Thanks to an identification query by Jon Hudson
and a rapid interception by RBA's Stuart Piner, the birding fraternity was
informed of its first-ever MASKED WAGTAIL last night, a male that had been
present in and around Jon's Pembrokeshire garden since at least Sunday morning
(27th November 2016). This incredible long-distant vagrant from Kazakhstan is
seemingly on winter territory and is showing exceptionally well - favouring the
rooftops and gardens of Croft Villas, in the picturesque, tranquil hamlet of
Camrose, just NW of Haverfordwest (SatNav SA62 6JF). I and around 60 twitchers
made the long journey this morning to SW Wales today and were afforded an
excellent display, with the bird showing virtually non-stop. Jon's neighbour was
particularly hospitable and invited many of us into his garden so that we could
get better and more prolonged studies and were able to sound-record it. Other
neighbours were equally as accommodating, especially a couple making tea &
coffee for visitors, while the Neighbourhood Watch local police girls came over
from Haverfordwest to see what all of the fuss was about!
Masked Wagtail breeds in Central Siberia, from
Kazakhstan to NW Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan to NW China, and winters primarily
in Northern India (Assam in particular). It is a pretty abundant species but has
only reached the Western Palearctic on just 5 previous occasions, with the most
recent photographed in Burgas (Bulgaria) in September 2015 and by the southern
Dead Sea (Israel) on 23rd March 2016 (that country's third occurrence in
fact).
As the UK400 Club/BBA follows the
PSC principles, it recognises '7' of the 11 types of alba
wagtail as morphologically distinct species -:
1) White Wagtail Motacilla alba
2) Pied Wagtail Motacilla yarellii
3) Moroccan Pied Wagtail Motacilla
subpersonata
4) African Pied Wagtail Motacilla
aguimp
5) Masked Wagtail Motacilla
personata
6) Chinese Amur/White-faced Wagtail Motacilla
leucopsis
7) Kamchatka Pied Wagtail Motacilla
lugens
The taxonomical position of other forms such as
Swinhoe's, Hodgson's, Streak-eyed & Indian White remain unclear, vexing and
more clinal in variation, with wader ranges of overlap and
hybridisation
