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Your Top Rarities of the decade gone by? (1 Viewer)

H

Himalaya

Well-known member
Just wondered what are members Top 10 Rarities of the decade gone by - from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2019. Has to be rarities and from one country although can have top 10 lists from different countries.

I need to think about what I have seen but my number is almost certainly:-

1. Baikal Teal at Marshside, Lancashire - December 2013 - 7th(?) British record and 1st for Lancashire.
 
Reflecting on the decade (and my main list which is a combined British & Irish list), ten accepted firsts seen for that area:-

16.02.11 - Slaty-backed Gull - Rainham Marshes, Greater London
12.03.11 - Stejneger's Scoter - Rossbeigh, County Kerry
18.06.11 - White-winged Scoter - Murcar, Aberdeenshire
22.09.15 - Acadian Flycatcher - Dungeness, Kent
26.10.15 - Chestnut Bunting* - Papa Westray, Orkney
13.05.16 - Dalmatian Pelican* - Trethewey, Cornwall
01.08.16 - Western Swamphen* - Minsmere, Suffolk
10.10.16 - Siberian Accentor* - Mossy Hill, Shetland
30.04.17 - Red-winged Blackbird* - North Ronaldsay, Orkney
14.10.17 - Eastern Orphean Warbler - St Agnes, Isles of Scilly

*pics

(Pending though unlikely to be accepted - 01.11.19 - Paddyfield Pipit - Sennen, Cornwall)

All the best

Paul
 

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That said, it is rarely the firsts that give most pleasure as there is something even more special about birds where you have either dipped previous records or reports or dwelt over accounts of previous sightings so only the Siberian Accentor makes a personal top ten of the decade with my favourites in descending order being:-

08.09.17 - American Redstart* - Barra, Outer Hebrides (first accepted record for thirty years having dipped a report in Ireland)
21.02.19 - Tengmalm's Owl - Bixter, Mainland Shetland (first accepted record for thirty years after various reports)
23.05.16 - Black-billed Cuckoo* - North Uist, Outer Hebrides (a twitchable record of a mythical species with two recent near misses after a twenty year gap)
30.09.16 - Eastern Kingbird* - Barra, Outer Hebrides (3rd record having dipped the first two records)
17.04.15 - Great Blue Heron - Bryher, Isles of Scilly (2nd record at second attempt having dipped the first)
10.10.16 - Siberian Accentor - Mossy Hill, Mainland Shetland (first record)
24.10.13 - Cape May Warbler* - Baltasound, Unst (second record after a gap of forty years)
16.10.18 - Gray Catbird - Treeve Common, Cornwall (3rd record having dipped the second)
23.05.15 - Moltoni's Warbler* - Fair Isle, Shetland (several records recently but previously dipped on Blakeney Point)
21.09.13 - Wilson's Warbler - Dursey Island, County Cork (2nd record after a gap of thirty years)

*pics

All the best

Paul
 

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Nutcracker

A bouncing White's Thrush in a Scottish valley was one of my top rarities of the 90's but the 90's were a very tough decade for a White's Thrush to break into a top ten. That decade would require some thought!

All the best
 
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Paul Chapman said:
That said, it is rarely the firsts that give most pleasure as there is something even more special about birds where you have either dipped previous records or reports or dwelt over accounts of previous sightings ...
Click to expand...

Know what you mean there - in similar vein, last month's Eastern Yellow Wag should have rated much higher than the White's Thrush, as it was rarer, and closer to home (easy cycling range!). Yet it just doesn't have the cachet that the White's Thrush does . . . o:)
 
Paul Chapman said:
Nutcracker

A bouncing White's Thrush in a Scottish valley was one of my top rarities of the 90's but the 90's were a very tough decade for a White's Thrush to break into a top ten. That decade would require some thought!

All the best
Click to expand...

Just a few off the top of my head.........

Yellow-browed Bunting
Blue-winged Warbler (Ireland)
Song Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Black-faced Bunting
Red-flanked Bluetail (first really twitchable mainland bird)
Cedar Waxwing (first accepted record)
Alpine Accentor
Lesser Sandplover
Sociable Plover
Oriental Pratincole.
White-throated Sparrow
Blue Rock Thrush
White's Thrush
Sibe Thrush
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift 'fousands of em'
Common Yellowthroat x 2
Red-throated Thrush
Black-throated Thrush

Several ducks in the 'Trent Valley flyway'
 
Last edited:
andyadcock said:
Just a few off the top of my head.........

Yellow-browed Bunting
Blue-winged Warbler (Ireland)
Song Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Black-faced Bunting
Red-flanked Bluetail (first really twitchable mainland bird)
Cedar Waxwing (first accepted record)
Alpine Accentor
Lesser Sandplover
Oriental Plover
Sociable Plover
White-throated Sparrow
Blue Rock Thrush
White' Thrush
Sibe Thrush
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift 'fousands of em'
Common Yellowthroat x 2
Red-throated Thrush
Black-throated Thrush

Several ducks in the 'Trent Valley flyway'
Click to expand...

You kept that one quiet ;)
 
I know its no longer considered the ultimate bird, but for me seeing a male Siberian Rubythroat on Shetland at Levenwick seemed like the best bird I had ever seen, and to some degree still does. Total stunner.

The Scousburgh Siberian Accentor ran it very close, but again although a gorgeous individual, I have to say the run of others throughout the UK undoubtedly took some of the specialness away for me. Still a cracking bird, don't get me wrong.

The Cornwall Yellow-Billed Cuckoo was lovely, as was the Common Nighthawk in Northern Ireland.

My personal highlight was the Forest of Bowland adult male Pallid Harrier, it epitomised birding at its best, so much so I went to see it 3 times - displaying, roller-coaster 30 feet above me, gliding down hillside, flushing and catching prey, perched up - it was simply a stunning bird and it is one I will never forget.
 
As far as my ABA list, probably my best birds of the decade were Ross's Gull, Roadside Hawk, White-throated Thrush, and Yellow-faced Grassquit. Although it never got accepted, the Rufous-collared Sparrow in Colorado was quite nice.

Internationally, hard to top Blakiston's Fish Owl.
 
Hard for me to do an International top 10 but contenders would be Shoebill, Harpy Eagle, Philippine Eagle, Gurney's Pitta, Whiskered Pitta, Rail Babbler, Pel's Fish Owl, Whitehead's Broadill, Red-collared Mountain Babbler, Red-chested Owlet........................................
 
Going back to the decennium just concluded, best 10 from the Netherlands in chronological order:

Northern Waterthrush (twitched from the UK)
Wallcreeper (twitched from the UK)
Long-tailed Shrike
Caspian Stonechat (even the Dutch don't count that as a species, but it was very pretty!)
American Robin
Lanceolated Warbler (acceptance pending)
Siberian Accentor (bird of the decennium)
Eastern Imperial Eagle
Eyebrowed Thrush
Grey-headed Lapwing

International best bird: the soon-to-be-lamented Stresemann's Bristlefront
 
Hmm
Slightly off piste as not all are what many would call rarities but here goes, and not necessarily in any particular order

Purple Swamp Hen - my only "first"
Spectacled Warbler Norfolk - singing Male point blank views
Great Knot - Norfolk summer plumage
Dusky thrush - Derbyshire
Blue Rock Thrush - Stow on the Wolds
Red breasted Flycatcher - Beachy head - Adult Male and a real little belter
King Eider - Ythan estuary (elvis) - adult male extreme close range
White Billed Diver -Lincs- views at less than 5m from bank
Eastern Black redstart - Durham- OK so not even a full species but an absolutely super little bird putting on a great show
Eastern Blue Headed Yellow Wagtail - Norfolk

There are many more memorable birds, some possibly rarer than those cited but this is just my personal favourites. Not particularly impressive I know but I only got back into birding properly about six years ago and do not have the time (or finances) to be gallivanting off to the Shetlands/Scillies or other far flung outposts of the UK at the drop of a hat
 
Mine is now going to look very Z list compared to some of these here. I have never really twitched further an hour from home so here goes:-


1. Baikal Teal on Ribble Marshes, Lancashire - December 2013 (Lifer and UK first)
2. Pied Billed Grebe at Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale, 2010 (Lifer and UK first)
3. Little Bustard in West Yorkshire - August 2019 (UK first)
4. Eastern Black Eared Wheatear, Lancashire - September 2019 (UK first)
5. Caspian Tern in West Pennines, Lancashire - June 2017 (UK first)
6. Laughing Gull at New Brighton, Cheshire - February 2015 (Lifer and UK first)
7. Stilt Sandpiper at Lunt Meadows Lancashire - May 2019 (Lifer and UK first)
8. Blyth's Reed Warbler in Greater Manchester - 2019 (Lifer and UK first)
9. Olive Backed Pipit at Spurn Yorkshire - October 2019
10. Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes Kent - July 2017
 
wolfbirder said:
I know its no longer considered the ultimate bird, but for me seeing a male Siberian Rubythroat on Shetland at Levenwick seemed like the best bird I had ever seen, and to some degree still does. Total stunner.

The Scousburgh Siberian Accentor ran it very close, but again although a gorgeous individual, I have to say the run of others throughout the UK undoubtedly took some of the specialness away for me. Still a cracking bird, don't get me wrong.

The Cornwall Yellow-Billed Cuckoo was lovely, as was the Common Nighthawk in Northern Ireland.

My personal highlight was the Forest of Bowland adult male Pallid Harrier, it epitomised birding at its best, so much so I went to see it 3 times - displaying, roller-coaster 30 feet above me, gliding down hillside, flushing and catching prey, perched up - it was simply a stunning bird and it is one I will never forget.
Click to expand...

Have to agree about the Pallid Harrier.
I went a few times as well.
Absolutely blew my socks off.
Seen several but this one was special.
A bird I will never forget.
 
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