Eastern Crowned Warbler in Co. Durham: new to Britain Dougie Holden and Mark Newsome Ren Hathway

Abstract Britain’s first Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus was discovered at Trow Quarry, South Shields, Co. Durham, on 22nd October 2009, where it remained until 24th October. The South Shields followed others in Norway, Finland and the Netherlands between 2002 and 2007, plus one on Helgoland, Germany, in 1843. This paper describes its discovery, and discusses the species’ distribution and previous European records.

hursday 22nd October 2009 was my Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus was top of my 26th wedding anniversary, and not one list, as I knew that one or two had been seen Tthat I’m likely to forget in a hurry. along the Durham coastline in previous days. Unbeknown to my wife, Lynne, I’d arranged The morning was good, headlined by time off work so that we could spend the day seeing not one but two Short-eared Owls together, but I was unaware of an earlier Asio flammeus coming in off the sea at The commitment of hers that couldn’t be broken. Leas, plus a range of commoner migrants Consequently, I settled for birding my local there and at Trow Quarry: Robins Erithacus patch on the Durham coast; the wind was rubecula and Blackbirds Turdus merula were easterly and I was optimistic. Yellow-browed present in good numbers, Redwings T. iliacus

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and Fieldfares T. pilaris were flying overhead, this in the only book I had readily to hand, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Hollom’s (1952) The Popular Handbook of I went home for something to eat at British Birds, which confirmed that some lunchtime, but was sufficiently fired up to Yellow-browed Warblers show ‘a faint light return to the same sites in the afternoon. As I stripe down the centre of the crown’. I posted reached Trow the heavens opened, but I was the photo on Bird Forum, South Tyneside fully waterproofed so decided to stay and thread, and went to bed early, since I needed weather the storm. Derek Bilton joined me to be up for work at 4.45 am the following mid afternoon and I was encouraged that morning. However, around midnight Steve there seemed to be more birds around than rang me to say that county recorder Mark in the morning. One particular leafless Newsome had been checking the internet, Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus was a hive of noticed my picture (plate 165) and double- activity. We immediately noted one or two clicked it to see the enlarged version. He had Wrens Troglodytes troglodytes, a male and immediately, and correctly, reidentified the female Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and, at last, bird as an Eastern Crowned Warbler P. coro- two Yellow-browed Warblers. Bingo! The two natus (and probably had severe palpitations phylloscs were mobile, and flew another 30 m while he was about it). This species was a first or so in front of us to the main area of trees for Britain! ‘A what warbler?’ I asked. ‘Eastern and shrubs at the site, commonly known as Crowned,’ replied Steve. ‘It’s a first for the ‘Bowl’. We found the two birds again and Britain, Dougie.’ There was silence at my end I managed a few snapshots as they flitted in of the phone. I was speechless! and out of cover. I rang close friend and Wide awake now, I began searching fellow Durham Bird Club member Steve through my books for more information (I’d Egglestone, who arrived about half an hour never even heard of this bird before), but I later and had a glimpse of the birds in fast- could find no reference to it at all. I logged on fading light. to Bird Forum once more and the first thing I Later that evening, while scanning noticed was the number of users viewing the through my photos (most of which were thread. Normally there are half a dozen or so, pretty poor) on the computer, I noticed that and that’s on a very busy night; but that night one of the phylloscs had a light stripe there were about 180, and my photo had running the length of its crown. I checked been ‘hit’ in excess of 4,000 times. I remained Dougie Holden 165. The photograph that started it all: Dougie Holden’s image of the Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus, Trow Quarry, South Shields, Co. Durham, on 22nd October 2009.

304 British Birds 104 • June 2011 • 303–311 Eastern Crowned Warbler in Co. Durham: new to Britain speechless. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t sleep too 150 or more had been there since before first well that night and got up earlier than light, and people were chartering planes from normal, when I couldn’t resist another quick Scilly and elsewhere to get there. I still look on Bird Forum to see how things had couldn’t take it all in – Trow Quarry was the developed during the night. I had also centre of British birding that weekend! received many e-mails from people sending Steve and I agreed to do an interview with their congratulations – including one from a the BBC the following day, Saturday 24th. It reporter from the Daily Express who was after was meant to take about ten minutes, but in an exclusive! reality it lasted the best part of the day, which Trying to keep a lid on things, I went to included hanging around in some really work as normal but was unable to concen- heavy downpours and getting a good soaking trate on my job, as my mobile was ringing for our troubles. But it’s probably the only constantly. One call was from my daughter, time that I will make it onto the national telling me that the local and national press news! The twitch was still very much alive on had been on the phone, and could I ring the the Saturday evening. There was a steady flow BBC immediately, as they wanted to use my of birders coming and going, and it was esti- photo on news bulletins and Autumnwatch mated that 2,000 or more twitched the that day. It was now becoming clear to me Eastern Crowned Warbler successfully. The just how ‘massive’ this little bird was in the bird was not seen after the Saturday. I birding world. couldn’t help reflecting back to that one half- Eventually, I decided to leave work, and decent picture from the Thursday afternoon, got home around 9.00 am. The phone was one that was later to win me the British Birds ringing as I walked through the door, and it Carl Zeiss Award 2010 – without that photo- was the press. One of the reporter’s first graph and, of course, Mark Newsome’s quick questions was ‘How does it feel to be the first wits and superb recognition skills, the bird person to photograph this bird on British would have gone down as ‘just another’ soil?’, to which I answered ‘I feel like I’ve won Yellow-browed and slipped through the net. the birding equivalent of the World Cup!’ All in all, this has been the most fabulous Shortly afterwards, a reporter from the experience and I’ve enjoyed every single Shields Gazette, our local paper, turned up minute of it. I’m sure that the memories will and he insisted that we made our way stay with me for a very long time. straight to Trow to see the crowd building. About 400 birders had assembled, apparently Dougie Holden

Description abrupt square end, in line with the rear Size and structure Quite a bulky Phyllo- border of the ear-coverts. It was quite broad scopus, much more powerful and ‘beaky’ than for its full length, unlike the more pencil-line the accompanying Yellow-browed Warbler. supercilium of Arctic Warbler. There was a The size, stance and structure were similar to slight lemon wash to the supercilium in front Arctic Warbler P. borealis. of the eye, ending roughly above the eye, General coloration The clean, white under- although this feature was only really visible parts contrasted with the striking head on photos. The eye-stripe (the part behind pattern, while the grey-toned mantle con- the eye being formed by the upper section of trasted with the brightly fringed wing the ear-coverts) was uniformly dark olive- feathers. The overall impression was of a green and the lower section of the ear-coverts much cleaner and more contrasting bird than was rather plain, unlike the more mottled the regularly breeding British Phylloscopus ear-coverts of Arctic Warbler. The crown was warblers. also dark olive-green, with a thin but clearly Head pattern The supercilium was particu- defined pale grey crown-stripe that extended larly obvious, starting from the bill base and from the mid forehead to the rear of the broadening behind the eye. It flared upward crown, ending abruptly where the nape distinctly behind the eye but came to quite an started. The crown-stripe did not appear to

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reach the bill base and was broadest at the Bonelli’s Warbler P. bonelli. The fringing did rear of the crown. This feature was particu- not extend to the tips of the primaries, these larly noticeable when viewing the bird from being more solidly dark. The median coverts above or when observed front-on and it were more olive-buff, lacked obvious brighter dipped its head. fringing, and contrasted slightly with the pri- Mantle The nape and mantle were mid olive- maries. A thin but continuous greater-covert green with a distinct grey wash, while the wing-bar was present on both wings, scapulars lacked this grey cast. The grey tone extending almost the full width of the visible of the mantle was more noticeable in cold greater coverts and possibly becoming dull shadowy light. slightly broader towards the outer wing. The Wings The primaries were dark with obvious median coverts were similar in colour to the broad bright-green fringing, giving an greater coverts, and also showed slight pale appearance not dissimilar to Western tips, forming a short, though readily visible, wing-bar. The median-covert wing-bar was present on both wings but was not contin- uous, more a short succession of pale spots. This second wing-bar initially caused some concern over the identi- fication, but photographs of the 2007 Dutch bird show an identical pattern. The primary projection was quite long, perhaps matching that of Arctic Warbler. The wings were very fresh with no visible wear, suggesting that the bird was a first-winter. In fact, no part of the plumage showed any signs of wear. Ian Fisher Ian Fisher Ian Fisher 166–168. Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus, Trow Quarry, South Shields, Co. Durham, October 2009. These photos show the key ID features, notably the head markings (as described in the text), the bill pattern and the yellowish undertail-coverts.

306 British Birds 104 • June 2011 • 303–311 Eastern Crowned Warbler in Co. Durham: new to Britain

Tail The central tail feathers were quite dark leading edge, paler fleshy-brown behind, and but the tail base and sides were distinctly the feet were a paler, pink-yellow. fringed bright green (the same tone as the Call Not heard to call during personal obser- primary fringes), with the brighter green vations (whereas the Yellow-browed Warbler feathers extending onto the uppertail- accompanying it was particularly vocal at coverts. times). Underparts The underparts were clean, silky Behaviour For a large, stout Phylloscopus, it white with a very slight grey wash noticeable was an extremely active bird, keeping only in duller light conditions. There were no company with the Yellow-browed for much yellow-green tones to the throat or breast, of its stay. It spent much of its time feeding in these being concolorous with the chin, breast the canopy of the Sycamore trees, although it and flanks. The vent and undertail-coverts foraged occasionally in nearby Ash Fraxinus showed a pale lemon wash, but depending on excelsior, but usually avoided lower vegeta- light conditions, this feature was not always tion. Surprisingly, the Yellow-browed Warbler readily apparent. It was usually easier to see appeared to be the more dominant of the two when looking up at the bird from under- birds, regularly pursuing the Eastern neath, and several photos show this well. Crowned through the canopy. Bare parts The bill was long and stout, pos- Luckily, Dougie Holden’s original photo sibly even larger than that of Arctic Warbler posted on www.birdforum.net captured and quite unlike the smaller, more delicate nearly all of the crucial identification fea- structure shown by Yellow-browed or tures, which made identification fairly Greenish Warblers P. trochiloides. The lower straightforward. Had it not been of suffi- mandible was pale orange-yellow right to the ciently high quality, and perhaps not even tip and showed no dark markings. The upper posted online, the bird may well have slipped mandible was wholly dark, although photo- through undetected. graphs show the cutting edge as possibly being pale. The legs were dull brown on the Mark Newsome

Separation from other not shared with any of the European species. Phylloscopus warblers That said, its habit of frequenting the upper The genus Phylloscopus comprises at least 58 canopy can make it difficult to establish these species, of which 18 have occurred in the characters with certainty. It is similar in Western Palearctic (based on BOURC tax- overall size to Willow P. trochilus and onomy, but 19 if Two-barred Greenish Greenish Warblers, but larger than Yellow- Warbler P. (trochiloides) plumbeitarsus is browed. It most closely resembles Arctic treated as a distinct species). Differences Warbler in overall proportions and structure between species are often subtle, and the and shares several plumage characters with it, genus presents a bewildering array of under- but is slightly smaller. Similarities include stated differences; combinations that include whitish tips to the greater and median slight variation in size, wing and bill struc- coverts, which form two narrow wing-bars ture, presence (and width of) pale wing-bars (although, as in Arctic Warbler, the median- and tertial fringes, upperpart colour (some covert bar may be indistinct or absent), with a contrasting pale rump patch), and uniform and unpatterned tertials, and a long, head pattern – in particular the presence or pale supercilium. It is readily separated from otherwise of a central crown-stripe. Arctic Warbler by its distinctive, boldly marked head pattern, which includes dark Within Europe olive lateral bands on the crown, separated by Of the Phylloscopus warblers that occur in the a paler, greyish-white central stripe, promi- Western Palearctic, Eastern Crowned Warbler nent on the rear crown but which becomes is perhaps one of the more straightforward to blurred and usually does not extend to the identify. It displays a unique suite of charac- forehead. It also shows a long, creamy-white ters that are readily visible in the field and are and strongly defined supercilium, bordered

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Outside Europe Asia is home to several confusingly similar Phyl- loscopus warblers that are grouped together within the ‘crowned leaf war- blers’. This group of closely related species share many characters associated with Eastern Crowned Warbler and present a significant iden- tification challenge. For- tunately, most species are either resident or short- distance/altitudinal migrants, restricted to the Himalayas and mountains of China. One species, Western Crowned Warbler P. occipitalis, is a longer-distance migrant, which breeds in the western Himalayas, Pamirs, and north into southern Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and winters in peninsular India. It closely resembles Eastern Crowned in overall appearance and structure, and in fact /Birdwatch Young Steve some authorities formerly 169. Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus, Trow Quarry, South Shields, Co. Durham, October 2009. included Eastern Crowned as a race of below by an olive-green eye-stripe, which is Western Crowned Warbler. Furthermore, it broad and flares behind the eye, while the shares a part of its breeding and wintering ear-coverts are paler, further defining and ranges with Hume’s Warbler P. humei, a enhancing the prominence and contrast of species which occurs almost annually in the head striping. Britain. Consequently, Western Crowned Overall, the upperparts appear as a cleaner must be considered if confronted with a green, with less olive, than shown by Arctic ‘crowned ’ in Britain. Warbler; in particular, the edges to the flight Western Crowned is slightly larger than feathers form a bright green panel in the Eastern Crowned (more similar in size to closed wing. The underparts are obviously Arctic Warbler) but has a proportionately whiter than on Arctic, lacking the sullied grey larger and slightly heavier bill that shows and slightly streaked sides to the breast. Par- diffuse dark sides to the tip of the lower ticularly distinctive are the pale yellow mandible. Like Eastern Crowned, it typically undertail-coverts, which contrast with the frequents the upper storey of taller trees, white belly. The lower mandible is entirely which can make viewing the subtle, yet pale, lacking the dark sides to the tip of crucial characters particularly demanding. It Arctic, but the legs are pale and similar in is most readily separated from Eastern colour to those of Arctic Warbler. Crowned by white rather than pale yellow

308 British Birds 104 • June 2011 • 303–311 Eastern Crowned Warbler in Co. Durham: new to Britain undertail-coverts. Other differences include islands and the Korean Peninsula. It winters duller, greyish-green (less clean) upperparts in the lowlands of southeast Asia, including and whitish underparts that show a light grey southern Thailand, Malaysia and also the suffusion; some can also show a hint of islands of Sumatra and Java, Indonesia. yellow on the breast and belly. The head pattern resembles that of Eastern Crowned Timing of migration but lacks the crisp, sharply defined and con- Eastern Crowned Warbler is one of the ear- trasting appearance. It shows a sullied yel- liest autumn migrants. Most depart from the lowish supercilium; the central crown-stripe breeding grounds in early August and by mid tends to appear less well defined and con- August the first arrivals are reaching trasts less with the duller olive lateral crown- southern China, Thailand and even Malaysia. stripes, but often reaches the forehead; and Passage through Hong Kong peaks in the first the eye-stripe is less prominent, in part due week in September, when 63% of all Sep- to the duller, yellowish-grey ear-coverts. tember records occur, and over 25% of all It is also worth noting that Phylloscopus records come from this month. Numbers fall in Asia is in a state of flux, with after the first week, although there DNA work revealing unexpected relation- can be a secondary peak towards the end of ships. New species are being described, often the month, followed by a rapid decline to on the basis of extremely subtle differences in mid October when passage largely dries up appearance, and some solely upon variation (Carey et al. 2001). Passage dates through the in song, but all supported by distinct differ- Bangkok region of Thailand closely mirror ences in DNA. This may affect Phylloscopus those of Hong Kong (Round 2008), while at identification in Europe in the future. Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia, passage spans the period from 4th August to 17th November Distribution (Medway & Wells 1976), but peaks later in Eastern Crowned Warbler has the most east- September. Birds reach equatorial latitudes of erly breeding distribution of any southeast Asia in good numbers by mid Sep- which has reached Europe. When a Chestnut- tember and many continue south to winter in eared Bunting Emberiza fucata arrived on the lowlands of Sumatra and Java. Fair Isle on 15th October 2004 (Shaw 2008), some thought it improbable that Weather pattern and associated breeding no farther west than the Lake Baikal arrivals watershed could reach western Europe. But Since it had travelled across Europe and with a strong supporting cast, which much of northern Asia, it is unlikely that the included Britain’s first Rufous-tailed Robin arrival of the South Shields Eastern Crowned Luscinia sibilans on 23rd October 2004, also Warbler was influenced by any one specific on Fair Isle (Shaw 2006), and Finland’s first weather event. More likely, favourable condi- Eastern Crowned Warbler on the same date, tions across Asia and eastern Europe enabled the bar was raised further and the outlandish it to progress at a leisurely pace, taking two or became more realistic. Many of the vagrant more months to reach western Europe, fol- passerines that reach Britain from Siberia lowed by the crossing of the North Sea in the commonly breed west to the Ob and Yenisey settled conditions which prevailed at the Rivers or closer. Eastern Crowned Warbler, time. however, breeds in the Russian Far East, Late October 2009 was not a classic period mostly to the south of the Amur River, and for vagrancy from Asia and only a relatively no farther west than the upper Argun River small number of species of predominantly in southeast Transbaikalia, c. 800 km to the Asian origin occurred around the time that east of Lake Baikal and east of Mongolia! Its the Eastern Crowned Warbler was discov- range also extends into northeast China, ered. Its arrival did coincide with a small including Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning influx of Pallas’s Leaf P. proregulus, at least Provinces, and there is an isolated population ten Radde’s P. schwarzi and a couple of Dusky breeding in Sichuan Province. It is also a Warblers P. fuscatus. Other notable discov- summer visitor to all the main Japanese eries in the latter half of October included a

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Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis in Netherlands, at Katwijk aan Zee, Zuid- Devon, several Red-flanked Bluetails Tarsiger Holland, on 5th October 2007 (Zuyderduyn cyanurus and Olive-backed Pipits Anthus 2008). This was just a short hop from Britain hodgsoni along the east coast, and Pied and, given its westerly route from Siberia, it is Wheatears Oenanthe pleschanka in Fife and quite possible that this bird continued in the East Anglia. Conditions in late September same direction and went on to make an and early October were more conducive to undiscovered landfall somewhere in Britain. Asian vagrancy, leading to the discovery of a With three records in five years, the odds for Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus in Surrey, a British record were shortening, and just two Southern Grey Shrikes L. meridionalis pal- years later the Trow Quarry bird was discov- lidirostris in Scilly and Nottinghamshire, ered. Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler Locustella With Eastern Crowned Warbler having certhiola on St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, White’s occurred almost biannually in Europe since Thrush Zoothera dauma, Taiga Flycatcher 2002, rarity hunters have this species firmly Ficedula albicilla, five Lanceolated Warblers in their sights. Surely the next will not be too L. lanceolata and ten Pechora Pipits A. gustavi far away. in Shetland, and an Eyebrowed Thrush T. obscurus in Orkney. Acknowledgments We should like to thank Norman Elkins for his insight European records into the prevailing weather conditions across Europe during the days leading up to the bird’s discovery, and The first record of Eastern Crowned Warbler the 2,000-plus birders who came to see the bird for for Europe occurred on Helgoland, Germany, their impeccable behaviour throughout. on 4th October 1843, when one was ‘obtained’ by Reymers and shown to Gätke, References who examined and described it in detail British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU). 2011. Records Committee: 39th Report. Ibis 153: 227–232. (Gätke 1895). With no further records in the Carey, G. J., Chalmers, M. L., Diskin, D. A., Kennerley, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most P. R., Leader, P. J., Leven, M. R., Lewthwaite, R. W., commentators thought this to be just a one- Melville, D. S., Turnbull, M., & Young, L. 2001. off, never-to-be-repeated occurrence, while The Avifauna of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, Hong Kong. others doubted that a bird breeding so far to Gätke, H. 1895. Heligoland as an Ornithological the east could reach western Europe. Only a Observatory. David Douglas, Edinburgh. few optimists held out hope of a repeat per- Hollom, P. A. D. 1952. The Popular Handbook of British formance. But in 2002, this happened when Birds. Witherby, London. Luoto, H., Aalto, T., Lindholm, A., Normaja, J., & Rauste, one was trapped and ringed at Jaeren, Roga- V. 2005. Rare birds in Finland in 2004. Linnut- land, Norway on 30th September (NSKF vuosikirja 2004: 73–86. (In Finnish, English summary) 2004). Although it was initially ringed as an Medway, Lord, & Wells, D. R. 1976. The Birds of the Malay Peninsula. Vol. 5: Conclusion and Survey of Arctic Warbler, this mistake was quickly rec- Every Species. Witherby, London. tified from the photographs when the signifi- Nikupaavo, P. 2005. Amurinuunilintu (Phylloscopus cance of the pale central crown-stripe was coronatus) Kokkolassa – komppaaminen kannattaa appreciated. On 23rd October 2004, another aina! – Bongari-vuosikirja 2004: 29–31. (In Finnish) NSKF. 2004. Rare birds in Norway in 2002. Ornis was found, at Harrbada, Kokkola, Finland Norvegica 27: 4–47. (In Norwegian, English (Luoto et al. 2005; Nikupaavo 2005), the summary) same day that a Rufous-tailed Robin was dis- Round, P. D. 2008. The Birds of the Bangkok Area. White Lotus Press, Bangkok. covered on Fair Isle. Clearly, birds were Shaw, D. N. 2006. Rufous-tailed Robin on Fair Isle: reaching Europe from well to the east of the new to Britain. Brit. Birds 99: 236–241. expected catchment area that is generally — 2008. Chestnut-eared Bunting on Fair Isle: new to believed to be the origin of many of our Britain. Brit. Birds 101: 235–240. Zuyderduyn, C. 2008. Eastern Crowned Warbler at Siberian vagrants. Fast forward three years Katwijk aan Zee in October 2007. Dutch Birding and yet another was found, this time in the 30: 155–158. (In Dutch, English summary)

Dougie Holden, 19 Garth Crescent, South Shields, Tyne and Wear NE34 6SU; e-mail [email protected] Mark Newsome, 69 Cedar Drive, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 4BF; e-mail [email protected]

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Editorial comment Adam Rowlands, BBRC Chairman, commented: ‘Given the recent European records, this species was “on the radar” for rarity hunters in Britain, but there was undoubtedly some surprise when the trophy came as the consequence of a reidentification of an image posted on the internet. Despite that potential false start, Dougie Holden is to be congratulated for having taken an image that inadvertently captured all the diagnostic features of the species and became the worthy winner of the Carl Zeiss Award 2010 (Brit. Birds 103: 460–463). Mark Newsome’s correction of the identification proved invaluable and the majority of voting BBRC members were able to join the masses making the journey to Trow Quarry to witness this eastern gem. With descriptions and images firmly secured, the assessment process was straightforward and the bird was unanimously accepted on its first circulation between November 2009 and February 2010.’ Martin Collinson, Chairman of BOURC, commented: ‘The Helgoland individual occurred in 1843, early in Gätke’s ornithological career, and although he appreciated the attractive specimen offered to him by Reymers, he was not minded to pay the high asking price. By the time Gätke realised his error, the bird had gone to a Hamburg dealer and he was not able to trace it. The sub- sequent 159 years before this species reappeared in Europe ensured that no-one would again underestimate its potential to become a major blocker. When this individual was identified at South Shields, it was multi-observed, exceptionally well documented, videoed, and subsequently stole the show on BBC4’s Twitchers: A Very British Obsession. The identification was secure, as described above, and although the location was handy for the North Sea ferries, there was no sig- nificant escape risk or any other doubt about the provenance of the bird. BOURC hence added the species to Category A of the British List (BOU 2011).’ Rarities Committee news BBRC seeks new member BBRC is seeking to recruit someone to join the including the names of a proposer and seconder, Committee to replace Lance Degnan, who retired and the written agreement of the nominee. After in April 2010. Ideally, we are looking for an indi- this date, if we have received further nominations vidual with knowledge of rare birds and birding in there will be an election, as per section 2.2.4 of our southwest England. We are delighted to announce Constitution (see www.bbrc.org.uk/constitution. that Steve Votier has accepted the invitation to join pdf). If no other nominations are forthcoming, the Committee in a full-time capacity following Steve will be confirmed in post on 1st July 2011. his co-option to fill the vacancy provided by Lance The recent turnover in BBRC membership, (Brit. Birds 103: 313, where the key criteria for all owing to unforeseen circumstances for individual BBRC candidates are listed) from 1st April 2010. members, has led us to review our current process Steve is currently resident in Plymouth, where he for rotating membership. Members have expressed lectures in Marine Biology at the University and a concern about ‘early’ retirements and the poten- his pedigree as a rarity finder will be well known to tial impacts on the collective knowledge of the British birders. He is a current member of the Committee. Consequently, a decision has been BOURC and its Taxonomic Sub-committee, the taken to postpone the annual retirement policy Editorial Board of British Birds and has authored and offer all Committee members a minimum numerous identification articles. term of eight years and a maximum of ten. Our While Steve enjoys the support of BBRC, we constitution will be adjusted to reflect this change. very much welcome any alternative nominees. Consequently, the next retirement and new posi- Details should be sent to the BBRC Chairman tion will not arise until April 2014, when James ([email protected]) before 30th June 2011, Lidster will reach the end of his term.

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