‘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