Unproven Records

This section covers various unproven ‘claims’. Again, some are more contentious than others. 

Todd’s Canada Goose B. c. interior 

There are a number of local claims of this race of Canada Goose, although none of them have been properly assessed: 

2013 – Severnside from April 12th until 26th, three at CVL from June 24th until July 5th, Severnside from August 20th until 16th May, 2014, CVL on September 9th; 

2014 – PW on April 25th, 29th and May 1st, RPD on August 4th, again on Severnside from August 17th until September 9th and from November 2nd until 5th April, 2015 with an additional two there in early September, CVL from December 17th until 20th March, 2015 (either interior or parvipes); 

2015 – a second at CVL from January 5th until May and again mid July, PW on January 10th and 13th, RPD on March 7th, PW on April 10th, Severnside on August 13th, CVL on November 26th. 

Canvasback Aythya valisineria 

A male, with anomalous pale marks on the bill, at CVL from March 21st until 25th April, 1993 was initially treated as a Canvasback x Pochard hybrid. It was seen again in 1995 from March 18th until 31st and again was treated as a hybrid. 

In 1998 it was seen on April 19th and May 14th, 19th and 20th and now treated as a pure Canvasback (albeit in the escapes section). In 1999 it was seen on April 17th and 28th and again treated as a pure Canvasback (but this time listed in the hybrids section). 

In 2001 it was present from April 30th until June 17th, visiting BL on July 21st but was now back to being treated as a hybrid after it was discovered a bird with identical bill markings had hatched at Roath Park Lake, Glamorgan in c1991 as a result of hybridisation between Canvasback and Pochard.

King Eider Somateria spectabilis 

One shot at Count Rocks, Shepperdine in November 1912 is mentioned in the Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists Society [vol XLVIII p62]. The record is directly from the wildfowler but no other sources mention this record, in particular neither Davis (1947) nor Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990 by LGR Evans. 

American Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus 

‘A List of British Birds’ published by the BOU in 1915 rejected an undated specimen from Bristol ‘said to be in Mr Hart’s museum at Christchurch’ [May 2012 British Birds page 238] 

Flamingo sp 

Three local records, as follows; 

1965 – on coast between Clevedon and Sand Bay from August 11th until September 10th [SBR]; 

1978 – New Passage on April 7th; 

1979 – two at Sand Point on July 14th [1980 ABR] 

Pelican sp Pelecanus sp 

Two local records as follows; 

1971 – CVL on September 9th, reported variously as White and Dalmatian; 

1978 – CVL on June 19th and 20th. 

Eastern race Common Gull Larus canus heinei/kamchatschensis 

Birds possibly of these races were noted at CVL in February and March 2017 [page 177 of 2017 ABR] while the 2012 ABR has details of other second winters with residual tail bands. 

American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus 

There have been three claims from CVL; 

2000 – a second-winter at CVL from March 4th until April 1st and again on May 18th (photographs and discussion on page 61 of the June 2000 Birdwatch); 

2007 – a fourth-winter at CVL on 29th (see photos on the CVLbirding website logbook) and 30th December and again on 25th January until 8th February, 2008 [submitted to BBRC but ‘not proven’]; 

2008 – an adult at CVL from 8th May until the end of July, see http://www.cvlbirding.co.uk/kev/ahg.html Subsequent DNA testing proved the bird was not a smithsoniacus, although it was unable to confirm an actual identification, see http://www.pixelbirds.co.uk/Americanherringgull5.html?LMCL=rsvBoh 

Baltic Gull Larus fuscus fuscus 

This subspecies is only on the British List on the basis of a ringing recovery from the breeding range (although Vinicombe (2020) lists a 1980 recovery of a bird ringed in Estonia the BTO say the species involved was a Black-headed Gull) and older published records for the UK pre-date the full recognition of variability within intermedius and are no longer acceptable. 

Davis (1947) listed this as ‘occasional visitor, perhaps occurring more often than records suggest’ with published records from 1934, 1937, 1938 and 1942. However the intermedius race was not mentioned even though it had been described in 1922. There were subsequent published records for 1956 and 1963 but the introduction to the 1966 ABR highlighted the difficulties of judging exact mantle shade. Records continued to be published in 1967, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982 but the 1984 ABR was the first to distinguish between fuscus and intermedius. Records continued to be published for 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993 but the 1997 ABR stated that ‘most previously published records probably now inadequately described’. 

There are thus no accepted Avon records although most of these early records undoubtedly related to intermedius (they often refer to birds as showing the ‘dark Scandinavian-type plumage’). 

Although claims since 1998 have been more carefully considered, none have been submitted to BBRC other than in 2018. There are possible records from:

1998 – an adult at CVL on October 21st [1999 ABR, article in 2003 ABR]; 

1999 – CVL on August 3rd [article in 2003 ABR]; 

2003 – an adult at CVL on April 23rd and 24th [article];

2005 – an adult at CVL on November 1st (although published as an intermedius the species account mentions it was ‘a small dark individual with long ‘crossed’ wings and all dark primaries); 

2007 – an adult at CVL on April 17th; 

2010 – an adult at CVL on March 30th (although published as an intermedius the species account mentions it was ‘a small, dark, long-winged individual’);

2011 – an adult at CVL on March 14th (although published as an intermedius the species account mentions it was ‘a small, very dark, very long-winged individual’); 

2015 – an adult at CVL on May 23rd [photograph]; 

2016 – an adult at CVL on August 8th; 

2018 – CVL on January 10th [not accepted by BBRC];

2019 – CVL on February 28th, CVL on April 18th, CVL on May 17th (all published under intermedius but with ‘fuscus not excluded';

2021 – individuals at CVL on April 1st and May 25th ‘showed characteristics of the race fuscus’;

2022 – adults at CVL on March 30th, April 6th, April 10th (two) and April 14th ‘showed characteristics of the race fuscus’. 

Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus 

One at Engine Common on 13th December, 2000 was not submitted to BBRC. 

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens 

One shot at Frampton Cotterel on 14th January, 1908 [British Birds April 1909 page 382] was never accepted [British Birds April 2020 page 211]. 

Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis 

Three possible records, all before it was split as a separate species (and none submitted to BBRC): 

1993 – Aust Sewage Farm from December 16th until 19th January, 1994 [article]; 

2011 – a grey and white first-winter at OPS on December 1st; 

2013 – a grey and white first-winter at BL on October 23rd.

Spanish Wagtail Motacilla flava iberiae

A ‘blue-headed’ Yellow Wagtail with a white throat at CVL on 27th April, 2018 was submitted to BBRC as this subspecies even though it was not heard to call, see photo opposite page 145 in the 2018 ABR. 

The BBRC felt that a couple of the features shown, plus the lack of a call, meant an intergrade could not be ruled out. 

Ashy-headed or Black-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava cinerocapilla or feldegg 

A dark-headed Wagtail at Northwick Warth on 15th April 2018, see photo opposite page 145 in the 2018 ABR, was submitted to BBRC as an Ashy-headed. 

The BBRC were unable to conclusively rule out a female Black-headed Wagtail (although either subspecies would be a first for the recording area).