The thorny issue of BLUE-WINGED TEAL hybrids in Britain

See my latest blog post here - http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/yet-another-blue-winged-teal-hybrid.html

HORNED LARK complex now becomes six species

New science/studies have resulted in the highly expected splitting of Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris into no fewer than six species by Drovetski et al. (2014). 

Of relevance in a Western Palearctic context are:

ELWES'S SHORE LARK: E. elwesi of Tibet etc. (to be renamed if the uninvestigated ssp longirostris proves to belong to this clade).

CENTRAL ASIATIC SHORE LARK E. penicillata including ‘birds inhabiting alpine zone of Palearctic mountains from southeastern Europe to Tian Shan’ (ssp albigula is found in Xinjiang, China).

SHORE LARK E. flava ‘breeding in the tundra from Scandinavia to Amguema River in Chukotka’ (and occurring S in winter at least to Beijing).

MONGOLIAN SHORE LARK E. brandti  ‘breeding in aridlands from the northwestern border of Kazakhstan to northeastern Inner Mongolia in China’ (and occurring S in winter at least to Beijing).

In addition are ATLAS SHORE LARK E. atlas ‘inhabiting Atlas mountains of Morocco’ and NORTH AMERICAN HORNED LARK E. alpestris of the New World. 

The paper’s title is ‘Limited Phylogeographic Signal in Sex-Linked and Autosomnal Loci Despite Geographically, Ecologically, and Phenotypically Concordant Structure of mtDNA Variation in the Holarctic Avian Genus Eremophila’  PloS ONE 9(1).

Of relevance to the UK400 Club, this authority recognises the following British and Irish record -:

North American Horned Lark, St Agnes & Tresco, Scilly, 2nd-31st October 2001 (Birding World 15: 111-120)

Yet again one has to look no further than http://www.netfugl.dk/ to find the right images, in this case representatives of all six Horned Lark spp:

  

ELWES’S HORNED LARK E. elwesi of Tibet etc.

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=16681

CENTRAL ASIATIC HORNED LARK E. penicillata including ‘birds inhabiting alpine zone of Palearctic mountains from southeastern Europe to Tian Shan’ (ssp albigula is found in Xinjiang, China).

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=49484 

SHORE LARK E. flava ‘breeding in the tundra from Scandinavia to Amguema River in Chukotka’ (and occuring S in winter at least to Beijing).

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=47144

MONGOLIAN SHORE LARK E. brandti  ‘breeding in aridlands from the northwestern border of Kazakhstan to northeastern Inner Mongolia in China’ (and occuring S in winter at least to Beijing).

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=56713

ATLAS HORNED LARK E. atlas ‘inhabiting Atlas mountains of Morocco’  &

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=51473

NORTH AMERICAN HORNED LARK E. alpestris of the New World.

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=51553

CASPIAN STONECHAT on Scilly

A first-winter male CASPIAN STONECHAT has been present on St Agnes (Scilly) since Monday, showing well in St Warna's Cove. It represents only the 4th record for Britain and the first since the male at Virkie (Shetland) on 7th May 2006. The British Birding Association now recognises four species of stonechat on the British List - Caspian, Siberian, Stejneger's and Common.

Today, Chris Heard and I succeeded in our goal of seeing all four species of Stonechat in Britain, the bird affording fabulous views in the sunshine. I took well over 300 photographs of it, a small selection being reproduced here. It was not as well marked in the tail as we had expected, so was most likely a western individual, most likely from Turkey, Georgia or Armenia...

Yet another mega on Shetland - CAPE MAY WARBLER

Cape May Warbler update. The bird was actually seen at three sites in Baltasound today: a single sycamore in the Manse garden (HP 6069 0909), two sycamores at old kirk at Hillside (HP 6043 0921) and in the garden at Hillsgarth (HP 6100 0927). Birders have very kindly been given permission to enter this garden, but note that this is beside Unst Health Centre, so please show respect when passing there and DO NOT park in the Health Centre car park. There is parking at the school (which is still closed for the holidays) at HP 6091 0896, within easy reach of all three sites (per Shetland Wildlife)

ITALIAN SPARROW now gone

The male ITALIAN SPARROW that had been present at Hungry Hill, Northrepps (Northeast Norfolk) from at least early July was last seen on 6 September. The bird's appearance totally matches that of Italian Sparrows at the northern limit of the species' range.

WILSON'S WARBLER in the Republic of Ireland

A male WILSON'S WARBLER spent four days residing on Dursey Island (County Cork) habitating a densely vegetated garden at the far west end of the island until Saturday 21 September. It represented the first record for Ireland and only the second for the Western Palearctic. Perhaps 65 UK twitchers connected including Richard Bonser, the highest-listing birder of the region. With little interest or appetite now from the majority of British birders in Irish rarities, it was surprising how many did actually make the effort - BUBO Listing, the site where many of these types log their sightings, treat Ireland as a separate entity and do not allow its UK listers to include Ireland (a separate country) within the totals. A nice bird though by the looks of it.

BROWN SHRIKE in Hampshire

Gone are the times when BROWN SHRIKE was a mega but this first for Hampshire was a nice surprise today.......Hampshire patcher Bob Marchant takes up the story.....

''Found the shrike at 09:55 this morning on brambles by the railings guarding the Chilling

sub-station tunnel entrance (SU 500 042). Initially with a brief 2 minute view in poor light

I considered it as a juvenile Red-backed Shrike. Not seen again for about 20 minutes when it showed

in cover and further away by the Solent Way footpath , then flew over the bramble patch

out of sight. I moved up to the footpath and refound the bird on the fenceline running NE alongside

a large bramble patch. Although the bird was some distance away, some 80 – 100m,

the light was more favourable and it became apparent that the bird had more of the

features of a 1w BROWN SHRIKE – chestnut head, brown upperparts not noticeably

vermiculated, long brown tail with reddish rump/base of tail, short primary projection

reaching only to end of reddish patch, buff underparts with noticeable vermiculation

(when not in bright sunlight). The dark mask also continued to the front of the eye

tapering down to the bill. Bare parts appeared grey, bill dark tipped. All of these salient features were confirmed with the gathering birders arriving on the scene, although throughout the day the bird remained distant. It remained until dusk, by which time no less than 75 birders had connected''

I arrived on site at around 1600 hours and remained on site until 1830. Throughout this period, the bird was showing well but distantly along the fenceline, making frequent sorties to the ground for food. I took some 100 or so shots but all were just record - a selection of the best being published below -: