The Birdwatching Year 1999 Barry Nightingale and Norman Elkins Massimiliano Lipperi
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The birdwatching year 1999 Barry Nightingale and Norman Elkins Massimiliano Lipperi Cory’s Shearwaters with Common Rorqual Balaenoptera physalis his report summarises the major bird Larks Eremophila alpestris stayed over, too, movements and influxes of 1999, as and, after the big counts in December 1998, Twell as including the rarity highlights. there were about 500 to be found, mainly Unless stated otherwise, all the rarity records along the east coast of England. noted here have been accepted by the The year began with very mild weather British Birds Rarities Committee, and full over the whole of southern Britain and details will be published in the forthcoming extending to cover central Europe, with ‘Report on rare birds in Great Britain’ in the January being windy and very wet in the November issue of British Birds. Irish West. A newly arrived Pied-billed Grebe,in records are adjudicated by the Irish Rare Breconshire on 15th January, was to be the Birds Committee, and details of 1999 records first of four during the next three months of from the Republic of Ireland are not yet this former major rarity, but otherwise it was available. some impressive counts of the more regular species that caught the eye. In Kent, 14,000 A mild and quiet start Common Guillemots Uria aalge flew past Dungeness on 3rd, in a very stormy spell, and Most of the rarities staying over from 1998 644 Great Northern Divers Gavia immer were in the Southwest, with Pied-billed were counted in Scapa Flow (Orkney) on Grebes Podilymbus podiceps in Cornwall 5th. Off Holkham (Norfolk), there was a gath- and Scilly, two American Black Ducks Anas ering of 3,500 Common Scoters Melanitta rubripes and two Lesser Scaups Aythya nigra, but otherwise seaducks were few off affinis in Cornwall, and a Bufflehead the Norfolk coast. About 20,000 Pink-footed Bucephala albeola in Devon. Elsewhere, a Geese Anser brachyrhynchus moved male Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis through Nottinghamshire, mainly during of the black-throated race atrogularis was 20th-22nd, constituting one of that county’s still at Maidenhead (Berkshire), staying until largest ever movements of this species; this March (plate 264). Good numbers of Horned same movement was noted also in Der- 470 © British Birds 93: 470-487, October 2000 Nightingale & Elkins: The birdwatching year 1999 byshire, with about 1,400 passing through weather encouraged a very early departure during 21st-22nd. Great Crested Grebes Podi- of wildfowl, and Whooper Swans at Welney ceps cristatus reached an impressive peak of reached a site record of 1,337 on 7th as they 825 at Lade Sands (Kent) on 21st. On the gathered prior to moving north. other hand, Bramblings Fringilla montif- ringilla, Siskins Carduelis spinus and An early spring Common Redpolls C . flammea were few Warm southerlies became established over and far between virtually everywhere. At western Europe from 11th March, and the Great Yarmouth (Norfolk), the regular flock first real sign of spring migration, on 12th, of Mediterranean Gulls Larus included 12 Northern Wheatears Oenanthe melanocephalus reached 21 on 24th, and at oenanthe and 25 Common Chiffchaffs Phyl- Welney (Norfolk) the count of Whooper loscopus collybita at Portland Bill (Dorset) Swans Cygnus cygnus reached 1,313 on and the first Northern Wheatears in Norfolk. 30th. After several good winters, Smews On 16th, a Pied-billed Grebe appeared in Mergellus albellus were generally scarcer, Surrey, for the third successive year, and a perhaps owing to the mild weather, with the Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca was highest count in the Dungeness area not found at Elmley (Kent), another species that coming until February, when there were 40 seems to be becoming more regular. Of just on 3rd. ten Rustic Buntings Emberiza rustica February was also warm, particularly in during 1999, seven were in the first half of the Southwest, and strong westerly winds the year, and one on St Mary’s on 18th was prevailed for much of the month. An inter- the first spring record for the Isles of Scilly.A esting series of records from the London mobile Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator area involved a passage of Kittiwakes Rissa glandarius in the Waxham area of Norfolk tridactyla, with 337 over QEII Reservoir on 28th caused a lot of excitement, but it (Surrey) and 120 at Beddington (Surrey) on stayed for only the one day. 7th, 370 at the latter site on 17th, and 60 at April turned out to be wet, but was also Hammersmith (Greater London) on 22nd, all coin- ciding with cold north- westerlies. It was estimated that 900 passed through the London area during this period, but, apart from just seven in Leicestershire on 22nd, there were no reports of this movement from else- where. The month was quiet for major rarities, apart from a Killdeer Plover Charadrius vociferus in Devon on 9th, a Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis in Norfolk on 14th, and a Laughing Gull Larus atri- cilla in Essex on 24th. March was very wet in the Northeast, but was also warm, especially in eastern England, where tempera- Gary Bellingham tures were two degrees 264. Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis of black-throated race above average. This mild atrogularis, Maidenhead, Berkshire, January 1999. British Birds 93: 470-487, October 2000 471 Nightingale & Elkins: The birdwatching year 1999 the warmest for 12 years. Warm southerlies rupestris for their British lists. It totally over- developed during the first few days, encour- shadowed an American Coot Fulica ameri- aging more arrivals from the south, which cana in Cumbria and a Sardinian Warbler included a Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo Sylvia melanocephala on St Mary’s on the daurica in Essex on 2nd, the first of 14 same day. A Laughing Gull stayed in Argyll during April and May. A Barn Swallow H. for a week from 14th, and another, first seen rustica on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 3rd was at Sheringham (Norfolk) on 18th April, wan- the earliest ever there, and a Cattle Egret dered along the north Norfolk coast, being Bubulcus ibis in Nottinghamshire on 4th seen most regularly at Cley, until 27th June was that county’s very first. (plate 266). An intense depression moving With high pressure sitting over Biscay, northeast off Ireland on 20th April brought good numbers of Common Chiffchaffs and southwesterly gales across England and, as a Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus result, a marked sea passage. On that day, arrived at Dungeness on 9th April, the same counts along the English south coast day as 45 Northern Wheatears, 50 Common included 900 Northern Gannets Morus bas- Chiffchaffs, 400 Willow Warblers and 150 sanus, 600 Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis and Barn Swallows at Portland. The seabird 87 Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta off passage at the last site during April was dom- Brighton (East Sussex), 200 Little Gulls inated by Manx Shearwaters Puffinus Larus minutus off Seaford (East Sussex) and puffinus, and impressive movements 316 Little Gulls off Portland, with 78 Arctic included 10,000 on 10th, as a cold front Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus and 33 Great brought northwesterly winds. Of an influx of Skuas Catharacta skua there the next day. 18 Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax With southeasterly winds and rain associated during April, at least six were in Scilly.That with the same depression, there was a good archipelago also attracted a Terek Sandpiper ‘fall’ in Orkney on 21st, involving Robins Xenus cinereus on 11th April, with a second Erithacus rubecula, Common Chiffchaffs in Cheshire on 26th April, and two more and other common migrants, and at Gibraltar during late May, in what was another good Point (Lincolnshire), with 51 Willow War- year for the species (plate 265). blers and 58 Wrens Troglodytes troglodytes. The first mass twitch of the year was at At Portland Bill on 23rd, 40 Northern Swithland Reservoir (Leicestershire) on 17th Wheatears, 100 Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla April, when several hundred observers and 350 Willow Warblers moved through, caught up with Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne caught out by a small depression moving /Birdwatch Steve Young Steve 265. Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, Conwy Estuary, Caernarfon, May 1999. 472 British Birds 93: 470-487, October 2000 Nightingale & Elkins: The birdwatching year 1999 Alan Tate 266. Adult Laughing Gull Larus atricilla, Cley, Norfolk, May 1999. quickly up the Channel. A good passage of and another, at Start Point (Devon) during Ring Ouzels Turdus torquatus was evident, 6th-14th May, enabled many hundreds of too, mainly during 23rd-27th April, including birders to see and hear this recent ‘split’from eight on Blows Downs (Bedfordshire) on Common Chiffchaff. 23rd and, in Norfolk, 15 at Holme and several parties elsewhere (plate 267). An Iberian Ace rarities, but Chiffchaff Phylloscopus brehmii at Portland common migrants scarce on 25th April stayed until at least 8th July, For wader-watchers, it was generally a poor Neil Bowman 267. Female Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus, Norfolk, May 1999. British Birds 93: 470-487, October 2000 473 Nightingale & Elkins: The birdwatching year 1999 spring, with reported numbers of Green- with generally light winds, and some places shanks Tringa nebularia, Green Sandpipers in Scotland were very wet.The month began T. ochropus and Common Sandpipers Actitis with high pressure, which then gave way to hypoleucos low, but, after several poor southeasterly winds during the first week, springs, numbers of Ruffs Philomachus but veering SSW after 8th. A second Crag pugnax seemed to be up. Good inland Martin, in Orkney on 3rd, was the first for counts of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa Scotland, and a Red-rumped Swallow at limosa included 150 at Willington (Der- Spurn (East Yorkshire) on the same day was byshire) on 23rd April, 172 at Belvide Reser- the first of five to occur there by 15th May.A voir (Staffordshire) on 11th May and 1,448 at Slender-billed Gull Larus genei at Grove Welney on 14th April, a record count for that Ferry (Kent) on 5th, and then at Monk’s Wall reserve.