Rare Bird Alert weekly round-up: 23 - 29 Jan 2013

The week's highlights:
Single American Buff-bellied Pipit still in Berkshire
First-winter American Coot remains in Galway
…and Wexford’s Northern Harrier hangs on for another week

….and then it was gone

The snow, ice and chilly weather of the last two weeks finally parted company with just about everyone as the weekend drew to a close - sub-zero temperatures replaced by a belt of heavy rain, with sunshine following on behind for many, as mild (very mild) conditions established themselves for the remainder of the review period.

With the wind and weather looking like it was going to stay set in the Atlantic flow well ahead in to the next few days we have, for now, bide farewell to wintery weather. But what of the winter birds? Any change there?

Well, no, not at all really. As Talking Heads once observed…

“Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was”

But despite the air of “when’s something new going to happen” there were, as with many of the week’s prior to this one, lots and lots of decent birds to be seen. Its just that there weren’t too many new ones.

Headline birds
Present now for over six weeks along the edge of Berkshire’s Queen Mother Reservoir, at least one of the previous weeks two American Buff-bellied Pipits remained in town for a few more days this week, present to 25th at least.

First discovered on December 12th, the visitors from across the Atlantic have proved to be the big draw of the winter, helped not only by their relative rarity and tickworthy status for some but also, not unlike the Brown Shrike in nearby Surrey three years ago, because of the ease by which hundreds of birders could journey along the motorways of the UK and be right there beside the site within moments of leaving the highway.

The last date when both of these pleasing pipits was seen was at the end of last week’s review period, on 22nd.

Far rarer but receiving far, far fewer visitors was Ireland’s third American Coot - still at Murlach, near Ballyconnelly in County Galway for another weekend and now coming up to two calendar months on site.

In Wexford, the juvenile female Northern Harrier has an extra few weeks on the Galway Coot, she arrived on October 20th last year, so has now passed the three full months barrier - other Marsh Hawks at Tacumshin have lingered well in to spring, so will this winter’s bird follow suit? And just when will they pass on the upgrade to specific status for this ultra-distinctive form?