Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Ardea ("heron" - named for mythical town of Ardea) purpurea ("purple coloured")

                                                  Purple Heron (subspecies A. p. purpurea) at Arrocampo, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Ardea purpurea purpurea

Weight: 0.5-1.35kg  /  Length: 88-94cm  /  Wingspan: 120-152cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The closest relation of the Grey Heron in Europe, the Purple Heron is however far more localised and secretive that it's grey cousin; a species of reed-beds found primarily in Mediterranean countries in Europe.  It is another widely distributed species however, found in addition to Southern Europe across India, South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.  This is one of those species where the name doesn't necessarily make that much sense when examined; while there is a sort of purple quality to it if you squint at it, the more general impression is one of a coppery-orange and grey.

Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Ardea
Subspecies: A. p. purpurea, A. p. bournei, A. p. madagascariensis, A. p. manilensis

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer Name: ក្រសាធ្នង់

A fairly common resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several at Prek Toal

SINGAPORE - A fairly common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen at  Bishan Park

SPAIN - Spanish - Garza Imperial - ("Imperial Heron")

Widespread but local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Navaseca (2 individuals flying into reeds), Arrocampo (numerous) and Rivas Vaciamadrid (2 birds)

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Tachymarptis ("fast siezer") melba (by Linnaeus - unknown origin)

                                                      Alpine Swift (T. m. melba) at Monfrague National Park, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Tachymarptis melba melba

Weight: 100g  /  Length: 20-23cm  /  Wingspan: 57cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Alpine Swift is a huge species of swift - the largest in the region, and unmistakable when seen around other swifts and hirundines due to the size alone.  As with all swifts, they are incredibly highly engineered specialists at flight, being able to stay on the wing continuously for up to seven months at a time, including drinking, feeding and sleeping in flight. They generally breed in high mountain ranges, however there are exceptions, including the large bridge at the Monfrague national park where I saw them.  Swifts are generally the hardest ground of birds to photograph proportionate to how easy they are to see, but the large size and distinctive white chest of the Alpine Swift does as least make it a bit easier to some sort of recognisable photo - this one was only my second attempt, and probably just as good as any photo I have managed with Common Swift.

Related Species:

Order: Apodiformes

Family: Apodidae

Genus: Tachymarptis

Subspecies: T. m. melba, T. m. archeri, T. m. maximus, T. m. africanus, T. m. marjoriae, T. m. willsi, T. m. bakeri

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant.

 - One seen fleetingly at Bempton Cliffs in April 2022.

SPAIN - Spanish - Vencejo Reál - ("Royal Swift")

Scarce and Local Summer Migrant

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Monfrague (2 adults in flight)

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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European Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis rufula)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Cecropis ("Athenian woman") rufula ("rufous")

                                            Adult Red-rumped Swallow (subspecies C. r. rufula) at Patones, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: Cecropis daurica rufula

Weight: 24g  /  Length: 16-18cm  /  Wingspan: 33cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern  

The Red-rumped swallow is largest hirundines found in Europe, being longer than Barn Swallows.  They are however a bit more limited in habitat and smaller in range - it is less colonial than Barn Swallows and seems to prefer rock faces to buildings, and has a differing nest construction.  Although known as the Red-rumped swallow, this name is a bit misleading - it's colouring is more orange than red and the face is more noticeably coloured than the rump.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirunidinidae
Genus: Cecropis
Subspecies: C. d. daurica, C. d. japonica, C. d. nipalensis, C. d. erythropygia, C. d. rufula, C. d. domicella, C. d. domicella, C. d. kumboensis, C. d. emini, C. d. melanocrissus

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Golondrina dáurica ("Daurian Swallow")

Locally common Summer migrant.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Several seen at Patones and Toledo
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen at El Pardo  and near the entrance to Monfrague

ITALY - Italian - Rondine rossiccia ("Reddish swallow")

A Summer visitor

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP - A few seen at Capo Murro di Porco 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Circus ("named for circling flight") pygargus ("white rump")

Adult male Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) on farmland near Madrid, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 230-440g  /  Length: 43-47cm  /  Wingspan: 105-120cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

  Named after the naturalist George Montagu, this is the smallest of the three main harrier species found in the UK, but more notable perhaps is its rarity. Montagu's Harrier is arguably the most difficult raptor species to see in the UK; only a handful of pairs nest here each year, and due to it's rarity (and thus desirability for egg collectors) all those sites are kept secret from the public.  This means that unless you are in the know, you would have to catch one of the handful of birds on migration - not an easy task.  I chose an easier option, looking for them in Spain where the climate and habitat is much more suitable for this bird, and so they are much more numerous.  On the tour with Luis Sitges, several were spotted throughout the morning, quartering the fields fairly prominently, though always at a fair distance.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Circus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Aguilucho cenizo ("Ashen Harrier")

Fairly common Summer migrant.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Several seen on farmland near Madrid
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen from a moving vehicle in both Extremadura and Castille-La-Mancha

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Chrysolophus ("with golden crest") amherstiae (named for Sarah Countess Amherst)

Alex Holt · Lady Amherst's Pheasant - Calling Male

       Call of Adult Male Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrsyolophus amherstiae) at Lidlington, Bedfordshire - April 2015 (second call in recording)

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 675-850g  /  Length: 66-173cm  /  Wingspan: 70-85cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Lady Amherst's Pheasant is at this point probably the rarest bird in Britain, and though some would dismiss it as an introduced bird and thus not worthy of concern, for me the history and beauty of this species were enough to track down what is probably the last of its kind in the country.  Named after the wife of a Governor of Bengal and introduced to Britain in around 1890, the population did reasonably well for itself peaking in the 70s and 80s at around 250 birds, but for various reasons (some I've seen credited include changing habitat, being killed by foxes and being killed by gamekeepers) the species declined, and now this bird is quite possibly the last of it's kind.

Even knowing where it was though, actually seeing the thing is not easy - despite it's vibrant colours it is a skulker in deep undergrowth.  I tried on two separate days to get a photo, and although I heard it a lot (see the recording, rather than photo above) and caught a glimpse of it for fractionally too short a time to turn my camera on as it crossed the ride shown in the photo, but no photograph.  Ultimately, though sitting on a path in a wood isn't exactly my ideal kind of birding, for a bird as beautiful as the Lady Amherst's Pheasant that will probably be soon lost to this country, I think it was probably worth it.  I may make an attempt to photograph it again, but possibly only if it is still around by Winter.

Related Species:
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianinae
Genus: Chrysolophus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Previously established feral population, now believed extinct in UK

 - The last bird seen and heard in 2015, and most recently, heard only in April 2016 at Lidlington. .

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)

OTHER NAMES: White-Tailed Sea Eagle, Erne

Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("Sea Eagle") albicilla ("white tail")

Adult White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) from Akan Crane Centre, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 3-7kg  /  Length: 70-90cm  /  Wingspan: 1.78-2.45m

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The largest of all raptors found in the UK, I must admit somewhat cheating and finally caught up with this species on the other side of the world in Hokkaido.  This was however, not my first attempt to see this species - several years ago I spend a day walking round a field near Basingstoke of all places looking for a vagrant bird that had been staying there for a while (just my luck, after being there for a while I arrived the day it left).  In Britain this species went extinct early in the 20th Century and was only restored later by a reintroduction program in 1975 on the Isle of Rum in Scotland and has subsequently expanded its range.  Seeing it in Hokkaido as an affix to a trip to Tokyo is actually probably easier and cheaper than seeing them as a trip in the UK - I saw these eagles on over half the days we were in Hokkaido, though unfortunately the closest views of down to 10m were through dusty windows on a moving train in the mist - hardly ideal for photographs!

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Subspecies: None - Monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - オジロワシ  /  O-jiro washi  ("White-tailed Eagle")  ///   Ainu - Onneu ("Old and Large One")

Locally fairly common resident to Hokkaido.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Seen from various locations including Akan Crane Centre, Akkeshi and Kushiro Airport in early December.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto  .

Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Porzana (species specific name) porzana (species specific)

Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) at Birstall Meadows, Leicestershire - August 2012

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 57-147g  /  Length: 19-22.5cm  /  Wingspan: 37-42cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Spotted Crakes, unfortunately for the prospective viewer, fall squarely in the middle of the category of birds that are both very rare and very secretive.  Reed-bed species are generally among the most frustrating anyway because they can be feet away from you and you'd never know they are there, but spotted crakes are also by far the rarest of the rails in the UK.  There are only about 70 breeding males in the UK and the number only rises by about 50 in Winter.  While, they have similar habits to Water Rails, if anything my impression was slightly more secretive.  In this particular case the starling sized bird was on the opposite side of a field which obviously does not make it a very good photography subject.  However, if you do get to see one better than these photos (which I did thanks to the kind gentleman who lent me the use of his telescope), they are a rather endearing and pleasantly patterned little bird.  Several years later, I believe I saw a second bird briefly at Oare Marshes in Kent (and it fits with a widely reported showy bird that appeared there a few weeks later) but it wasn't a clear enough view for me to be happy counting it, and I didn't get a photo.

Related Species:
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Porzana
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Very rare breeding species (80 males) and vagrant

 - One vagrant bird seen at Birstall Meadows in 2012

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

OTHER NAMES: Bonaparte's Sandpiper

Latin Etymology: Calidris (grey waterbird mentioned by Aristotle) fuscicollis ("dusky/brown")

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - September 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 42g  /  Length: 17-20cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: 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 traveled to get here!

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant from North America.

 - A single bird seen at Rutland Water in October 2011, another at Frampton Marshes in September 2023.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .