Quick, there it is! There! On the mossy log! Rufous-tailed Robin! Too late, it's gone - you’ve missed it!

Rufous-tailed Robin as not seen at Flamborough because this bird was photographed in Thailand

DETERMINED birders are expected to continue wending their way to the Yorkshire Coast this weekend - but perhaps more in hope than expectation.

Their destination will be a well-wooded mini-ravine at South Landing in Flamborough where they will be all eagerness to catch sight (and perhaps photograph) of a super-rare (and even more super-elusive) Rufous-tailed Robin.

The bird, which is unrelated to our larger native Robin, has evidently been blown to Britain from its Russia-to-China autumn migration route. 

Up to 1000 enthusiasts - some from overseas - have already made the trip to Flamborough, and maybe less than half that  number have actually glimpsed the tiny charmer.

Some have waited hours, even a whole day or longer, only to experience the awful hollowness of missing out - the dreaded 'dip'.

Not only has 'Rufus' proved extremely secretive, mostly feeding out of sight in undergrowth, but the viewing options have been challenging, with one visiting Lincolnshire birder likening the experience to being a spectator on a Football League club terrace of yesteryear.

When the bird has shown, invariably on an exposed mossy log, it has sometimes been out of the sight of those birders located either at the wrong end of the 'terrace’ or at the back of it.

Where snaps have been achieved, they have mostly  have been of indifferent quality, one notable exception being the one clicked  by former Nottingham quantity surveyor David Carr, now a frontline birder who spends much of his time travelling the country to photograph rare birds.

David was magnanimous enough to post his shot on X with the accompanying comment: "The Rufous-tailed Robin finally gave itself up this afternoon at Flamborough. 

"It took me three days to see it but it was worth the effort...."

Gotcha! Patience paid off for David when he snapped the well-camouflaged Yorkshire bird 

There have only been four previous records of this species - and one of them was a dead bird picked up on the island of North Ronaldsay in the  Orkneys on October 2, 2010.

The others, according to Birding Information Services, were:

* October 23, 2004: Fair Isle, Shetland

* October 14, 2011: Warham Green, Norfolk

* October 6, 2019: Fetlar, Shetlands

Rewind to that 2004 bird which was first spotted by Fair Isle observatory director Mike Wood who then  alerted warden Deryk Shaw who subsequently recounted the experience in comprehensive, graphic  and enthralling detail in the May 2006 edition of British Birds magazine.

Before the identification was confirmed  - the bird first having been netted and ringed - it was first variously theorised by Mike, Deryk and a handful of other birders that it could have been a juvenile Robin, a Veery or a Hermit Thrush.

But when the reality emerged . . . cheers of elation" 

Wrote Deryk: "The next few  moments will live with all of us forever - a feeling of relief, then stunned shock as the realisation sank in that it really, truly was a Rufous-tailed Robin."

What of this week's Flamborough bird? Today it was showing relatively frequently - more so than on the previous two days.

But a storm has blown in. Will it still be with us for the weekend?

Time will tell. . . 

                                              

How, two decades ago, British Birds  journal reported Britain's first record of the species  

It was not long before crowds of twitchers arrived 

All eyes were on this log - favourite perching point of the vagrant

* Top picture: JJ Harrison via Wikimedia Commons 

Enchanting Grey-headed Wagtail and Lapwing paintings due to go under hammer at November auction

                                    

Grey-head Wagtail - scarce sub-species of Yellow Wagtail

TWO signed  bird paintings by John Cyril Harrison (1898-1985) are due go under the hammer as a single Lot at a sale to be conducted on November 14  by auction house Tennants at their saleroom on Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

One (21.5cm x 13) depicts a Grey-headed Wagtail; the other (21.5cm x 14.5cm)  shows two Northern Lapwings  

Both are described as being "pencil and water heightened by white".

A prolific artist, Harrison was born in Wiltshire but painted most of his studies during the many years he was living in Norfolk.

The pre-sale estimate is that the hammer will fall at between £200 and £300 on the Lot which is number 1025.

                                              

Lapwings in familiar wetland habitat

RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight raps Government over Jackdaw gas field go-ahead

                                          

Let the gas flow - the Jackdaw rig (photo:Adura)

THE chief executive of the RSPB, Beccy Speight, has spoken out against this week's announcement that the Government has approved further extraction of gas from the Jackdaw rig in the North Sea.

Says she: "Drilling in Jackdaw will have no meaningful impact on the UK’s energy security or household bills, whereas expanding fossil fuel extraction of any kind will risk deepening the pressures facing species and habitats across the UK from the growing impacts of climate change. 

"Our changing climate is already shifting the spaces birds can live in.

"Many are finding their food supply is no longer available at the right time to feed their chicks. 

"Extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, is also impacting breeding success and survival. 

"In a worst-case scenario of high carbon emission levels, some seabird species in the UK, which are particularly vulnerable, are estimated to decline by more than 70per cent by 2050."

                                              

Beccy Speight - furious with the decision

Ms Speight goes on to urge the Government not to approve drilling at the much larger  Rosebank oil and gas field which is also in the North Sea.

"The Government must not make the same mistake again," she says. "It should not be approving either Jackdaw or Rosebank. 

"Instead, its focus must be on rapidly cutting emissions, scaling up clean renewable energy and restoring our peatlands and other carbon-rich habitats that are essential for both climate and nature's recovery." 

How come the Isabelline Wheatear and Isabelline Shrike were so named? Birder-writer Stephen Moss has the answer

                               

Isabelline Wheatear - scarce autumn visitor to Britain

THE recent arrival of relatively rare Isabelline Wheatears on the Spurn peninsula in Yorkshire, Donna Nook in Lincolnshire and probably elsewhere has prompted speculation about how it (and the Isabelline Shrike and Isabelline Bush-hen) might have become so named.

In his book, Mrs Moreau's Warbler - How Birds Got Their Names, Stephen Moss acknowledges the theory that somehow it might be associated with 16th Century Queen Isabella of Castile, but is unpersuaded.

He writes: "Isabelline is more likely to be a corruption of the Italian word, zibellino.

"This name was given to a pelt of an animal, such as a sable, worn as a fashion accessory by wealthy women of the time.

"It may originally derive from an Arabic word meaning 'lion' and therefore mean 'lion-coloured'."  

* Photo: Shino Jacob Kootand via Wikimedia Commons

Spotted Sandpipers are now seldom seen in Britain but Victorian stuffed specimens set to go under hammer

                                                               

The Spotted Sandpipers are thought to be the birds third and fourth from left

 

GIVEN that the species is seldom seen in Britain, it is curious that  Spotted Sandpiper  is among the wading species included (Lot 30) in a specialist taxidermy sale to be held at 10.30 am on November 11  

At what location and on what date were they detected before they met their demise - presumably by gun or trap? 

The catalogue note states: 

A late-Victorian cased display of Sandpipers, circa 1880-1900, by C.H. Gowland, Naturalist, "Tadorna,", Barnston, Wirral, a high-quality display of eight various full-mount adult Sandpipers.

Species to include Purple, Spotted, Common, Wood, and Curlew-, all mounted upon soil and grass covered groundwork, set against a watercolour painted backdrop, enclosed within a typical period pine framed three-glass display case, 82cm by 19.5cm by 33cm, data labels visible within the groundwork.

Taxidermist's full paper trade label to verso.

According to Tennants auction house of Leyburn, North Yorkshire, the hammer is expected to fall at between £180 and £280.

RSPB offers 'fantastic' job opportunity' to study Ring Ouzels - but applicants need to be well-qualified

                                     

'Charismatic' - a male Ring Ouzel

THE RSPB is recruiting for what it describes as a 'fantastic opportunity' to lead research  on Britain's Ring Ouzels.

The salary for the fixed term position is in the range £40,381 - £43,113, with applications closing on Thursday of this week, October 22.

Says the job description: "We are seeking a conservation scientist to head up  research on the Ring Ouzel, a charismatic but declining species of upland and montane areas.

The project aims to:

* Understanding habitat use on breeding, migration and wintering areas

* Assess threats faced and migratory connectivity between breeding populations. 

* Deployment the use of satellite tags on  breeding birds.

"Once this has been done, there will be a requirement to interpret the data and produce a report outlining options for a  recovery strategy

"The role location is flexible within the UK although the postholder must be able to undertake regular visits to northern England during the field season, plus occasional travel to attend events with some overnight stays. 

"The role will be home based with access to an RSPB office."

But the post is not for beginners. Essential skills, knowledge and experience are listed as follows:

• Scientific research experience (completed a PhD or managed equivalent project/s)

• Collaborative working - ability to build effective, respectful collaborations with colleagues, partners and funders.

• Digital and analytical skills - ability to use Microsoft Office, GIS/remote sensing tools (e.g. QGIS or ArcGIS) and R or equivalent statistical software to manage, analyse and present data.

• Advanced statistical analysis - experience working with complex datasets, ideally including movement or tracking data.

• Project and time management - ability to plan, organise and deliver work independently, balancing multiple priorities.

• Lead the publication of research in peer-reviewed journals

• Communication and presentation - ability to present research clearly to internal and external audiences.

• Fieldwork skills - experience working safely and effectively in challenging terrain, ideally upland environments, including nest finding (preferably songbirds) and monitoring nest, chick and adult survival.

• Bird handling - experience handling birds; ideally holding a BTO or equivalent ringing permit, with preference for experience with Ring Ouzel adults and nestlings, mist-netting, and deploying tracking devices.

• Upland ecology knowledge - understanding of UK upland habitats, species, land-use systems and interventions that support nature recovery.

• Supervision - experience supervising or supporting field staff.

• Driving licence - a full UK driving licence (or equivalent that permits driving in the UK).

The post runs from January 2027 to March 2029, dependent on confirmation of external funding.

For further information about the role contact david.douglas@rspb.org.uk

Along with other migratory thrush species such as Fieldfares, Ring Ouzels are regularly to be seen in horse paddocks in spring  

This book by Vic Farebrother and Ken Hutchinson is a useful introduction to the species which incidentally is the favourite of frontline birder David Lindo (the 'Urban Birder') 

                                                  

Auction house expects bids of up to £18,000 for striking study of parrot and insect in fruit tree

 

There has been one bid (of £9,000) so far for this study of an unspecified parrot and insect in a fruit tree by an unknown  17th Century Florentine artist. However, the pre-sale estimate of Christie's is that the hammer will fall at somewhere between  £12,000 and £18,000. The full picture comes in an ornate  giltwood frame (added later) plus another insect and ornamental flowers. The fact that the peaches (?) are ripe suggests this is a later-summer scene, but the flowers look more like those associated with spring. The online auction closes on October 28.