Rollercoaster

Ten days in October 2017: a rollercoaster, but very productive.

After a quiet morning’s birding on 9th, I was back home working on the Somerset Bird Report when I flicked into Twitter and saw a tweet from North Ron Obs showing a male Siberian Blue Robin in the hand! Scream! I had only just started trying to make arrangements when it mega’d. More pics appeared – ye gods, what an eye-burner! Paul C and I headed up overnight to Edinburgh where we teamed up with Adrian Kettle and Chris Heard. We got negative news before we got on our flight, which might actually have been a blessing in disguise, as a technical fault delayed take-off by three long hours. At the last minute we decided to go anyway, but now had no way on to North Ron that day as none of the planned charters took off. Paul and I had flights on to North Ron for the next day, though, so we still had an option if it was refound.

It wasn’t. We dipped on a Red-eyed Vireo on mainland Orkney also found the previous day, but found Yellow-browed Warbler, Little Gull, and Wood Sandpiper among others. After a good night’s sleep, we also found an American Wigeon × Wigeon hybrid on the Peedie Sea but failed on some Parrot Crossbills in Kirkwall, then gave up and flew back off. Which gave us an afternoon to hoover up some goodies in Northumberland, starting with the juvenile Long-tailed Skua on Goswick golf course. Many thanks to the course officials who made arrangements for us to get out on the course despite a major competition being on at the time, but the bird came to us anyway and landed near the clubhouse, to the joy of at least three crews of robin dippers. Next up was Budle Bay, where we bumped into Tom Cadwallender, BTO rep for Northumberland and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Paul eventually picked out the Richardson’s Cackling Goose along with a Todd’s Canada Goose, in a ludicrously large number of Barnacle Geese (the sight and sound of them was magnificent, as always). A quick dash down to Druridge Pools and we swiftly added Barred Warbler and Red-necked Phalarope to finish off a much better day than expected. 

Late on 12th news came through of an Orphean Warbler sp. on St Agnes, and first-hand reports from Cliff Smith and Mark Dowie from the field on 13th mentioned ‘chevrons’ on the undertail coverts – enough to make me think Eastern was in the frame and book flights for Paul and myself for the next day. It was partly a defensive move as we both wanted to spend that afternoon twitching the Rock Thrush still present in Gwent, but neither wanted to be caught out logistically if the Orphean was confirmed as an Eastern. Option sorted, we duly met up at the Blorenge and had some good views of the Rock Thrush. Later, photos of the uppertail pattern on the Orphean led most to think Western, so it seemed like a busted move, but the tickets were already paid for and there were some good birds on Scilly, so we went anyway.

We managed to dip both Isabelline Wheatear and the apparent Wilson’s Snipe, but did see American Golden Plover for the year. And, most importantly, our trip to Aggie gave us as good views of the warbler as could be expected, looking through one hedge to another one at the back of the field. The Home Counties crew that had flown on with us from Newquay had more luck with the snipe, and Adrian Webb got some important pics of the warbler, though sadly it seems they did not get the full airing they should have as quickly as they might (despite one being posted on Twitter by Stu Butchart within an hour of it being taken). There was a Hawfinch influx going on at the time, but it was still an unexpected Scilly tick on Aggie too.

We got back to St Mary’s to find that worries about the incoming Storm Ophelia meant we had to cut our daytrip short and fly to Land’s End to be sure of getting off, as getting stuck on would have meant being on till Tuesday at the earliest! It felt a bit frustrating at the time, and the courtesy minibus ride from St Just to Newquay was a bit tedious, but just over a week later we were to have it confirmed that it was indeed Britain’s first Eastern Orphean Warbler and that our trip had been a very good move indeed.

Southeasterlies had me on Portland early on Sunday 15th, and it did not disappoint. It was The Firecrest Day – they were everywhere. The Obs broke their annual record for ringing Firecrests – 68 (!) in just one day – and there were still unringed ones zipping around the Obs front garden near dusk, so the total on the island must have been way higher than that! Lots of migrants about the Obs garden, culminating in a Radde’s Warbler trapped and seen in the hand. A very interesting chat, too, about the Orphean with Grahame Walbridge, who also thought it was an Eastern. Several views of Hawfinch whizzing about, another view of the Radde’s when it was retrapped, and an obliging Red-breasted Flycatcher up at Broadcroft made it a very enjoyable day. So much so that I only just registered news of a possible Arctic Warbler at St Alban’s Head that evening.

Storm Ophelia blew out the Monday completely, and I was still cracking on with work on Tuesday 17th when news came through late morning that the ‘possible Arctic Warbler’ was still present and was in fact a ‘probable Two-barred Greenish Warbler’. I’d not been able to go for any of the previous ones, for various reasons, so it was a big need for me, about to become a gaping hole on my list come the following January, when adoption of IOC taxonomy by BOURC would make it a full species. I left swiftly, and was near Dorchester when it mega’d. Happily it showed almost immediately upon arrival and I even got it in the scope briefly. Tick! Then the rain came in and I left earlier than planned, soaked but very happy.

Next day (18th) saw me back down on Portland for another enjoyable day hunting for migrants, though less productive in terms of scarcities apart from more Firecrests and a Hawfinch or two. Late afternoon I couldn’t resist travelling over for another look at the Two-barred, and got excellent close views in better weather. Another birder arrived just after 5.30pm, having jumped off Scilly earlier that day, only to miss the bird by a few minutes the last time it ever showed. It was a bit of a slog back to the car after another long day, but I was rewarded with the sound of a calling Stone Curlew somewhere in the fields west of the car park at dusk.

Back to Portland again in the morning (19th), and the weather was unexpectedly awful. The rain cleared, then caught me out again on an uneventful walk round Top Fields, and I got soaked (again). Back at the Obs, the rain eventually stopped, so I ventured out on to the patio for a fag, and a bird landed briefly in the ‘Brambling tree’: I shouted back into the lounge where several other birders were still sheltering ‘Red-breasted Flycatcher’! It flicked off into the hut fields, where I relocated it, and it showed well for everyone for most of the afternoon. It’s good to share.

A mega dip, some consolation birds, a blocker, a record-breaking day, a gripback, and a gratifying personal find, all in 10 days. October, eh?