Mega Time!

Rufescent Tiger Heron. Colin Bushell.

With thanks to Colin Busell for the photograph of the Rufescent Tiger Heron in Peru where he is currently searching out the birds/wildlife.

Its MEGA TIME now and the RBA pager is going nuts and the list - including some omissions - at the moment in the UK stands like this....

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler 1908 Dublin.

Yellow-breasted Bunting 1905 Norfolk.

Black-eared Wheatear 1875 Lancashire.

Hermit Thrush 1975 Shetland, Fair Isle.

Green Heron 1889 Cornwall.

Of course all these birds carry with them an interesting history and first UK records are noted above. The Green Herons (GE) first record is obviously interesting in that it was recorded in the very same county as the one there at the moment, that of Cornwall way back in 1889, but the record was later removed from the British List as the birds ability to cross the Atlantic Ocean was doubted, but apparently four days after this bird had been seen on 27 October 1889 two American Bitterns were seen in Ireland and regarded - in connection with the GH - as 'surely not just a coincidence'. The record of the GH had to wait until 1971 before it was resubmitted to the BOURC who subsequently accepted it onto the British List.

Another old record is that of the Black-eared Wheatear the first of which was in 1875 near Bury in Lancashire. Another bird of this species was that of one in Sussex on 28 May 1902 but this individual was involved in the famous 'Hastings Rarities Affair' and was therefore later dismissed. 

It is interesting - though sad - that many of these old records involve birds having been shot in the days when we obviously had a need to become more civilised and caring for our birds and wildlife, even more sad is the fact we still need to rid ourselves of some people who are remnants of the days when wildlife didn't seem to count as important....like the very dear MR KISIEL who I think you should read about, and about who and what I made a comment, on which I have a feeling you may agree with.