Pine Bunting at Venus Pools in Shropshire - MEGA!!

When news of a female Pine Bunting at Venus Pools in Shropshire broke on New Year’s Day, we were keen to catch up with this mega bunting first hand, and at only 1 hour 20 from Cheshire, the short distance to travel came as a welcome change!

The female Pine Bunting by Jim Almond

Arriving on site the next day for just after 10 and with news put out earlier that the Pine Bunting had been seen and showing well in the kale mid-morning, it seemed to be a no brainer that we would connect soon.

Unfortunately however, it seemed the Pine Bunting had other ideas, and a frustrating few hours ensued in bitterly cold weather where despite the abundance of Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Corn Buntings on site, the Pine Bunting failed to put in an appearance.

The Pine Bunting hedge!

All good things come to those who wait however, and despite my feet having now turned into literal blocks of ice having been nestled in the frost covered grass all morning, eventually Alex picked up a very pale looking bunting moving through the hedge before dropping down in to the grassy verge below.

Getting the 20 or so birders immediately around us on it, simultaneous cries of joy went up: “That’s it – Pine Bunting!” Success! Watching this greyscale bunting hop around for a good few minutes we were able to note a number of features, the two white wing bars and white edged primaries the most notable differentiating feature, along with the pale white chest lined with delicate, fine rusty brown speckles forming a necklace of sorts. The head pattern was also notably different from the associating Reed and Corn Buntings, none of the clearly defined facial patches or rustic brown and cream tones we had been used to seeing on the Reed Buntings all morning, instead sporting a plain grey nape, overall plain grey face and we were just able to make out the fine dark lines near the eye and small white spot on the cheek.

The female Pine Bunting by Jim Almond. It reminded more of an American sparrow looks wise.

Hopping back up on to the hedge for a period of time, the greyish buff tones and stripes on the back looked clearer in comparison to the nearby Reeds, while other birders watching made note of the rusty coloured rump.

The pure white wing diagnostic of Pine Buntings and eliminating any Yellowhammer doubts. Photo by Jim Almond.

Books and images of female Pine Buntings can only get you so far however, and having no field experience we were a little unsure as to what would be noticeable in the field and what wouldn’t. However, once spotted, the Pine Bunting, despite the differences being relatively subtle, did stand out, giving the overall impression of “frosty bunting that looked as if it had been frosted with frost”.

This video of a female Pine Bunting clearly shows the identification features of this tricky species, and is exactly how our bird looked in the field.

This great document explores the identification of Pine Buntings in all plumage stages in extreme detail, and is a fantastic tool when trying to clinch the ID of what can be a tricky species. The excellent Birding Frontiers article also illustrates what to look for when separating female Pine Buntings from other similar species. 

It was, nevertheless, great to have other birders on site who had direct experience with often tricky female Pine Buntings, having seen multiple different individuals before and all offering their confirmation that this was indeed the bird we had travelled to see. Certainly, throughout the afternoon there were a lot of false alarms and confusion in the crowds, with several faintly marked Reed Buntings trapping the unwary while later in the week a Corn Bunting with extensive white on the primaries tricked more than one observer on separate occasions. With Corn Buntings having a much larger, chunkier bill, overall “yellow ochre” colouring and extensive black markings on the chest however, careful observation should be enough to eliminate these as a potential pitfall.

Corn Bunting - note the thicker bill and darker spotted chest

Unfortunately, the very few record shots that we did manage to take did very little to do the Pine Bunting justice, my poor ability at taking photos with my phone through a scope attributing to this! 

Dreadful photo!

Rather disappointingly, some individuals who weren’t actually on site tried to ID the bird from this one poor record shot, ignoring ours and everyone else’s field observations in the process and maintaining that it wasn’t the Pine Bunting. It is always worth remembering that field observations on site are always a better way to judge the ID of a bird as opposed to one single photograph depicting the bird in poor quality and at a bad angle, as the recent Orphean Warbler/Lesser Whitethroat mix up in Suffolk just goes to prove. It’s much better to take detailed field notes in correlation with other observers who have past experience of the species in question in the field, than to try and judge from a single shot. 

It's hard to make out the details on this set of photos of the Pine Bunting too, illustrating how certain features can be affected by picture quality.

Indeed, if a record shot showing the bird clearly IDable to others is required for all new species seen by a person, then the Dorset Short-toed Eagle, Blyth’s Pipit, Pied-billed Grebe and Wilson’s Phalarope would all have to be taken off my list for a start!

All of which showed well through the scope, despite the poor record shots!

With no confirmed sightings of the Shropshire Pine Bunting since the 2nd, and with the vast majority of photos over the following days depicting the aberrant Corn Bunting, our eastern visitor seems to have moved on. After such strong easterlies during the autumn however and with a bit of a mini influx of Pine Buntings occurring this year, there may well be more hiding out there in Yellowhammer flocks across the country!

Iberian Chiffchaff in Telford, Shropshire!

With an Iberian Chiffchaff turning up in Lancashire towards the end of our two week trip to Florida, I was hopeful that this individual would stay the course and I’d be able to catch up with this Iberian speciality on my return. Unfortunately however, doubts were quickly raised about its identity – the song appeared untypical of Iberian Chiffchaff once sound recordings taken on site were analysed and it was quickly dismissed as an imposter – sadly, not making the grade.

Luckily however, the UK seems to be experiencing a spring influx of these delightful Mediterranean songsters at present, and after a year’s absence with no records during 2015, there have been a further three additional reports of Iberian Chiffchaffs this past week, with individuals in Coverack in Cornwall, Tresco on Scilly and of course, Telford in Shropshire.

First reported on the Sunday afternoon straight after our 8 hour flight back from Orlando and quickly confirmed as being the real deal, I had no chance of getting down to Shropshire until a week later, where thankfully this Mediterranean speciality had set up territory in a patch of woodland, often showing well and calling frequently.

The Iberian Chiffchaff in Telford, Shropshire

After a leisurely lie-in on the Saturday morning, we made our way down to where the bird had set up territory just off Granville Road in Telford (TF2 7NB) for the early afternoon, wholly expecting it to be in full song when we arrived and showing well in the now glorious sunshine (it had apparently snowed that morning!). Sadly however, it didn’t pan out that way, and we endured a painstaking 2 hours staring at a group of trees in the freezing cold (the warmth of the sun had completely vanished to be replaced by menacing looking rainclouds and a chilling breeze) where the bird only called once distantly! Starting to worry, it was a relief therefore when we heard the distinctive call further around the corner, and heading over that way with the group of assembled birders following, Alex eventually tracked down this subtle warbler, calling just a few feet in front of us low down in the branches and showing well.

For the next ten minutes or so we followed our target through the trees as it worked its way along the hedgerow, often perching in full view and treating us to blasts of now familiar song. Sounding the initial first notes of “chiff chiff chiff”, this was quickly followed by a warbling variation, much different to any of the Chiffchaffs or Willow Warblers that were also present on site that had been singing throughout the afternoon, and unlike several recent birds in West Sussex and Cambridgeshire a few years back (and possibly the Lancashire bird) it was also quite clear that this was not a mixed singer. While every time I pressed record on my camera to try and capture the call the Chiffchaff seemed to go mute (typical!), Alex managed to get an excellent video of the song, illustrated below:

Formerly treated as just a race of Common Chiffchaff in the past, Iberian Chiffchaffs were recognised as a separate species by the BOU 18 years ago due to a range of differences, including vocalisation, morphology and genetics. Indeed, as well as the call, there were slight variations in the plumage that while subtle, were still noticeable in the field at Telford. The bill was slightly longer than a Common Chiffchaff with a much paler lower mandible, while the legs were much lighter, appearing to be an intermediate shade somewhere in between Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. The plumage was also a brighter green than a Common Chiffchaff, often looking a grey-olive colour, while there was a yellowish wash to the head, cheeks and extensive supercilium, again more so than you would expect to see on a Common Chiffchaff. Studying the photos of the bird later at home, I could also clearly see the indistinct and broken eye-ring that is limited to just the lower edge of the eye – another pro Iberian Chiffchaff feature.

The broken eye-ring on the lower edge of the eye is clearly visible, as is the yellowish colouration of the head and breast

With only 37 accepted records in Britain, this is a bird I have been wanting to catch up with in the UK for a while, having missed the last local bird in Blackpool back in May 2011. With the vast majority of records occurring in the last 10 years however (25 out of the accepted 37), Iberian Chiffchaff has fast turned from what was once a mega rarity in to a now nearly annual expected spring overshoot, with small influxes like this occurring in several of the past recent years.

With the finer plumage details matching up and the call (which has been recorded and sonagramed) spot on for Iberian Chiffchaff, there is no doubting the ID in my opinion, with this individual being the real deal. It was great to enjoy hearing him sing prolifically and show so well for us – a great addition to my British list after seeing a pair in Spain two years ago and a fantastic bird to hear in person. 

Wood Whites - Bury Ditches, Shropshire

With news that the second generation of Wood Whites had begun emerging at Bury Ditches in Shropshire last week, we decided to head down at the weekend to try and find these beautifully dainty woodland butterflies for ourselves. With more of a south western distribution, the substantial population in Shropshire is one of the closest, and having only seen a single Wood White on the Burren in Ireland back in May last year, I was keen to see them in Britain and get some photos of these delicate butterflies.

Arriving at the car park on what was luckily the only sunny day that week, we headed down the bridle path in search of our target. The pathway was lined with thistles and brambles attracting a whole range of species – Ringlets, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns all danced along the ride as we walked, while the larger Red Admirals, Commas and Painted Ladies took advantage of the sunny weather to feed up.

Following the path along, it soon became apparent that there were no Wood Whites to be seen - frustratingly the only ‘white’ butterflies were of the Small and Green-veined variety. Retracing our steps several times and even trying further up the hill itself, we decided to give it one last go – this time heading past and beyond the wooden bench where we had previously stopped and turned left.

This proved to be a good move, and as we approached the bend I spotted a small dainty butterfly fluttering low down along the side of the path, unmistakeable as a Wood White and with a second individual not far behind! The sun now temporarily behind a cloud, one settled right in front of us at the side of the track, demonstrating the classic teardrop closed wing pose and allowing some great prolonged views as it rested.

Travelling 100m or so down the path, we seemed to have struck a hotspot, and there must have been at least 10 in just this small section alone. At one point, we even witnesses 4 grouped together on the same leaf – more than likely 3 males battling it out over a single female. Two butterflies displaying and courting on a nearby flower head was also fantastic to see.

Males attracted to a female

Much smaller than our other species of whites, Wood Whites can be readily identified in the field by their much slower and delicate flight style, their smaller size, and at rest, the rounded tips of the forewings. Interestingly, the adults will never rest with their wings open.

Tending to stick very close to the ground and not fly higher than a metre, we watched as the males patrolled along the edges of the ride in search of any females. With individuals in England emerging in May and June, we were now on the second generation (which emerges at the end of July and in to August) where individuals are slightly smaller and the males have a touch more black on the wingtips.

A female - no black on the wing tips

The black tips to the wings indicate this is a male

We luckily also got to observe a female laying an egg on one of the many foodplants lining the side of the path. This tiny conical pearl-like egg was the first butterfly egg I’ve seen and it was great to witness the succession of the next generation in action.

The difference in plant species between this area and closer to the car park was also apparent, with much less vegetation at the edge of this stretch of path – the sides here were much less overgrown than by the car park. It was clear as to why the Wood Whites were favouring this section and not earlier on up the path, as their food plants of vetches and trefoils were much easier to find in the thin grass without competition from the more dominant brambles.

Wood Whites have only very recently been separated from the virtually identical Cryptic Wood White (originally described as Real’s Wood White before this species was itself split in 2011) and the latter can only be found in Ireland.

The two species share many of the same characteristics in terms of both appearance and behaviour, but curiously the evidence suggests that the distribution of the two doesn’t overlap – Cryptic Wood Whites don’t occur outside of Ireland in Britain, and the Wood White is restricted to just the Burren (where Cryptic Wood Whites are absent) in Ireland whilst occurring throughout the south of Britain. Adults can only be identified by a detailed examination of their genitals, so this difference in range is the key factor in determining which of the two species it will be.

Wood Whites have suffered dramatically over the decades, and this species is now in serious decline in several of its former strongholds. With woodland rides becoming too overgrown for this delicate butterfly and numbers dropping accordingly, it would be disastrous to lose this beautiful species from our countryside. Luckily habitat management is underway, and several sites still remain as strongholds for this enigmatic white of the woods. 

Rare Ducks!

With news of a drake Ring-necked Duck present at Priorslee Lake in Shropshire at the weekend, having only seen a female of this species before I was keen to call in on the way back up north from Devon.

Arriving at Priorslee Lake and parking in the layby off the A4640, we soon clocked on to our target near to the orange buoy on the right hand side of the lake. Originally asleep with his head tucked under his wing, we could still make out some of the subtle differences that separate Ring-necked Ducks from the similar and more common Tufteds.

A distant shot of the Ring-necked Duck drake

Eventually waking up and swimming around with the resident Tufted Ducks, this was a great opportunity to take in all the ID features – the slightly peaked crown was clearly visible, as was the deep orange eye, whilst we could clearly see the distinguishing white bands on the bill. The white wedge shape on the side (a key feature separating Ring-necked Ducks and Tufted Ducks) also stood out even from a distance, contrasting to the darker grey side than you would normally find on a Tufted.

Note the white bands on the bill - absent on a Tufted Duck

The white wedge on the side is also clear to see

Having missed a one-day drake at my local Neumann’s Flash last year, it was great to finally catch up with this North American visitor, and the setting sun on the lake made for a great break from our 4 hour trip back from Devon.

The Coots were making the most of the evening light (Sadly not an American Coot....)

Recently, I also stumbled across a local site for Ruddy Duck when looking at nearby Birdtrack records in the area. Having not seen one now for around 4 years, I made the 20 minute journey to see if I could locate one. As soon as we arrived at the lake, Alex (Ruddy Duck obsessive) immediately locked on to the bird, a fine looking male that spent most of its time asleep before finally waking up and displaying that electric blue bull for us to admire.

Ruddy Ducks, once a common sight across our UK water bodies, have now drastically reduced in numbers, with just a handful of individuals scattered throughout Britain. Due to the threat that this non-native North American species poses to the White-headed Duck population in Spain through inbreeding, the government took the decision to cull all individuals in Britain to protect the rarer Spanish residents.

Escaping from captivity back in 1948 and with over 6,500 individuals at their peak, the latest data as of 2014 indicated that just 10 females remained, and the future culling efforts will be fixed on eradicating these last breeding individuals. With British birds finding their way to Europe and arriving in France, Holland, Belgium and Spain, it was the discovery of hybrids in 1990 in Spain that resulted in the widespread cull being undertaken with the aim to completely remove any threat to the native Spanish birds.

White-headed Ducks at Bonanza Pools in Spain last August

I remember a time when Ruddy Ducks were a regular occurrence at Marbury, Neumann’s and Moore, but recently they have proved very hard to come across. Without doubt, they will become extinct in Britain in the wild within the next 5 years. It’s unclear how long this particular drake has been here for and indeed how long how long he will be able to avoid the cull!