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The Very Best of British and Irish Birding - 2013 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)

The New Year kicked off with some over-wintering rarities in residence including the two American Buff-bellied Pipits in Berkshire, the Desert Wheatear in Aberdeenshire and a Subalpine Warbler in Cornwall. New birds included a popular Pallas's Warbler in Hampshire and a Bonaparte's Gull in East Sussex. Right at the end of the month news of the year's first mega trickled out as photos showed a Pine Grosbeak in Shetland, leading to many a birder trekking north in February. February was a month for heading north or west; Scotland hosted a Pine Grosbeak and a delightful Harlequin Duck on the Outer Hebrides. In Somerset a Pied-billed Grebe arrived whilst further west, in Ireland, birders had the pick of a Baikal Teal and a Northern Harrier in County Wexford, an American Herring Gull and two Black Ducks in County Cork and the over-wintering American Coot and Forster's Tern in County Galway. For birders on the east coast a White-tailed Eagle toured Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Spring migrants were thin on the ground but hardy birders could still enjoy some good birds, many lingering from earlier in the year. New birds included a Black-throated Thrush in a garden in Aberdeenshire, whilst a supressed White-throated Sparrow in a garden in Somerset for six weeks would have been even more popular. At the end of the month a fly-through Pallid Harrier in Surrey demonstrates yet again just what might be out there, whilst a visiting 'Brit' turned up a Killdeer in County Donegal. Highlight of the month was a one-day drake Baikal Teal in East Yorkshire, looking every bit the genuine article. The same county then notched up a female Rock Thrush. Two more Pallid Harriers were found in Angus and Pembrokeshire, two Red-flanked Bluetails turned up in Norfolk and another Killdeer was found this time in Lancashire. Spring overshoots included a Pallid Swift on the Isles of Scilly, a Western Bonelli's Warbler in West Sussex and an Iberian Chiffchaff in Cornwall.
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013
April 2013
A long list of fine rarities including a showy Dusky Thrush in Kent. but less twitch-able were an Indigo Bunting in Anglesey, a White-throated Sparrow in Lincolnshire and a White's Thrush caught on a camera trap in Scotland. More popular were a Roller in Hampshire and a Thrush Nightingale in Cleveland. A summer plumaged Pacific Diver in Shetland was a lucky find for one birder. Other rarities included a Collared Flycatcher and Lesser Grey Shrike in Northumberland and a Terek Sandpiper in East Sussex. June will be remembered for two swifts; first a White-throated Needletail on the Outer Hebrides until it met its demise and then a popular Pacific Swift that was tracked through down the east coast for long enough to be twitched. A Roller in Norfolk performed well; a Crested Lark and a Black-winged Pratincole, both in Kent, failed to hang around. River and Paddyfield Warblers arrived on Fair Isle, whilst at the other end of the country a Wilson's Phalarope graced the Isle of Wight. Birders must have been stunned when news of a juvenile Ascension Frigatebird on Argyll filtered through - photographed by locals, it managed to elude the twitchers. Other big birds included a Swinhoe's Petrel tape-lured on Shetland, a Mongolian Sand Plover in Moray and then County Cork and a popular Bridled Tern in Northumberland. Another female Rock Thrush arrived, this time in Aberdeenshire and an invasion of Two-barred Crossbills commenced. Four Little Bitterns in Somerset are a sign of things to come. A host of rare seabirds with top billing going to the Red-billed Tropicbird in Cornwall, followed closely by a Bulwer's Petrel off County Cork. Up to 10 Fea's Petrels were reported and a second Swinhoe's Petrel on Fair Isle was trapped. Aside from seabirds, another Roller visited Norfolk, a Booted Warbler arrived on Fair Isle and a Stilt Sandpiper popped up at the month's end in Cheshire.
May 2013
June 2013
July 2013
August 2013
Autumn 2013 rained down rarities. Fast off the mark twitchers will have caught up with the Wilson's Warbler in County Cork; unlike the Eastern Kingbird in County Galway. Irish birders also found Blackpoll Warbler and Red-eyed Vireo in the same counties. Back in Britain, Shetland turned up Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Upland Sandpiper and Hudsonian Whimbrel. Other big birds included an Elegant Tern in County Kerry and an increasingly rare Yellow-breasted Bunting in Northumberland. A string of high quality vagrants with Shetland's long-staying Cape May Warbler pipping County Cork's one-day Ruby-crowned Kinglet to top spot. Vagrants to far flung islands included a Cedar Waxwing in Argyll, belatedly identified from photos, a Mourning Dove in Highland, an Ovenbird in Orkney, a Myrtle Warbler on Lundy and an American Robin on the Isles of Scilly. Palearctic vagrants included Thick-billed Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, all on Shetland. A popular Western Orphean Warbler in Pembrokeshire was identified thanks to the internet. A Caspian Stonechat languished under a misidentification before a rush of 'insurance listers' to the Isles of Scilly. A suppressed Dusky Thrush in Devon raised all the usual issues. A popular Pied Wheatear in Nottinghamshire was more straightforward. A male Northern Harrier in Cornwall helped establish the credentials of this form in Britain, whilst the Northern Isles produced a fine Short-billed Dowitcher. A fitting finale to an incredible year of rarities as a Brunnich's Guillemot arrived in Devon for all to see, following an earlier short-stayer in North Yorkshire. Eight Ivory Gulls, with two birds together at one site, arrived - with a popular long-staying bird in East Yorkshire. An adult Thayer's Gull visited County Donegal. Cheshire's first American Buff-bellied Pipit lingered into 2014, Hampshire's Pied Wheatear escaped identification and the Parrot Crossbill invasion approached three figures.
September 2013
October 2013
November 2013
December 2013

Photos from top left: American Buff-bellied Pipit copyright John Jennings; Pine Grosbeak copyright Hugh Harrop; Harlequin Duck copyright Stephen Duffield; Red-flanked Bluetail copyright Gary Thoburn; Dusky Thrush copyright Steve Ashton; White-throated Needletail copyright James Hanlon; Mongolian Sand Plover copyright Aidan G Kelly; Swinhoe's Storm-petrel copyright Alan Lewis; Great Snipe copyright Glyn Sellors; Cape May Warbler copyright Tom Chinnick; Western Orphean Warbler copyright David Hutton; Brunnich's Guillmot copyright Jonathan Lethbridge.

You can search thousands of photos from 2013 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 2013.