Because it was solely simply over an hour away I popped off to see the Boat-tailed Grackle at Calshot Spit in Hampshire. Background to this hen on Birdguides HERE and background to Grackles within the WP HERE. Apparently there was a Nice-tailed Grackle on the Azores this yr too with a fantastic pic and a few notes on that from Vincent HERE.
In brief, all these information of Grackles within the WP (aside from a single Widespread Grackle document) are thought of to be both escapes or fully ship assisted and Nice-tailed and Boat-tailed are non-migratory or solely short-distance migrants so not thought of to be pure vagrancy candidates so will not be thought of Class A birds within the WP.
Undecided what the ticking ethics are on ticking a Cat A (wild and native) hen on my World Listing because it’s from the US and continues to be a Cat A particular person there however it’s a Cat E now it is within the UK and the WP. Granted I am unable to tick it for the UK and the WP however cannot see why I am unable to have it as a World tick. Not a lot distinction in me taking a ship to Florida and seeing one there or one taking a ship from Florida to Southhampton to come back and see me? So with out giving it an excessive amount of thought it is now my 3355th species for the World.
Birding society guidelines and regs apart, that is the most effective hen I’ve seen this autumn- completely thoughts blowing and what a journey to get right here even it did stowaway on a cruise ship all the best way throughout the Atlantic, the primary one to ever attain the UK by hook or crook- it is a wild hen nonetheless.
A male by the seems of it and in line with Birdguides an Atlantic race hen. Will add some extra to this as soon as I’ve finished a little bit of studying on the age and so forth.
