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The Very Best of British and Irish Birding - 2007 Review


(roll your cursor over each image for a summary of the month's highlights -and click on
any image for a larger version. For non IE users click here for a full account of the year)

Highlight of the month was undoubtedly the Pacific Diver in Yorkshire (a first for the Western Palearctic) that was to start a run of records. Rarer thrushes in the form of an American Robin in Yorkshire and a Black-throated Thrush in Argyll got the year-listers off to a good start. Otherwise typical January fare included rarer wildfowl in the form of two Barrow's Goldeneye, two Bufflehead and as many as three Falcated Duck. Up to three Penduline Tits returned to Rainham Marshes in Essex. Britain's second and third records of Pacific Diver, in South Wales and Cornwall, must have left birders wondering how many others had slipped through the net in years past. But the confiding White-billed Diver in Cornwall left none of its admirers in doubt as to its identity. Cornwall also hosted Gyrfalcon, Dusky Warbler and a Spotted Sandpiper to make the long trek west worthwhile. The long staying Black-eared Kite remained in Norfolk, whilst two Snowy Owls took up winter residence on the Outer Hebrides. Highlight of the month was the relocation of the Glaucous-winged Gull in South Wales. But it soon moved on, heading westwards and into Greater London where it gave all bar one birder the slip. Perhaps a sign of climate change was the arrival of a Great Spotted Cuckoo in Kent and a Desert Wheatear in Manchester early in the month with more spring arrivals bringing Red-flanked Bluetail and the first Red-rumped Swallows by the months end. A Black-throated Thrush in Yorkshire was another popular spring migrant. Many birders were left wondering when their luck would change as April brought a host of short-staying top-notch rarities. Best of the bunch were Egyptian Vulture in Norfolk, Glaucous-winged Gull in Surrey and two Blue Rock Thrushes in Wales and Sussex. An unprecedented invasion of Glossy Ibises including a single flock of seventeen individuals that settled in Gloucestershire was a sight to behold. Other great April birds included a singing Iberian Chiffchaff in Norfolk and a Black-eared Wheatear in Argyll.
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
Birders' patience continued to be tested throughout May as a string of first class rarities evaded their grasp. Masked Booby in the English Channel and a Short-toed Eagle in Somerset would surely have set off a stampede had they been twitchable. But other slippery customers included an Audouin's Gull in Kent, Little Swift on Scilly, Baltimore Oriole in Highland, Slate-coloured Junco on St Kilda and Greater Yellowlegs in Lincolnshire. For resident Shetlanders they feasted on Calandra Lark and Little Crake. The shocks continued for twitchers as belated news of Britain's first Yellow-nosed Albatross seeped into the grapevine. Found in Somerset exhausted and released the next day it was then tracked across England, but not by a single birder. More obliging however, was the delightful White-tailed Plover, well-twitched in Dumfries and Galloway and then relocated in Lancashire. Accompanying rarities included a popular Hudsonian Whimbrel in Cumbria and a White-throated Sparrow in Northumberland. Rollers brought some colour to Yorkshire and Wales, but for a few lucky pelagic birders they will remember July for the first live sighting of a Madeiran Petrel in British waters. The now usual crop of Wilson's Petrels were reported from various pelagics, whilst nearctic waders, in the form of Pectoral, Baird's, White-rumped and Buff-breasted Sandpipers started to appear in reasonable numbers by the end of the month. A twitchable Slate-coloured Junco in Norfolk raised the age-old question of origin. An obliging Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Kent was easily the month's most popular bird. Had the Solitary Sandpiper in the Outer Hebrides, the Red-necked Stint in County Wexford or the Audouin's Gull in Devon been more twitchable, they might have proved more popular. Little Shearwaters and Fea's Petrels were being 'called' from headlands for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Towards the end of the month an invasion of 33 Greenish Warblers along the east coast grabbed the headlines.
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
After a pelagic Madeiran Petrel in July it was perhaps no surprise that land-based Cornish birders would turn one up and just long enough for some of the locals to twitch it. Equally tantalising were reports of a Booted Eagle in Kent. More typical September fare were Swainson's, Siberian and Grey-cheeked Thrushes, all on Shetland. An obliging Paddyfield Warbler turned up in Kent. Several nearctic Buff-bellied Pipits arrived. But perhaps more newsworthy were the record counts of Great Shearwaters. Highlight of the month was a Brown Flycatcher in East Yorkshire. Although Shetland typically scored better on volume with Siberian Rubythroat, White's Thrush, Lanceolated and Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler. Of nearctic origin the Isles of Scily managed two Blackpoll Warblers, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and 2 Wilson's Snipes. Whilst Ireland was not to be outdone with 4 Buff-bellied Pipits, Grey-cheeked Thrush and Red-eyed Vireo. Even land-locked Oxfordshire managed a Buff-bellied Pipit. An obliging Pechora Pipit in Wales attracted plenty of admirers although the Mourning Doves in Scotland and Ireland were rarer. A Finish-ringed juvenile White-tailed Eagle in Hampshire was encouraged to settle down thanks to a kind-hearted landowner. A Pied Wheatear in Devon and three more Desert Wheatears were no surprise. Violent storms drove some 30,000 Little Auks into the North Sea along with unprecedented numbers of Pomarine Skuas and two East coast Brunnich's Guillemots. Highlight of the month was undoubtedly the, surprisingly short-staying, Great Blue Heron on the Isles of Scilly. A one-day first for Britain, only the Scilly locals had enough time to catch this bird, leaving many a twitcher with an empty wallet the next day. A putative Thayer's Gull (or perhaps Kumlien's) in Oxfordshire may never be identified. A fly-over Blyth's Pipit in Cornwall completed a good year for this species, whilst a morning-only Sociable Plover in Kent is presumably lurking elsewhere.
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007

Photos from top left: Pacific Diver copyright Kit Day; White Billed Diver copyright Lee Fuller; Barrow's Goldeneye copyright Josh Jones; Glossy Ibis, copyright Dave Hutton; Squacco Heron copyright Jon Hall; White-tailed Plover copyright Darren Robson; Roller copyright Steve Evans; Sharp-tailed Sandpiper copyright Richard Bonser; Paddyfield Warbler copyright Matt Jones; Brown Flycatcher copyright Josh Jones; Pechora Pipit copyright Pete Morris/Birdquest; Great Blue Heron copyright Martin Goodey.

You can search thousands of photos from 2007 and earlier for other rare birds - simply go to any gallery and use the search feature on the left hand bar. Many thanks to all the photographers who have 'showcased' their work on surfbirds in 2007.