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Tufted Puffin in Kent: New to Britain Murray Wright

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Tufted Puffin in Kent: New to Britain Murray Wright Ben Green Tufted Puffin in Kent: new to Britain Murray Wright Abstract An adult Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata in breeding plumage was found on the Swale near Faversham, Kent, on 16th September 2009. This sighting represents the first record of this species for Britain and only the second documented occurrence in Europe. The circumstances surrounding its discovery are described and other extralimital sightings discussed. Possible routes from the species’ North Pacific breeding grounds to the North Atlantic, based on the extent of ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, are examined. n 16th September 2009 I arrived at Ficedula hypoleuca (a decent bird for the my local patch, the Oare Marshes reserve) was showing well in the copse and OKent Wildlife Trust reserve near hedge west of Harty Ferry cottages. As I Faversham, at approximately 06.40 hrs. It was walked past the cottages, I heard Sandwich mostly cloudy with a strengthening NNE Terns Sterna sandvicensis calling and watched wind, but the visibility was generally good. eight circling high overhead, while six Arctic The wind had been blowing between north Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus flew back east and northeast since the previous Wednesday and out along the Swale – an encouraging and had pushed a few interesting seabirds start and a good omen for the seawatch to into the Swale, sufficiently close for some come. good views from the Sea Wall hide, including I reached the Sea Wall hide, which is situ- two juvenile Sabine’s Gulls Xema sabini on ated on the sea wall on the west side of the 14th September. mouth of Faversham Creek and faces east The day began quietly, with little of note along the Swale, at about 08.50 hrs. Here I on the East Flood, but a Pied Flycatcher was joined by Eddie Denson and Francis © British Birds 104 • May 2011 • 261–265 261 Wright Tusa (who was down from London via train (even my cable release wasn’t a lot of help!). I and bicycle), both hoping to see some skuas, phoned Geoff Burton at Swalecliffe, Chris and later we were joined by John Boyd, Tony Gibbard who I knew had the day off work Sayers, Martin Hadleigh and Stephen Gatley. and might be nearby, and Rare Bird Alert to Francis, John and I were watching from get the news out to the wider birding world. outside the hide on its sheltered southern The bird looked settled and drifted in to side while the others were inside. The wind within about 50 m range. After giving such continued to increase and several skuas were good views for about 15 minutes, at around moving into the Swale. By 10.50 hrs we had 11.05 hrs it took flight and headed west along recorded four adult Pomarine S. pomarinus, the Swale. Its powerful flight suggested that it three Great S. skua and 17 Arctic Skuas, plus was in good physical shape, and it was at this three Little Gulls Hydrocoloeus minutus and a point that I noticed its red feet. It landed few terns. A probable Leach’s Storm-petrel beyond the slipway about 500 m from where Oceanodroma leucorhoa flying out of the we were watching, but after only a few Swale would have been a year tick but, frus- minutes, it took off again and flew strongly tratingly, was just too far out to clinch. west, hugging the southern shore, and disap- At around 10.50 hrs, as we were watching peared around the bend in the Swale towards three Arctic Skuas circling close to the mouth Uplees Copse. of Faversham Creek, Eddie (in the hide) saw Oh my God, what had we just witnessed! a bird with a large beak flying directly A truly fantastic bird and what a privilege for towards us and called ‘Puffin!’. The bird was it to stop off at my local patch! I gathered the immediately lost to view but, as I followed names and telephone numbers of the other the skuas through my bins, a bird flew in the six lucky observers present (they had to write opposite direction, apparently coming out of them down for me as I was unable to!). Feel- Faversham Creek. From behind it appeared ings of euphoria and elation turned to entirely black and quite chunky. At first I further panic as we realised that we’d better thought it was going to be a scoter Melanitta try and relocate the bird for the soon-to-be- but a glimpse of orange-red on the bill put arriving masses. Together with Francis, I thoughts of a summer-plumaged Puffin headed back towards the car park, where we Fratercula arctica into my mind. That would were joined by Geoff and Andy Taylor from be a really good bird at Oare – I’ve seen only Swalecliffe. We walked west along the Swale two there, both in winter plumage, in over 12 being joined by other birders on the way, years watching the site. Luckily, the bird carefully watching for anything flying along dropped onto the water no more than 75 m the channel and stopping every 100 m or so away and then it became all too obvious what to scan the water. We eventually got close to it was (if almost too incredible to believe!): it Fowley Island near Conyer Creek, about 3 km was indeed a puffin, but an adult Tufted to the west, but sadly there was no sign. Puffin F. cirrhata, still more or less in Gradually we made our way back to the car breeding plumage, an alcid from the north park, where many of the gathered birders had Pacific and a potential first for Britain! I’d a look at my record shots on the camera, and seen this species previously on a Birdquest I was able to recount the events. tour to arctic Siberia in June and July 1994 With the adrenalin still pumping, I even- and it is unmistakable. By this time, those in tually left for home at around 15.00 hrs, and the hide had already relocated the bird on the at last I had a chance to try and take it all in water. The all-black body and wings, the and calm down a bit. What a day – surely extensive white face mask meeting narrowly what every keen birder dreams of, but ‘living over the bill and tapering to yellowy-blond the dream’ is something else. Just incredible tufts trailing down behind the eye, and the luck plus a dash of perseverance on one’s massive orange-red bill with greyer base were local patch. I know that I’ll never repeat the all obvious and diagnostic. mind-blowing excitement of those 20 Panic ensued. Realising the magnitude of minutes of birding again. I still feel a bit the sighting, I managed to digiscope a few numb from the shock even now! A truly record shots, despite shaking uncontrollably ‘Oaresome’ experience! 262 British Birds 104 • May 2011 • 261–265 Tufted Puffin in Kent: new to Britain Description Distribution Jizz The Tufted Puffin breeds widely throughout An obvious puffin – the massive, brightly the northern Pacific Ocean, where its large coloured bill, largish head and shortish colonies make it one of the most numerous (shorter than Common Guillemot Uria of the alcids. The population is estimated at aalge) but stocky body were all diagnostic. 3.5 million individuals by BirdLife Interna- The entirely black body and wings ruled out tional (www.birdlife.org.uk). both Atlantic Puffin F. arctica and Horned In Asia, it breeds from northern Hokkaido, Puffin F. corniculata. On the water it Japan (where it is rare), north through the appeared buoy ant (floating high), alert and Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, many of the smaller healthy, but did not dive or preen. It looked islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka and heavy in flight, although this was strong and direct, mostly about 3–6 m above the sea surface – it didn’t skim the waves. Although this species is described by Harrison (1983) as having ‘a heavy, rotund body and short, rounded wings’, the wings didn’t appear particularly short in flight. Plumage Body and wings: Upperparts, Wright Murray underparts and wings entirely black, with no wing-bars or other discernible field marks. Head: Black apart from a large white triangle on each side of the head that joined the other across the top of the bill to form a mask and came to a point behind the eye, which was set towards the centre of the triangle. Long, drooping yellow-blond tufts began behind the eye and extended down the nape. These tufts appeared fairly worn, but Wright Murray were still quite distinct in the field. Bare parts Bill: Massive compared with the size of the head. Shape reminis- cent of a prehistoric flint spear- head; bright orange-red on the distal two-thirds and duller, greyish, on the proximal third. Feet: Red, seen as the bird was flying away. Eye: Not noted in the field, but Murray Wright Murray on some of the photos the iris 132–134. Adult Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata, Swale Estuary, appears to be pale. Kent, September 2009. British Birds 104 • May 2011 • 261–265 263 Wright the Commander Islands. In North America, it 1995). In addition, Konyukhov (2002) cited a breeds abundantly in Alaska, from the record from Novaya Zemlya, although this is Diomede Islands and Cape Thompson south based only on an oral communication not a through the Bering Sea, including many formal record. However, Novaya Zemlya lies islands in the Aleutian archipelago and the within European Russia and thus within the Alaskan peninsula, south through coastal Western Palearctic.
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