Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula (Linnaeus, 1758) (1, 27)

Photo © By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren - Baltimore Oriole, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37125453

STATUS

North America. Monotypic.

OVERVIEW

There have been three spring records, earliest 6th May and four winter records, three found in December and one in January, the rest occurred in the autumn from 23rd September onwards.

The first record wasn’t accepted until over 100 years later due to the belief that New World birds could not migrate as far as Britain. However, the relocation of the specimen aided its acceptance.

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BBRC RECORDS

1). 1890 Shetland Baltasound, Unst, immature male, caught alive, 26th September, died 28th September, now at Chelmsford Museum, Essex (BM. 43/a. D, 210).

(H. D. Lloyd, Field 15th Nov., 1890: 746; T. Edmondston, Field 22nd Nov., 1890: 816; J. E. Harting, Zoologist 1890: 457; Eds., Ibis 1891: 152; Eds., Scottish Naturalist 11: 43, 152; Evans & Buckley, 1899; W. B. Alexander & R. S. R. Fitter, British Birds 48: 13; E. V. Baxter, Scottish Naturalist 69: 38; Palmer, 2000; M. G. Pennington, Shetland Bird Report 2002: 99; BOURC (2003), Ibis 145: 178-183; R. W. Forrester, Scottish Birds 25: 60).

2). 1958 Devon Lundy, immature female, 2nd to 9th October, trapped 2nd and 7th October, photo.

(K. Williamson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 53: 373; W. B. Workman, British Birds 56: 52-55; I. C. T. Nisbet, British Birds 56: 204-217; BOURC (1963), Ibis 105: 290; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 73: 530; BOURC (1997), Ibis 139: 199; Davis & Jones, 2007).

3). 1962 Sussex Whitbread Hollow, Beachy Head, adult male, 5th to 6th October.

(I. C. T. Nisbet, British Birds 56: 204-217; D. D. Harber & C. M. Swaine and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 56: 407; D. D. Harber, British Birds 56: 464-466; L. G. Holloway, Sussex Bird Report 1996: 159).

4). 1963 Man, Isle of Calf of Man, first-year male, trapped, 10th to 16th October.

(D. D. Harber and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 57: 277).

5). 1966 Cornwall Porthgwarra, adult female, 15th October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 60: 330).

6). 1967 Pembrokeshire Skokholm, female, trapped, 5th to 10th October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 61: 356).

7). 1967 Devon Lundy, two, one dead, 17th October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 61: 356).

9). 1967 Isles of Scilly St Agnes, trapped, 18th to 26th October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 61: 356).

10). 1968 Cornwall Bodmin Moor, near Bodmin, first-winter male, 11th to 13th May.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 62: 487; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 76: 527).

11). 1968 Isles of Scilly St Agnes, 29th September to 3rd October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 62: 487).

12). 1968 Warwickshire Coventry, first-winter male, dead, 16th December, now at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 62: 487; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 76: 527).

13). 1970 Pembrokeshire Hook, Haverfordwest, male, 6th to 7th May.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 64: 365).

14). 1974 Fair Isle Meoness, first-winter, 19th September; same, Shirva, Kennaby and Quoy, 20th September.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 68: 330; R. A. Broad, Scottish Birds 10: 58-59).

15). 1983 Isles of Scilly Periglis, St Agnes, first-winter or female, 23rd September to 4th October, photo.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 77: 560, plate 227).

16). 1988 Outer Hebrides Benbecula, first-winter male or female, 30th September to 3rd October, trapped 30th September, probably present since about 22nd to 24th September, photo.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 559; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo).

17). 1988 Isles of Scilly Higher Town, St Agnes, first-winter male, 4th to 12th October, photo.

(Birding World 1 (10): 337, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 559; Flood, Hudson & Thomas, 2007: plate 152).

18). 1989 Pembrokeshire Roch, Haverfordwest, first-winter female, 2nd January to 23rd April, photo.

(S. J. M. Gantlett, Birding World 2: 89, photos; British Birds 82: plate 289; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 83: 492).

19). 1991 Essex Westcliff-on-Sea, first-year male, 2nd December to 24th March 1992, photo.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 86: 536, plate 208; Essex Bird Report 1992: plate 21; Wood, 2007).

20). 1996 Isles of Scilly Popplestones, Bryher, 30th September.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 90: 517).

21). 1999 Isles of Scilly Popplestones, Bryher, first-winter male, 27th to 28th September, photo.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 93: 565).

22). 2003 Oxfordshire Headington, first-winter male, 10th December to 16th January 2004, photo.

(I. Lewington, Birding World 16 (12): 502-505, plates 1-5; Birding World 17 (1): 7, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 97: 622, plates 61-63, 82 & 369; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 98: 691).

23). 2007 Caithness Huna, John O'Groats, male, 24th to 27th May, photo.

(Birding World 20 (5): 194, photo; British Birds 100: plate 192; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo; N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 101: 572; Scottish Birds 29: plate 86).

24). 2011 Isles of Scilly Garrison, St Mary's, first-winter, 20th to 21st September, photo.

(N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 105: 619).

25). 2013 Shetland Baltasound, Unst, first-winter, 19th to 23rd September, photo.

(British Birds 106: plate 417; N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 107: 646).

26). 2018 Outer Hebrides Northbay House, Morghan, Barra, 1CY, male, 17th to 21st October, photo.

(S. L. Rivers, Scottish Birds 39: 179-181, plates 140-144; C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 112: 618, plate 354).

27). 2022 Devon Lundy, 2CY+, male, 8th October, photo.

(L. Bacon, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 116: 596).

28). 2023 Fife Locality withheld, first-winter female, 5th October to 4th November, photo.

(M. & R. Boyd, Scottish Birds 44: 179-180, plates 140 & 141; BBRC - Web-WIP-11-3-24).