INDIGLOW

I have form with Indigo Bunting. It's one of those species I feel like I should have seen by now, despite it's extreme rarity. I have seen one in the UK before - in Norfolk in October 1988. We even left Scilly for it, as a first for Britain at the time. That record was controversially binned as a likely escapee twice (it failed again at review). To be fair there is certainly room for some doubt. I then missed the bird most people accepted in October 1996 - I had just returned from Cape May then and was not keen to leave Scilly (I thought I was free of the twitching condition at that time and remained convinced the Norfolk bird would be upgraded anyway). Then more recently, in 2020, I dipped one on Scilly and the sort of day out that makes you question your own sanity. That said, it seemed a matter of time before there was another gettable bird.

Saturday 18th May 2024

It's been a quiet spring rarity wise, so this was a welcome twitching fix. It was Saturday 18th May, peak rarity time. However when photographs of a male Indigo Bunting were circulated on the TT WhatsApp Group I wasn't initially encouraged. It was an apparent adult male, coming to a bird feeder in a Whitburn garden. There was a general assumption this was a likely escapee, and I continued with my plans to take Callum suit-shopping (for his forthcoming prom). Something he'd been looking forward to.

Things changed quickly. More photos showed brown wings, suggesting this was a 2nd calendar year bird (born in 2023). There were no signs of captivity (missing feathers, abrasion or damaged legs) either. This meant it could just be a wild bird, albeit an autumn bird on an island would be more compelling. Once the age and lack of damage were established, it soon became apparent this record will likely be accepted by BBRC - entirely because they accepted a similar record in May 2013 (also a male at a feeder, but on Anglesey). There was no reason to assume this current bird is an escapee. People were moving. I was at Cheshire Oaks suit shopping - conflicted between being with my son and needing this bird. By this stage it mattered not, I wasn't going today, so I made early morning plans.

Sunday 19th May 2024

Paul Baker and I set off at 05.00. Negative news the entire journey (people were searching from 04.30) was not encouraging. So we arrived around 8am already in the knowledge it had not been seen in 3.5 hours of searching in lovely conditions. It was surely gone. Everyone else we spoke to was of the same opinion. Arse. My bad luck with this species seemed set to continue.

We headed up the road and consoled ourselves with a cracking male Red-backed Shrike. I hadn't seen a spring male in ages, and thoroughly enjoyed this lovely individual. The local breeding Sedge Warblers and Linnets were very agitated by it's presence, a reminder that shrikes are real predators. 

After that we took the call to head home on the 3 hour journey back. Arriving at the house, Paul got in his car and I set off to collect Callum. As I drove a WhatsApp message appeared on the sat nave - Indigo Bunting back. Noooooooo! 

I really didn't want to repeat the journey in the same day, but I knew I couldn't go the following day and would regret it if I didn't. Callum and I grabbed a sandwich, I dropped him at the house and set off back. Paul declined to return, and I really didn't blame him at all.

The journey back was thankfully quiet and at around 4pm I was back in the Whitburn housing estate with a small crowd. I hate this kind of twitch, but needs must. Happily the bird was immediately on show, sat high in a garden confer. INDIGO BUNTING finally OML (well probably, pending acceptance). I had been expecting to really enjoy seeing this, but the experience was underwhelming to be honest. A combination of the circumstances and location, not helped by dull light meaning that the glow of the Indigo really wasn't that apparent, and of course that remaining whiff of escapee risk. Over the next hour it showed a few times, and I saw it well enough. But quite frankly it felt like a perfunctory twitch. I guess that's the game we play. I set off home feeling like I'd had a day at work. 

One of the photo's below is not mine. Can you guess which one?