Lindisfarne - August 31st 1997 (1 Viewer)

[John Fleet]

Bit left field this one, but we have some non-birder friends staying who were on Lindisfarne on this date- which just happens to be the day that Princess Diana died - which is how they recall the date.

Apparently they unwittingly fed a rarity that day - oblivious to all the 'twitchers' around them. They have no idea what the bird was and I wonder perhaps if anyone can recall what it might have been or have access to the Northumberland and North Tyneside Bird Club's 1997 edition which might help me !

 

[Gill Osborne]

Anyone? I'm intrigued now o I remember that day - was working in a pet shop at the Metro Centre and half the staff didn't come in because they were too upset :smoke:

Typically 1997 and 1998 are the two bird reports I don't have!!!! :smoke:

 

[Gill Osborne]

Nobody come up with the answer to this yet?

I've googled all manner of versions....rare bird 31st August 1997 etc etc but the closest I've found was the British Birds Rarities Committee website and pdf files of their Rarities Reports for individual years.

http://www.bbrc.org.uk/resources

I scrolled down the 1997 one and the closest I came to rare birds in Northumberland on THAT particularly memorable date were two birds...

Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, juvenile, 1st September (S.C.Votier)

Daurian Starling Sturnus sturninus
Ponteland, male, 26th August until 5th September. J.Alder; D.R.Shannon; E.Slack.


Anyone remember these? This 'puzzle' has been bugging me for weeks now.....we WILL find out what it was John

 

[John Fleet]

none of those sound close enough (geographically) to be strong candidates do they? - but thanks for trying Gill; we may yet come up with an answer!

 

[Gill Osborne]

I thought with the dates these two showed up on it they may have flown down from Lindisfarne overnight. Nothing in the Records on August 31st mentioned actually ON Lindisfarne (though a few good birds recorded earlier and later - typically!) :smoke:

We'll keep looking :t: