Saturday 10 September 2011

Your Shetland List may have just gone up by 2!

The most recent report from the BOU Taxonomic Committee has announced two splits which affect the Shetland List - Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus (three records, on Fair Isle on 27th-31st May 1955, Out Skerries from 24th July to 8th August 1974 and Fair Isle again on 29th-31st August 2007) and Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus (just over 100 individuals recorded, the first on Fair Isle on 13th-21st October 1961).

The Shetland List now stands at 449 (including 5 in Category D, 2 Category D candidates, 2 not seen from land and one extinct).

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1 comment:

  1. robbieb28 September 2011 at 20:05

    I'd like to post a comment from my father-in-law Ian Waddington, regarding the Hudsonian Whimbrel on Fair Isle in May 1955 which is as follows -

    '' This note on the re-classification of the Hudsonian Whimbrel struck a deep chord. I was on Fair Isle with Valerie Thom and others on May 27 1955 when Ken Williamson found 'a strange Whimbrel with no white rump'. In those far-off days, I had seen very few Whimbrels of any sort , nor had I ever dreamed of encountering such birds as Bluethroats nor Yellow Wagtails with odd head markings!

    It was George Waterston who persuaded me to voyage to Fair Isle on that famous water-taxi ,The Good Shepherd .

    My life was changed for ever.

    As celebration for the sighting of the Hudsonian, I recall that Ken's wonderful wife Esther cooked us a splendid Faroese dish based on wind-dried mutton.

    Memories indeed.''

    Ian Waddington
    northerwad@btinternet.com

    ------------------------------
    Cheers

    Rob Brookes

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