Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Ditchford
BirdGuides Rating: Local/Scarce
UK AMBER LIST

Along with the Glaucous Gull, the Iceland Gull is one of the two species that turn up in the UK having spent the summer in the arctic.  It only turns up in fairly small numbers, on average probably less than 100 are present at any one time.  The key identification feature to pick out either of the Arctic Gulls is the lack on any black anywhere on them - including at the tops of the wing.  Like Glaucous, a juvenile will be a biscuity sort of colour all over, a second winter almost pure white (as seen above) and an adult then gains a pale grey back.  Unlike the Glaucous which is huge with a brutish appearance, the proportions of Iceland Gull make it look gentle - along the lines of a Common Gull, but bigger.  Iceland Gulls are best searched for in large gull roosts - often near landfill sites where they commute to feed, during the Winter.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Eyebrook Reservoir
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce
NO UK STATUS

The Green-winged Teal is the North American equivelant of our Eurasian Teal, and for the most part looks incredibly similar.  It is one of the more regular American vagrants, and so can compared to many, be picked up fairly easily if you happen to catch a report of one.  It is however, superficially very similar to the European species, and the feature to look out for is that vertical white stripe below it's shoulder, and a lack of a white stripe running along the wing. 

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)

Photo Grade: Good
Rating: RARE
Locations Spotted: Chatham
BirdGuides Rating: Local
UK GREEN LIST

The long-tailed duck is one of the UKs four specialist sea-ducks, and is one of the harder to see.  Unlike Eiders and Common Scoters it does not breed in this country, but Winters here from further north.  From the picture here, you may be wondering about the name, as the there isn't a great deal noticable abotu the tail, but, in summer it will gain a spectacularly long upwards curving tail practically the length of the duck again, plus a more striking sharp black and white plummage.  A winter bird, like this one, has got significantly more drab plummage and so isn't quite so impressive.  This specific individual was a bit of an oddity - they are normally found only in flocks from Norhtumbria upwards, while this individual was alone in a harbour in Kent and had been for months - presumably it had got separated from other birds and blown off course - but as it had apparently been there for months, at least it appeared to have settled to life there and was probably far more tolerant of humans than normal.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Clangula

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: RARE
Locations Spotted: Rutland Water
BirdGuides Rating: Local
UK AMBER LIST

The smallest of the three swans that are found in the UK, the Bewick's Swan is still a rather substantial bird.  Unlike the resident Mute Swan familiar to everyone, the other two species are purely Winter visitors, and are generally found at only a few sites where they congregate in very big numbers.  However, because they are migrants they can in theory turn up on any body of water big enough to support them.  Both migrant swans have yellow and black beaks rather than orange/black - the Bewick's can be differentiated by the yellow forming a round shape rather than a wedge as in the Whooper swan, and of course, the smaller size.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Cygnus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: RARELocations Spotted: Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce
UK GREEN LIST
Cetti's warbler is one of the most recent colonists to the UK - only establishing itself in 1973 - it is a reedbed dweller, and even compared to our other reedbed dwelling species can be a pain to catch more than a fleeting glance.  Unlike our other reedbed species however, it remains in the UK during the winter.  Actually getting a positive identification on this species can be a pain, and you are much more likely to hear one than see one - but, if you look in the Winter when it'll be the only warbler in the reeds you might just strike lucky.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cettidae
Genus: Cettia

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Ditchford Gravelpits
BirdGuides Rating: Local/Scarce
UK AMBER LIST

The glaucous gull is a huge gull, being the only UK species to rival the Great Black Backed for size.   It, along with the iceland gull aren't resident, but turn up in small numbers each winter across the country, often mixed in with flocks of other gulls.  It is possibly most often the first and second years which turn up, and the key identification features, along with the huge size, are the uniform "milky tea" colouration without any black on the wingtips.  Due to their scarcity, you will probably require a fair bit of luck to find one of your own, so, like me, it's probably best to follow reports (and even then there might well be a substantial bit of searching through more common gulls involved...)

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Short-Eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

Photo Grade: Good
Rating: RARE
Locations Spotted: Harrington Airfield, Rutland Water
BirdGuides Rating: Local
UK AMBER LIST

The Short-Eared Owl is perhaps one of the most visually striking UK owls, with its large yellow eyes.  Found on moorland for much of the year, it migrates south to more hospitible climes during the Winter where it may form roosts of multiple individuals, sometimes mixed with Long Earred Owls.  Unlike most owls, it is primarily a daylight flying bird, thus making it theoretically easier to see than all other species, it is however conversely more localised than Barn, Tawny or Little, so you actually need a reliable site to find them. 

Related Species:
Order:  Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Asio

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: UK: VERY RARE Spain: ELUSIVE
Locations Spotted: Seville
BirdGuides Rating: Mega (UK)

The Lesser Kestrel is the other kestrel of Europe, and in many ways its a very different sort of bird despite the similar appearances.  Visually the females of both species are almost identical, but in the males there is a distinct lack of markings over the same base colours than differentiates the two, as well as blue-grey on the wings. Unusually, the Lesser Kestrel is a communal falcon, and is also migratory, although the ones in Seville are at least partially resident.

Related Species:
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: Spain: COMMON, UK: VERY RARE/ABSENT
Locations Spotted: Seville, Italica
BirdGuides Rating: Mega (UK)

The Spotless Starling replaces the common starling in the Iberian penninsula and some of the surrounding region.  It is, however joined in Winter by migrating common starlings.  It is as the name suggests, similar to the common starling, but lacking spots - it has a slightly oily sheen to it's plumage which is an identification feature. 

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Sturnus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: ELUSIVE (Spain) ABSENT (UK)
Locations Spotted: El Rocio
BirdGuides Rating: NO RATING (UK)

The Common Waxbill is not native to Europe, but is rather an escapee that has established itself in Spain.  The name of the waxbill family apparently coems from the red beak - the colour of sealing wax is red.  I saw a small flock briefly in El Rocio, but they are apparently even present in Seville itself, and presumably even other parts of the country too.  It is one of the world's most popular cage birds which is presumably why they have managed to establish themselves.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Estrilda

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)

Photo Grade: Good
Rating: UK: VERY RARE/ABSENT, Spain: COMMON
Locations Spotted: El Rocio, Seville
BirdGuides Rating: Mega (UK)
The Zitting Cisticola is also known as the Fan-Tailed Warbler, and indeed, this was it's only name until recently renmaed so as to avoid confusion with an American species of the same name.  It is now named to match up with the other cisticola species.  I encountered them twice of my trip so I presume they are at least moderatly common there - they seemed to prefer to hide in longer vegetation and briefly peak out.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Cisticola

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Photo Grade: Good
Rating: Spain: COMMON, UK: VERY RARE/ABSENT
Locations Spotted: Seville, Italica
BirdGuides Rating: Mega (UK)

The crested lark is a lark found widely throughout most of mainland Europe, but is absent from the British Isles. In Southern Spain at least it is fairly widepsread, found on open ground, both in the countryside, or even, in this case, in the middle of cities - this particular individual was in the middle of Seville city centre alongside the canal.  They get their name from their crest, which when reaised is far more striking than the Skylark. 

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Galerida

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: UK: VERY RARE, Spain: ELUSIVE
Locations Spotted: Italica (Spain)
BirdGuides Rating: Rare

A rather striking little warbler, which looks kind of like a strange mix of a whitethroat and a dartford warbler, the female havign the colouration of the former, with a long tail and red eye making it more remeniscent of the Dartford. The red ring around the eye is the main diagnostic feature, and this species will tend to fly up onto a perch before quickly divind back into cover.  The male has a black head and a grey body, as opposed to the pictured dark grey and brown.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sylviidae
Genus: Sylvia

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: SPAIN: RARE  UK: VERY RARE/ABSENT
Locations Spotted: El Rocio
BirdGuides Rating: Common* (This is very misleading - this is due to there being a small number of escapee Flamingos in the UK, which of course serious bird watchers wouldn't count.  A genuine wild flamingo would certainly be much higher)

Flamingos are perhaps one of the most famous bird groups in the world, their pink colouration being the main reasons I suspect.  The Greater Flamingo is probably the most easily found species in Europe, although it is by no means common, being limited to a few areas such as the Camargue in France, and the Donana National Park in Southern Spain, where I encountered them.  They are huge birds, dwarfing even the massive White Storks that were feeding alongside them.  Despite their fame, these fellows were really more white than pink.  They are an incredibly long lived species - the oldest currently known is 70 years and counting.

Related Species:
Order: Phoenicopteriformes
Family: Phoenicopteridae
Genus: Phoenicopterus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: ELUSIVE (Spain) VERY RARE (UK)
Locations Spotted: El Rocio (Spain)
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce (UK)
A huge bird only really found as a vagrant in the UK.  White Storks are the commoner of the two European Storks and are practically unmistakable at any sort of range.  They often nest in large trees, ontop of buildings or on poles in huge nests, often in colonies.  Much bigger than a heron, it holds its neck out straight when flying.  The red beak and legs and white and black body are characteristic.  Throughout much of Europe it is migratatory, leaving in Winter, but is resident in Donana.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciiconidae
Genus: Ciconia

Further Notes: RSPB , Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Photo Grade: Good
Rating: (Spain) COMMON (UK: VERY RARE)
Locations Spotted: El Rocio (Spain), Italica (Spain)
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce (UK Rating, so not applicable)The Cattle Egret is really a fringe species to the UK list - it could potentially begin proper colonization in the next few years, if indeed it hasn't done already, but currently it could go either way.  It can be differentiated from the little egret by the yellow bill and from the great white egret by the smaller size and stockier body.  In Spain it is far far more common, and can be found in wetland, or on fields with cattle or horses.

Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Bubulcus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Rutland Water
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce
NO UK STATUS (Globally "Least Concern")

Another North American vagrant species, they nest on the Northern Tundra of Canada and Alaska, and then Winter in northern South America. It is considered scarce in the UK and in all liklihood, you'll probably only find one if it's pointed out to you as it looks very much like a dunlin. It is however, slightly smaller, with a shorter, straighter beak and most tellingly very long wings which extend past the end of its tail when walking. Not necessarily the most visually stunning species in the world, but still incredibly impressive when you consider what a harsh environment this tiny fellow normally lives in and how far he's travelled to get here!

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris

Further Notes: RSPB (N/A), Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

American Wigeon (Anas americana)

Photo Grade: Poor
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Rutland Water
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce
NO UK STATUS (Globally - "Least Concern")

The American Wigeon is as the name suggests, the North American equivelant of the Eurasian Wigeon. The male is a fairly attractive bird with a yellow head with a striking green mask which covers each eye and runs down the back of the neck. I did infact get some nice views of this through the telescopes of some generous people in the same hide, but unfortunatly, something startled all the birds into flying off and I only managed to take this single photo of it as it flew off, which I had to get expert help to pick out which bird it was. Apparently, the diagnostic features which allowed it to be picked out are "large amount of white on the upperwing" and "extensive pinkish/purplish colour on the rear flank". Massive thanks to the people on Birdforum who helped me find the bird in the photo, and the people in the hide at Rutland who showed me it through their scopes!

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas

Further Notes: RSPB (N/A), Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!

Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus)

(Bottom Left and Top Right, Bottom Right is a Black Headed Gull)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: RARE
Locations Spotted: Gravesend
BirdGuides Rating: Local
UK AMBER LIST

This species is perhaps most notable for being the smallest gull in the world, and so of course, bt default, also in the UK. It is a fairly rare species that probably requires luck to find - although birds do Winter they are mainly seen on passage. They often associate with Black Headed Gulls, and they can be picked out by their size (which is not necessarily obvious in flight), short black beak and flittering flight where they will continously swoop down and dabble their feet in the water. Keep an eye on flocks of BH Gulls during migration times for a best bet.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Hydrocoloeus

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides

Read more!

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Photo Grade: Medium
Rating: VERY RARE
Locations Spotted: Pitsford
BirdGuides Rating: Scarce

The Pectoral Sandpiper is a bit on an unusual appearance on this list in that it is actually primarily an American species, and is not established in Europe. It has apparently bred once or twice, but these birds have reached the UK by accident rather than design - that being said, it is arguably one of the most common American vagrants to the point where it is annual. Care must be taken to differentiate it from Dunlin - the key feature being the clean cut line on the chest where the markings stop and go to white. It is generally juveniles which turn up here, and because they can literally arrive anywhere, it is almost certainly easier to follow reports from other people rather than to go off to try and find your own.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris

Further Notes: RSPB, Wikipedia, BirdGuides Read more!