Birds in Lincolnshire

Possible New Birds to Lincolnshire

Long Shots by Mike Tarrant

With a good run of rare wheatears in the last few years, a spring male Black-eared Wheatear, be it of the Western or Eastern variety would be a veritable prize for any devoted patch-watcher. The only one I have seen in Britain was on an arable field at Stiffkey, Norfolk. There would seem to be plenty of such suitable habitat for rare wheatears between the Norfolk border and Boston. Anyone looking?

Among the rarest groups of birds in Lincolnshire are the thrushes and it may be too much to hope for a Siberian, White's or even a Black-throated Thrush but we might expect a Rock Thrush. After all, we do have plenty of golf courses which is where the latest Norfolk bird was found. First-winter birds, as in the photograph, are perhaps less common than spring overshoots, but they have occurred on several occasions. Sandilands at Huttoft would seem ideal with all those chalets for extra perches.

Another thrush, which doesn't necessarily choose the west of Britain to make landfall, is the American Robin. In view of its large population in North America, it is perhaps surprising that it doesn't turn up in Britain more regularly. A common garden bird in its homeland, it is a species that could turn up in any built-up area, perhaps even Scunthorpe.

The final long-shot is the American Bittern. The recent Green Heron at Messingham, proves that virtually anything can turn up anywhere, especially if it is aided by man in whatever form that may take. Herons are strong fliers but whether they would have the resources to fly the Atlantic unaided with their rather laboured and energy-sapping flight is open to question. They surely must land on ships for part of the way at least. Thus any heron species would, in theory, be able to reach our shores from the New World. The American Bittern might be a possible addition to the Far Ings list, but unlike the Eurasian Bittern, it is not so tied to large reedbeds and is more often found out in the open but usually in marshy or swampy ground.

Return to Beginning of Article. Return to LBC Homepage. Part 5.

Photo No 13 BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR, Israel, 1989. © Mike Tarrant

Photo No 14 ROCK THRUSH, Greece, 1982. © Mike Tarrant

Photo No 15 AMERICAN ROBIN, Point Pelee, Canada, 1987 © Mike Tarrant

Photo No 16 AMERICAN BITTERN, Algonquin Park, Canada, 1987.© Mike Tarrant

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