BAIRD'S SANDPIPER A long staying and rather confiding adult which remained at the former wader hotspot of Wisbech Sewage Farm from 22nd July to 6th August was the first county record and only the 8th British record of this species. Still and extreme rarity in the county there have been only a further 3 records. Another inland bird was present at Bardney Beet Factory from 1st to 8th September 1966, one was present at North Killingholme on 19th and 20th September 1979 and finally and adult remained at Kirkby Gravel Pits from 19th to 27th September 2005 and was one of an influx of 10 which arrived into the UK during September of that year. This later bird showed well on one of the pits adjoining the rubbish tip and put to an end a 26 year wait for many county birders to get this species on their Lincolnshire lists. With 238 British records up to end of 2011 this makes Baird's Sandpiper the 6th most frequently recorded Nearctic wader, but still a great find if you happen to chance upon one. 1963 – STILT SANDPIPER At 11 p.m. on 19th July a wader which could not readily be identified was caught in a mist-net at Wisbech sewage-farm, on the border of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It had not previously been observed in the field. It was examined in the hand where a detailed description and measurements were taken and although the bird was not weighed it appeared to be fat and in excellent condition. It was photographed in colour and then released at 7 a.m. on 20th July 1963. The bird was subsequently observed feeding on the bank of the River Nene, just in Cambridgeshire, at a range of forty yards in good sunlight. From the description the bird was identified as a Stilt Sandpiper still largely in summer plumage, the abraded mantle and wings being typical of an adult wader in autumn. It was suggested at the time that the good condition of the bird and the absence of strong westerly winds in the period immediately preceding the occurrence suggested that it had not recently crossed the Atlantic. It remained at Wisbech sewage-farm for nearly three weeks, during which time it was seen by a number of other observers, and it was last reported on 7th August. This was only the 3rd British record, the first having occurred only 9 years previous, not too far away from Lincolnshire, when an adult in almost full summer plumage remained at Beacon Lane Ponds, Kilnsea (E Yorks) from 31st August to 4th September 1954. Wisbech Sewage Farm straddled the County boundaries of Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire with this bird making it onto all three county lists during its stay. Just 3 days after the arrival of this bird, the sewage farm struck gold again with the first county record of the above Baird's Sandpiper. The second Lincolnshire Stilt Sandpiper also occurred at Wisbech Sewage Farm just 2 years later when and adult, still largely in summer plumage was present from12th to 16th August 1965. These two birds remain the only county records of this North American wader which still remains an extremely rare vagrant to Britain with just 29 records up to the end 2011. The occurrence patterns are unusual with an extraordinary bias to east coast sightings. The bulk of the populations migrates through the Canadian prairies and the US interior, with a minority using the Atlantic route, suggesting that British birds may have arrived the previous autumn or perhaps by reversed migration out of Alaska or northern Canada. 1952 – PURPLE HERON There is a record of a bird shot on the River Witham at Hykeham, near Lincoln in the latter half of the nineteenth century but there is no mention of dates. One is also said to have been shot at Kirton Marsh in 1919 but again details are lacking. Therefore the first fully documented county record comes from 1952. On 31st July, the presence of a strange heron was reported at Lambert Hill fish-pond, Brocklesby. That evening the bird was observed perching on a luxuriant growth of branched bur-reed in the adjoining canal. It was obvious that the bird was a Purple Heron. It was next seen perched on an oak, some forty feet from the ground, and although it seemed to be tolerated by the Grey Herons present, it was mobbed by Jackdaws. Subsequently it was frequently seen on the wing at the same time as the resident Herons, so comparisons were simplified. After a few days it was suspected that a second bird was in the area and this was confirmed when two Purple Herons were seen in the air together on 12th August. The two birds were then seen by various ornithologists, and also by the Earl of Yarborough, the owner of the estate. Many good views were obtained, but at times they were difficult to locate, particularly when standing amongst aquatic vegetation or grass. They fed chiefly after dusk and it appears that they roosted on an island in the lake with the Herons. The two were last seen together on August 31st; on the next day, September 1st, only one was seen and all subsequent visits failed to locate them. There does seem to be some conflict on the ageing of these birds. One report states that the first bird located was an adult whilst another refers to both birds being in immature plumage, apparently first summer. Since these birds, there have been a further 30 records, the first of which involved an immature bird seen at Donna Nook on 11th May 1968 during a spring which produced 19 birds in the UK making this a record for the species at the time. Spring sightings account for the majority of those seen in Lincolnshire with 3 in April, 19 in May and 6 in June. The earliest of these spring birds was an immature seen at Chapel Pit on 12th April 1980. The only birds outside of the spring period are an adult at Far Ings, Barton-upon Humber on 1st and 2nd July 2001, and a quite exceptional record of a juvenile/first-winter bird which remained at Deeping St. Nicholas from 6th to 30th November 1986 which was eventually found dead. Of those recorded since 1952, the majority have been seen along the coast between North Killingholme and Gibraltar Point, but, rather impressively, the sea bank pits located on the short stretch of coastline between Sutton-on-Sea and Chapel St. Leonards have accounted for 9 of those birds recorded. Away from the coast there have been 8 inland sightings, including the above 1986 bird, but with 3 of these from just one location. These other birds were seen at Tattershall from 19th to 22nd May 1977, an adult at Messingham on 14th May 1987, an adult at Snitterby Carrs feeding in small dykes and becks from 5th to 7th June 1991, a bird at Boultham Mere from 10th to 11th May 1994, an adult again at Messingham from 8th to 10th June 1995 (which was later seen at Ashbyville lake from 11th to 12th June) a third bird for Messingham from 20th to 21st May 2002 and a first-summer bird seen and photographed at Bicker Fen on 26th May 2011. 1897 – GREAT REED WARBLER The first county record of this hulking reed dwelling warbler involved a singing male which remained in a reedbed at Tetney Lock throughout much of July 1897 and was heard singing by several people including Cordeaux. . This species remains a very rare visitor to the county with just a further 8 records but including some notable long-stayers. The remaining records are a bird trapped at Huttoft on 3rd May 1969, a singing male which held territory at Chapel Pit from 23rd May until at least 29th June 1976 which was then relocated at Wolla Bank pit on 11th July and then Huttoft pit from 26th to 28th July; a well watched singing male remained at Burton Gravel Pits near Lincoln from 6th to 22nd July 1979 and a singing male was seen at North Coates Point on 29th May 1980. A male was in brief song along Waithe Beck, near North Thoresby on 19th May 1990 whilst a male in song and holding territory which showed well at Chapel Pit from 29th May to July 2000 was well twitched and a popular individual amongst County and British birders alike. Another male was in song at Welland Bank Pit, near Deeping St. James from 16th to 22nd May 2001 and the most recent and last record of this raucous songster was at Far Ings, Barton-upon-Humber on 24th June 2006. In Britain it occurs mainly as a spring overshoot in late May and early June, however it is still a rare bird nationally averaging four or five birds per year. Despite widespread decreases in the Western Palerarctic linked with habitat destruction, the neaby Dutch population appears relatively stable whilst in Sweden has actually seen a marked increase since the 1960s. 1879 – BEE-EATER The first county record of this stunning Mediterranean 'rainbow bird' was shot at Ingoldsby near Grantham in July 1879. This was quickly followed by the second the following year when a bird was present at Tetney Haven on 15th August but was then unfortunately shot the following day. Since these first two there have been (a rather impressive) 21 records involving 41 birds, the first of these in modern times being a single bird at Gibraltar Point on 2nd September 1957. Records are widely scattered across the county during the spring and summer months with 2 in April, 9 in May, 3 in June, 2 in July, 3 in August and 1 in September. Of these records there are 11 sightings of single birds, 2 involving 2 birds, 7 involving 3 birds together and a single sighting of 5 birds together. This last record occurred at Ewerby near Sleaford on 3rd July 2002. The April records are noteworthy as being rather early occurrences away from southern Britain and involved a single bird at Barrow-on-Humber on 29th April 1968 and two birds on farmland at Grebby near Spilsby on 14th and 15th April 2011. The latest date recorded is 2nd September, with two records at Gibraltar Point, which includes the above 1957 record and 3 birds seen in 1958. Despite the number of birds seen, almost all involve very short stayers or flyovers. A lingering twitchable Bee-eater in Lincolnshire is long overdue. The European Bee-eater is a classic southern European spring overshoot, and numbers reaching the UK showed a marked increase in the 1980s and it was dropped from the national Rarities list at the end of 1990. Although occurrence are largely assumed to be weather related, the northward spread of breeding birds into central parts of France since the late 1960s may also account for the increase in sightings. There are four breeding records in Britain; 1920 River Esk at Musselburgh, Mid Lothian, one pair, failed attempt; 1955 Streat, Sussex, 3 pairs, one failed with other two raising a total of seven young; 2002 Bishop Middleham Quarry, Co. Durham, one pair raised 2 young; 2005 River Wye, near Hampton Bishop, Hertfordshire, one pair, failed attempt. 1818 – ROSE-COLOURED STARLING A bird was reputedly shot near Grantham prior to 1783 but the first documented Rose-coloured Starling for the County was of a bird occurring on the coast in July 1818. However, although the specimen was retained, unfortunately no locality was given. Four others were obtained in eastern Britain around the same time. These early records were then followed by an adult which fed on cherry trees in a Cleethorpes garden from 1st to 3rd August 1909, one at North Cotes on 10th September 1932, an adult at Holton-le-Clay, near Grimsby on 29th August 1947 and a first-winter at Skegness from 11th December 1955 to 8th April 1956. This bird was trapped during its extended stay and was also the first instance of overwintering in Britain. A juvenile trapped at Wainfleet on 18th October 1973 was the first record in more recent times and since then there have been a further 19 records, 15 of which have been in the last 13 years. Adults associated with irruptive movements of the species during the summer months account for half of these whilst autumn juveniles account for a further 5 records. A first-summer male at Freiston Shore RSPB reserve on The Wash from 21st to 24th May 2004 is the only spring record for the County. Records are distributed widely with almost an even spread between inland and coastal sightings, although the coastal strip between Mablethorpe and Chapel St. Leonards with 3 records and the Donna Nook area with four are the only areas have hosted birds on more than one occasion. Two birds at Tetney on 14th June 2002 (with one bird remaining until 18th) is the only instance of a multiple sighting. In addition to the above Skegness individual, there have been two further instances of birds wintering in the County. A confiding first-summer/adult was present at Market Deeping from mid- January to 8th March 1983 and an extremely obliging 1st-winter bird (at times showing as close as just a few feet) was present around a housing estate at RAF Cranwell from 23rd November 2002 to 23rd March 2003. Records of summer adults in Britain and Western Europe are related to the species remarkably nomadic and irruptive lifestyle governed by movements of locusts around the Mediterranean and North Africa. One of the largest irruption in living memory occurred in 2002 where birds reached most western European countries including as far west as Iceland. Record numbers were seen in Britain in June with a total of some 128 adults and first-summers reported during the month smashing the previous record of 36 seen during the whole of 2000. The largest counts in Eastern Europe, which hosted the main arrival, included some 10,000 in Hungary, a peak count of c.28,000 birds passing through the Murighiol area of Romania on 28th June, (consisting of migrating flocks of c.5,000 at a time) and c.2000 pairs settling to breed in Romania. There are few more welcome sights in summer than a stunning adult 'Rosy Pastor'! Matthew |
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| Author: | Graham Catley [ Mon Jul 08, 2013 10:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Looking back - July firsts |
another riveting read Matthew -- some notable memory jerkers as well -- I well recall the Deeping RC Starling actually entering the chip shop it was feeding near to get chips dropped on the floor, a feature of all wild birds! Just for info the North Killingholme Baird's sandpiper was a juvenile strangely making it the only one of the Lincs birds to be of this age class The veracity of Wisbech Sewage Farm records on the Lincs list has always niggled me somewhat as the only bit of the place in Lincs was as I recall the north-east? corner, one of the beds-- I have asked before if all of the birds recorded for the county were actually seen in this bit and the general reply I got was that all birds were submitted to Norfolk and Lincs whether or not they had actually been observed in this bit of the site as presumably local observers thought they may have done so or it was too much trouble to sort out which ones had and had not -- too late to sort out now anyway we just need a Stilt Sans somewhere else and that will be the WSF monopoly dealt with |
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| Author: | Graham Catley [ Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Looking back - July firsts |
I also noticed that American Golden Plover was missing from the list above; the first, a stunning adult male in full breeding plumage, was at North Killingholme pits on the afternoon of July 24th 1982 but it was retrospectively cast into second place by a revue of past records of Lesser Golden Plover when one from Wisbech SF in 1974? was deemed to have been American and therefore in theory the first for the county -- 1982 will stick in my memory for a long time as it was one of the best years ever for birding around the Humber and environs with some exceptional british birds thrown in; the year started with finding the first Lincs Black Brant at Howden's Pullover on January 21st, a throw away bird now but then a big find; on February 7th with Mick Mellor we headed down to Slimbridge to see what may have been the last two really wild adult Lesser White-fronted Geese to grace the reserve; two weeks later I picked up a frosty redpoll at Rimac that developed into an Arctic, again a big bird in those times, but it was another 6 weeks before most people caught up with it in its mossy dune hollows; the early spring was unremarkable but I was hammering North Killingholme pits at the time, clearing vegetation from the mud and managing the water levels with rudimentary tools and this I would claim cleared the way for a nice run of birds in 1982 starting with a Temminck's Stint present from May 15th - 16th; while watching it on the 16th I picked up a female Red-footed Falcon over the inland pit and it performed well -- on June 6th a fine male Kentish Plover was in the same pit but in the meantime a hike in the Peak District had added Marmora's Warbler to my annual tally on May 21st. The autumn got off to something of a stunning start, for someone who had been brought up in the birding field on waders, with the then, long range trip to Saltholme pools for a juvenile Long-toed Stint; I recall sitting entranced on the edge of the pool it was feeding round watching it with just bins down to about 20m-- unfortunately I had no camera but wrote 3 pages of notes and sketched and painted it in a rather less then distinctive style -- this was surely to be the best wader of the decade if not ever but less than a week later I was at Kenfig in south Wales watching a superb juvenile Little Whimbrel (Curlew now) -- subtle but amazing and one bird I would presumably never see again in Britain (well not for 3 years anyway) -- so that was the end of the autumn for waders until local Scunny birders Craig Nimick and Keith Parker found a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Blacktoft on September 17th -- the following morning I followed the crowds to Blacktoft but the scrapes were bare so on a very long strung hunch I headed back to Killingholme and my cleared mud and there were 42 Curlew Sands and 40 Ruff, not bad; scanning further a movement in the reeds at the back of the pit drew my scope and what appeared to be a Sharp-atiled Sandpiper emerged from the edge and flew closer into the open -- it stayed 3 days and delighted many; Killingholme's glory year was just about at and end and it went down hill after that as vegetation took over and the water level control system failed but it had given me White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs (with another more recent bird) my first Grey Phalaropes, a few Pecs, -- less than a week after the Sharpy, Blacktoft claimed a Blue-winged Teal which I saw on the 24th followed by one at Huttoft pit on the 30th; October produced the fall of the decade from which I managed to see 5 Pallas's and a Radde's seen in Yorkshire as well as finding a huge billed crossbill at Humberston Fitties on the 12th; it emerged there were in fact 2 male Parrot Crossbills and now armed with a 400 mm sigma lens and a manual focus Nikon camera plus some Kodachrome 64 I recall climbing to the top of one of the rather weak pine trees to get a side on shot of the male Parrot while holding the lens with on hand and the tree with the other arm ( the pic is in the old rarities gallery) Less than a week passed before a stunning juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo graced Skeffling frontage and the year was already a classic. In years that produce rare birds of course things just carry on and 82 turned up a stunning male Isabelline Shrike found by Mike Warren at Anderby Creek on the November 7th on the same day Rob Watson found an American Redstart at Gib -- I remember Mick Mellor ringing me that evening as I had been at work all day, no mobile phones then, and mentioning the redstart with incredulity. The choice on the 8th was one that you do not often get in Lincolnshire, whether to go for the Isabelline Shrike or an American Redstart! The latter was of course top of the list and fortunately the shrike hung on until later in the day allowing a double celebration; then there was the infamous Green Heron and Great White Egret at Stone Creek from November 28th - 29th and time for a long lie down in December Times change but the number of common birds seen with these exceptional vagrants no longer seem to be in existence and I certainly don't expect to ever beat 1982 for sheer exhilaration and excitement week after week but then I am 31 years older! |
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| Author: | Matthew Harrison [ Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Looking back - July firsts |
A gripping read Graham and a true trip down memory lane featuring some first class birds, some of which are long overdue to make a re-appearance in Britain. If my memory serves me right 1982 added more species to the British List than any other year and was generally regarded as a true classic. Unfortunately, I was still a young schoolboy back then, and it was not until the early 90's when the freedom that came with having my first car opened my eyes to the wider birding scene that existed beyond local patchworking (which of course included a fair bit of chasing after national rarities). In scouring through the various resources in researching these articles it has provided a fascinating read behind some of the finds (and it has to be said Graham, in a good few cases it is thanks to you I have something to write about). I have not been fortunate enough to find a Lincs first (yet!), but have some mixed memories in trying to see some of those that have appeared in the reviews this far. I remember going to see the Franklin's Gull at Titchwell in May '98, only to arrive as its backside disappeared over the seabank never to be seen again. I just got onto its rump, but battled with my conscience (only for a short time!) as to whether I could tick it! Getting the assembled crowd onto a flyover Spoonbill was small compensation for missing a Franklin's. Little did I know that just a few days later I would get another chance – and in my home County no less. I remember travelling home from work when news broke and I immediately diverted to Kirkby. When I arrived nobody else was there, and thoughts emerged I may have been hallucinating when reading the message. Kev DuRose soon appeared after just returning from the phone box in Kirkby-on-Bain village to put the news out and was somewhat surprised to see someone already there looking for it. The bird of course remained throughout the evening to the delight of those who made it in time. (I remember Alex Parker arriving after having to leave his potatoes mid peel whilst preparing his tea!). A few weeks later I was again diverting from work, this time to Barton-on-Humber for the unthinkable prospect of a twitchable Little Swift in Lincs. However, this was a drastic change from my planned evening. England were playing Columbia in the final Group Stage of the 1998 World Cup finals in France, the beers were chilling and the lads were assembling. I on the other hand ended up scanning the Little Swiftless skies in vain whilst car doors were open as Radio 5 live blasted out the match (in hind sight this is what may have scared the bird off!). England won 2-0 with a wonderful David Beckham free kick, but the fact I missed Little Swift in Lincs still hurts and is a big gap on my list. (I eventually did see LS 2 years later in Notts – but not quite the same feeling as if I had seen it across the border). A couple of others memory joggers involve a 2002 family lunch which was missed as I headed for the beach at Rimac for the Lesser Sand Plover. I got the bird and also indulged in a further two visits and ended up watching it in some fantastic evening light. However, another glaring omission from my Lincs list (I must be the only one) is the Frampton Oriental Pratincole. I was on a two week trip driving around Ohio and Ontario enjoying the delights of spring migration and a dazzling array of passerines, when half way through the trip I received a phone call informing me of said Pratincole. I arrived home two days after it had left – but I still haven't decided if it would have beat that Blackburnian Warbler photo I had always dreamed of getting. Just for the record, American Golden Plover appears in the August review based on the 1974 re-identification of the Wisbech bird. However, I have to agree that those birds found at the Sewage Farm have never sat particularly comfortable with me either as they have always given the impression of only having a tenuous toehold on the County list. These records have been accounted for in the reviews however, as many authorities include them under Lincolnshire. There is no doubting however the consistency (perhaps unrivalled anywhere else in the country during its time of operation) for both quality and quantity of waders which were found at this site – it's just a shame that no-one had the forethought to construct the complex entirely within Lincolnshire to avoid such dilemmas in the future! August review will be out in the next few days……………………. |
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| Author: | Mike Tarrant [ Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Looking back - July firsts |
I would propose that all records for Lincolnshire at Wisbech Sewage Farm be scrubbed from the Lincolnshire ornithological record as it cannot be certain that they actually occurred in Lincolnshire unless someone still alive from those times can prove they were seen on this small north-east pit. (I did see the pit and it was tiny). I do have to state a personal bias here. If it had not been for the Wisbech record of Broad-billed Sandpiper, the one I found at Saltfleetby in May 1982 would have been the first in Lincolnshire. Perhaps, it really was....... Mike Tarrant |
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