The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Part 2 reviewing species recorded for the first time during October.

1900 to 1969

1968 – PALLAS'S WARBLER
In a remarkable set of circumstances the first county occurrence of Pallas's Warbler is shared between two sites. On 19th October 1968 single birds were trapped at Anderby Creek and Gibraltar Point. Not only did they occur on the same date but amazingly the time of capture for both birds was recorded as the same – 12.15pm! The birds were part of (what at the time was considered) an unprecedented invasion of this species on the east and south coasts of England during autumn 1968, involving 18 birds. The second county record occurred just two years later when another bird was trapped at Anderby Creek on 8th November 1970. Up to the end of 2011, there have now been a total of 96 Pallas's Warblers recorded in Lincolnshire, with a surge in the number of occurrences over the last two decades, corresponding with a developing national trend. There were a total of 8 birds recorded during the 1970s (in 1970, 1975, 1976 and 1979) and this included 3 birds in 1976. The 1980s saw a slight increase in the number of birds arriving, with 12 recorded for the decade, with 3 in both 1980 and 1988 and 4 in 1987. Into the 1990s and the first in a small series of influxes were noted boosting the decade total to 27 birds. This included a (at the time) record 7 in 1994 (coinciding with an exceptional national influx), but was then followed by a further 7 in 1997 and then a new record of 8 in autumn 1999 which included a total of 5 at Gibraltar Point during October. By far the best decade for the species in the County was the 2000s with a total of 39 records, which included the exceptional record breaking (yet to be beaten) 17 birds in autumn 2003, which again coincided with an unprecedented influx of the species into the UK. However, other notable annual totals included 7 in 2004 and 8 in 2008. In 2010 and 2011 there were 5 and 3 respectively during the autumn, so not a bad start to the decade, although it remains to be seen if it will become another record breaker. Pallas's Warbler has now been an annual autumn visitor to the County since 2003. Multiple sightings include 5 records involving two birds together and two records involving 3 birds. In 1988 two at Pye's Hall on 20th October had increased to 3 on 21st with 1 remaining until 22nd, whilst in 2008 at the same locality, a single bird on 3rd November had increased to 3 on 4th November with two remaining until 5th November. In line with most British records almost all of those birds seen in Lincolnshire have occurred during the peak arrival period for this species of October/November. The earliest arrival is a bird at Gibraltar Point on 9th October 2005, with other particularly early birds being one at Saltfleetby from 10th to 11th October 1982 and another at Carey House, Skegness on 10th October 1992. Most arrivals are from mid-October, although there is a smaller peak into the beginning of November. The latest birds recorded are those at Donna Nook on 17th November 1996 and Gibraltar Point from 17th to 18th November 2010. There has been just one record for the County outside of the autumn period, that of a very unusual spring bird seen and photographed at Freiston Shore RSPB reserve on 7th May 2007. It seems likely that this may relate to a wintering bird from elsewhere in Britain or western Europe attempting a spring reorientation. With the exception of this individual all other county records have occurred along the coastal strip between Cleethorpes and Gibraltar Point. Favoured locations are the Donna Nook area, Saltfleetby and Gibraltar Point, although the stretch of coastline between Mablethorpe and Chapel St. Leonards has accounted for several birds and there are now 6 records from Skegness. In addition to the above there is also one 'at sea' record on the Inner Dowsing Tower Lighthouse, 12 miles offshore from Mablethorpe (at 53° 20" N, 0°, 34" E) on 24th October 1985. The bird was first picked up flying towards the tower about 10ft above the waves, then landed on one of the main legs and worked its way to the top before disappearing for good. Pallas's Leaf Warbler or Pallas's Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) breeds in southern Siberia (from Novosibirsk Oblast east to Magadan Oblast), northern Mongolia, and northeastern China. It is strongly migratory and winters mainly in subtropical southern China and northeastern Indochina, but small numbers have also wintered western Europe. It is named after the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas, who discovered it on the Ingoda River in Siberia in 1811; the species name proregulus derives from its similar size to the Goldcrest Regulus regulus .It is one of the smallest warblers; at 9–10 cm long and 4–7 g weight it is slightly smaller than a Yellow-browed Warbler and barely any larger than a Goldcrest. A magical sight for anyone who finds one, in Britain they are commonest on the east coast in October/November and will have travelled more than 3,000 miles from the western end of their breeding grounds by the time they arrive here. This is however the same distance that they would need to fly to reach the normal wintering areas in southern China. Yorkshire, Norfolk and Kent have received the greatest numbers, but every county from Shetland, down the east coast and all southern counties west to Scilly all have varying numbers of records of Pallas's Warblers. Wales and western counties of England have also received a small number of records, whilst 12 inland counties also now have records for this species. This was formerly an extreme vagrant to Britain, with the first notable autumn influx consisting of 18 birds in 1968 being unprecedented at the time. It began to turn up with a little more regularity from 1974 and since then it has become an annual visitor to Britain. An influx of around 130 individuals in 1982 broke all records for the species and this was considered to be a one off event. With the exception of 2001, over 25 per annum have been recorded since 1987, and there have been further significant influxes, starting with the 160 seen in 1994 beating the previous record which had been held for 12 years. However, this was quickly followed by 140 in 1996, 170 in 1997, 120 in 1999 and then the remarkable 285 in 2003. Numbers have not quite reached these heady heights since then but it is still very much an expected autumn visitor. It is possible that given their unobtrusive behaviour, this is probably only a fraction of the total. In the past Pallas's Warblers have been widely considered to be vagrants, but these birds are now thought to be undertaking a normal regular migration, taking advantage of the mild oceanic climate winters on the western fringes of Europe for wintering. Certainly winter sightings have become more frequent in Britain and have even led to a few spring occurrences, presumably of birds attempting a reorientation.

1964 – RUDDY DUCK
Early records of the Ruddy Duck in Lincolnshire seem to be poorly documented. This, in part, may have something to do with the fact this species was not admitted to the British and Irish list by the BOURC until 1971, when it was accepted that they had succeeded in establishing self-maintaining feral populations. Therefore any records prior to this were presumably dismissed as escapes. However, the first County record would appear to be a bird seen at Burton Gravel Pits, near Lincoln on 25th October 1964. There seem to be no further documented records until an immature was seen at Covenham Reservoir on 17th November 1974 and then an immature female was present at Bardney Ponds from 12th to 16th October 1976. The species then became annual from 1979, a year which produced 5 records with two from the River Welland at Spalding and 3 from Covenham Reservoir and all widely spread during the year in January, February, May and November. Following just a single bird in 1980, there was a spring influx of 10 birds in 1981 (with a further autumn individual) and then 4 and 5 birds seen in 1982 and 1983 respectively spread across the spring and autumn/winter months. The species status in the County changed in 1984 with the first breeding record of a pair at Barrow Haven on the Humber Bank Pits which reared 6 juveniles. This area remained the key area for the species with up to 5 pairs breeding by 1989. Breeding gradually began to appear elsewhere in the County with a pair at Fulstow in 1987 the first away from the Humber Bank. Burton Pits was the next breeding site added with a pair in 1988 and by 1989 there were 5 pairs at Barrow Haven, 5 pairs at Barton and a pair at Burton Pits, whilst summering was noted at several other sites during the late 1980s. During these early years the Gravel Pits around Lincoln, Covenham and Denton Reservoirs as well as the Humber Bank Pits produced regular sightings, but from the middle part of the decade up to 11 different sites had recorded the species, virtually all, as to be expected, from inland water bodies. However, more unusual sightings included single birds at Holbeach Marsh on 28th February 1986, a male at the Witham Mouth in the Wash on 3rd February 1987 and a bird at Gibraltar Point on 26th October 1988. Although by the 1990s, Ruddy Duck was a well-established breeding and passage/winter visitor to the county, it remained fairly localised. Highs included 18 breeding/summering pairs in 1995 with 12 pairs on the Humber Bank Pits (leading to a new record count at the time of 50 birds on 20th August)and 20 pairs in 1997 (the highest total) which included 14 pairs at Barton/Barrow Pits. The maximum number of confirmed breeding sites was 6 in both the 1991 and 1992 seasons. During freezing weather in December 1995 out of place sightings included one on the sea off Grimsby on 29th and 8 on the Humber off Barton on 30th. Up to 25 different sites were recorded in any one calendar year during the species peak in the 1990s with Barton/Barrow Pits and Kirkby Pits becoming the strongholds in the County during the latter years of the decade both for breeding birds and peak counts at other times of year. A total of 67 birds at Barton in December 1999 is the highest single count. A pattern seemed to emerge in that birds dispersing from breeding areas were considered to account for the majority of sightings elsewhere in the county during the autumn/winter period. Into the new millennia and the status of this species was to change once more – dramatically. Following a nationwide cull of Ruddy Ducks ordered by the British government in 2003 after a request from Spanish authorities, numbers began to dwindle. However, in 2008 the species was still recorded from 20 sites across the County but with only one site providing confirmed breeding. Although up to 89 birds were counted at Barton Pits in February only two other sites produced double figure counts. Over the following three years however numbers reduced considerably (although this may be partly due to some observers being reluctant to report the species due to the on-going cull) but a small viable breeding population did cling on at the site of the first county occurrence – Barton Pits. In 2010 birds were recorded from just 10 sites, with double figures only from Barton Pits and by 2011 although 10 sites again recorded birds, no more than 32 individuals were seen across the whole County during the year. In Britain the Ruddy Duck, is known to have acquired feral status mainly through strays from the Wildfowl Trust's collection at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire and since then has become one of the most controversial species in the UK. The post-war reappearance of the species in British aviculture was initiated by the Wildfowl Trust, which imported three pairs from the USA in 1948; these began breeding at Slimbridge in 1949. It has long been the policy of the Wildfowl Trust to pinion the young of non-native ducks as far as practicable. Where Ruddy Ducks were concerned, this worked well provided the nests were located before incubation commenced, so that the hatching date could be calculated. As the Slimbridge breeding stock increased (three pairs in 1955, ten by 1958) not all nests were found in time, and so some broods escaped pinioning. The first full-winged young left Slimbridge in the winters of 1952/53 (two) and 1954/55 (one); but the first major departure occurred in the autumn of 1957, when up to 20 birds escaped. No accurate figures exist for the numbers of Ruddy Ducks which left Slimbridge in subsequent years; but it is believed that 70 birds would be an approximation for the total number of escapes up to 1973, most of them during the first half of the period. Certainly all full-winged Ruddy Ducks left Slimbridge during the terrible winter of 1962/63, when many of the pinioned birds succumbed. In the early 1970s it was recorded that Ruddy Ducks were included in a number of specialist waterfowl collections elsewhere including the Peakirk collection near Peterborough, at Apethorpe (also near Peterborough), at St Neots in Cambridgeshire, near Grimsby in South Humberside, and at Monken Hadley near Barnet in Hertfordshire although it is thought escapes from these site were very low. Away from centres of feral breeding, Ruddy Duck records were often published in local bird reports as referring to probable escapes; some undoubtedly were, especially in south-east England, but, in most would have been as a result of wandering birds of feral origin. The first Ruddy Ducks reported at liberty in Britain were in 1954, when single drakes were seen at Hingham, Norfolk, in April and at Carsebreck, Perthshire, in June; these were 250 km and 510 km respectively from Slimbridge, and presumably referred to one or both of those which escaped from there in the 1952/53 winter. The first feral breeding in the wild occurred in Avon in 1960 and Staffordshire in 1961. Since then Ruddy Ducks did what Ruddy Ducks do best and the species increased steadily in numbers and range despite a temporary setback caused by the severe winter of 1962/63. Over the period 1965-75 the rate of increase appeared to average about 25% per annum and by the end of this period they had spread to nine counties with between 50 to 60 pairs, and a post-breeding population of 300 to 350 birds. Ruddy Ducks continued to prosper and spread around the UK where suitable habitat was available, to a point where by 2000 the UK population numbered 6,000 birds. Unfortunately the success of the species in the UK highlighted some serious conservation concerns, which would ultimately lead to the species downfall. As numbers of Ruddy Ducks increased in the UK, greater numbers were recorded in continental Europe. There have been over 900 records of some 1,500 Ruddy Ducks in 21 European and North African countries. Ruddy Ducks were first seen in Spain in 1983, with around 20 birds occurring annually and here they interbreed with White-headed Ducks, producing fertile hybrids. Hybridisation poses a very serious threat to the survival of the globally threatened White-headed Duck. As the UK supported the largest population of wild-living Ruddy Ducks in Europe, it was considered vital that action be taken to remove the source of birds reaching the continent. The resultant authorised cull has divided birding organasitions/individuals and conservation groups ever since. Figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that 1,365 of the birds were killed in 2008, with the number falling to 717 in 2009, and 386 in 2010. Following the cull, however, the fact is that by the winter of 2012 it was considered that there may now be just 60 individuals remaining in the UK.

1963 – BALEARIC SHEARWATER
The first record of this Mediterranean species was a bird witnessed by two observers passing Gibraltar Point on 5th October. Balearic Shearwater is a scarce visitor to the North Sea and it has remained a rare visitor to Lincolnshire. A further 9 birds were recorded up to 2000 and there have been several reliable sightings since then, however supporting details have not been forthcoming for some, meaning the true total of the number of birds recorded is somewhat clouded. Not surprisingly, all records involve birds seen fairly briefly by single observers during prolonged spells of seawatching under suitable weather conditions that bring birds closer to shore. There is one July record (Saltfleetby, 28th July 1984) with the majority falling in the expected period of August and September with a single seen in October. The latest accepted record is that of a bird flying north past Gibraltar Point on 10th November 1999. There were two records in both 1984 and 1989, whilst the single highest count was 3 birds heading north past Gibraltar Point on 9th September 1997. All other records relate to single individuals. Records appear from only 3 sites in the County – Gibraltar Point, Huttoft Bank and Saltfleetby. This species has a tiny breeding range and a small population which is undergoing an extremely rapid population decline owing to a number of threats, in particular predation at breeding colonies by introduced mammals and at-sea mortality as a result of fisheries by-catch. Breeding in the Balearic Islands, Spain, in 2009, the breeding population of the Balearic Shearwater was estimated at 3,193 breeding pairs. This figure is significantly larger than previous estimates of 2,000-2,400 pairs recorded in 2005 but this is primarily due to increased survey effort (better prospecting of known breeding sites plus discovery of new sites) and does not reflect a genuine increase of the population. The islands of Mallorca have 900 pairs; Cabrera 449 pairs; Menorca 405 pairs; Ibiza 747 pairs and Formentera 692 pairs. The world population was until recently believed to number 8,000-10,000 individuals, however recent winter at-sea surveys and counts from Gibraltar of post-breeding birds leaving the Mediterranean suggest the total population may in fact lie within in the range 20,000-30,000 individuals. This is supported by a count of at least 16,400 individuals off Valencia in December 2009. In winter, it occurs in the Balearic Sea and off the north-east Spanish coast with most of the population traditionally concentrated between Valencia and Catalonia from November to February, although recent data suggest that some birds remain in the Atlantic. For instance, in winter 2007/2008 significant numbers (with a peak count of 710 birds) remained off the coast of Brittany, France, perhaps in response to unusual sea surface temperatures. Some birds migrate north in summer to seas off the British Isles and the south of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In Britain reasonable numbers are recorded primarily from the SW coasts of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset in July and August, but it is much scarcer from other coasts around the British Isles. Based on some of the population estimates available in the mid-2000s and the rate of decline noted around breeding colonies, an estimated timescale on extinction for the species was given as occurring within the next 40 years. More recent revised population figures have perhaps extended this timeframe, but the species is still vulnerable and various conservation actions have been proposed ranging from eradication of carnivorous predators in breeding colonies, studying the problem of bycatch by long-line fishing, more effective protection for nesting site and marine hotspots and developing a rapid response plan for a potential oil spills close to main feeding and breeding areas.

1962 – PARROT CROSSBILL
The first County record of this spectacular finch was of a male trapped at Low Farm, Tetney on 13th October. It was in an exhausted condition and subsequently died. This record coincided with an unprecedented irruption of this species into the UK in autumn 1962, particularly on Fair Isle (where 33, including 16 trapped were present during 27th September to 10th October and a further influx on 11th October including 25 arriving with 20 trapped). Elsewhere a few birds were also recorded on Mainland Shetland, on the Western Isles and a first-winter male and a female were trapped at Spurn, E Yorks, the male being found dead on 12th. Subsequent to this national influx and the first Lincolnshire record, a dead male Parrot Crossbill was found in a small wood of Scots Pines at Hartsholme Gravel Pit, Lincoln on 16th January 1963. A visit to the wood again on 19th January resulted in a small party of crossbills of both sexes being located which were considered to be the same as the dead bird. Later in the day good views we had with other observers of 6 birds all with very heavy bills. On 26th January nine were counted in one tree and this was the maximum number recorded. Subsequently the party was kept under regular observation by several observers. During February three or four were found on most visits and on 17th March a partially buried female was found which proved to be a Parrot Crossbill. About this time a female with an injured wing was captured and kept in a house nearby. It was thought that this and the dead birds had been shot by local youths. An abundant supply of cones ruled out any question of food shortage and on many occasions crossbills were seen to break one off, carry it in its bill to the centre of the tree and there extract the seeds with its bill while holding the cone with one foot against the branch or trunk. Occasionally single birds were seen feeding on fallen cones on the ground and also eating snow. At least a pair was still present until the end of May 1963, but although the male was heard singing on several occasions, there was no evidence of breeding. The captive female escaped during the spring and remained in the area until at least the beginning of 1964. Identification of some of the dead birds were confirmed by staff at the City of Liverpool museum. These birds constituted the first instance of overwintering of this species in Britain. Of the 85 birds recorded during the 1962/3 influx, 61 were on Fair Isle. During the period 1963-82, there were only four records of Parrot Crossbills in Britain, however during autumn 1982 and into 1983 another large irruption occurred leading to further records in Lincolnshire in a coordinated arrival. On 11th October 1982 an adult male was found in some small pine trees at Humberston Fitties which was then joined by a second bird on 12th . The first bird remained until 14th October with the second until 23rd October. They fed constantly on the abundant crop of Pine cones at the Fitties, often acrobatically climbing about the pines, snapping off selected cones and then carrying them to a suitable branch where they were held in one foot whilst the massive bill prized out the seeds. The birds were very tame, though initially exhausted, they remained tame and characteristically 'froze' when people walked past, in preference to flying. The 12th October saw a multiple arrival on the Lincolnshire coast as, in addition to the Humberston bird, two further Parrot crossbills were found on this date. One of these was found at Grainthorpe and was attempting to feed on thistles when found, but was caught in a weak condition and taken into care. Unfortunately the bird died during the night. The other individual was caught in a car park at Ingoldmells, again in a weak condition, and was taken to Gibraltar Point, where it also unfortunately died during the night. On a National scale the first bird occurred on Fair Isle on 7th October, and an overall influx of a minimum 104 birds included widespread sightings in the Northern Isles, Western Isles and along the East Coast and subsequently inland wintering flocks were located several sites in Derbyshire/South Yorkshire involving groups of 12, 14 and 25 birds, the first wintering of this species in the UK since the above Lincolnshire birds. Following this major influx, there were two records in autumn 1983: a bird trapped in Orkney on 2nd October and a party of seven (four males, two females, one immature male) were discovered at Wells Wood, Norfolk on 26th October. At least three (a male, a female and the immature) stayed into 1984 and subsequently rearing two broods of young, the first fully proven breeding record for the species in Britain. A further irruption into Britain in autumn 1990 lead to an amazing influx into Lincolnshire from October onwards and which resulted in 3 wintering flocks around the County. Arrivals were initially noted along the coast with the first birds being 5 south at Donna Nook on 18th October with a male and female there from 19th to 20th. A female was at Humberston Fitties 20th to 23rd and 3 were at Gibraltar Point from 19th to 26th. Inland, at Kirkby Moor a flock from late October peaked at a remarkable 44 birds on 11th November and up to 35 were together there to late November with 22 then remaining through to 8th March 1991 and which proved rather popular often showing well. Elsewhere inland another flock of up to 17 birds was found at Willingham Woods from 2nd December with 16 birds present into January 1991, mostly around the picnic area. In the north-west of the County a flock of 19 were at Laughton Forest from 2nd December remaining to 13th March 1991 with possibly 5 different birds in another area of the forest on 11th March 1991. The total of 91 birds recorded in the County was truly unprecedented. The large scale irruption in 1990 began with arrivals in Shetland in the last week of September with a final total of 267 birds accepted in Britain with Lincolnshire accounting for an impressive 34 % of this total. There has been only one further county record subsequent to these influxes of two females in Laughton Forest on 8th March 1995 and which were the only UK records in that year. In the last 15 years or so it has also been discovered that some of the Crossbills breeding in the native Caledonian Pine forest of Abernethy in Scotland are in fact Parrot Crossbills with a breeding population estimated of up to 30 pairs, and therefore posing somewhat of an identification conundrum for those searching for the endemic Scottish Crossbill. The first British record of Parrot Crossbill was of a female taken at Blythburgh Suffolk in 1818 with only a further 12 records (of 17 birds) in Britain prior to 1958 although many past references to the status of Parrot Crossbill are confounded by the past classification of it being a race of Scottish Crossbill. With three major irruptions of this species into Britain in 30 years and then no further irruptions for the next 23 years, another would be most welcome as aside from the Scottish breeding birds, this has one more reverted to being an extreme rarity.

1961 – MARSH WARBLER
The first county record involved a bird trapped at Low Farm, Tetney on 8th October 1961. This was followed just 3 years later by an inland singing bird in late spring, at Bardney from 14th to 16th June 1964. There have now been a total of 34 birds in the County of this scarce Acro, with 29 of these being in spring, split between 15 in May and 14 in June. It is generally a late spring migrant with a peak of late May to mid-June with the earliest individual a bird at Theddlethorpe on 17th May 1980. All but one of those seen in spring have been singing birds. Most records refer to single annual occurrences but there were two in June 1979, 3 in June 1992 and then the unprecedented arrival of 11 in spring 2008, with 10 in May and 1 in June. These birds all arrived in a very concentrated period between 27th May and 4th June, and included 5 at Donna Nook, 3 at Gibraltar Point, 2 at Saltfleetby and a single bird at Skegness. This influx accounts for 32% of the total number of birds recorded in the County. The majority of the spring arrivals involve short stayers, but those which have lingered long enough to be appreciated by a wider audience include those at Messingham from 4th to 10th June 1983, Barton from 8th to 10th June 1992, a very well received singing male at Barton Far Ings from 31st May to 18th June 1997, Gibraltar Point from 31st May to 6th June 1999 and another inland bird at Fiskerton Fen from 25th June to 12th July 2001. There have been just 5 autumn occurrences, including 3 sight records involving 2 in August and 3 in October. In addition to the County's first the others were a bird trapped at Ancaster on 16th August 1966, one seen at Saltfleetby on 24th August 1986, one at Chapel Point from 22nd to 23rd October 1988 and one at Skegness on 16th October 1993. Of those locations recording the species, 26 birds have been observed from the coastal strip between Tetney and Gibraltar Point (including 7 each from Donna Nook and Gibraltar Point); there are 3 from the Humber (all from Barton) and 5 widely scattered inland occurrences (but including 2 from Messingham Sand Quarries). Like many other Acrocephalus warblers, the Marsh warbler is a good songster, and an individual bird can sing for extended periods, sometimes up to an hour continuously. It is best known for the highly imitative song uttered by males, and very occasionally by females. Each male Marsh Warbler incorporates imitations of a wide range of other birds into its song. Other passerines are most commonly imitated, but the calls of other kinds of bird such as waders, hornbills and pigeons have been noted too. On average, each male bird incorporates imitations of 75 other species into its song, with rather more African than northern species mimicked. All learning seems to take place in the summer the bird is hatched in Europe or Asia and in its first winter in Africa. The calls of birds heard in subsequent years are not added to the warbler's repertoire. Females may utter a simple, non-imitative song, and a range of other calls are also known. Globally, the population is believed to be increasing, and it is estimated to have a total population of 10 to 27 million individuals. In Britain the species has never been widespread, and disappeared from many areas from the 1930s onwards. By the 1970s Marsh Warblers bred in significant numbers only in Worcestershire, where 40-70 pairs were recorded each year during that decade. This population was effectively extinct by the end of the 1990s. From the 1970s and 1980s onwards, a very small population slowly developed in south-east England where in Kent up to 23 different singing males were noted in the early 1990's, but from 1994 onwards, the species fell in sharp decline. The reasons for the population decline in Britain are not completely understood, and there appears to be much suitable habitat. This, combined with a warming climate it would be expected that Marsh Warbler should do rather well here. However, in recent years breeding has been very sporadic and variable in locality with London/Kent, Sussex, East Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk all having breeding records in the last 5 years or so. Being on the western and northern edge of the species range, in England, birds do not tend to arrive until the end of May or early June. This is also the peak period for drift migrants occurring under suitable conditions, which can lead to some notable influxes (as indicated above,) and which in some years has led to pairs remaining to breed. Non singing males in autumn are an identification challenge. The Marsh/Reed Warbler combo are two of the trickiest species to identify on the British list and to successfully identify a migrant Marsh in autumn on a sight record alone is quite an achievement.

1960 – LESSER GREY SHRIKE
The first county record originates from the migration hotspot of Gibraltar Point where a first-winter bird was present on the reserve on 11th October and seen by just a single observer. This species remains an extreme rarity in the County with just a further 3 records (although still a very rare bird in Britain this is a poor showing compared to neighbouring counties of Yorkshire and Norfolk). The remaining records are a bird witnessed by several observers at Saltfleetby on 5th October 1969, one present at Donna Nook on 25th and 26th May 1970 and a superb adult male which fed along the sea bank at Kirton Marsh on 12th May 1990. In Britain, Lesser Grey Shrike occurs mainly in late spring and summer with smaller numbers in autumn. Its temporal and geographical occurrence patterns are similar to those of European Roller, a species which has similar distribution. Like the Roller, it has shown a worrying decline over much of its European range. This has been occurring since the mid-nineteenth century and has been linked to climatic changes, particularly lower summer temperatures and heavy rainfall. In Germany, for example, it last bred in 1987, having declined from 1,000 pairs in 1950. Despite these worrying declines in its breeding range, it remains an almost annual visitor to Britain although it is much less frequent. Now 23 years on another is long overdue, and if the next decides to hang around, it will become a very popular bird indeed.

1951 – LITTLE BUNTING
On the 5th October, amongst the sea buckthorn at Saltfleet, a Little Bunting was observed during a 'rush' of Robins. It was so tired that it was easily secured and proved to be an immature male. This bird formed the first Lincolnshire record of this species and the skin was retained in the Chadwick Museum, Bolton. The second record occurred just 3 years later, in 1954. On 2nd October on Cowbit Wash, about two miles south of Spalding, a large flock of finches were observed feeding in a field where mustard had been grown and recently harvested. On approach, the flock rose and flew a short distance before settling in some hawthorn and sallow bushes. Most of the birds were Greenfinches, but amongst them a small bunting was noted. The bird seemed to be feeding on insects around the base of the leaves and was heard to call whilst on the branch. In all it was under observation for 10 minutes and the views and description obtained left no doubt that the bird was a Little Bunting, and probably a male in adult plumage. Another 26 years passed before the third bird was discovered, on the somewhat unusual date of 4th December 1980, inland at Wyberton near Boston. There was then another significant gap until two birds were discovered in the autumn of 1996; one at North Cotes on 19th September, and another just 3 days later at Donna Nook on 22nd September. Since then there have been a further 6 county records starting with one seen briefly at Gibraltar Point on 1st October 2000. The others were birds at Donna Nook on 25th October 2002, Skegness on 21st October 2004, Gibraltar Point on 25th to 26th September 2005, Donna Nook on 28th September 2007 and finally Seacroft on 31st October 2008. Although still scarce, this compact Bunting has appeared more frequently in Britain since the recent westward expansion of its breeding range; in northern Finland, (where it was first proven breeding as recently as 1935), the population grew from about 1,000 pairs in 1988 to 5,000-10,000 pairs by the early 1990s. These numbers fluctuate considerably, however, correlating at least partly with spring temperatures. There were 93 records in Britain prior to 1958 and then 522 between 1958 and 1993 (including as many as 50 in 1989) but was then dropped from the rarities list at the end of 1993. The numbers arriving in Britain in recent years seem to have dropped somewhat and this may be linked with the fluctuating breeding success in Scandinavia. Traditionally an autumn migrant between mid-September and October, there have been an upsurge in spring and winter occurrences in recent decades. Most records have come from the Northern Isles and Scilly with smaller numbers down the east coast, although there are several inland records (particularly in winter when birds have been found amongst finch and bunting flocks). Now with 11 County records (6 of which have been in the last 13 years) the species is not as rare as it once was – however a lingering twitchable bird would be nice.

1948 - PECTORAL SANDPIPER
Two examples of this species were supposedly received by some 'bird stuffers' in Lincoln to be preserved after they were shot near Wyberton in August about the year 1895. With the knowledge of this species we have today this could quite easily relate to a genuine record; however the circumstances surrounding these birds led to this being considered a rather doubtful occurrence. Therefore the first County record of this species was a bird observed at Seacroft on 12th October 1948. The bird was under observation for a long time at 20-30 yards range and was noted as being very tame, pitching in again immediately when flushed and only flying when approached to within 10 yards. It fed silently and moved slowly but adopted a very alert upright posture on several occasions, its plumage blending in very well with the muddy grass marsh within which it was feeding. The second county record followed 7 years later when a rather late individual was recorded at Wisbech Sewage Farm between 30th October and 12th November 1955. Two more birds were recorded the following year with a late spring/early summer record at Wisbech Sewage Farm from 11th to 15th June and another rather late autumn record this time at Sleaford Sewage farm from 13th to 20th October 1956. From 1960 this species has become an almost annual visitor to the County (although numbers do fluctuate considerably) and has amassed a county total of over 130 records. There were totals of 15 during the 1960s (with a peak of 4 in 1967), 23 during the 1970s (with peaks of 4 in both 1971 and 1973), 30 during the 1980s (with a peak of 7 in 1984) but then an all-time low of just 5 during the whole of the 1990s (singles in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999). The start of the new millennium has brought resurgence in the species occurrence and it has once more become an annual visitor. Starting with 9 between the period 2000-2002 it remained a regular visitor but the highest numbers have occurred during just the last few years with 9 in 2008, 5 in 2009, 10 in 2010 and a record 12 in 2011. It is possible that this most recent increase is partially linked with the creation of some superb habitat for passage waders in the county during the last 10 years or so. As to be expected this is very much an autumn visitor with some early mid-summer birds arriving from the first week in July but the peak arrivals occur from mid-August to late September. There are a handful of October birds and two which have remained off passage into November – both at Wisbech Sewage Farm with the above 1955 individual and another which made it into the first week of the month in 1966. Spring records are rare with the only additional birds to the above June 1956 record being one at North Killingholme Haven pits on 12th June 1980, an adult at Worlaby Carrs from 17th to 20th May 2005, singles at Bardney Pits on 26th May and Frampton Marsh from 6th to 8th June 2010 and another at Frampton Marsh from 24th to 28th April 2011 (the earliest ever). During the period 1955 to 1984, a remarkable 33 of the County records came from just one site – Wisbech Sewage Farm. Elsewhere there are a wide scatter of records across the County both inland and on the coast. Other inland localities recorded during the earlier years of the species occurrence included the old style sewage farms at Lincoln, Sleaford and Grantham along with the Sugar Beet Factory settling ponds at Bardney. Elsewhere the gravel pit complexes at Langtoft, Kirkby and Messingham all produced birds, along with both Covenham and Cadney Reservoirs and a single at Baston Fen. The coastal strip between Tetney and Gibraltar Point produced a handful of birds along with the occasional occurrence along the Humber Bank and in the Wash. A notable expansion of wetland creation in the last 10 years or so, inland, on the Humber and especially around the Wash, has seen these sites becoming the new favoured areas as some of the earlier sites have gradually disappeared off the birding map. A rather unusual and significant record occurred in 1989 when an adult female was trapped at Marston Sewage farm near Grantham on 29th August. It was later seen at Startops End Reservoir, Hertfordshire from 9th to 21st September 1989. Its ring number was only partly read, but this was enough to identify the bird. Of the 69 Pectoral Sandpipers that had been ringed in Britain and Ireland up to the mid-2000s, this is the only recovery, but does provide an illustration of a vagrant wader short hopping between sites. The Pectoral Sandpiper is the most numerous Nearctic wader on this side of the Atlantic. Only 7 years between 1973 and 2003 have recorded less than 40 birds per annum and significant influxes included 130 in 1984 and 1999 and 170 in 2003. As to be expected most occurrences are juveniles in September and October, with predominance in south-western Britain and southern Ireland. These presumably involve mainly eastern Canadian birds caught in depressions as they migrate down the western Atlantic great circle route direct to the West Indies and South America. The surprising high number of east coast records may involve reverse migrating Siberian breeders, but it could of course simply be North American breeders left over from the previous year. Displaying birds have been observed a few times in Scotland, such as Caithness in 1974 and Outer Hebrides in 2001, but in 2004 three birds were noted displaying in the Outer Hebrides and a pair were seen displaying in spring at Loch of Strathbeg which then resulted in a very young juvenile being found later in the summer – the first breeding record in the Western Palearctic. Elsewhere in Europe displaying birds, and pairs, have also been seen in arctic Norway and Svalbard.

1935 – MONTAGU'S HARRIER
This species was considered to be a probable former inhabitant of the Lincolnshire Fens and heaths but definite records are lacking. Publication in the early 20th Century refers to a female and eggs which were taken in North-west Lincolnshire "many years ago" but again no further detail appears to be available. Early records from the nineteenth century are deemed unreliable, as at the time, much confusion existed between this species and Hen Harrier. The first confirmed record for Lincolnshire would therefore appear to be a bird which was shot at North Cotes on 9th October 1935. There were no further records until 1949 when a female/immature bird was seen at Humberstone Fitties on 12th August, and since then it has become an almost annual visitor to the County in small numbers, with sporadic breeding also taking place. The first breeding record for the County was a pair which attempted to nest at Saltfleetby in 1951. A bird was first seen on 17th June with subsequently two eggs located in a nest situated in rushes. Both male and female birds were observed on 24th June but the nest site had been flooded and the birds had deserted, with both birds having left the site by 1st July. The female returned to the same area on 11th May 1952, but with no sign of the male, soon moved on. This attempt was then followed by a pair which nested successfully at the Nene Mouth in 1956 and in 1965 two pairs bred at Wainfleet, with one pair rearing two young. In 1969 a pair attempted to nest in the north-west Wash but the eggs were washed out by high tides, highlighting the vulnerability of this ground nesting species. There were no further breeding records until 1980 when a pair bred at an inland site rearing 3 young. There was then a 10 year period where nesting became regular in the county, starting with a pair which reared 2 young on the Wash in 1987. The following year single pairs nested on the Wash and at an inland site and raised 2 and 5 young respectively. The inland site was occupied during the next two seasons with 5 young raised in 1989 but unfortunately none in 1990. Pairs nested in the south of the County in both 1992 and 1993 and successfully raised 3 and 2 young in each of those years. The same area held a breeding pair again in 1995 but unfortunately it is not noted how many young were raised. There was another failed attempt in 1996, the last before the record breaking year of 2000 when 5 pairs bred around the Wash and at an inland site. Understandably for such a rare raptor breeding details of Montagu's Harriers are usually kept a closely guarded secret. There have however been at least another 6 breeding records since 2000, although no more than one pair in any one year. This did include however, an extremely well watched pair which raised 3 young inland at Digby Fen in 2007. Thanks to the RSPBs 'Aren’t birds brilliant Campaign', a public watchpoint was set up allowing thousands of people to have an almost unique experience of studying a breeding pair of Montagu's Harriers in the UK. Displaying, territorial behaviour or summering individuals have also been noted in the County in several years since 1960. Numbers of passage Montagu's Harriers in the County fluctuate from year to year, but there has certainly been a noticeable increase in reports from the late 1950s and through the 1960s and 1970s. This is perhaps in part due to better observer coverage at coastal sites and an increased awareness of the key identification features of the species, especially in female and immature birds. A blank year for this species occurred in 1973 (the first since 1960), but there have been none since, and it has become an annual feature of the bird reports. The majority of passage birds have been noted from the north-east coast between Tetney and Theddlethorpe and especially from Gibraltar Point and the Wash, the latter seeming to be the key area in the county for both passage and breeding birds. The species is also occasionally recorded inland on passage, but numbers are much smaller and it is by no means annual. The number of birds recorded during any one year can often be clouded by individuals moving between sites, especially those years that have recorded territory holding or summering individuals and dispersing juveniles from breeding areas. The first birds usually arrive from the first week of May (the peak month for passage) with stragglers into June. April arrivals are rare, although they have become more frequent since the early 1990s (perhaps linked with a warming climate?). The first April record for the county was an individual at Tetney on 30th April 1975, with most of the other early arrivals concentrated in the last week of this month. Particularly early individuals however were a female at Gibraltar Point on 16th April 1991, a female at Leverton Marsh from 14th to 15th April 1994 (the earliest ever) and another female at Dowsby Fen on 18th April 2011. Birds are frequently recorded into late June and July and it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these relate to passage birds, failed breeders or wanderers from the small UK breeding population. Return movements occur in August (although again some could refer to wandering summering individuals) and most birds have departed the County by the end of this month. There are perhaps surprisingly only a handful of September records for the County (up to the middle part of the month) and two exceptional October occurrences – a bird at Humberstone Fitties on 11th October 1976 and a juvenile at Gibraltar Point on 19th October 1980. One particularly interesting record, concerns a female (one of 4 birds – another female, an adult and a 3rd cal year) seen at a site near Hemswell on 28th May 2010, and which was carrying green and yellow wing tags. She had been ringed and tagged as a nestling on 18th July 2008 in Villeneuve, France before then embarking on a remarkable journey in 2010. First seen on 27th April at Dunwich, Suffolk, she then moved to the Horsey area of Norfolk on 28th April, was at Minsmere, Suffolk on 3rd May, in Cambridgeshire on 21st May, Hemswell on 28th May and then as far north as Collieston, Aberdeenshire on 22nd June before finally taking a break in southern Ireland at Tacumshin from 26th July to 5th August. This bird was only the third foreign ringed Montagu's Harrier to be found in the UK, but clearly demonstrated how highly mobile these birds can be. It is also interesting to speculate that, if it had not been for the fact that she was carrying wing tags, all of the above sightings would have been logged as different individuals and perhaps gives some indication that the number of birds arriving on our shores may actually by fewer than is suspected. A name which commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu, this graceful and elegant harrier is arguably one of the most beautiful of all Britain's raptors. It has probably always been a rare bird in Britain, although nesting has been reported from many different areas and habitats over the years. In the mid-1950s, up to 30 pairs of Montagu's Harriers bred in a season and by then breeding had been recorded in 22 counties in England and Wales, as well as in Scotland and Ireland. There has been a marked contraction in the species range with no nesting in the former strongholds of Devon and Cornwall since the early 1970s with the last nest from Ireland being recorded in 1971. Breeding numbers in Britain reached an all-time low in the mid-1970s. There were none in 1974 and only one in 1975. Thankfully numbers do seem to have slowly recovered close to those experienced in the 1950s. However, it is still highly vulnerable to egg collectors and has a very fragmented and small breeding range. Declines have been linked with several factors. Initial declines were likely to be caused by pesticide ingestion following the introduction of DDT in 1947 (where Montagu's Harriers were recorded laying thin-shelled eggs), but droughts in the Sahel region of Africa (affecting winter survival) as well as more recently the decline in the farmland songbird population (an important part of the Harriers diet) are also likely to be contributing factors. Additionally, in the past, Montagu's Harriers have been heavily persecuted, suffering particularly from egg collectors. Nearly half of all known failures during 1900 to 1983 were due to collecting. Thankfully, due to conservation protection measures and monitoring there have been no failures from persecution or disturbance recorded since 1980. Until 1968, no nest of this species in the UK had been found in arable crops, but since then most have been in winter wheat, barley or oilseed rape, and nest failures in these habitats have been only about 15%. With its predominance of agricultural land, combined with a warming climate perhaps Lincolnshire can continue to offer a safe refuge for this most attractive of birds for many years to come.

1932 – ARCTIC WARBLER
While hunting the old shelter hedges near the coast at North Cotes for Woodcock on October 24th, a small leaf Warbler was detected flying along in front of the beater and keeping close to the foot of the hedge. As this date was late for a Chiffchaff or Willow-Wren, special attention was paid to the bird and it was soon noticed that it had a conspicuous white eyestripe. The bird was shot, which was unfortunately much shattered, but a recognizable skin was made of it. It was identified Eversmann's Warbler (now known as Arctic Warbler). It was the first Lincolnshire and the eleventh British example. The wind was light north-westerly and there was a certain amount of migration taking place, including Hooded Crows, Rooks, Fieldfares, Larks and Lapwings travelling to the N.W., and Great Tits, Wrens and Tree-Sparrows were noted in the hedges. Still an exceptionally rare bird in the County, there have been just a further 7 records as follows; one made an extended stay at Gibraltar Point from 19th to 27th September 1976, another was recorded at Humberston on 10th October 1978 and a first-winter male was trapped at Theddlethorpe on 10th September 1985. Two birds were found in 1986 with one at Gibraltar Point from 20th to 21st September (trapped) and the other very well photographed during its stay at North Cotes from 26th to 29th September. The most recent records were another double in 1995, but which unfortunately did not linger – one at Donna Nook on 3rd September and another at Saltfleetby on 18th September. Breeding from northern Norway east across Siberia to western Alaska, and south to Japan, the Arctic Warbler is rarer in the UK than Greenish, and unlike, that species, it has shown no real signs of a recent increase. Arctic's turn up mainly in the Northern Isles and English east coast, as well as occasionally west to the Isles of Scilly. Most occur from mid-August to mid-October, with a peak in September – distinctly later than Greenish. It is extremely rare in spring with just a handful of records, mainly in June/early July. An Arctic Warbler which was trapped (and photographed) at Gibraltar Point on 14th May 1983 would have been the first British spring record of the species. However, following much debate and several circulations of the Rarities Committee the record was ultimately rejected some years later. Arctic Warbler is still a prize find, and another appearance in Lincolnshire of a lingering bird would be most welcome.


Part 3 covering 1847 to 1899 to follow shortly

Matthew