AA BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

MEGAS FROM THE PAST 1996-1999

Except for 1999 not a classic few years for some as many of the megas in this period were in fact second or third records. Most birders got a few ticks, myself included, and everyone was very relieved with the repeat performance of a Grey-tailed Tattler, after the fiasco of the first suppressed bird.
e-mail:-aabirdpix@btinternet.com

style

Return

Select:-

1993-1995

List of
Rarities from 1985

Return to
Recent Rarities

Forster's Tern Ferrybridge Jan.96
Far commoner then than now, except in Ireland, although many were undoubtedly returning birds. This one was more obliging than some, recent records in England are becoming few and far between.

Black-throated Thrush Peterborough Feb. 96
By no means a mega, and we missed the Red-throated variety that has since become split! This was in fact the second bird that year, but close to home and showed really well in a small front garden.

Cedar Waxwing Nottingham Feb.96
Although we all thought "escape", this bird attracted a huge crowd on its first day, touring various areas of Nottingham suburbs. Unfortunatley it was also in a large crowd, of up to 800 Waxwings, and proved impossible to pick out. A further visit enabled me to get this record shot, by which time we'd all realised the significant size difference, and it was being picked up in flight.

White-billed Diver Tattershall Lincs Feb.96
Not a mega, but difficult to twitch, and rarely met with even slightly inland. This bird was probably unwell, showing a small amount of oiling, but its early demise on a fishermans hook shows it was feeding, so it would probably have recovered to return to the sea, and thence its breeding grounds. Great shame.

Redhead Nottingham Feb.96
Again we thought "escape", but this first for Britain was too tempting and resulted in a big twitch. On its acceptance we discovered that US poulations were greatly on the increase, and there have been a few more records, but it hasn't so far become annual like Lesser Scaup.

Purple Heron Pevensey April96
A regular species in Britain, particularly in spring, but they don't all show as well as this one! This bird landed in a small area of reeds and grass between two roads, and carried on hunting despite a group of birders just yards away.

Harlequin Ducks Girvan April 96
Sadly not males, which in my opinion are one of the most attractive ducks, these two still caused a lot of birders to make the trek north. The previous records had been from the very north of Scotland and Scilly, most English birders thought this was the closest they were ever going to see one, and it's remained the same since.

American Coot Stodmarsh April96
A first for Britain isn't always that obvious, how many of these have passed unnoticed? With just one Irish record and no further occurences, hadn't we better start looking at Coots again?.

Buff-bellied Pipit Tresco Oct. 96
One of two on Scilly in October, this species is no longer the rarity it was. I suspect many have been overlooked in the past, the first one we saw, in 1988, was only the fourth or fifth record.

Indigo Bunting Ramsey Island Oct.96
Still the only accepted record in Britain, I consider this my luckiest photo to date. Having waited for half the day in atrocious weather for the boats to be able to land us, it was still drizzling when the bird, flying up and down the length of the crowd, landed on top of a gorse about ten feet in front of me,about two minutes after getting the camera out ! .

Steppe Grey Shrike Holland-on-sea Nov.96
Not the first record by any means,the recent elevation of this taxon to full species status ensured a large crowd along the seafront. The bird played its part very well, being very approachable (except on the top of yacht masts!).

Canvasback Welney Jan.97
The year started with a major twitch when this long-awaited North American duck finally appeared with excellent credentials, and no signs of hybridisation. Living close to Welney I managed one of the few photographs taken initially, however it became much less wary as time passed and sometimes came in to feed with the Pochards, where this shot was taken.

Spectacled Warbler Landguard April 97
I was abroad when the first twitchable one arrived, so imagine my delight when this bird turned up near home. At first causing a major logistical problem resulting in long queues to view a narrow area, it moved slightly a day or so later and fed on the ground almost at your feet!

Calandra Lark Isle of Man May 97
This still remains an extremely rare bird in the UK, and when they do turn up they're invariably flighty and difficult to pin down (quite apart from suppressed records!) For a short while this bird showed well, in walking distance from the airport.

Spanish Sparrow Waterside May 97
A long-awaited twitchable bird, this species has destroyed its mega status by virtue of staying for long periods. This bird was still in the same village over a year later, and another is currently wintering in Hampshire 24 years after this occurence.

Collared Flycatcher Ethie Mains June97
In common with most of its kind this immaculate male didn't stay long, but long enough for many to make the journey to Scotland (again). Unlike autumn birds there was no argument about the identification, it was a classic.

Red-necked Grebe Wickstead Park Kettering July97
Not all birds worth travelling to see are rarities. Rarely seen in summer plumage in England, this absolutely superb bird spent the summer on a park lake. Perhaps the local breeding Great Creasted Grebes attracted it, but sadly it remained a batchelor.

Lanceolated Warbler Landguard Sept. 97
Although not a mega given the number of records, a very difficult bird to twitch, unless you happen to be on Shetland or Fair Isle. This however was my second, one in Norfolk which I got in my lunch-break, and this in Suffolk. Neither showed wonderfully well, most people were content with flight views(!) but as the crowd died down this bird appeared just over the wall where we stood.

Semi-palmated Plover Dawlish Warren April98
Only Britain's second record, this bird was present for a few weeks in a Ringed Plover colony before its identification was clinched. However once seen it wasn't too difficult to pick out, as the photo shows. It returned the following year but not for long, and was never seen in breeding dress.

American Golden Plover Pennington Marsh May98
I took this shot of an extremely obliging bird at 6.00am. The majority of these occur as juveniles so this was a welcome sight. Unfortunately it didn't quite reach the beautiful full breeding attire before it left.

Chestnut Bunting Salthouse June 98
Probably an escape, but it attracted a lot of birders just the same, the only real problem for its acceptance was the fact that it was an adult. Against this, it showed little feather wear etc., and the species is now on Category 'A'.

Bonaparte's Gull Hearne Bay Kent June98
A first summer individual that gave a lot of people the runaround in North Kent before succumbing to the lure of chips right by Hearne Bay pier. Even then it didn't linger, this was a very lucky shot.

King Eider Ythan Estuary June98
We tend to forget King Eiders are still BB rarities as they usually stay so long. This is the famous Ythan bird, on the day it came to investigate us! It will surely not be long before another stunning male takes up residence somewhere.

Common Nighthawk St.Marys Scilly Sept. 98
Although not strictly a mega given the number of records, nighthawks are usually difficult to twitch, plus Scilly accounts for most records. Few are seen on the ground, but this bird took to roosting in a field in full view. Sadly, as with most, it died one morning, and many birders don't actually know for certain whether they ticked it in time. We were lucky in that we saw it fly on the day we went.

Pied-billed Grebe Singleton Lake Ashford Kent March 98
Seemingly far less regular today than they used to be, when one of these turns up they tend to stay for long periods, often years. The picture is complicated by movements within the UK, this bird later appeared in Norfolk to provide the first county record.

Iberian Chiffchaff The Verne, Portland May 99
The first to be positively identified and easily twitchable after they were split from Chiffchaff, this was a mega for only a few years, although there are still only one or two records each year, doubtless more are overlooked.

Slender-billed Gull Monks Wall NR Kent May 99
Over ten years since the previous record, and only one other (pair) since, so still maintaining its mega status. I wish one or two would turn up where a closer approach were possible, I still haven't got a decent photo of this species anywhere in the world!

Black-winged Pratincole Titchwell July99
Always a welcome sight, a mid-summer rarity. Although not quite the extreme rarity it once was, this bird attracted numerous admirers, partly because it was the third Norfolk record and the first in the county for 25 years.

Short-billed Dowitcher September99
The first inkling of what was to be one of the best autumns ever, we heard confirmation of this bird's identity whilst at Titchwell. Deciding not to bother going home, Ann drove to Rosehearty to arrive just before dawn. It was the first time she'd driven our new car!

Chimney Swift Penzance October99
Although we were among the few birders to catch up with everything in a hectic October (Veery, Siberian and White's Thrushes, Short-toed Eagle, Blue Rock Thrush) I didn't manage to get many photos. One of the few was this bird on the way back from our third trip to Scilly, by then it was about my fourth of this species in Britain.

Pallid Swift Winterton October 99
A multiple arrival of this former mega rarity saw us driving home from Cornwall and changing route at least twice on the way. Originally arriving on the North Norfolk coast to hear it had already gone to roost, we managed to catch up with it the next day when it was re-located further south. Now a much commoner migrant, I wonder how many are the "real thing" and not juvenile swifts.

Paddyfield Warbler Lee Valley October 99
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to work, and with many still in the West, a superb find for Greater London. Lured off the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall by several Pallid Swifts, many birders connected with this one as well.

Booted Eagle St.Buryan area November 99
Appropriately named considering the BOU's decision on this record, I'm sure many birders still include it on their list. This is a less widely published shot, the directly overhead photo has appeared in everything from British Birds to the Chew Valley Times!

Ivory Gull Aldeburgh/Southwold December99
What a fabulous end to the year for Suffolk birders, and many others who travelled to see it. Even more approachable than most, just after I took this shot a small boy rode past on a bike and almost hit it! The bird just ignored him and stayed on the boating pool wall.

Return
Select:- 1985-1989 1990-1992 1993-1995 1999-2001 2002-2009
Summary List of
Rarities from 1985 Return to
Recent Rarities

Forster's Tern Ferrybridge Jan.96 Far commoner then than now, except in Ireland, although many were undoubtedly returning birds. This one was more obliging than some, recent records in England are becoming few and far between.
	Black-throated Thrush Peterborough Feb. 96 By no means a mega, and we missed the Red-throated variety that has since become split! This was in fact the second bird that year, but close to home and showed really well in a small front garden.
Cedar Waxwing Nottingham Feb.96 Although we all thought "escape", this bird attracted a huge crowd on its first day, touring various areas of Nottingham suburbs. Unfortunatley it was also in a large crowd, of up to 800 Waxwings, and proved impossible to pick out. A further visit enabled me to get this record shot, by which time we'd all realised the significant size difference, and it was being picked up in flight.
	White-billed Diver Tattershall Lincs Feb.96 Not a mega, but difficult to twitch, and rarely met with even slightly inland. This bird was probably unwell, showing a small amount of oiling, but its early demise on a fishermans hook shows it was feeding, so it would probably have recovered to return to the sea, and thence its breeding grounds. Great shame.
Redhead Nottingham Feb.96 Again we thought "escape", but this first for Britain was too tempting and resulted in a big twitch. On its acceptance we discovered that US poulations were greatly on the increase, and there have been a few more records, but it hasn't so far become annual like Lesser Scaup.
	Purple Heron Pevensey April96 A regular species in Britain, particularly in spring, but they don't all show as well as this one! This bird landed in a small area of reeds and grass between two roads, and carried on hunting despite a group of birders just yards away.
Harlequin Ducks Girvan April 96 Sadly not males, which in my opinion are one of the most attractive ducks, these two still caused a lot of birders to make the trek north. The previous records had been from the very north of Scotland and Scilly, most English birders thought this was the closest they were ever going to see one, and it's remained the same since.
	American Coot Stodmarsh April96 A first for Britain isn't always that obvious, how many of these have passed unnoticed? With just one Irish record and no further occurences, hadn't we better start looking at Coots again?.
Buff-bellied Pipit Tresco Oct. 96 One of two on Scilly in October, this species is no longer the rarity it was. I suspect many have been overlooked in the past, the first one we saw, in 1988, was only the fourth or fifth record.
	Indigo Bunting Ramsey Island Oct.96 Still the only accepted record in Britain, I consider this my luckiest photo to date. Having waited for half the day in atrocious weather for the boats to be able to land us, it was still drizzling when the bird, flying up and down the length of the crowd, landed on top of a gorse about ten feet in front of me,about two minutes after getting the camera out ! .
Steppe Grey Shrike Holland-on-sea Nov.96 Not the first record by any means,the recent elevation of this taxon to full species status ensured a large crowd along the seafront. The bird played its part very well, being very approachable (except on the top of yacht masts!).
	Canvasback Welney Jan.97 The year started with a major twitch when this long-awaited North American duck finally appeared with excellent credentials, and no signs of hybridisation. Living close to Welney I managed one of the few photographs taken initially, however it became much less wary as time passed and sometimes came in to feed with the Pochards, where this shot was taken.
Spectacled Warbler Landguard April 97 I was abroad when the first twitchable one arrived, so imagine my delight when this bird turned up near home. At first causing a major logistical problem resulting in long queues to view a narrow area, it moved slightly a day or so later and fed on the ground almost at your feet!
	Calandra Lark Isle of Man May 97 This still remains an extremely rare bird in the UK, and when they do turn up they're invariably flighty and difficult to pin down (quite apart from suppressed records!) For a short while this bird showed well, in walking distance from the airport.
Spanish Sparrow Waterside May 97 A long-awaited twitchable bird, this species has destroyed its mega status by virtue of staying for long periods. This bird was still in the same village over a year later, and another is currently wintering in Hampshire 24 years after this occurence.
	Collared Flycatcher Ethie Mains June97 In common with most of its kind this immaculate male didn't stay long, but long enough for many to make the journey to Scotland (again). Unlike autumn birds there was no argument about the identification, it was a classic.
Red-necked Grebe Wickstead Park Kettering July97 Not all birds worth travelling to see are rarities. Rarely seen in summer plumage in England, this absolutely superb bird spent the summer on a park lake. Perhaps the local breeding Great Creasted Grebes attracted it, but sadly it remained a batchelor.
	Lanceolated Warbler Landguard Sept. 97 Although not a mega given the number of records, a very difficult bird to twitch, unless you happen to be on Shetland or Fair Isle. This however was my second, one in Norfolk which I got in my lunch-break, and this in Suffolk. Neither showed wonderfully well, most people were content with flight views(!) but as the crowd died down this bird appeared just over the wall where we stood.
Semi-palmated Plover Dawlish Warren April98 Only Britain's second record, this bird was present for a few weeks in a Ringed Plover colony before its identification was clinched. However once seen it wasn't too difficult to pick out, as the photo shows. It returned the following year but not for long, and was never seen in breeding dress.
	American Golden Plover Pennington Marsh May98 I took this shot of an extremely obliging bird at 6.00am. The majority of these occur as juveniles so this was a welcome sight. Unfortunately it didn't quite reach the beautiful full breeding attire before it left.
Chestnut Bunting Salthouse June 98 Probably an escape, but it attracted a lot of birders just the same, the only real problem for its acceptance was the fact that it was an adult. Against this, it showed little feather wear etc., and the species is now on Category 'A'.
	Bonaparte's Gull Hearne Bay Kent June98 A first summer individual that gave a lot of people the runaround in North Kent before succumbing to the lure of chips right by Hearne Bay pier. Even then it didn't linger, this was a very lucky shot.
King Eider Ythan Estuary June98 We tend to forget King Eiders are still BB rarities as they usually stay so long. This is the famous Ythan bird, on the day it came to investigate us! It will surely not be long before another stunning male takes up residence somewhere.
	Common Nighthawk St.Marys Scilly Sept. 98 Although not strictly a mega given the number of records, nighthawks are usually difficult to twitch, plus Scilly accounts for most records. Few are seen on the ground, but this bird took to roosting in a field in full view. Sadly, as with most, it died one morning, and many birders don't actually know for certain whether they ticked it in time. We were lucky in that we saw it fly on the day we went.
Pied-billed Grebe Singleton Lake Ashford Kent March 98 Seemingly far less regular today than they used to be, when one of these turns up they tend to stay for long periods, often years. The picture is complicated by movements within the UK, this bird later appeared in Norfolk to provide the first county record.
	Iberian Chiffchaff The Verne, Portland May 99 The first to be positively identified and easily twitchable after they were split from Chiffchaff, this was a mega for only a few years, although there are still only one or two records each year, doubtless more are overlooked.
Slender-billed Gull Monks Wall NR Kent May 99 Over ten years since the previous record, and only one other (pair) since, so still maintaining its mega status. I wish one or two would turn up where a closer approach were possible, I still haven't got a decent photo of this species anywhere in the world!
	Black-winged Pratincole Titchwell July99 Always a welcome sight, a mid-summer rarity. Although not quite the extreme rarity it once was, this bird attracted numerous admirers, partly because it was the third Norfolk record and the first in the county for 25 years.
Short-billed Dowitcher September99 The first inkling of what was to be one of the best autumns ever, we heard confirmation of this bird's identity whilst at Titchwell. Deciding not to bother going home, Ann drove to Rosehearty to arrive just before dawn. It was the first time she'd driven our new car!
	Chimney Swift Penzance October99 Although we were among the few birders to catch up with everything in a hectic October (Veery, Siberian and White's Thrushes, Short-toed Eagle, Blue Rock Thrush) I didn't manage to get many photos. One of the few was this bird on the way back from our third trip to Scilly, by then it was about my fourth of this species in Britain.
Pallid Swift Winterton October 99 A multiple arrival of this former mega rarity saw us driving home from Cornwall and changing route at least twice on the way. Originally arriving on the North Norfolk coast to hear it had already gone to roost, we managed to catch up with it the next day when it was re-located further south. Now a much commoner migrant, I wonder how many are the "real thing" and not juvenile swifts.
	Paddyfield Warbler Lee Valley October 99 Just when you thought it was safe to go back to work, and with many still in the West, a superb find for Greater London. Lured off the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall by several Pallid Swifts, many birders connected with this one as well.
Booted Eagle St.Buryan area November 99 Appropriately named considering the BOU's decision on this record, I'm sure many birders still include it on their list. This is a less widely published shot, the directly overhead photo has appeared in everything from British Birds to the Chew Valley Times!
	Ivory Gull Aldeburgh/Southwold December99 What a fabulous end to the year for Suffolk birders, and many others who travelled to see it. Even more approachable than most, just after I took this shot a small boy rode past on a bike and almost hit it! The bird just ignored him and stayed on the boating pool wall.