VEERY NICE SET OF PHOTOS- MEGA UPDATE

The first boat charters of twitchers managed to get over to the Island of Muck today with approximately 25-30 twitchers enjoying amazingly close views (down to 10-12 ft) of the bird as it continued to feed around Gallanach Farm for the day - the bird was still present to dusk so will hopefully delight those lucky enough to be on tomorrows charters too. EDIT: The bird is still present this morning (Saturday 19th). See here (for initial details when the news was released) and here (for details on past records), or just scroll down a it!

Stephen MacDonald managed to get some amazing photographs of the bird this morning, which are reproduced below with kind permission. These images are © Stephen MacDonald 2011. What a stunning little bird!


Veery © Stephen MacDonald 2011


Veery © Stephen MacDonald 2011

My day involved a visit to a new site in Lincolnshire. It was not quite as busy as the site I was at yesterday however it was still really busy with Marsh Harrier, lots of geese and tonnes of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Curlew, Little Egret etc moving around.

The highlight however was a Lapland Bunting that flew 10ft over my head, it called as it approached me which got my attention and as it went over me (I was stood in a hedge) I must have caught it by surprise as it did a weird wing beat and trill as it looked down on me before it carried on its way. I didn't get any pictures but the ones below © Martin Cade 2010 show a good looking bird similar to what I had. I'm back at this site next week assuming I can get plenty of reporting done earlier in the week so fingers crossed for some more of the same or even better!


Lapland Bunting © Martin Cade 2010


Lapland Bunting © Martin Cade 2010

More on the Veery...

With the incredible find of a Veery on Muck, Highland today by Dave Barden I thought I’d have a look at the past records, courtesy of Russell Slack’s Rare Birds Where and When (Volume 1).

There were seven records up to the book being published: 1970 (Cornwall), 1987 (Devon), 1995 (Outer Hebrides), 1997 (Devon), 1999 (Cornwall), 2002 (Orkney) and 2005(Shetland). All records were of autumn birds, except the bird in 1997 which was a spring bird.

Since the publication of the above book there has been a further three records, two very well photographed birds on Shetland, both present at the same time (2009), with birds on Foula (1st – 7th October) and Whalsay (2nd – 5th October). The other record (2008) Orkney is pending.

See post below for more photos.

The Veery was still present this evening till dusk at Gallanach Farm and is apparently looking very settled. An issue with getting to this bird may be the availability of boats and the potential poor weather for landing on the island. I’ll post more information when I get it.


Veery © Dave Barden 2011

VEERY ON MUCK, HIGHLAND

Got a phone call from Ade at lunch time to say that his friend on the island of Muck, Highlands had found a Veery, Catharus fuscecens that was showing very well at Gallanach Farm. Pictures of the bird taken by Dave Barden are reproduced with permission. All images are © Dave Barden 2011.

The bird is showing well! Unfortunately I don’t know about access to the island!


© Dave Barden 2011


© Dave Barden 2011


© Dave Barden 2011


© Dave Barden 2011

EDIT: For further, updated information on this bird please see here, and for some further photos, here.