Is your Yorkshire List up to date or do you simply fancy joining the fun? If you require an electronic copy of the recently updated master list please email a request to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com and don’t forget to let us know whenever you add a species. Full details can be found by clicking the League Table option.
LATEST PHOTOS Please send your photos for use on blog to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com
Sunday, 21 November 2021
Sunday, 14 November 2021
Is your
Yorkshire List up to date or do you simply fancy joining the fun? If you
require an electronic copy of the recently updated master list please email a
request to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com
and don’t forget to let us know whenever you add a species. Full details
can be found by clicking the League Table option.
Tuesday, 9 November 2021
Is your
Yorkshire List up to date or do you simply fancy joining the fun? If you
require an electronic copy of the recently updated master list please email a
request to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com
and don’t forget to let us know whenever you add a species. Full details
can be found by clicking the League Table option.
After the rather brief appearance of a Taiga Flycatcher on the cliffs at Flamborough Head on 16th October there was a sigh of relief for lots of Yorkshire Listers when on 4th November this bird (below) was discovered at South Landing allowing those who didn't get into gear fast enough first time round a second bite of the cherry. Whether or not it was the same bird that had simply relocated was up for debate (although photos seem to suggest it probably was) but whatever the case it did the obliging thing and remained several days including a full weekend and better still was joined by a rather showy Red-flanked Bluetail!
Taiga Flycatcher, Flamborough, South Landing, November 2021 - Tim Cowley |
Red-flanked Bluetail, Flamborough, South Landing, November 2021 - Justin Carr |
Paul French has kindly provided the following map which shows the Yorkshire boundary as used by the YNU and is also applicable for use in the Yorkshire birding Lister's League. For the more detailed sector maps please visit the IN OR OUT? - The Yorkshire Boundary page
Monday, 25 October 2021
Is your Yorkshire List up to date or do you simply fancy joining the fun? If you require an electronic copy of the recently updated master list please email a request to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com and don’t forget to let us know whenever you add a species. Full details can be found by clicking the League Table option.
Yesterday we posted Bob Thompson's photos of the Flamborough Taiga Flycatcher keeled over about five minutes after it had eaten a spider before normal behaviour was quickly resumed. Trevor Charlton offers an explanation: "I noticed an image on your blog that apparently shows the Taiga Flycatcher in distress. I photographed the bird quite early on, and saw it had a tick attached to its left ear covert. It tried to scratch and scrape it off. This is what’s captured in your photo and a couple more here."
OK, so not quite the Eye of the Taiga, but hopefully a Survivor!
Two-barred Greenish Warbler, Kilnsea, October 21 - Colin O'Neil |
Sunday, 24 October 2021
Is your Yorkshire List up to date or do you simply fancy joining the fun? If you require an electronic copy of the recently updated master list please email a request to yorkshirebirding1@gmail.com and don’t forget to let us know whenever you add a species. Full details can be found by clicking the Yorkshire Birding Listers League Table option.
It’s been a
remarkable last six weeks or so for Yorkshire listers following on from the
Counties first ever (and long staying) White-tailed Lapwing at Blacktoft Sands
(see previous post). For the full story read on…………..
On September 9th a Green Warbler was discovered in the ringing area at Buckton and despite proving extremely tricky to see at times, it remained for several days allowing many Yorkshire (and British) listers to catch up with it. Assuming acceptance, Green Warbler is a new addition to the County list and as we don’t anticipate any issues with acceptance we are happy to allow its immediate inclusion for use in the Yorkshire Birding Lister’s League. Green Warbler should be added to your Yorkshire list immediately after Eastern Crowned Warbler.
Green Warbler, Buckton, September 2021 - Paul Coombes
Next up was
a small wader found at Swillington Ings late in the day of 8th
October which was initially thought to be a Temminck’s Stint, then a Least
Sandpiper before a series of photos surfaced which eventually confirmed its
identity as Yorkshires first ever Long-toed Stint. The bird was a moulting
adult that was always going to be a very tricky call but fortunately it hung
around for a week and thus was added to many a Yorkshire (and British) list. Again,
with no acceptance problems anticipated, we are happy to allow immediate
inclusion for use in the Yorkshire Birding Lister’s League.
Long-toed Stint, Swillington Ings, October 2021 - John Hewitt
Long-toed Stint, Swillington Ings, October 2021 - John Hewitt
The 16th
October was yet another red letter day with news breaking mid-afternoon that a
bird at Flamborough Head initially identified as a Red-breasted Flycatcher was
in fact Yorkshires second ever Taiga Flycatcher. Given that the only previous
record was as long back as April 2003 (also at Flamborough), it was no surprise that this species was
needed by a good number of County lister’s and the actions of those who dropped
everything to get there on the day were justified as there was sadly no sign
the next day.
Taiga Flycatcher, Flmborough, October 2021 - Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson’s remarkable shot of the bird shows it keeled over apparently dead, about five minutes after it had eaten a spider. Shortly after the photo was taken it was up again and feeding actively, although of course as we all know it wasn’t seen the following day.
And as if
the Taiga Flycatcher wasn’t enough even later in the day of 16th
October and in a bizarre mirror of circumstances a bird at Spurn initially
identified as a Yellow-browed Warbler was re-identified as a Two-barred
Greenish Warbler. Once again this was a County second with the only previous
record being a bird at Filey on 16th – 18th October 2006.
Fortunately, unlike the Taiga Fly’ it did the decent thing and hung around for
several days giving ample opportunity for most people to catch up with it.
Two-barred Greenish Warbler, Kilnsea, October 2021 - Thomas Willoughby
Two-barred Greenish Warbler, Kilnsea, October 2021 - Ian Smith |
Two-barred Greenish Warbler, Kilnsea, October 2021 - John Hewitt |
And
finally………………… the official acceptance of a Hudsonian Whimbrel seen at South
Gare on 4th November 2020 by just two lucky observers, means that
the Yorkshire list increases by yet one further given that the taxon is once
again treated as a species in its own right. For those who wish to add it to
their Yorkshire master list in the interest of completeness it should be added
immediately below Whimbrel.
Monday, 30 August 2021
Thursday, 26 August 2021
WHITE-TAILED LAPWING - A NEW YORKSHIRE BIRD
White-tailed Lapwing, Blacktoft Sands RSPB, 26th August 2021 - Paul French |
Tuesday, 17 August 2021
‘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
Sunday, 15 August 2021
Tuesday, 13 July 2021
Tuesday, 6 July 2021
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