Short Papers

Short papers

‘Iberian Wagtail’ in Yorkshire: new to Britain

Abstract A Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava of the subspecies M. f. iberiae found at East Lea, Filey, Yorkshire, on 22nd April 2015 has been accepted as the first record of this taxon for Britain. This account describes the observations, vocalisations and photographic evidence that contributed to the identification of this widely anticipated southern European overshoot, along with the circumstances of the record and an analysis of the occurrence in a wider context.

hile our stretch of Yorkshire’s hal- 2015), when an unfamiliar call caught my lowed east coast may be synony- attention. Harsh and buzzy – and thus briefly Wmous with visitors from far and reminiscent of a large pipit – but squeakier wide, spring can be an unpredictable and and more wagtail-like, it sounded instantly comparatively challenging season at Filey. rare, and most definitely worthy of further The latter part of April, however, has often investigation. Scanning the reserve, I heard the produced surprises for me since I first call a second time and managed to locate its arrived, in 2012, including a very welcome source as the bird landed on a wooden fence at (then) BB rarity in the shape of a seasonally the far end of the main lagoon. Before it rare Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni dropped into an obscured area of wet grass- within my first couple of weeks. After being land, I was able to gain brief views and a few lucky enough to find Yorkshire’s first quick photos of a Yellow Wagtail Motacilla Brünnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia, at Filey in flava with a white throat, dark head and pale December the following year, the rule book supercilium – a pulse-quickening combina- became increasingly inadequate – as the ulti- tion with tantalising possibilities. mate patch reward (which was also the first Aware that individual wagtails are often live record for mainland England) it seemed present on the reserve for just a matter of at the time insurmountable. But, happily, in minutes, and also that the territorial male the tradition of never quite knowing what’s Pied Wagtail M. alba yarrellii had already around the corner when hammering a local chased off several Yellow Wagtails in the past patch with so much potential, this wasn’t to hour or two, I decided to approach, and remain the case for too long. managed to gain excellent views down to Filey Bird Observatory & Group (FBOG) about 12 m through long grass. By now the owns and manages several small reserves in bird’s salient features – dark bluish-grey the local area and by spring 2015 I’d decided head; short, sharp and well-delineated super- to combine work and play and use our East cilium; and clean white throat sharply Lea reserve as a kind of mobile office, demarcated from the bright yellow under- spending many hours with one eye on the parts – were all clearly on display. This com- pool and its surrounds and one on the laptop bination of features provided a perfect match screen. Although the pool is a relatively with ‘Iberian Wagtail’ M. f. iberiae, the race of modest, shallow scrape, this is such an Yellow Wagtail that breeds in the Iberian increasingly rare and precious habitat locally Peninsula and northwest Africa. that it has an understandable pull for wetland Soon after, it was indeed flushed and species, and its marshy margins are a chased by a Pied Wagtail, and temporarily favoured pitstop for wagtails in particular. disappeared from view. Fearing the worst but In a beautifully appropriate twist of fate, on with hope of relocating the bird, I decided to the afternoon of 22nd April 2015 I was busy return to the hide in order to get a better writing the introductory sections for rare panorama of the area. Before doing so, pipits in the Challenge Series: Winter (Garner however, I heard the call again – by now

instantly recognisable – seemingly from very Rest of upperparts Mantle, upperwing- close by; by a stroke of luck, the bird had coverts, rump and uppertail-coverts were landed just metres away on a low fence, and I plain, bright, olive-tinged green. Double was able to grab a series of photographs and wing-bars and edges to flight feathers more close views before it dropped into the yellowish-white. Tail dark brownish-black grass and started to feed again. with whitish outer tail feathers. After a short while the bird moved out of view, and I returned to the hide to try and get Underparts The throat was pure, bright a better angle. Just as I did so, however, I white, noticeably and sharply demarcated heard the call a fourth time, and looked up to from the yellow underparts. Scrutiny of this see the bird, pursued by the Pied Wagtail, dis- feature (as well as, for example, the crown appearing over farmland to the north; subse- and ear-coverts) from various angles at close quent searches soon after and later that range revealed no ‘bleed’ or anomalous feath- evening failed to relocate it; the brevity of the ering. The rest of the underparts were bird’s visit accentuating my sense of ‘right uniformly bright yellow. place, right time’ good fortune. Bare parts Legs and bill dark/blackish. Description Size, shape and behaviour Typical of Yellow Voice A very distinctive call, heard four Wagtail. times, twice from close quarters. Quite unlike the traditional call of flavissima Yellow Head Crown, hindneck and ear-coverts dark, Wagtail, being clearly more rasping and less plain bluish-grey, lacking any other markings. liquid: an excited ‘shrreeap’ or ‘shrreep’, with Appeared slightly darker around the frontal a slight peak on the vowel and a slight area of the ear-coverts, but only at certain descent at the very end. angles – from others, and in different light, appeared concolourous. Supercilium distinct Discussion and symmetrical – narrow, well defined, Strongly suspecting that the bird exhibited all beginning in front of the eye, continuing over the salient features of iberiae (and with a call it, and ending above ear-coverts; exact shape that also seemed to fit perfectly), I contacted varied depending on the bird’s stance – Martin Garner down the road at narrow and tapering when sleek, slightly Flamborough. We discussed the possibilities flared when ruffled. There was a partial white and identification criteria at length. A joint eye-ring under each eye, also symmetrical. flurry of research, as well as plenty of interesting Mark Pearson 425. Male ‘Iberian Wagtail’ Motacilla flava iberiae, Filey, Yorkshire, April 2015.

696 British Birds 111 • November 2018 • 695–698 Short papers feedback via social media and beyond, appeared to support our suspicions, and it was clearly worth digging deeper. (As with the Brünnich’s Guillemot, Martin’s reaction was one of vicarious excitement and shared joy, which those who found themselves in a similar situation knew to be typical of him.) While I had some limited personal experience of the taxon within its usual range, and plenty of accessible research to hand, the most important part of the identification process involved the input and opinions of those with in-depth experience of iberiae and its potential pitfalls. To this end I contacted various experienced European birders and Mark Pearson committees, who were pleasingly unequiv- 426. Male ‘Iberian Wagtail’ Motacilla flava iberiae, ocal in their support of the identification. Filey, Yorkshire, April 2015. Chief among those was Dani López Velasco, few, if any, accepted records of this taxon who has studied this taxon extensively on its from northern Europe. In part, this is due to breeding grounds. Dani responded in some the difficulty of separating intergrades depth, concluding: ‘[There’s] no doubt at all between M. f. cinereocapilla and nominate we are dealing with a perfect, classic example flava from iberiae, which they can closely of iberiae. Apart from the call (not diag- resemble. In addition, there is an understand- nostic, but a good supporting feature com- able reluctance among records committees to bined with plumage features), head pattern is accept anything other than an individual simply spot on. In fact, length and shape of which displays a complete suite of characters the supercilium is textbook, even “better” associated with iberiae. Even such birds than many iberiae we have here. Given how require an accurate description of the call, classic the head pattern is, I would tentatively which should ideally be recorded. By con- say the bird most likely comes from a trast, records of the more distinctive cinereo- northern/central Spanish population.’ capilla are easier to assess and there are Among other correspondence, I asked the currently seven accepted records of this race Italian Rarities Committee – particularly from Britain (Holt et al. 2017). It is worth well-versed in considering the conundrums mentioning that the Dutch committee for associated with Mediterranean flava wagtails avian systematics (CSNA) considers that the – to consider the Filey bird as if it were a sub- white-throated forms of Yellow Wagtail mission to them; they kindly did so, breeding in the Mediterranean basin, com- ‘accepting’ the record and concluding that prising the races cinereocapilla, iberiae and ‘our view is that the wagtail presents all the pygmaea, represent a species distinct from characteristics of Spanish Wagtail, Motacilla Yellow Wagtail, which they treat as ‘White- flava iberiae’ (Flavio Ferlini and Egidio Fulco throated Wagtail’ M. cinereocapilla. Up to the in litt.). Combined with recent developments end of 2016, there are four accepted records and clarifications regarding the identification of White-throated Wagtail from the criteria of flava wagtails by BBRC, BOURC Netherlands, with two accepted as cinereo- and others (e.g. Rowlands 2016), the body of capilla and two as either cinereocapilla or evidence did indeed seem to strongly support iberiae (Haas et al. 2015). iberiae, and (thanks in no small part to those with greater knowledge and experience) I was Acknowledgments confident to submit it to BBRC as such. I’d like to thank the various European correspondents Although iberiae has been suspected of for their comments on the identification of this reaching Britain and northern Europe on bird, in particular Dani López Velasco, Flavio Ferlini and Egidio Fulco. I would also like to thank the late Martin previous occasions, this becomes the first Garner for typically enthusiastic encouragement and accepted record. In fact, there appear to be support. This one’s for you, Martin.

British Birds 111 • November 2018 • 695–698 697 Short papers

References Holt, C., & the Rarities Committee. 2017. Report on Garner, M. 2015. Birding Frontiers Challenge Series: rare birds in Great Britain in 2016. Brit. Birds 110: Winter. Birding Frontiers, Flamborough. 562–631. Haas, M., Slaterus, R., & CDNA. 2015. Rare birds in the Rowlands, A. 2016. From the Rarities Committee’s files: Netherlands in 2014. Dutch Birding 37: 361–391. BBRC and Yellow Wagtails. Brit. Birds 109: 389–411. Mark James Pearson, Filey Bird Observatory & Group; e-mail [email protected]

Editorial comment Paul French, Chairman of BBRC, commented: ‘This was a long- awaited addition to the British List but, as Mark states above, identification is not as straightfor- ward as would first seem. Observers are encouraged to take full account of the head pattern, especially concentrating on the throat colour and quality of demarcation of the throat from the breast. That we had photographic evidence confirming this as being typical for iberiae was crucial in such a brief sighting, and a good description of the call sealed the deal. Ideally, a sound recording would have also been obtained, and the same high standards of assessment will surely apply to future claims of this, and other rare Yellow Wagtail taxa.’ Andrew Harrop, Chairman of BOURC, commented: ‘Reviews of Yellow Wagtail taxa by BOURC have resulted in the removal from the British List of M. f. leucocephala (Ibis 149: 652– 654), M. f. beema (Ibis 152: 199–204) and M. f. simillima (Ibis 155: 204–207), but note that Eastern Yellow Wagtail M. tschutschensis is now on the British List following adoption of IOC taxonomy, although the subspecies remains undetermined. A previous record of M. f. iberiae was also considered unproven (Ibis 148: 198–201). ‘Despite the Filey wagtail’s relatively brief stay, the observer knew what to look and listen for and made the most of his opportunity. His detailed description of the bird’s calls and plumage, supported by a series of photographs, provided convincing evidence and the record was accepted following a single circulation. Iberian Wagtail was an anticipated vagrant so further records are likely although, as Mark Pearson explains, detailed notes on call and plumage are likely to be the minimum required as evidence.’ Letters

Some observations on a song-switching and mixed-singing Willow Warbler in Cork City

I read with interest the recent short paper on were much more similar to the typical terri- this topic (Lawn 2018). For some years I have torial song of a Chiffchaff. I obtained some had an interest in such birds, having first con- poor sound recordings, the best of which are sciously encountered a male Willow Warbler at www.xeno-canto.org/364117 Phylloscopus trochilus with some elements of I thought little more about that bird until Common Chiffchaff P. collybita (hereafter 7th June 2018, when I heard a male Willow Chiffchaff) in its song repertoire at the Warbler in song in the same area. Although Douglas Estuary, Co. Cork, in spring 2007 or the song was generally typical of Willow 2008. In total, I have come across four or five Warbler, there was something slightly such individuals in Co. Cork, not all of which unusual about one strophe, which was I managed to obtain sound recordings of. enough to make me stop and investigate On 12th April 2017, I found a male further. Having found the bird in question, Willow Warbler holding territory in a green singing quite high up in an Alder Alnus gluti- area on the Monahan Road, in the centre of nosa, I could see nothing about its appear- Cork City. The bird delivered perfect Willow ance to suggest it wasn’t a pure Willow Warbler song strophes for much of the time Warbler (although a putative hybrid Willow but occasionally included some strophes that Warbler × Chiffchaff might prove difficult or