Since the fantastic Blyth’s Reed Warbler in early June, the birding had been very uneventful. In fact, it had hardly seemed worth going out. In recent years the numbers of migrants occurring in both spring and autumn have dwindled depressingly. We seem to be reaching tipping points in several species and the writing may well be on the wall for birding as a viable pastime for those who like to work patches on a regular basis and try to find their own birds. However, it is still possible to have some great experiences and find great birds - even if you have to work much harder than in the past - and the 24 hours from Sunday morning to Monday morning are a case in point. When I got out of bed and walked up to the dunes, I wasn't expecting to find Long-tailed Skua, Greenish Warbler and Icterine Warbler within a 24-hour purple patch in the village, but you never know what's going to happen... I've put all three accounts of the finds below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Long-tailed Skua, juvenile, pale type, Sea Palling, Sep 1, T. E. Allwood
Despite it being the peak period for Long-tailed Skua, very few had so far been seen until yesterday’s stronger easterlies, when a few were reported off Suffolk. I tried last night and despite several Arctics and Manx being recorded, we drew a blank on anything more interesting.
I started early this morning with a stroll up to one of my vantage points with a nice hot coffee. Not a deal was happening on the sea with only a few Teal and Scoter, Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Med Gulls and a couple of Kittiwakes. However, at around 0648 a skua appeared close - just behind the reefs. Even at first look it was pretty obviously going to be a Long-tailed. Size-wise it was very small, looking no bigger than a Kittiwake or Sandwich Tern but its build was rather more powerful. It gave the appearance of a front-heavy bird with a small, rounded head and a strong neck and chest with a streamlined body. A bit like an Arctic Tern. The wings were fairly thin and long. The upperparts looked a darkish shade of grey-brown with no other detail such as primary shafts visible in the wing. The underparts were largely pale below the breast, with a large whitish area centrally and lots of barring on the flanks and the rear of the bird. Detail on the pattern of the underwing was tricky to see but the white patch formed from the pale bases to the primary coverts was obvious on downstrokes.
The flight was purposeful but on at least three occasions the bird stalled and hovered before attempting to pick something from the surface. It appeared to be at the intermediate end of a pale type, given the whitish underparts and clear barring etc.
Greenish Warbler, Sea Palling, Sep 1, T. E. Allwood and A.J. Kane
Sunday looked promising with easterly winds dominating. I spent the morning seawatching, getting a fantastic pale-intermediate Long-tailed Skua for my troubles. The wind dropped and it warmed up markedly. It was feeling birdy! Despite conditions often not producing the birds as they did in the past, I thought I’d better get out there and see if anything was happening. I wandered up towards the coastal scrub with the dog and as I approached the first patch of vegetation, I noticed a couple of Wheatears in the bushes and a couple of Whinchats on the wires. The Wheatears were very obviously fresh in – and as if to reinforce the point, another dropped out of the sky onto the top of a hawthorn bush. I rounded a corner and a Redstart was sat on the fence line. Willow Warblers were calling out here and there and a Grey Plover called as it flew over. I put a message on our WhatsApp and Andy quickly got out and reported Wheatears near his house too.
The area I was working was very dense in places and getting good views of things was difficult. Conditions like these scream out to be worked hard these days as the chances of good birds seem to recede year on year. A Greenish had been reported on the North coast and conditions were perfect. I had been lucky to find two Greenish in my first two years here but there had only been one since. Andy messaged with Pied and Spot Fly’s and several Wheatears and expectations levels rose. It was pretty hot by now and the dog was happy to just lie in the grass and watch me trying to dig birds out.
After an hour or so working a 50m stretch of vegetation, I had a brief view of a leaf warbler with very white underparts. The head was obstructed and I couldn’t get anything on the wing, but the green upperparts were pretty grey-tinged. I just need it to sit still and out in the open. That seemed to be the last thing it was going to do as it flicked about in cover. A battle of attrition had begun. As I moved five yards this way and that way, the bird was able to remain out of proper sight. Frustration was setting in when I saw what was a clear wingbar on the bird’s right wing… yes! A few more minutes and a wingbar on the other wing was confirmed. I still hadn’t seen the head and as I was thinking it was nearly in the bag, it flew right and out of sight. Shit! And much worse was said.
I then spent a good 30 minutes trying to locate it, getting frustrated with every Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff getting in the way. Eventually, I managed to find it again but viewing was a nightmare still. As the bird was moving north slowly, I positioned myself in a spot with a more open view and waited for it to come to me. Shortly after it hove into view, still flicking here and there, determined to make it as awkward as possible. At one point it hopped round and looked right at me, revealing a striking head pattern with a dull grey-toned crown, a prominent longish off white supercilium and a fairly strong eyestripe. The supercilia almost made one long monobrow across the bill, but the eyestripe was less well marked in front of the eye giving a more open expression. A Greenish! I put a message on the group and Andy made his way the short distance on his bike.
By now there had been several Wheatears and a few Redstarts, which we enjoyed but the Greenish had gone to ground. Try as we might, it wasn’t playing ball. We worked the patch really well and although birds could just appear seemingly from nowhere, they were all Willows, Chiffs, or Redstarts. Despite the fact that I have a lot of patience when searching for birds like this, the heat and wanting to get Andy onto it was starting to really piss me off. We branched out a little further but without success. Just as it was starting to look like a lost cause, I turned to check a couple of lone bushes on the opposite side near to Druggy Pete’s place and lo and behold, there it was! I had decent views at close range but Andy was the other side of the hedge and had to decide whether to run around to my side or try from where he was. Unfortunately, he chose wrongly. He quickly dashed back round to the main track, with a little encouragement (!) and after a few minutes we both got our well-deserved good views.
Description
A Chiffchaff-sized and shaped leaf warbler, white below and with grey-green upperparts. The head was patterned with a longish, clean, off-white supercilium, with a dark shadowy area above it at times, and a clear dark eyestripe (more prominent behind the eye). The head was rounded most of the time but the crown feathers were raised a couple of times to give it a slightly more Arctic Warbler-like feel. The bill was darker on the upper mandible and a pinky-orange on the lower mandible. An off-white wingbar was present on both wings, fairly thin but thickest on the outer great coverts, fading away towards the inner. It generally had a “clean” appearance. The legs were a dull, almost non-descript tone.
This was the third Greenish I’ve found locally after birds in 2007 and 2008, and a bird in 2021 that was a bit too brief to submit, but it definitely took the longest time of any to get to grips with. A rewarding day…
Icterine Warbler, Sea Palling, Sep 2, T. E. Allwood and A. J. Kane.
After yesterday’s excitement, I was keen to get back out and see what was still there and whether anything else was waiting to be found. I’m fortunate to only work three days now and have Monday’s off so I got up early and walked to the area where the Greenish was yesterday. There were still birds around but it wasn’t as good as yesterday with a few things having clearly shipped out. After an hour or so Andy joined me and we continued to scour the scrub for anything of note. A couple more Redstarts were present including a cracking male but it was looking as if the Greenish had moved on. We carried on searching, finding a Garden Warbler and a few more Willow Warblers, and Golden Plover, Curlew and Redshank flew over.
As I was scanning the scrub, I caught sight of the end of a bird that gave me a distinctly long-winged feel and I could also make out a wing panel. I mentioned it to Andy and the chance that it was an Icterine was pretty high, but it had disappeared in the tangled branches. We continued to grill everything and put a lot of effort in. Andy went onto the topside of the scrub to try a different angle and about 15 minutes later I got further glimpses of a larger warbler clambering about, but still not enough to nail it. A couple more minutes passed and then we managed to get onto it at the same time but Andy had the front of it and confirmed it had a lovely yellow wash to the face and was indeed an Icterine Warbler. A game of cat and mouse followed before we were able get some good views of the whole bird – a real beady-eyed, orange-billed, thick-legged, long-winged thing. After enjoying views for several minutes, we lost it and it was never seen again.
We were elated at having persisted and got great views of a couple of really tricky birds in thick cover. Leaf warblers and Hippolais warblers are some of my very favourite birds, and that made it doubly rewarding.
Description
A large, very long-winged warbler, clearly larger than Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, dull grey-green above and largely off-white below with a pale-yellow wash around the face and head. Both wings had a clear wing panel formed by pale edges to the secondaries. The legs were sturdy and thick with a steely grey-blue tone. The head was plain making the eye look rather beady. The bill was relatively strong and orange-toned. The only confusion species is Melodious but that could be ruled out by the very long wing and the striking wing panel.
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