whats the rarest bird you have ever seen in the uk (1 Viewer)

[tjbirdofprey]

whats your rarest bird you have ever seen in the uk is it a mega or just a local scarcity, is it your own blood sweat and tears found bird or a well reported rarity.Go on tell me you know you want to....

 

[bitterntwisted]

Welll the listers don't class it as rare, but with a latest global population estimate of only 15,000, Buff-breasted Sandpiper is really the rarest bird I've seen in the UK. It's unlikely that many of the UK megas are nearly as rare in a global context, which is the most important one.

Graham

 

[ian hamilton]

mine as to be bailons crake years ago which turned up on my town centre park lake it was so close you could reach out and touch it

 

[Farnboro John]

In UK terms, any of 20 or so firsts for Britain: in terms of surviving the next century or so as a species, odds on Black-browed Albatross anybody?

John

 

[Hotspur]

Globally i guess Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Balearic Shearwater from a British perspective Amur Falcon, Alder Flycatcher i think are my only 2 one and only records.

 

[mikfoz]

Corn Crake, though it's a distressingly long time ago.

 

[thommy_s]

Probably a flock of Glossy Ibis at Slimbridge.

 

[joshjenkinsshaw]

Green Heron on the Royal Military Canal, West Hythe, Kent on 8th November 2008 at aprox 10:30 am!!

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Brown flycatcher @ Flamboro', or Amur Falcon @ Tophill, don't know which would be classed as rarest... and they have both to be approved by the 12 just men.

 

[steve_zodiac]

A few years ago I found a Blacksmiths Plover feeding in a cow field at Horsey mere (Norfolk) at dusk. I wasn't sure what it was and it was very wary and fully winged. I phoned Birdnet, gave them a full description while watching it and described its distinctive call. They phoned me back and told me what it was and told me it was almost certainly an escape.
The bird was relocated a few days later in North Norfolk, then was never seen again. I had a look in Shorebirds and saw that the bird is restricted to land locked central Africa, so the chances of genuine vagrancy was highly unlikely (couldn't even claim ship assisted).

Apart from that probably the rarest was Black-faced Bunting (Leigh), or Oriental Pratincole (Gimmingham).

 

[draycotebirding]

I will stick to the same answer I had on a similar thread, The Pied-billed x Little Grebes at Stithian's reservoir 94 only 3 for the world:eek!: has it happened again since then?

Regards

John

 

[Surreybirder]

Yellow-throated vireo and red-breasted nuthatch must be strong contenders. I didn't realise buff-breasted sandpiper was so rare - I saw one of those once. (not much b,s and t involved, I'm afraid - I just happened to be in the area for all three). rarest I've found myself was probably whiskered tern.

 

[dantheman]

Apart from that probably the rarest was Black-faced Bunting (Leigh), or Oriental Pratincole (Gimmingham).

If it weren't for a certain flycatcher this autumn in Cornwall, they would probably be my two rarest as well, although I've got a funny feeling mine were different ones (somewhere in the midlands? 1st for britain, and N Norfolk, Burnham something). Could be wrong though??

So, Alder flycatcher and seeing a good Yelkouan Shearwater lookalike off St Ives. Well, I saw it. Whether it was one I guess we'll not be knowing.

Otherwise, a really rather undercooked chicken in the same time period whilst down in Cornwall is a strong contender.

 

[CJW]

Sociable Plover

 

[nickderry]

Never did do much twitching in Britain, though when good things turned up locally, I did beg my parents to take me - Black-throated Thrush, River Warbler and Dark-eyed Junco are perhaps my rarest UK birds. Rarest self-found was a Blue-winged Teal.

 

[david kelly]

Scottish Crossbill is probably the rarest bird I've seen in Britain, followed by Balearic Shearwater and Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

David

 

[jackied]

For me it is an Arctic Redpoll at Titchwell, Norfolk a few years back, there was
Mealy, Lesser and Arctic Redpoll all in the same tree. Second place would go to
Wilson's Phalarope at Upton Warren a couple of years back.
Jackie

 

[Conorbirda2]

Welll the listers don't class it as rare, but with a latest global population estimate of only 15,000, Buff-breasted Sandpiper is really the rarest bird I've seen in the UK. It's unlikely that many of the UK megas are nearly as rare in a global context, which is the most important one.

Graham

Apart from Sociable Plover maybe?

 

[tjbirdofprey]

wow these raritys make my mouth water only thinking about them,right thats it! my (really late)new year resolution is to find (at least)one big rarityo

 

[John P]

Long-billed Murrelet