UKBIRDSIGHTINGS
The best rare birds seen all around Britain in 2023
UK BIRD SIGHTINGS 2023 RARE BIRDS
BIRD OF THE YEAR
Magnolia Warbler
So many rare birds appeared in 2023 that it is hard to remember even some of the most exciting of them! For instance, you may need your memory jogged that last year was the year of the UK’s first (and perhaps second) Black-winged Kite, first Grey-headed Lapwing, first Canada Warbler and first confirmed Western Olivaceous Warbler and a potential first (or second) Red-headed Bunting.
Extremely rare birds such as Red-footed Booby, Bay-breasted Warbler, Philadelphia Warbler, and Magnolia Warbler would have felt like ‘firsts’ for many of their observers.
And it was the year of the great spring swift invasion, a massive inf lux of long-legged wading birds, and a summer seabird surge, with a few South Polar Skuas, several Scopoli’s Shearwaters, multiple Brown Boobies… And don’t forget, this was followed by an almost overwhelming rush of North American warblers and other landbirds. Let’s take a look back over the year, month by month.
January : New Year rarities
The year started in style with a Little Swift over Eastbourne, East Sussex, on 2 January (a first for Sussex). The first week of the year also saw a Black-browed Albatross off Cornwall. Ducks were a big theme of January, with arguably the pick of the bunch being a Falcated Duck at Covenham Reservoir, Lincolnshire, on 26th. ‘Arguably’ because there are always doubts about wildfowl which has potentially escaped from a collection. The other star duck was a female Harlequin Duck at at Traigh Mhor, Barra (Outer Hebrides) on 23rd to 27th, presumably the same bird seen and photographed in late December 2022 off Coll, Argyll. The Traigh Mhor Harlequin was still present at least to 18 February.
2023 ‘INVADER’ Night Heron
UK ‘FIRST’ Grey-headed Lapwing
A drake Baikal Teal was at Llangorse Lake, Powys, in mid-January, and what is thought to be the same bird turned up at Foryd Bay, Gwynedd on 5 February to 22 March.
Scotland’s second ever Pacific Diver (this one a juvenile) was also found in January, off Leven, Fife (24th to 5 February). Scotland’s first Pacific
Diver was on Shetland in 2013. Come spring 2023, Shetland was to produce its second Pacific Diver, a glorious summer-plumaged bird found off-shore at Brough Lodge, Fetlar, Shetland, on 18 May.
The wintering Isabelline Wheatear spent the first half of the month at Colyford Common, Devon. From 23rd. Presumably the same Isabelline Wheatear was at Holywell, Cornwall, to at least 19 March. A
