Gems from the east

I was working over near Haltwhistle yesterday, without my pager (the source of rare, and not so rare, bird news). Getting back to the office at 2pm, there was a missed call from Sarah…who was more up-to-date with rarity news than I was. Red-flanked Bluetail on Holy Island!! This eastern gem (the bluetail, not Sarah) is a bird I’ve never seen in Northumberland, so I quickly finished my lunch and headed up the A1. It was cold and the light was fading…and the bird hadn’t been seen for about 5mins before I arrived. Then, there it was…not as stunning as an adult male in the spring, but still a jewel on the autumnal east coast, busily flicking in and out of the trees and shrubs. Hordes of Goldcrests were feeding frantically as darkness descended. Leaving the island I had a decision to make; A1 or coastal route? One is much, much quicker to get home, the other is much more interesting, and we’re developing a series of nocturnal safaris for the winter months, so I opted for interesting…which proved to be an inspired choice. Just south of Embleton I caught a glimpse of white atop a field gate. Surely not enough for a Barn Owl? but, stopping the car, I was amazed to see a Dark-breasted Barn Owl Tyto alba guttata, the Central and Eastern European race of our familiar White-breasted Barn Owl. With rufous underparts and dark grey upperparts I could have easily overlooked this bird if it wasn’t for the contrasty face pattern. After staring at each other for a short while, the owl turned and flew from the gate – disappearing into the night. An encounter with any owl is special, but this one had the added bonus of being a real rarity.