Sociable Plover at Bude marshes. 27th Dec 2020.

 

I caught up with the "Bude marshes" Sociable Plover or Sociable Lapwing this morning. 

 

Probably the same bird that was at Crows an Wra near Lands End a few weeks ago. 

 

Seems to know it's a rarity as loves to hang out in very difficult to photograph places!

 

However a super bird and well done to Mark Worden for finding it hiding in the north of the county.

 

Classed as "Critically endangered", this species breeds on open grassland in Russia and Kazakhstan.

 

These birds migrate south through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, to key wintering sites in Israel, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and north-west India. 

 

It is a very rare vagrant in western and northern Europe, where it is usually found, as this one, with northern lapwings.

 

 

Red-breasted Flycatcher at Curch Cove 2nd Dec 2020

 

With lockdown eased for us Cornish I had a full days "twitching" to catch up with a couple of the rarities in the far West of the county.

First the Sociable Plover at Crows-an-wra which showed well but distant. 

 

This was followed by a run down to the Lizard where we saw the beautiful male Red-breasted Flycatcher at Church Cove.

 

These birds breed in Northern and Eastern Europe and usually migrate to the South East to winter in India. Accidental visits to the UK often happen when winds catch them out and deposit them miles from their target route.

 

It is in the churchyard of St.Wynwallow at Landewednack on the Lizard, the most Southerly church in England so if it decides to overwinter here it has probably the best chance of anywhere in the country as it's right on the coast and is usually a very mild climate.

Hopefully it'll be able to find enough flies and small insects to survive.