Birding round-up of the Year 2016!

There’s no doubt about it, 2016 has been a truly exceptional year in the world of birding! Back in January nobody would have predicted that 12 months later we would have experienced an autumn knee deep in Siberian Accentors, that a Red-footed Booby would have been gallivanting on a shingle beach in Sussex no less, or perhaps most miraculously of all, that most doomed and mythical of American vagrants - the notorious Black-billed Cuckoo - would not only survive for more than a few days(!) but would give itself up for the twitching masses to enjoy, unblocking decades worth of anguish. To imply that 2016 has been uneventful would be a downright injustice to say the least!

The now famous Easington Siberian Accentor

The Red-footed Booby taken in to care in Sussex (Credit: East Sussex WRAS)

North Uists very own Black-billed Cuckoo

Naturally, long-held records have tumbled, blockers have been banished and year lists shattered in what was a truly eventful year. The Eastern Kingbird on Barra broke hearts as it flew off high in to the clouds not once, but twice, the bona-fide first for Britain Western Swamphen(/chicken) amused visitors at Minsmere RSPB as it strutted around the reedy pools, while the aforementioned Red-footed Booby set pulses racing for a short while as questions were asked as to whether this Caribbean seabird, a long way from home, would be released in British waters after its recovery (it was eventually flown over to the Cayman Islands to continue rehabilitation there).

Minsmere's Purple Swamphen/chicken - aka "Hen"

Several other less convincing ‘firsts’ were also tracked across the country – the arrival of a Dalmatian Pelican in Cornish airspace caused absolute chaos as birders from across the country raced down to the south west tip of Britain to tick this giant visitor, thought by many to be the real deal from Poland until a bit of detective work and digging revealed several free-flying escapes now make their home in Western Europe…

Plastic Fantastic - the Cornish Dalmatian Pelican

Equally as ‘untickable’ was the West Country Lammergeier – the video of an immature seen flying off from rocks on the Severn Estuary quickly went viral and the chase was on to track its movements and whereabouts along the west coast counties. Proving extremely elusive and often vanishing in to the depths of the Devon hills to the despair of many, the question remains as to just what category this British bonecrusher will fall under – reintroduction and captive breeding projects in Europe are unfortunately the most likely source, and several other young birds from these conservation initiatives have also been seen to range up in to northern Europe in the past few years.

Meanwhile the first Forster’s Tern in British seas for 13 years was a welcome addition to many lists, the Great Knot showing well on the beach at Titchwell proved that not all visitors of this species follow the rules of being “Great Dots”, while only the second ever Pale-legged Leaf Warbler crashed in to a window on St Agnes, meeting an untimely end and making those on the island wish they’d paid a little bit more attention to that bright looking Arctic Warbler the day before. The East coast’s flyby Black-browed Albatross both delighted those lucky enough cross paths with it and left others cursing as it gave them the run around in equal measures, while Eyebrowed, Whites, Dusky and Black-throated Thrushes all on the mainland reminded us all exactly what could be lurking out there just waiting to be found over the winter….

Beeley's overwintering Dusky Thrush

The Northumberland Eyebrowed Thrush photographed by Ross Moore in December

While narrowly missing out on the top five, there were still a whole host of awe-inspiring species that made the year memorable. The Suffolk Cliff Swallow in the dying embers of the year was a huge grip back after the disappointment of the just slightly too far away St Mary’s bird on Scilly a couple of months previous, as was the Kent ‘Meena’ Oriental Turtle Dove, a species I’ve long rued not going for after the famous Chipping Norton bird. The Aberdeen White-winged Scoter was a bird I had personally wanted to see for a good while, being just the 2^nd for Britain to boot, while it doesn’t get much better than a mega just 20 minutes away from your door in the form of the May White-crowned Sparrow at Woolston Eyes.

Cliff Swallow - what a grip back!

It is an Oriental Turtle Dove...honest!

Digiscoped White-winged Scoter!

David Bowman's photo of the Woolston Eyes White-crowned Sparrow in the hand

Several trips abroad during 2016 also resulted in absolutely breath-taking birds – the kaleidoscope of colour that is a male Painted Bunting, the bright burst of salmon pink underparts as a flock of remarkable Scissor-tailed Flycatchers take off from the wires and the elegant, ever graceful Swallow-tailed Kites soaring over the Florida everglades are all truly unforgettable memories.

Painted Bunting - aka "Male" 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

One of the best birds in the world - the Swallow-tailed Kite

And so, to the best birds that 2016 had to offer….

5^th place for the year goes to the completely unexpected and out of the blue record of the Connah’s Quay Little Auk back in January. A lifer for me, having never previously seen these adorable looking arctic alcids, we had great views as this usually ocean bound seabird paddled around just feet away in the small pools and inlets of the reserve. A truly amazing birding experience, and I for one was exceptionally glad that my first encounter with a Little Auk was so ‘up close and personal’ as opposed to being a distant dot making its way across a stormy sea.

In 4th place has to be one of the most elusive and enigmatic seabirds encountered in British waters – the Wilson’s Storm-petrel. Having endured over 30 hours of seasickness in our quest to catch up with this enchanting tubenose as well as braving 40mph gales and towering walls of crashing water, we finally struck it lucky on our third and final Scilly pelagic of the summer, with no fewer than 4 individuals performing their ocean acrobatics at close range as they danced over the waves. An unforgettable experience and one I’d highly recommend to anyone who’s yet to head out to sea on one of Bob Flood and the team’s now famous voyages.

3rd position is of course the Brunnich’s Guillemot that made Anstruther harbour in Fife its home back in September. With not going down for the Portland bird being a huge regret, I was doubtful another opportunity to see this mega auk in British waters would come along soon, so when news broke that one was providing extremely close views around the boats and appeared to be in full moult (indicating it wouldn’t be going anywhere fast!) we made the long journey up to the east coast of Scotland in an attempt to connect. Swimming to within mere feet away, it’s true that the closest birding encounters are usually the most memorable, and despite the true to form Scottish weather trying to dampen proceedings, it was great to get such fantastic views of the Brunnich’s diving for fish in front of us. Sadly however, as was expected due to its rather peaky looking demeanour and poor feather condition throughout the week, the Brunnich’s was found to have died by Saturday morning, presumably exhausted and representing a tragic end to a top little bird.

Brunny!

Some birds have a mythical, almost legendary status on the British twitching scene, generating a certain level of excitement whenever whispers of news surrounding their arrival surface – Wallcreeper, Rubythroat, and almost any mega American Warbler or Siberian waif from far away all fall in to that category. Another, is of course, the Black-billed Cuckoo – perhaps the most doomed of all American vagrants - absent from British records since the 1980’s and early 90’s, apart from a brief flyby appearance on Orkney two years ago. It seemed an almost impossible feat that this monster cuckoo would be making its way on to any modern lists any time soon….. But, as the saying goes, anything is possible in the world of birding, and news of one photographed sitting on a fencepost on North Uist happily tucking in to caterpillars sent the twitching community in to a spin.  2nd position and narrowly missing out on the top spot is of course none other than North Uist’s cracking Black-billed Cuckoo, the first spring adult of its kind to grace UK shores and an absolutely stonker of a specimen.

Black-billed Cuckoo - narrowly missing out on top spot...

Found late on the Sunday evening and with Coccyzus cuckoos in Britain usually having an expiry date of around 2 days, it was therefore a huge ask for the bird to last a whole week and stay until the following weekend. But stay it did, and Friday evening saw us make the mammoth treck up to Uig on the Isle of Skye to catch the ferry over to Lochmaddy the next day. With an almost heart-breaking sat-nav miscalculation and a frantic drive to the ferry terminal soon forgotten as we sailed over to this beautiful outcrop of Scottish scenery, we finally clapped eyes on our prize – one remarkable adult Black-billed Cuckoo. Our most adventurous twitch to date having never travelled to the far flung Scottish islands in pursuit of one bird before, the trip felt like a personal achievement and just goes to show that those who do make the effort really do reap the rewards. An incredible bird, surrounded by breath-taking scenery in a beautiful location, it really doesn’t get much better than that!

Despite all this, 2016 will go down in birding history for one thing – the invasion of a certain golden patterned accentor from the east on an unprecedented scale that many are touting as the birding event of the century so far. Generating interest across the country, providing a spectacle never seen before in Europe let alone on British soil and causing even long-retired twitchers to dust off their bins, in top spot, is of course, the widespread invasion of Siberian Accentors that took Britain by storm this autumn.

Number one for 2016 - the Siberian Accentor at Easington

When news broke that perhaps the most widely anticipated first for Britain had finally made landfall on Shetland (where else?!) the entire British birding community collectively lost their minds as one. With photos surfacing depicting this golden sprite showing mind-bogglingly well by a small quarry up in the deepest wilderness of Shetland, it seemed nigh on impossible that the vast majority would ever get this special bird on their lists, instead having to settle for gazing at the many jaw-dropping photographs flooding the net. Fast forward just a matter of days however, and Thursday afternoon saw the news break that stopped all twitchers in their tracks – “Siberian Accentor: Easington, Yorkshire. One by the school”. A mainland Siberian Accentor – the stuff birding dreams are made of. One mad dash later and we were gazing upon this tiny piece of Russian gold for ourselves, hopping around on the now famous mossy covered drive alongside the equally as famous yellow skip. Mind-blowing. 

The famous skip!

For me, this tiny Russian visitor was without doubt the bird of the year, a species I’d never imagined I’d ever see in the world, let alone in Britain. Watching it forage around in the leaf litter alongside Dunnocks and Robins was completely surreal, none the wiser to the absolute chaos, stress and above all excitement its arrival had caused. A magical bird and a worthy winner of the crown for Best Bird of 2016.

With 2017 just around the corner, who knows what avian delights await us over the next 12 months – perhaps an overwintering Rubythroat or mega Siberian Thrush, a smattering of brightly coloured American warblers come the autumn or perhaps even that most sought after and ever hoped for modern day twitchable British Wallcreeper. Fingers crossed! 

Best wishes for 2017!

MEGA!! Dusky Thrush at Beeley, Derbyshire!

“It ain’t over until the fat lady sings” – an extremely fitting phrase as the autumn that just keeps on giving conjured up yet another outstanding bird to finish 2016 off nicely, this time in the form of a fine first winter male Dusky Thrush frequenting the gardens and orchards in the rural village of Beeley in Derbyshire. 

With news breaking late on the Sunday evening, but with the exact location remaining mysteriously cryptic, it was all systems go come Monday morning as news filtered through that the mega thrush was still present and precise site details were revealed to those eager to make the visit in to Derbyshire. Thankfully being able to take the rest of the day off work (I didn’t fancy an agonising week ahead being bombarded with envy-inducing photos over social media) we were soon well on our way through the Peak District, navigating the winding roads and patches of ice to reach our destination just before lunchtime, when we promptly met a large crowd of birders blocking the road and eagerly looking around the gardens. 

With the Dusky Thrush mostly favouring the playground and orchard of Dukes Barn Outdoor Activity Centre, it soon transpired that this was one extremely mobile thrush, commuting between several sites in the area and having also taken a liking to a stand of Hawthorn bushes directly behind the village playing field. Having disappeared from view 10 minutes before arriving, the chase was now on!

The stand of Hawthorns by the playing field the Dusky Thrush took a liking to

Thankfully, we didn’t have long to wait, as a cry from a little further down the road that the Dusky Thrush was in view saw the whole crowd stampede to the right, clamouring for viewing space on the narrow lanes while tripods, hats and bodies obscured the view for those unlucky enough to find themselves at the back of the pack.

Sure enough, there was indeed a bird perched high up in one of the Hawthorns, but the none-abating mist and poor, dull light rendered it just a dark shape nestled amongst the twigs – indistinguishable as the target bird and frustratingly flitting down on to the ground and out of sight. A tantalising glimpse but most definitely not good enough when a 13th for Britain lifer of a mega thrush is on the line! 

Thankfully, around 10 minutes later and to the relief of those around, I managed to re-find our quarry, once again perched in the same Hawthorn tree and this time easily distinguishable from the associating Redwings by the rounded black spots on the breast and flanks, prominent white throat patch, bold supercilium and lack of rusty red on the flanks that the Redwings are famous for. 

The Dusky Thrush remained frustratingly distant for most of the day!

Flying a tad closer before once again disappearing off over the rooftops, our views were yet again limited to a minute at most, and with no further sign or reappearance for the next hour and a half, we were in for a long, cold wait in an attempt to get better views of what, in good light, is a truly stunning bird.

Eventually, the wish of the swelling crowd was granted as the Dusky Thrush finally gave itself up in the grounds of Dukes Barn late in the afternoon, perching in the small orchard trees and feeding on apples for a prolonged period - allowing all those present to get a good look at this eastern mega. 

After a while the Dusky Thrush once more displayed its flighty nature, disappearing off through the trees and out of sight. I was pretty certain as to where it was heading, and sure enough, as just 3 of us climbed the small hill of the playing field to take a look at the row of Hawthorns everyone had been staring at an hour earlier, we were met with the first winter male hopping around on the grass in front of us, parading around proudly and displaying the fine speckled black breast band and dusky tones. These were the views I’d been after! 

With the crowds cottoning on and with more and more people arriving, the Dusky Thrush soon flew in to the adjacent trees, once again offering a great comparison with the Redwings and Song Thrushes despite the now extremely poor and rapidly fading light.

The Derbyshire Dusky Thrush represents just the 13th record for Britain, hot on the heels of a male photographed on St Marys, Scilly, back in October and just 3 years after the well-twitched (if not somewhat dubious in purity!) Margate bird of May 2013, before which there had been a lengthy gap of 23 years between records! With Margate being too far to twitch at the time and thinking it may have been a regrettable blocker for some time yet, I was especially glad that another bite at the Dusky Thrush cherry had come around so soon, an additional bonus at being just over an hour away from home!

Despite the originally poor views and freezing conditions, the last views of the Dusky Thrush on the grass in front of the wall saved the twitch, and having gripped back this mega thrush we headed home happy! Whether this is the "fat lady’s last song" so to speak remains to be seen however, and judging by how the year has gone so far, there may well be one last throw of the dice in the birding world during the closing weeks of 2016 yet. Here’s hoping! 

Directions:

Dusky Thrush Map!

For those wanting to visit, parking is at Dukes Barn off School Lane (DE4 2NU) for a small donation fee of £3. The Dusky Thrush is extremely mobile and the several spots it seems to favour are highlighted in purple on the map. The best locations to try and spot it are the row of Hawthorn trees as viewed from the small playing field off Chapel Hill, and the apple trees in the orchard as viewed from the Dukes Barn car park.

Cliff Swallow - Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - MEGA!

Remember remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and…. Cliff Swallows? Not the traditional Bonfire Night rhyme but one highly fitting to this year’s date as late on Friday afternoon the mega alert buzzed once again with news of a possible Cliff Swallow seen flying around the Visitor Centre at Minsmere RSPB in Suffolk. The ID was confirmed by the time I’d walked home from work, and with the Cliff Swallow apparently going to roost on the reserve at just after 4pm, this would be our best opportunity to date to catch up with this mega American hirundine.

Having not gone for the Scilly bird at the start of the autumn and with records of Cliff Swallows few and far between in Britain, I certainly wasn’t expecting another twitchable bird this soon, and we had everything crossed that it would stick around in to the weekend so we could connect.

News surfacing that evening of a stonking male Eyebrowed Thrush photographed earlier that day at a country park in Northumberland somewhat complicated matters however, and we soon had a tough choice on our hands as to which bird to go for. Luckily we made the right decision waiting for news the next morning, and with nothing further on the Eyebrowed Thrush and with reports filtering through that the Cliff Swallow had indeed left its roost to the delight of all those that had made the journey over for first light, it was all systems go for the 4 ½ hour trip down to Minsmere.

Arriving just after lunch with reports that miraculously the Cliff Swallow was still on site, having been delighting the crowds with aerial flybys and acrobatics overhead all morning, we rushed over the fence and up the hill of the Stone Curlew field to join the crowd of assembled birders, apprehensively eyeing the oncoming black rainclouds billowing ominously over the horizon.

The assembled crowd...

Talking to those with scopes already set up we were met with the news that every twitcher dreads, we’d missed it by 10 minutes and the bird had disappeared off over the heath – nightmare! With the first few spots of rain hitting our cheeks, we could only hope that the heavens wouldn’t open and that the Cliff and accompanying Barn Swallows wouldn’t consequently disappear off under cover.

Thankfully though, after around 20 minutes of desperately scanning the treeline, the cry went up that we’d all been waiting for “Cliff Swallow – its back! Heading straight for us!” Searching desperately in the direction people were pointing in and frantically moving from swallow to swallow, a snatch of a pale rump cutting through the air and I had it, hurtling towards us at speed and banking over the fields just over the tips of the blades of grass. Success and relief! Incredibly, the swallow continued on its trajectory, ignoring the line of 50 or so birders in its path and swooping right in front of us at eye level, giving absolutely incredible views and proudly displaying its dark cherry red throat, pale rump and yellow-cream collar that distinguished it from the more familiar Barns.

The line of trees at the end of the Stone Curlew field the Cliff Swallow had been favouring

Seconds later it had gone, zipping over the trees and away over the heath. Fantastic, and a great bird to grip back after September's Scilly bird was just a touch too far to travel.

Aged as a first winter, it’s highly possible that the Cliff Swallow had come in with the strong westerlies earlier in the season, perhaps on the west coast of Scotland before tracking down south and reaching the east coast, associating with the Barn Swallows and joining them on their migration southwards.

Sticking around in the hope the Cliff Swallow would return for some photos, our wishes were granted as it continued to perform right through the afternoon, never coming too low down like the earlier flyby but showing considerably well enough for some record shots as it banked overhead. Continually associating with the 8 Barn Swallows that were also present on the reserve, after getting our eye in we were soon easily able to pick it out from its counterparts, looking slightly bulkier than the Barn Swallows with shorter wings and the diagnostic square ended tail.

With the cold getting the better of us and the light fading, we retreated to the café for a much needed bite to eat before our long journey home, getting one last look at our American vagrant as it darted around the car park as we were leaving.

Cliff Swallow - the gold at the end of the Minsmere rainbow

Sadly for those that couldn’t make it on the Saturday or put all their eggs in the no-show Eyebrowed Thrush basket, after leaving the roost very early on the Sunday morning the whole flock of hirundines were flushed by a Sparrowhawk, and despite the reappearance of the Barn Swallows later in the day, the Cliff was not amongst them and didn’t return.

With the Minsmere bird representing just the 11^th record for Britain and with a distinctly Scilly based bias in terms of location (5 birds in total) this was a great bird to get back so quickly and one I definitely wasn’t expecting any time soon!

Isabelline Wheatear - Easington, Yorkshire!

With a prolonged spate of easterly winds over the past few weeks, it was only a matter of time before the eastern hotspot of Britain that is Spurn delivered once again, and true to form a fine Isabelline Wheatear was found at Easington on the 17th of the last month, hot on the heels of the first mainland British record of Siberian Accentor just a few days earlier.

With 36 past records of Isabelline Wheatear in Britain, despite becoming almost annual in recent years, they are still extremely rare birds, and having missed the Seaton Snook bird in Cleveland back in 2014, this was the first opportunity to catch up with one since on British soil. Luckily, the Easington bird stuck until the weekend (it was first found on a Monday – typical) and come a cold and blustery Saturday morning we were braving the biting nip of an easterly wind as we trudged along the field edge to catch up with our target bird. Thankfully, we didn’t have long to wait, as upon arrival the Wheatear was crouching in the grass relatively near to the fence line, offering great views through the scope before hopping up and heading further out in to the field. 

Watching as it flitted and scurried over the bare soil of the adjacent ploughed field, we could take in all the features that distinguish Isabelline Wheatears from the similar Northern Wheatears we’re more accustomed to seeing in Britain – the white fore eyebrow as opposed to the buff colouration seen on Northern Wheatears, along with the black alula of the Isabelline that contrasts with the pale wing. The thick black band on the end of the tail was also apparent on the occasional instances when the bird flew, as were the paler upper wings (Isabelline actually means a pale creamy-brown fawn colour – which the Wheatear definitely was!).

The black alula contrasting with the pale wing...

...and the thick black band on the end of the tail

Normally occurring in the Middle-East, Russia and Northern Africa, with the prolonged easterlies, presumably originating from the depths of these areas and capturing birds on migration, there has since been a slight invasion of Isabelline Wheatears, with a whopping further 6 birds found over the course of a couple of weeks. 

The field the Isabelline Wheatear was favouring

Whilst not the brightest of species, or indeed, individual, never the less this was a much welcome bird and a great autumnal Wheatear to catch up with. 

Birding Gold – Siberian Accentor at Easington, Yorkshire – MEGA!!

Siberian Accentor in Britain – the stuff birding dreams are made of.

There are some birds that instantly send your mind in to absolute chaos and panic when flashing up as an alert – Black-billed Cuckoo was one, Short-toed Eagle another (Wallcreeper I imagine will be another should one ever alight on a south coast cliff). And so it was the case at 3pm on Thursday afternoon when “Siberian Accentor – Easington, Yorkshire. One by the school.” popped up on my phone on the back of a mega alert. 

Hot on the heels of the first for Britain found on Shetland just 4 days earlier (which sent the entire birding community in to a spin at the time), miraculously, lightning had struck twice and a small piece of Russian gold had now made landfall on mainland Britain, making itself available for the masses to twitch and a relief for those who just don’t have the time or funding to nip off to Shetland for a day every time a good bird breaks. 

Headless chicken mode soon ensued, along with the agonising realisation that with dusk now at around 6pm, a plane at the very least would be required to make the 3+ hour journey to get us there before dark after work. With the bird showing well down to a matter of feet for the rest of the day, all we could do was sit and watch as the tear-inducing close up photos flooded social media that evening (this bird must surely now win the award for most photographed Siberian Accentor of all time!)

Sleepless nights followed (including bizarre panic induced dreams consisting of Siberian Accentors being sliced up, roasted and served on a plate?!) – and with no records of Siberian Accentor in Britain before last week and very few in Western Europe before this autumn, the chances of any more occurring after this year’s remarkable invasion were very very remote indeed….

The famous skip the Easington Siberian Accentor liked to hang out next to!

As expected, the crowds on Friday and Saturday morning were huge (it was almost a first for Britain after all), with birders photographed queuing up around Easington gas terminal in their hundreds way before even the twinkling of first light approached. Not quite as certain however, but hoped for by thousands, was that the Siberian Accentor was miraculously still present each day – it was - game on!

Luckily the bird turning up on a Thursday meant the agony of work was limited to just Friday, and we were soon well on our way to Easington, news that it was still there making it a much more relaxed affair than usual – with Siberian Accentors being night-time migrants and the bird being completely settled feeding on the same drive, the likelihood of it doing a bunk was slim.

With the dawn masses having already been and gone, we arrived on site to just a small handful of birders (less than 100 lined up along the fence) and we were soon gazing at this part of British birding history – one Siberian Accentor happily feeding amongst the gravel and leaves on someone’s drive right in front of us.

Surreal.

With the stress of seeing the bird now lifted, we could truly enjoy this Siberian wonder, and we watched on for around 45 minutes as it bumbled around in front of us, often coming to within 3 metres and providing out of this world views of what can be a difficult species to see anywhere in the world (never mind Britain!), completely oblivious to the absolute fuss and excitement its arrival had caused on the British birding scene.

Occasionally associating with one of the many Dunnocks also feeding on the drive, the difference between the two species was clear, the Siberian Accentor having its face dusted with gold and looking particularly smart wearing its tiny black and gold mask. An exceptionally classy looking bird and a very special visitor indeed.

The Siberian Accentor and Dunnock together

The gorgeous head stripe patterns!

Of course, Siberian Accentor as an addition to the British list was one of the most widely predicted and anticipated firsts for Britain of all time. An absolutely unprecedented influx of birds making landfall across Western Europe (Sweden holding 16 alone) and with individuals located in Latvia, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, Denmark and Poland, it was only a matter of time before these Russian strays found themselves on British soil. Indeed, in an incredible sequence of events, a further 4 individuals (possibly 6) have been found in the UK since (one in Cleveland, one in Durham, one on Lindisfarne, one on Fair Isle and two possibles in Northumberland and Lothian) bringing the total of European birds now up to over a staggering 100 individuals and counting.

Monday's Birdguides reports - I didn't think we'd ever see the day that three separate British Siberian Accentors were all reported within minutes of each other!!

With the continuous easterly winds, this number is surely only set to grow, and it is now really a question of when and where, not if, the next British record of the autumn will occur.

Peekaboo - Siberian Accentor trying to hide...

With Siberian Accentors breeding in Northern Siberia on either side of the Ural mountains, and normally migrating south east to Asia for the winter, the past number of records in Europe before this autumn were very few and far between, the majority being in Sweden. The reason for this mass influx to Western Europe is unclear – although the most likely explanation is possibly a case of a successful breeding season in Russia combined with unrelenting easterly winds originating from Siberia for such a prolonged period of time, coinciding with their migration movements. A system of high pressure over Scandinavia will also have blocked the usual westerly Atlantic weather fronts that normally pose a barrier to travellers from the east. 

The high pressure system over Scandinavia and easterly winds from Russia that are likely to have brought the Siberian Accentor influx to Britain

It is also possible that something else may be at play to cause such a mass influx of what was, until this October, an extremely infrequent visitor to Western Europe - perhaps an ecological event taking place in the Siberian Accentor's home range or a freak weather system displacing individuals en-masse. 

Alex's great little video of the Accentor happily feeding away

With no telling as to whether an influx of Siberian Accentors on this scale will ever happen again, it may well be the case that certainly in my life time at least, these golden Dunnocks may not grace British shores again. A truly special bird (and possibly one of the most awe-inducing I’ve seen in Britain) I for one am exceptionally glad that we, along with thousands of other birders, got to witness this little piece of golden birding history. Siberian magic indeed.