September 2021 pt i — Just A Bird

The first half of September can be a little frustrating for the birder-teacher as it is a very busy time of the year for work, but a potentially great time for rarity hunting. But despite struggling to juggle the work-birding balance I did manage to find a decent local rarity.

On 14th September I was driving home from work, deciding where to call-in for a few minutes. I generally have a little bit of time post-work before I pick up my daughter but it is only really at a site on the way home. Where I stop is usually pretty random but today I thought there might be a few waders on the beach at Pecqueries as there had been quite a few interesting waders about recently. To see wading birds, it is usually best to stop at the Portinfer end and I parked at the shooting club gate and scanned the beach but there was nothing unusual. I glanced at the time and thought it was too early to drive off so I luckily decided on a little walk round the clay-pigeon area - not a usual route at all, in fact the first time I’d been round there this autumn.

As I rounded the far corner of the bank, an unfamiliar shape flew off round a Tamarisk. My initial reaction from size and prominent tail was that it was likely to be a Wryneck. However, as I dashed after it, it flushed again and flew directly away from me, flashing a long, bright rufous tail. As soon as it perched I could see that the bird was a young or female shrike - but with the brightness of the tail, I wondered if it could possibly be an Isabelline? It was too far off to see too much detail, but with some quality stalking I managed to get close enough to see that it had bars all over its plumage including its mantle, so it was not Isabelline. It did appear to have a line of pale scapulars but not enough to suggest Woodchat. With these ID features in mind, it clearly was a young RED-BACKED SHRIKE, the first I had ever found in Guernsey and only the second I had seen on the island. I only had a few minutes to grab a few shots, but I was very pleased with how they turned out.

Red-backed Shrike - Portinfer, 14 Sep 21

The previous two weeks of September had also been pretty good and there was some nice birds seen. On 3rd a long-staying Knot visited the patch at Vazon and the next day I had a migrant-hunt at Pleinmont. There was not a large number of birds on the headland but a nice selection included at least 10 Whinchats and 45+ Wheatears, Tree Pipit, Redstart and a flighty Wryneck that had been there all week. During the next work-week, I totted up a few Whinchats along the patch plus a Spotted Flycatcher at Pulias.

The weekend came around again and although Saturday 11th was family day, I managed to pop into Perelle where Wayne directed me to 1 or perhaps 2 Caspian Gulls that had been found - they seem to be becoming a regular feature of autumn already. They were a little too far away for close study or photos. That evening, just as it was getting dark, I was by the car in the drive when a Barn Owl appeared overhead and drifted across the corner of the garden. Even though they are regular just a few hundred yards away, they never get in amongst the houses and this was a new garden species for me.

The next day, 12th September, I had a really great day of migrants at Pleinmont and Mont Herault. It started quietly but there was obviously a lot of Willow Warblers in the shrubbery and even on the clifftop, indicating a new arrival of birds. Wayne & Mark put me onto a Wryneck in the gorse - perhaps the same bird as last weekend - but we couldn’t find much variety on the headland apart from Spotted Flycatcher, a few Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit.

Wryneck - Pleinmont, 12 Sep 21 - with Willow Warbler and Great Tit for company

Back at the car park, I continued on easterly by myself and there were a few Tree Pipits showing really well at the scramble track, and calling loudly right above me. There was also a Redstart there too.

I had a couple more Tree Pipits as I went through Mont Herault fields and still plenty of Willow Warblers kept popping up. As I had plenty of energy, I continued east past the watchhouse and in the next little gully there was both a Pied Flycatcher and Redstart feeding along the cliff path. This was not an area we check a great deal and may be worth keeping a closer eye on. My target was the distant cow field and the promise of wagtails. I estimated about 70 Yellow Wagtails were present but a pesky Sparrowhawk buzzed them and so they were not checked very closely. Including the White Wagtails present, there was at least 3-figures of wagtails in that field (if only it was a closer field). Hiking back to the car, a small cluster of 6 Whinchats was present along a field edge. So a quality migrant day for numbers but no cherry on the top.

Pied Flycatcher - Mont Herault, 12 Sep 21

Heading back, I stopped at the fish factory at Rocquaine where a Little Stint had been present during the week, and was surprised to see it right below the sea wall offering terrific views. Driving past Albecq on the way home, I noticed 2 Brent Geese bobbing on the water, my first of the autumn. These birds were subsequently identified as Pale-bellied by Tony, something that I did not notice at the time.

Both moth-trapping nights were uneventful during this period but a Palpita vitrealis on 11th is always a classy catch. A more interesting moth was found whilst searching for eggs of Ivy Bee Blister beetle at Mont Herault (I did find a cluster of these but they looked pretty dead-ish). Just sat resting on a leaf on the ground was the shaggy-boi called Ochsenheimeria taurella, a species I have not seen for years. They don’t come to light as far as I know and don’t seem to even fly much so are pretty tricky to find. This genus of micros are very distinctive with lots of long upright scales and this species has them along the antennae also. A very unusual species of moth.

Just A Bird

Just A Bird

Mark Lawlor's Nature Blog

Just A Bird

Just A Bird