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. 

Wryneck at Fairhaven Lake, Lancashire

With a Wryneck having been present at Fairhaven Lake in Lancashire since last Thursday (along with 2 Barred Warblers that have sadly now departed) we paid a visit to see if we could catch up with what is usually a rare migrant here on the West Coast. 

Arriving at the pumping station compound to the right hand side of the lake where the Wryneck had been favouring for the duration of its stay, we joined the rest of the crown in anticipation of it showing and looking forward to seeing only my second of these delightful woodpeckers. 

After a spot of lunch while we waited, what must have been the quietest announcement ever that a bird was showing went up, and the crowds eventually realised someone had spotted the Wryneck, cryptically camouflaged as ever in the tops of one of its favoured Rose Hip bushes. Incredibly hidden and matching the bark to perfection, the (dreadful) record shot below exhibits perfectly the difficulty in picking out these masters of disguise!

With the bird only showing every hour or so when it chooses to perch in one of its preferred bushes or gorse, the Wryneck instead spent the majority of its time feeding on the ground and out of sight, taking advantage of the many ants on the sandy soil and abundance of grasshoppers in the area. Having previously seen my first and only Wryneck on the east coast at Spurn last autumn, it was great to catch up with this relatively local bird not too far from home.

Perfect scrubby habitat for a Wryneck to hide out in!

After the Wryneck had disappeared back in to the depths of the gorse thicket, we tried to find the now resident drake Scaup that had been present on Fairhaven Lake for several months, but even a 15 minute scout around the lake in one of the motor boats for hire failed to turn him up!

A quick stop at Preston Marina on the way home for the long staying 2^nd winter Ring-billed Gull luckily resulted in success when I found it on the opposite jetty, putting an end to a string of dips for Ring-billed Gull this year in both Cornwall and Scotland! Much bulkier and larger than the Black-headed and Common Gulls, and with the black ring on the bill standing out even at a distance, there was certainly no mistaking this individual.

 A great end to a fantastic day out in Lancashire!