Hot on the heels of the county's first record of Pied-billed Grebe, news broke today of another new species for the Somerset bird list. A White-throated Sparrow was present in a back garden in Churchstanton, near Taunton, between 23rd January and 3rd March. White-throated Sparrow is a rare vagrant to Europe from North America, where it is a common bird that migrates up and down the continent in large numbers. It is during these migrations that birds can veer off course and end up on the wrong side of the Atlantic. This bird probably got lost on its Southward migration last Autumn, and had been hiding un-noticed somewhere in the West-country until moving to a birders garden in the new year.
Apparently the bird was only visible from one position inside the house, so it is understandable that the owners didn't want to release the news until the bird had gone. It's disappointing for somerset birders to have had such a rare bird under our noses for so long, but at the same time it's a great reminder of what else there could be out there waiting to be discovered!
Of course, the bird could still be in the county in someone else's garden, so keep your eyes open. If you're not sure what to look for, heres a couple of not-very-good photos of them in Canada from a few years back.
The weather has caused a reduction in my birding effort on the Avalon Marshes over the last few days, with foggy mornings and rainy afternoons. A quick look this morning revealed 2 Redshank and 14 Black-tailed Godwit on the lagoon at Meare Heath, 3 Black-necked Grebe still on Noah's Lake, and the Pied-billed Grebe was singing loudly, but not seen, at Ham Wall.
Apparently the bird was only visible from one position inside the house, so it is understandable that the owners didn't want to release the news until the bird had gone. It's disappointing for somerset birders to have had such a rare bird under our noses for so long, but at the same time it's a great reminder of what else there could be out there waiting to be discovered!
Of course, the bird could still be in the county in someone else's garden, so keep your eyes open. If you're not sure what to look for, heres a couple of not-very-good photos of them in Canada from a few years back.
The weather has caused a reduction in my birding effort on the Avalon Marshes over the last few days, with foggy mornings and rainy afternoons. A quick look this morning revealed 2 Redshank and 14 Black-tailed Godwit on the lagoon at Meare Heath, 3 Black-necked Grebe still on Noah's Lake, and the Pied-billed Grebe was singing loudly, but not seen, at Ham Wall.
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