Calandra Lark

Melanocorypha calandra (Linnaeus, 1766) (0, 23)

Photo © Dûrzan cîrano, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

STATUS

Eurasia and northern Africa. Polytypic.

OVERVIEW

Only five individuals have landed on mainland Britain. Of the twelve individuals that have occurred in Scotland, seven were on Fair Isle. There are just two autumn records with the rest occurring during April, May and June.

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BBRC RECORDS

1). 1961 Dorset Portland Bill, 2nd April.

(J. S. Ash, British Birds 55: 44-46; C. M. Swaine and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 55: 576; BOURC (1971), Ibis 113: 142).

2). 1978 Fair Isle Field and Pund, 28th April.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 72: 530; I. S. Robertson, Scottish Birds 11: 25-26).

3). 1985 Isles of Scilly Airfield/Salakee area, St Mary's, 26th to 29th April.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 79: 560; W. H. Wagstaff, Isles of Scilly Bird Report 1985: 59-60; W. H. Wagstaff, British Birds 80: 382).

4). 1994 Outer Hebrides St Kilda, 21st September.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 88: 527).

5). 1996 Isles of Scilly Big Pool, St Agnes, 17th to 18th April, photo.

(Birding World 9 (4): 131, photo; Birding World 9 (12): 475, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 90: 490; Flood, Hudson & Thomas, 2007: plate 97).

6). 1997 Isle of Man Leanness, 17th to 18th May, photo.

(C. Sharpe, Birding World 10 (5): 187, photos; Birding World 10 (12): 471, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 91: 497, plate 130).

7). 1997 Norfolk Scolt Head, 19th May.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 91: 497).

8). 1999 Northumberland Brownsman, Farne Islands, 28th April.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 93: 254, 544; S. E. Duffield, Birds in Northumbria 1999: 159-160).

9). 1999 Fair Isle Skerryholm, 16th to 17th May.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 93: 544; S. Turner, Birding Scotland 2 (4): 185-186).

10). 2000 Fair Isle Shirva and Quoy, 13th May.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 94: 482).

11). 2002 Orkney North Ronaldsay, 10th to 11th May.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 97: 590; P. J. Donnelly, Birding Scotland 5 (3): 57-59, plates 74 & 75).

12). 2004 Yorkshire Spurn, 3rd October.

(Yorkshire Birding 14: 28-30; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 98: 665).

13). 2006 Fife Isle of May, 12th to 17th May, photo.

(M. Newell, Birding World 19 (5): 204-207, plates 1, 4-6; Birding World 19 (12): 519, photo; M. Newell, Birding Scotland 9 (2): 61-65, plates 66-67; P. A. Fraser and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 100: 727; M. Newell, Isle of May Bird Observatory Report 2006: 96-99; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo).

14). 2007 Shetland Baltasound, Unst, 12th May, photo.

(Birding World 20 (5): 187, photo; British Birds 100: plates 189 & 190; Birding World 20 (12): 512, photo; B. H. Thomason, Shetland Bird Report 2007: 107, photo; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo; N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 101: 553, plate 278).

15). 2008 Fair Isle Barkland and Setter, 20th to 22nd April, photo.

(Birding World 21 (4): 142, photo; British Birds 101: plate 162; N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 102: 568, plate 373; Scottish Birds 29: plate 245).

16). 2011 Lincolnshire Gibraltar Point NNR, 11th May.

(N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 105: 594).

17). 2012 Kent Sandwich Bay, 5th May.

(N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 106: 607; G. Howard, Kent Bird Report 2012: 173-174; S. J. Broyd, Kent Bird Report 2012: 175-176).

18). 2014 Fair Isle Ward Hill, 22nd May, photo.

(N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 108: 602).

19). 2016 Fair Isle Utra, 2CY+, 10th to 13th May, photo.

(C. Holt and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 110: 596; C. Holt and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 111: 594).

20). 2019 Outer Hebrides Paible, North Uist, 2CY+, 3rd June, photo.

(P. Donald, Scottish Birds 39: 372-373, plates 313 & 314; C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 113: 619, plate 368).

21). 2020 Cleveland/Co. Durham Greatham Creek, 1CY+, 31st May.

(C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 114: 600).

22). 2020 Fair Isle Bergaroo, 2CY+, 22nd June, photo.

(Scottish Birds 40: plate 240; C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 114: 600, plate 405).

23). 2021 Fair Isle Utra Scrape, 2CY+, 8th to 15th May, photo; same, Meadow Burn, 2CY+, 29th May to 11th June, photo.

(C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 115: 586, plate 441).