Rare bird spotted at Upton Warren

First published Sunday 21 September 2014 in Newsby Alex Townley

THERE have been sightings of a rare migrant bird at the Upton Warren Nature Reserve.

The bird, a Temminck’s stint, usually breeds in the Arctic, and passes through the UK on its way to breeding grounds in Africa and Asia in the winter, but the sighting is unusual.

John Belsey, a volunteer at Upton Warren, explained: “These tiny birds are incredible – each spring and summer they migrate between Africa and parts of southeast Asia and their breeding grounds in the Arctic, Russia and Scandinavia.

“While there’s the possibility of them visiting somewhere like Upton Warren on both parts of that migration, it’s actually really rare for them to stop off inland on their autumn journey. Of the 24 birds that have dropped in since 1965, only two have been at this time of year.

“As with all waders, they are adept at finding insects and other small invertebrates in mud. The Flashes pools at Upton Warren are perfect for this – they consist of a series of shallow pools with lots of muddy edges.”

Continued ...

Delight as rare birds spotted on outskirts of Hatfield

Alex LewisSaturday, May 31, 2014 

12:00 PM

Birdwatchers rushed to a lake on the outskirts of Hatfield last week to see two Temminck’s stints, tiny wading birds very scarce in Hertfordshire.

Birdwatcher Steve Blake found the stints, barely bigger than sparrows, at Tyttenhanger gravel pits, near Colney Heath, on Tuesday morning, prompting a steady flow of enthusiasts to enjoy them, often at very close range.

Chairman of the Herts Bird Club Ken Smith, who lives in WGC, told the WHT: “Imagine Steve’s excitement when he found these birds and realised they were Temminck’s stints.

“This species was last seen in Hertfordshire in 2002, with only a smattering of records before that.

“I think most Herts birders have managed to get good views of the birds before they head off to their tundra breeding grounds in Norway and further north.

“Amazingly the last Temminck’s stints seen in Hertfordshire in 2002 were also at Tyttenhanger.”

The species is named after Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858)

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