Was it or not? that really is the question. August had been running its course as a series of westerly winds had brought very few migrants to the islands but a slight change in wind direction yesterday afternoon produced a light fall of migrants as the wind switched to the south-east.
The result? A small 'fall' of birds on the islands as Pied Flycatchers (first of the autumn), Garden Warblers (first of the autumn) and Willow Warblers (amongst others) were suddenly springing up amongst the nettle patches on the islands mid-afternoon. Then came the moment. A bird spiralled onto Inner Farne and bang, three competent observers confirmed the bird as a Yellow-breasted Bunting, the 11th for the Farnes (and a rare bird for the UK). The bird showed briefly before flying off, a behaviour the bird continued to do for the following hour. Views weren’t great, but enough.
Then came the twist... Whilst searching for the bird (it hadn’t been seen or in flight for over an hour), I stumbled across a Bunting on the north rocks, instantly recognising the bird as an Ortolan Bunting (another cracking bird from the near-continent). However the jury was suddenly out as the presumed Yellow-breasted was not to be seen. Was it a mistake – had the Ortolan being mis-identified, or had there really been a Yellow-breasted and an Ortolan Bunting present?
The history books will now show just one bird and some very disappointed people, but no-one will really know if there were two birds or not. For me, I was just disappointed for the people who travelled, as I was not able to provide the bird they wanted to see. I was also disappointed for the Farnes, as we continue to try and open up the islands to the twitching scene and become more birder friendly (its a hard place to get too at the best of times!!). So was it a conspiracy or mistaken identity or was their really two different rare Buntings on the island? The debate and inquest will run long and hard into the autumn but it won’t stop us from continuing to find nice birds on the Farnes. My heart says two, but deep down, my head rules just one bird, an Ortolan. We'll learn and progress and fingers crossed for more exciting moments, but hopefully a bit more straight forward...
The result? A small 'fall' of birds on the islands as Pied Flycatchers (first of the autumn), Garden Warblers (first of the autumn) and Willow Warblers (amongst others) were suddenly springing up amongst the nettle patches on the islands mid-afternoon. Then came the moment. A bird spiralled onto Inner Farne and bang, three competent observers confirmed the bird as a Yellow-breasted Bunting, the 11th for the Farnes (and a rare bird for the UK). The bird showed briefly before flying off, a behaviour the bird continued to do for the following hour. Views weren’t great, but enough.
Then came the twist... Whilst searching for the bird (it hadn’t been seen or in flight for over an hour), I stumbled across a Bunting on the north rocks, instantly recognising the bird as an Ortolan Bunting (another cracking bird from the near-continent). However the jury was suddenly out as the presumed Yellow-breasted was not to be seen. Was it a mistake – had the Ortolan being mis-identified, or had there really been a Yellow-breasted and an Ortolan Bunting present?
The history books will now show just one bird and some very disappointed people, but no-one will really know if there were two birds or not. For me, I was just disappointed for the people who travelled, as I was not able to provide the bird they wanted to see. I was also disappointed for the Farnes, as we continue to try and open up the islands to the twitching scene and become more birder friendly (its a hard place to get too at the best of times!!). So was it a conspiracy or mistaken identity or was their really two different rare Buntings on the island? The debate and inquest will run long and hard into the autumn but it won’t stop us from continuing to find nice birds on the Farnes. My heart says two, but deep down, my head rules just one bird, an Ortolan. We'll learn and progress and fingers crossed for more exciting moments, but hopefully a bit more straight forward...
I'm looking forward to the next YBB David....It was a nice twitch...
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Steely, we'll all be there for the next one, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be the first time a bird has turned up on Inner Farne, taken one look at the mainland and done one, especially on a clear day, and it also wouldn't be the first time that two rare birds have turned up on the farnes at the same time! The bird in 2003 looked like it was going to head west on several occasions before we pinned it down.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the rest of the autumn, you're due something outrageous.
Knowing your track record Mr Steel, I don't think you would have confused the two! I'm happy to provide a dodgy record shot of a YBB from Inner Farne if you like....
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