Recent Decisions

As you may already be aware the BBRC recently announced the rather controversial news that they consider that the drake Baikal Teal seen at Kilnsea Wetlands last May (and elsewhere in the UK) a likely escapee rather than wild and as such have placed the bird in Category E which deems it uncountable for the purpose of the Yorkshire Listers League. The drake seen at Flamborough in April 2013 remains in Category A so is still countable for the purpose of the Yorkshire Listers League. If you didn't see the Flamborough bird but added the Kilnsea bird to your tally you will need to remove it and  also let us know. Thank you

WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT, HORNSEA MERE - A NEW YORKSHIRE BIRD

As we do not envisage any problem with this bird being accepted by BOU & BBRC those who saw it may add it to their Yorkshire list with immediate effect. White-rumped Swift should be added to your electronic Yorkshire list below Little Swift.

LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE IN YORKSHIRE

There is only one accepted record of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Yorkshire, at Pulfin Bog, Brandesburton and the Tophill Low area from 28th January to 12th April 1996 (British Birds 90:461). I saw this at Hempholme on 15th February 1996 with five Tundra Bean Geese. There were two other accepted records that year at Glencaple, Dumfries & Galloway, on 2nd and 3rd January and at Slimbridge from 5th January to 22nd March. The BBRC report included the following comment ‘

Where this comment came from is a mystery. Most likely it was an off the cuff comment by the report compilers (comments attributed to Ken Shaw and Graham Walbridge). I wrote the comments for several BBRC reports many years ago and those were very much a personal contribution. The Glencaple bird was with Barnacle and Pink-footed Geese whose breeding ranges do not overlap with Lesser White-fronted Goose. Tundra Bean Goose is sympatric with Lesser White-fronted Goose. So, if any of this trio were to be singled out for some doubt it would surely have been more logical to target the Scottish individual.

Slimbridge birds, which accompany Eurasian White-fronted Geese, have traditionally been regarded as rock solid with others varying in their credentials. However, dodgy individuals, such as the one with Greylag Geese at Saltholme Pools, Cleveland, on 15th June 2006, generally have something obviously wrong with them. eg. wrong season, plumage problems, accompanying Greylag Geese or colour-ringed. The Yorkshire bird had no such problems and most observers seemed very comfortable with the record.

Sixteen years later, and quite out of the blue, the 2012 BBRC annual report reduced the statistics for accepted individuals by one to reflect the off the cuff comment made sixteen years earlier (British Birds 106:574).

Dave Britton, Marske-by-the-Sea, December 2014.

MASKED SHRIKE, KILNSEA - A NEW YORKSHIRE BIRD

As we do not envisage any problem with this bird being accepted by BBRC those who have seen it may add it to their Yorkshire list with immediate effect. Masked Shrike should be added to your electronic Yorkshire list below Woodchat Shrike.

ITS OFFICIAL! (posted - January 28th 2014)

The drake Baikal Teal seen at Flamborough on 15th April 2013 has now been officially accepted by BBRC. We had already advised people that this bird should be deemed countable for the purpose of the Yorkshire Listers League so

BAIKAL TEAL FLAMBOROUGH 

There has been some debate about the origin of this bird, largely because of the displaced secondary on the right wing, but this is far from unusual as looking at wildfowl on your local wetland will soon reveal. The occurrence during mid-April fits nicely with the passage of wild birds as they return from Korea (where most of the world population winters) northwards to their breeding grounds where they usually arrive in late April.Given the overall circumstances of this bird we feel there is no reason why this bird should not be counted for the purposes of the Yorkshire Listers League with immediate effect, so if you were lucky enough to see this bird please let us know now so we can add it to your tally. Baikal Teal should be added to your copy of the

COLLARED FLYCATCHER, SPURN 2010.
The first-winter Collared Flycatcher present at Spurn from 30th August - 1st September 2010 has now been formally accepted by BBRC and is thus deemed countable for the purpose of the Yorkshire Birding Listers League. If you saw it please let us know now so we can add it to your tally.