Bird Report 1999 Norfolk Bird Report - 1999 Editor: Giles Dunmore Editorial 1 1 7 Review of the Year 120 Wetland Bird Surveys 127 Systematic List 130 Introductions, Escapes, Ferals and Hybrids 262 Earliest and Latest Dates of Summer Migrants 267 Latest and Earliest Dates of Winter Migrants 268 Non-accepted and non-submitted records 269 Contributors 270 Ringing Report 272 An unprecedented movement of Swallows and House Martins 282 The 1999 Nightingale Survey 286 Pied-billed Grebe in south-west Norfolk - the second county record 290 Black-winged Pratincole at Cley - third for Norfolk 292 American Golden Plover in south Norfolk - the second county record 294 An invasion of Pallid Swifts in Norfolk 295 Red-flanked Bluetail at Brancaster Staithe - second for Norfolk 297 Raptor Migration in north-east Norfolk 299 This year for the first time in many decades the Mammal Report has not been included in the current issue. The reason is that Dr Martin Perrow is editing a comprehensive book on the mammals of Norfolk as part of the Wildlife 2000 Project which aims to record the county’s fauna and flora at the turn of the century. The work involved has meant that the annual report on the mammals of Norfolk has had to be omitted for this year. We plan to return to the normal format next year so please send in your records of mammals to Dr Perrow at the School of Biological Sciences, UEA, Norwich NR4 7TJ. Dr Perrow also welcomes articles/papers on our county mammals for future inclusion. Details of the book and publication date will be announced in due course. Published by NORFOLK AND NORWICH NATURALISTS’ SOCIETY Castle Museum, Norwich, NRl 3JU (Transactions Volume 33 part 2 October 2000) ISSN 0375 7226 Keepsake back numbers arc available from David & Iris Pauli, 8 Lindford Drive, Eaton, Norwch NR4 6LT Front cover photograph: Desert Whcatear (R Chittenden) Back cover photograph: Bittern (D Nyc) NORFOLK BIRD REPORT - 1999 Editorial On behalf ot the Society I am pleased to present the annual report on the Birds of Norfolk. Acknowledgements When 1 took over the role of Editor in May last year, 1 resolved to enlist some additional help in the preparation of the present and future reports in view of my continuing role also as Joint Recorder. 1 have therefore set-up an Editorial Team comprising: • myself, • Neil Lawton - Joint Recorder, • John Williamson - liaison with Norfolk Bird Club and the printers, • Julian Bhalerao - co-ordinating photographs and sketches, • Justin Lansdell - co-ordinating articles and dealing with Review of the Year. 1 am grateful to them for their help, ideas and encouragement. Neil, John and Julian were also particularly involved in the preparation of the 1998 Report and it is pleasing to note that it was awarded second place in the ‘British Birds’ Report of the Year competition, as well as in 1997, having been joint winner in 1994 and 1995. However, the production of a report for a county like Norfolk, with the number of observers and records submitted, has to be very much a team effort and my thanks must go to: • the other compilers of the monthly and annual Record Cards - Dave Bridges, Vince Hanlon, Justin Lansdell, Neil Lawton, Mick Saunt and John Williamson; • the other authors of the Systematic List - Peter Allard, Dave Appleton. Andy Benson, Dave and Jacquie Bridges, Andy Brown, Mike Crewe, Keith Dye, Vernon Eve, Mick Fiszer, Vince Hanlon, Phil Heath, Gary Hibbard, Ian Johnson, John Kemp, Chris Lansdell, Justin Lansdell, Neil Lawton. Mick Saunt, Moss Taylor, Andy Wilson. Peter Wilson and John Williamson; • members of the County Records Committee; • authors of the articles in the Report; • the artists and photographers who have made their work freely available; • Steve Wakeman for the meteorological infonnation; • Mike Rogers, Secretary of the British Birds Rarities Committee; • Richard Bashford of the BTO for supplying details of the Breeding Birds Sur\ ey and Dave Appleton for analysing and summarising this infonnation; • Pat Bonham for his invaluable help in proof-reading the draft Systematic List and correcting the grammar; • all the many individual contributors and clubs/societies, and in particular Birdline East Anglia, who have contributed records, without which there would be no Report; • finally my wife Judy for her continued help in typing, layout and in many other ways. The County Records Committee (Steve Gantlett, Phil Heath, John Kemp, Andy Stoddart and John Williamson) considered a total of 92 records in the year; 7 of these were rejected, mostly as a result of insufficient detail and not owing to an incorrect identification. The Committee also reviewed the list of species needing submission of a written description or photographic evidence (and subject to acceptance) prior to publication and decided to include Dark-breasted Bam Owl to the list. The list is now as follows: Black-necked Grebe (at sea) Ring-necked Parakeet Cory’s Shearwater Dark-breasted Barn Owl Great Shearwater Bee-eater Balearic Shearwater Short-toed Lark Storm Petrel Tawny Pipit Purple Heron Flava Wagtail (continental races except White Stork Blue-headed and Grey-headed) Greenland White-fronted Goose Bluethroat (White-spotted only) ‘Small’ Canada Goose Aquatic Warbler Green-winged Teal Marsh Warbler Ring-necked Duck Melodious Warbler Surf Scoter Dartford Warbler Spotted Crake Pallas’s Warbler Corncrake Chiffchaff {tristis race) Buff-breasted Sandpiper Woodchat Shrike Grey Phalarope (in flight at sea) Raven Sabine’s Gull Serin Ring-billed Gull Common Rosefmch Yellow-legged Gull {cachinnans race) Ortolan Bunting Lesser Black-backed Gull (j'uscus race) Little Bunting With regard to the submission of details, obviously the Committee would expect a far more detailed description of a species such as Ring-billed Gull (which is not only rare in the county but difficult to identify) than a species such as a White Stork. Written descriptions should consist of a brief note of the circumstances of the observation (weather, distance from bird, any other observers, etc), followed by a description of the actual bird(s) and details of any other species nearby for comparison. Written notes should state clearly how a bird was identified. Observers are also requested to included a note of their previous experience of the species and, if relevant, a brief outline of how any confusable species were eliminated. Copies of field sketches (however poor artistically) are often invaluable together with written field notes. It should be noted that on occasions observers may be asked for further details of species not contained in the above list - if records relate to unusual dates, localities, etc. Editorial Material: Articles for consideration, artwork, photographs and transparencies should continue to be submitted to me at 49 Nelson Road, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8DA. Submission of Records All records for the Systematic List should continue to be submitted to me at 49 Nelson Road, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8DA. Preferably these should be submitted on a monthly basis or, if this is not possible, on a 3-monthly or 6-monthly basis. Obviously records can be accepted annually after the end of the year but all observers are requested to submit their notes within a shorter time scale if possible to reduce the pressure of recording in January/ February the following year. Receipt of late records causes a major problem in drafting the Systematic List and observations received after February’ of the following year cannot be guaranteedfor inclusion in the Report. All records should be listed in the order of species appearing in this Report. Notes will not normally be acknowledged but names of all contributors will be published. To obtain as complete coverage as possible records ‘phoned- in’ to Birdline East Anglia have been frequently used in the compilation of the List. However, records of national and local rarities have only been included where considered and accepted by the appropriate Committee. During the year I spent a considerable amount of time ‘chasing’ descriptions of both county and national rarities. 1 would request that finders of such birds should submit details to me as soon as possible and certainly not left to the end of the year. In the case of national rarities these should be submitted in duplicate. Obviously if other observers have particularly good views of a rarity for example, but were not the finder, then additional descriptions would be gratefully received. As far as 1 am aware there arc only two outstanding records awaiting a decision from the British Birds Rarities Committee at the time of writing (August 2000). One of these relates to the Blyth’s Pipit at Happisburgh in September. As this would be only the second county record hopefully it will be possible to include an article on this bird in next year’s report. Finally a brief mention of computerisation of records. Time has been spent researching the whole subject and it is hoped that it will be possible to run a trial with selected species relating to records in 2000. Full computerisation will obviously be a huge exercise in terms of time and money but further details will be announced in due course. Giles Dunmore THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM 3 G NOV 2000 BXCHANCTO OEfvERAL Ubn^y Review of the Year 1 999 Justin Lansdell and Steve Wakeham The year began just as 1998 had departed with stormy and unsettled weather. January was exceptionally mild and often wet with winds for much of the month from the west or south- west, frequently reaching strong to gale-force. As usual a fine array of rarities and local scarcities remained from 1998. Six Little Egrets and a Spoonbill added to the Mediterranean feel at Titchwell provided by the long- staying Black-winged Stilt.