4th November - Boat-tailed Grackle - Calshot Spit, Hampshire

On Sunday afternoon news broke of a Great-tailed Grackle, found around Calshot Castle on Calshot Spit.  This would be a mega first for Great Britain and of course Hampshire, the problem was though this species has never been recognised as a potential vagrant and with the proximity to one of the largest container ports in the world, Southampton it was almost obvious the bird had arrived on a ship.  Great-tailed Grackles are found in central America, I have seen them in Costa Rica, and not the sort of area where many ships would come from, so how did it stow aboard a ship to Southampton.  The debate continued through the day as many managed to see the bird.  For me though I just had to see the photographs and read the debate.

Then overnight into Monday the bird was re-identified as a Boat-tailed Grackle.  The bird's slimmer bill, more rounded head and distinctly softer expression pointed instead to an Atlantic Boat-tailed Grackle, a form of a species confined to the eastern United States.

I couldn't get there on the Monday, but was confident the bird would still be there on the Tuesday.  Sure enough when I got up there was the report that it was still present so I headed straight away to Calshot Spit, a piece of land that sticks out into the western Solent.

It wasn't as busy as I expected and walking to the castle it didn't take long to find the bird as it was perched on a boat with long lenses pointing at it.  It didn't stay long there though and flew to a plastic drum, where there was some food.

Further evidence of the bird being from the east of the range came in the form of the pale yellow irises, which are typical of the Atlantic population (other subspecies exhibit darker eyes). This bird proved extremely confiding, typical behaviour of this bold and adaptable species which is well known for scavenging in urban environments across the US and Central America.  I have experienced the species in the US and Costa Rica where they show no fear of humans.

The occurrence represents the first record of Boat-tailed Grackle in Britain. However, given the bird's proximity to one of the country's busiest shipping ports – Calshot Spit lies immediately south of the Port of Southampton – its arrival via boat seems all but certain. As such, the record is expected to fall into Category E when assessed by the relevant committees, which means this will not be accepted as a new British bird.

Never say never though, who knows there may be others and in time could be accepted to category A, so this was an insurance of that occurring and of course the opportunity to enjoy a lovely bird.

A good view of the pale yellow iris, the slim bill and a rounded head.

It was at this point I was distracted by another bird out on the sea, this post will concentrate on the Boat-tailed Grackle due to the rarity of this bird in Hampshire.  I will catch up on the rest of the day's action in the next post.

Boat-tailed Grackle is a large subtropical grackle found in saltmarsh habitat in the eastern United States. It has adapted well to human habitation, residing in urban areas and scavenging trash. Although largely sedentary throughout its range, some birds from northern portions of the breeding range move south to coastal Virginia and Florida for the winter. 

Extralimital records are rare: one on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, is the most notable, with a handful seen on boats off the New Jersey coast. Populations in the Bahamas, New Providence, Nassau and Paradise Island in the West Indies are thought likely to have become established via tour boat.

I came back from the beach to experience the confiding nature of the bird, it coming as close as a couple of feet as it foraged in the grass and around the edges of the RNLI station.

Here it shows off the impressive tail that gives the bird its name.

It moved to the wooden sleepers that separate the beach and the car park.  I was able to get low to capture these giving an all white background to frame the iridescent plumage.

The tail once again.

It was foraging all the time checking for any opportunities to feed.

Everything was inspected to see if it could be eaten, here a discarded empty packet of cigarettes.

This shows how close the photographers were getting and it wasn't a case of the photographers getting too close, the grackle came to them.

After all the foraging it was time for a drink from a puddle, scooping up the water and swallowing by throwing the head back.

Just after this shot it took off and caught something in midair.

It turned out it had caught a wasp, it manipulated the wasp in its bill to remove the sting and than crushed it and swallowed.

Who knows what will happen to this bird.  I have seen some posts suggesting it should be flown home, I can't see that happening, but again never say never.  It is a shame it will not be accepted as a first British Grackle, the system will, I am sure, not consider it as a category A bird.  Some argue that other small warblers known to have arrived aboard ships have been accepted, the argument for them is that they are proven migratory birds, the grackle is not.

Still I enjoyed the time with it and it was a privilege to see this lovely bird up close on British soil