Orphean Warbler in Wales

I was in France when the 2012 Western Orphean Warbler visited Hartlepool so missed it and didn't really expect the opportunity to see another on for the next 10 years or so based on the previous records (see below). However, surprising news coming out from Wales got me a bit excited... A 'Lesser Whitethroat' in a garden for a few days got re-identified based on photos put out on the internet... Orphean Warbler sp...

After work on Friday Dave and I took a drive down to deepest darkest south Wales in order to be in the first 40 people to be allowed access into the garden to look for the Orphean Warbler. Our plan worked and we were in-situ looking for the warbler as it got 'light'. It was a pretty overcast morning to be honest but was milder than expected. Cetti's Warbler song blasted out from nearby as we waited for the target bird which was nice to hear.

After a while of looking at Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinch and Robin a warbler was sighted - the next half hour or so was spent trying to see the bird properly/at all, through the crowd of people and the vegetation (mainly apple trees full of fruit, and leaves). Eventually, with a bit of perseverance we both managed to get ok views of the bird, then just as we'd decided to leave the garden to let others have a chance it hopped out into the open where it sat eating at an apple - a brilliant side-on view. We then left pretty happy.

So the bird, Eastern or Western Orphean? I'm thinking Western Orphean based on main plumage features and an adult due to the eye and a female based on the head pattern/colouration, though need to look at what a late-autumn/early-winter male may look like at this time of year. I'll have to do some more research...

I think this record would relate to the 7th British record of 'Orphean Warbler'. If racially assigned to 'Western' it would be the third Western Orphean after the following:

1. 1955 Dorset (Western)
2. 1967 Cornwall
3. 1981 Scilly
4. 1982 Northest Scotland
5. 1991 Cornwall
6. 2012 Cleveland (Western) - Pending

No photos I'm afraid, the best I've seen so far are here by Paul Rowe.

I wonder what else is lurking about out there in peoples gardens/parks...?

Coracking Bird. Roll Up Roll Up.

While in France (see posts below for trip report) I missed a couple of good birds on a work, local, Yorkshire and UK scale which was a bit of a shame - not that I can complain with some of the great birds (trip list here) I did get while in France.

One of the birds I missed was the Roller that was briefly at Spurn (found my Martin Gardner), however this was eclipsed by missing the Western Orphean Warbler at Hartlepool Headland on the same day, but neither of them hung around/lived, so I soon got over it!

Just before I was due to return to the UK from France I heard that the Roller had been relocated just a bit further north at Aldbourgh, I now had to hope that it would stay put for 4/5+ days more so I could get back home and see it at some point.  It looked like a pretty impressive adult from the photos so I was quite keen to see it, being 100% better looking than the 1st year birds that seem to turn up.  For many of the recent twitchable birds I seem to have been abroad and not managed to connect with them, for example I'd just arrived in Costa Rica to see the one turned up in Northumberland in 2006 so didn't see that one.

Luckily it hung around for every Tom Dick and Harry to connect with (and get some amazing photographs) and after work I drove across and enjoyed some really great views of the adult (male) as it fed in a drilled field, occasionally getting chased off by the odd Lapwing.

I saw a lot of breeding European Roller on Cyprus last year, but you can't beat a Roller on British soil (apart from Bee-eater maybe), they are just such spectacular birds! I grabbed a couple of record shots on my phone when it came fairly close. Time like this I wished I had a big DSLR! Anyway here are my pictures, check out surfbirds/birdguides galleries if you want to see some proper ones! Impressive when on the ground, but even more-so when in flight.

Roller on the deck... (Phone-scoped)

Roller off the deck... (Phone-scoped)

Highlight however was probably the oldish lady that parked her car on a blind bend with the back end stuck into the road to stop and have a look! She didn't even have any binoculars, scope or camera from what I could see!!! Classic!

Interestingly there appears to be a second European Roller less than 10 miles away at Hornsea! Crazy stuff birds!