Well that wasn't the plan ... twelve days Covid positive and isolating in a bedroom. I missed a couple of weekend's birding and a long weekend with Kev and Karen in Northumberland birding.
To say I was looking forward to a Saturday out was an understatement, so chatting with Kev @kev07713 on Friday evening it was good to come up with a plan (and for him to agree) to go back to Finningley so that I could tick the long-staying black-winged pratincole - reported back on 20th June at Idle Valley NR in Nottinghamshire, then seemingly fly catching over Huxterwell marsh before leaving northwest from YWT Potteric Carr on 29th June, and later in the day relocated at Finningley, Notts.
The black-winged pratincole is a rare visitor to the UK, a vagrant with one or a handful of records a year, being typically found in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where it breeds in steppes and semi-deserts. However, some individuals occasionally stray far from their usual range and can be spotted here.
It has a brownish-grey upper body with a distinctive black underwing, which gives the bird its name. The belly is white, and there is a noticeable dark trailing edge to the wings. It is known for its agile flight, capturing insects mid-air, resembling the flight patterns of swallows or swifts.
Globally, the black-winged pratincole is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and degradation in its breeding and wintering grounds. The rare occurrences in the UK do not significantly impact the species' conservation status but highlight the importance of suitable habitats and the challenges faced by migratory birds.
We stopped for breakfast on the way ,and noted an update that our bird had been reported at 06.19am but had flown high and away with a flock of lapwings ... they'll be back Kev assured me. We arrived and parked along Croft Road, stopping to view the pools from a clearing in the hedge, overlooking the pools where sighting had been reported. We could see that there were numbers of lapwing, and it was under 10 minutes before an update reported our bird was being seen from just a few hundred yards down the track. Off we went.
We arrived at the gated access to the pools and opposite the sewage works, across the county line in Yorkshire - for the last couple of weeks it has been further down the track in Notts. Kev joked that he now had this bird or both his Notts and Yorkshire lists as it flew up and flushed with lapwings, giving an extended view as it spun back and forward across the water. A life tick for me!
When foraging, the black-winged pratincole often flies low over the ground or water, making quick, erratic movements as it chases and catches insects, behaviour similar to that of swallows or swifts. The wings are long and pointed, and the underwings have dark trailing edges are visible during flight, making identification easier.
Wing beats are rapid and shallow, but can also switch to deeper, more powerful wing beats when gaining altitude or flying against the wind. It relies on its quick reflexes and excellent manoeuvrability to capture prey while in flight.
The pratincole would often return to a spit and scurry into the grass and scrub as it landed, usually just in view. Extended flights were limited to every hour but there would be occasional relocating 'hops'. Photos remained distant but at least the bird was closer than when Kev was here last, and there was less in the way of heat haze - better views all round.
After a couple of hours and three extended flights, we decided that we'd move on and as we were only half an hour from Welbeck Raptor Point, we made for there - perhaps a couple of weeks early before "peak" honey buzzard action.
Honey buzzards typically arrive in Britain from early May and remain until September. However, their presence is most easily confirmed in July and August, when both breeding and non-breeding birds are highly active above their woodland habitats. During this period, birders can frequently witness distinctive wing-clapping displays and food-carrying flights. The peak of aerial activity for breeding honey buzzards occurs between July 20th and August 20th. From around August 20th to September 10th, fledged juveniles become more visible, often seen flying above the forest canopy, with the exact timing depending on when the breeding attempts began.
The best time to observe these birds is between 09.00am and 4.00pm on sunny, breezy days. However, breeding birds remain active even in cloudy or rainy weather. Honey buzzards are known to cover extensive areas during their flights, often venturing three to four miles or more from their nesting sites. This wide-ranging activity above occupied woodlands makes it easier for birdwatchers to spot them during the peak summer months.
We set up our scopes and scanned seeing first red kites, then hobby, kestrel and common buzzards. Swifts, sand martins, house martins and swifts cut across the crops and skies, with pairs of ravens passing through. Numbers of greylag and Canada geese rotated between the water, the shore, and back to the water.
We watched each appearance of a raptor and identified each in turn. After a couple of hours, we saw what appeared to be a paler bird and excitedly hoped it to be a honey buzzard - it dropped from view unidentified. A while later, a kestrel flew through and seemed to flush a buzzard out from the trees - again, very pale and interesting. I took some photos but while they were inconclusive, they showed enough to suggest it was a pale morph common buzzard rather than our quarry.
We waited and waited but didn't find anything more to question and just enjoyed the hirundines, and a pair of red-legged partridge.
We wrapped up an enjoyable day and set off for home.
Year list: 219.
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