CLEVELAND BLOCKERS
I enjoy reading Ian's updates on the next new bird for Cleveland. It got me thinking that lots of birds haven't occurred for a number of years. I have put together a list of the species that have not been seen in the past 20 years though have excluded the very old records.
Dusky Thrush-Hartlepool 12th Dec 59 to 24th Feb 60. A mega at the time ,but now 13 British records.
Cirl Bunting-South Gare 17th Sept 1960. Occurred during a large east coast fall.
Baillon's Crake- near Guisborough 10th-12th May 1965. Still a rare bird with 25 British records since 1950. Perhaps the reedbeds at RSPB Saltholme offer the best chance
Lesser Grey Shrike-Hargreaves Quarry 29th June to 3rd July 1974. A couple of subsequent Durham records but becoming rarer in the UK as a whole with 33 British records in the last 15 years.
Black-billed Cuckoo-Locke Park 23rd September 1975. Trapped and kept overnight. An extraordinary record and unlikely to be repeated. Only 16 British records.
Long-toed Stint-Saltholme Pools 28th August to 1st September 1982. Only the 2nd British record and has not occurred since.
Ivory Gull-Saltburn 31st Jan to 8th Feb 1986. Arrived during a bitterly cold spell of weather. With warmer winters is becoming rarer in the UK. Only 18 British records in the last 15 years.
Aquatic Warbler-Long Drag 12th August 1986. Another species suffering a decline in records in recent years, though there have been still 111 records in the last 15 years.
Cliff Swallow-South Gare 23rd October 1988. Only the 2nd British record at the time. There have now been a total of 12 including several on the east coast.
Double Crested Cormorant-Billingham Pond 16th Jan to 27th April 1989. The 1st record for the Western Palearctic and still the only British record.
Parrot Crossbill-Birk Brow and Lockwood Beck 11th Nov 1990 to 18th March 1991. A large invasion of this species took place and Cleveland received more than its fair share with up to 60 birds at Birk Brow.
Black Grouse-South Gare 18th April 1992. A bizarre record.
Black-winged Stilt-North Tees Marshes 23rd April to 5th May 1993. Increasing numbers are now occurring in UK. Long overdue another in Cleveland. No longer a "BB" rarity.
Bufflehead-Coatham Marsh 1st-7th June 1994. Accepted as a wild bird at the time. Only 16 British records.
Ross's Gull-Tidal Pool 12th-27th June 1995. Six records in the years 75-95 but none since. Only 19 seen in Britain in the last 15 years.
Great Spotted Cuckoo- Dormans Pool and Long Drag 2nd – 9th July 1995. 48 British records since 1950.
Lesser Crested Tern-various sites and various dates between 1984 and 15th July 1995. The famous bird that summered on the Farne Islands. Only nine British records.
Pacific Golden Plover-Greatham Creek and Reclamation Pond 5th-15th Aug 1995. Now just short of a hundred British records. A repeat is long overdue.
Arctic Warbler- Hartlepool 19th to 23rd September 1996. Fourth Cleveland record. Averages about nine per year in UK. Surprising we haven't had one since.
Paddyfield Warbler- Coatham 31st October 1996. The fifth Cleveland record. There had been only 40 British records at the time. Another 76 since. Another must be due.
Great Knot-Seal Sands and Bran Sands 13th Oct to 5th Nov 1996. Only five British records in total.
King Eider-South Gare and Hartlepool 4th July 1998. 194 British records since 1950. Must be due a repeat sometime soon.
Tawny Pipit-South Gare 12th-13th May 1999. With 114 British records in the last 15 years a repeat must be a distinct possibility.
Short-billed Dowitcher- Greatham Creek 29th Sept to 30th Oct 1999. The 1st British record at the time. Only three subsequent records.