A Grey Phalarope, a small wader species that breeds in the high arctic and winters at sea, was discovered on the River Wye in the middle of Bakewell, Derbyshire, of all places on the late morning of the 25th October 2020. Just goes to show that rare birds can be found anywhere, along with an element of luck. This bird was a first winter, so this years youngster. The young birds often get blown off course and turn-up inland, usually on a reservoir. They can be very confiding, as was the case with this bird. Totally oblivious to the presence […]

This autumn has seen an unprecedented arrival of rare vagrant birds to our shores. Wind swept migrants from both North America and Siberia. Gems such as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1st record for Britain), Tennesee Warbler; Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Taiga Flycatcher, Red-flanked Bluetail, Brown Shrike, Masked Shrike and so it goes on. One such vagrant was discovered yesterday morning (17th October 2020) in North Norfolk. A bird that had been predicted and so was probably on many birders radar, the Rufous Bush Chat. The last time one of these was seen in Britain was over 40 years ago at Prawle […]