TRENDING!

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The White-tailed Lapwing is still at Blacktoft today, get it on your list!

White-tailed Lapwing, Blacktoft Sands RSPB, August 2021 - Roy Twigg

 

WHITE-TAILED LAPWING - A NEW YORKSHIRE BIRD

Massive news today with the discovery of this superb White-tailed Lapwing at Blacktoft Sands RSPB, a new species for Yorkshire. As you would expect we are allowing the immediate inclusion of this bird for the purpose of the Yorkshire Listers League so if you saw it please let us know as we will be updating soon. White-tailed Lapwing should be added to your Yorkshire list immediately after Lapwing and before Golden Plover

White-tailed Lapwing, Blacktoft Sands RSPB, 26th August 2021 - Paul French

 

‘Subalpine Warblers’

 

With the recent splitting of the Subalpine Warblers now adopted by the BOU some Yorkshire birders will have gained an additional tick. Although most of the older records remain as undetermined or still being reviewed the following is a list of birds currently deemed countable for the Yorkshire Listers League.

 

Western Subalpine Warbler:

2014; Spurn, 20th May, 2cy male

2017; Spurn, 7th April to 8th April and again 16th to 17th April, 2cy male, trapped, DNA.

2019; Flamborough Head, 24th June, 2cy+ male.

 

Western Subalpine Warbler, Spurn 2017 - Ian Smith

 

Western Subalpine Warbler, Spurn 2017 - Ian Smith

Eastern Subalpine Warbler:

1968; Spurn, 9th May, 2cy male, trapped.

2002; South Gare, 8th to 9th June, in song.

2009; Spurn, 18th to 20th April, 2cy male.

2015; Flamborough Head, 1st September then intermittently to 1st October, male.

2018; Long Nab, Burniston, 26th to 27th May, 2cy+ male in song, photo, sound recording.

2018; South Gare, 31st May, 2cy+ male, photo.

2020; Kilnsea, 21st May, female trapped, DNA

2021; Spurn, singing male, 27th- 29th May.

 

We are allowing the inclusion of this year’s bird in May at Middle Camp, Spurn, as, with the many good photographs to back up identification it is expected to be formally accepted as Eastern Subalpine Warbler.

 

Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Spurn, May 2021 - Ian Smith

If you have seen any of those listed above you need to inform us and obviously if you have seen both Western and Eastern then we can add one to your tally. For those who have seen an unassigned Subalpine Warbler we are still happy to allow you to count it as one on your tally. Please note that these currently accepted records are not set in stone and we believe the BBRC are again reviewing 'Subalpine Warbler' records after the recent revelation that the tail feather pattern is an unreliable identification feature. We intend to publish any future changes here.

 

Western Subalpine Warbler should be added to your current master Yorkshire list immediately below Spectacled Warbler and Eastern Subalpine Warbler should be added immediately below Western Subalpine Warbler and thus before Sardinian Warbler.

'Eastern Stonechats'

Just a reminder of the current situation with the recently split 'Eastern Stonechat' which now comprises of two species, Siberian Stonechat and Stejneger's Stonechat. At the moment the only accepted Yorkshire records are as follows;

 

Siberian Stonechat:

2019; Kilnsea, 6th-7th October, 1cy, trapped, DNA.

2020;  South Gare, 24th-28th September, DNA.

Siberian Stonechat, Kilnsea, October 2019 - Ian Smith

Stejneger's Stonechat:

2016; Spurn Point, 22nd - 26th October, DNA.

2019; Easington, Peter Lane, 29th October - 13th November, DNA.

2020; South Gare, 17th-30th October, DNA.

 

Stejneger's Stonechat, Easington, November 2019 - Ian Smith

As with the 'Subalpine Warblers' we are happy to allow you to count any unassigned 'Eastern Stonechat' as one on your Yorkshire list

This Black Stork was seen passing through the Flamborough area on 7th August. Next day it was seen briefly at Grimston before being tracked down the coast with sightings at Withernsea, Holmpton and Out Newton where it seemed to be grounded by the heavy rain showers. The following morning it was picked up over Easington and then made a brief stop-off at Kilnsea Wetland before heading off south down the Spurn Peninsula and into Lincolnshire.  All photos taken at Kilnsea Wetlands - John Hewitt

 

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper, Kilnsea Wetlands, July 31st. All photos - John Hewitt

 

It's been quite a spring and summer for Rose-coloured Starlings in Yorkshire so far, this one residing at Driftwood, Kilnsea currently.     All photos - John Hewitt

 

 WESTERN RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE IN EASINGTON

On Friday 2nd July when Spurn stalwart Rich Swales arrived back home at Greenfield Bungalows, Easington from an afternoon birding session at Kilnsea Wetlands his wife Pat showed him a phone photo of a dove that had been in their garden  about 30 minutes previous. Despite being a rather blurry photograph Rich could see enough to say the bird was a Turtle Dove and immediately put it out on the Spurn radio network. A short while later the bird visited next door but one neighbours Paul and Georgia French who were amazed to see the bird was in fact a 'Western' Rufous Turtle Dove and they quickly put the news out. Over the past few days a large scale twitch has ensued with almost all Yorkshire birders who have seen it adding to their County tally. Special thanks should go to the various residents in Easington and in particular of Greenfield Bungalows for their hospitality in allowing viewing of the bird for the numerous visitors.

All photos - John Hewitt

After teasing many Yorkshire listers in recent years the Black-browed Albatross has finally done the decent thing and settled in at Bempton and although it can go AWOL for long periods most keen birders have now caught up with it. For those who have managed to get stunning close range views like this it will likely remain the bird of the year.     All photos - John Hewitt

Bee Eaters, Kilnsea, June 2021 - John Hewitt.     There was a huge arrival of Bee Eaters into the County during June with twitchable flocks for Yorkshire listers at Whitby and Kilnsea