Northern Hawk Owl
Surnia ulula (Linnaeus, 1758) (3, 1)
Photo © Caleb Putnam, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
STATUS
North America and northern Eurasia. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
A review was carried out in 2010 (BOURC) with a number of earlier records found not proven.
BBRC RECORDS
1). 1830 At sea Sea area Plymouth, caught exhausted on board a collier a few miles from Looe, Cornwall, en-route to Waterford, Ireland, March, S. u. caparoch, now at National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Acc. No. NMINH 1959.13.1).
(W. Thompson, Proceedings of the Zoological Society 1835: 77; Yarrell, 1845; E. H. Rodd, Zoologist 1870: 2200; H. Saunders, Field 7th Dec., 1878: 732; Harting, 1880; C. Smith, Zoologist 1885: 7-8; Witherby, 1920-24; W. B. Alexander & R. S. R. Fitter, British Birds 48: 7; Penhallurick, 1978; BOURC (2010), Ibis 152: 200; A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 103: 276-283).
2). 1860 Shetland Skaw, Unst, shot, December, S. u. ulula.
(W. D. Crotch, Zoologist 1861: 7706-7707; H. L. Saxby, Naturalist 1866: 158; Gray, 1871; Saxby, 1874; Evans & Buckley, 1899; Baxter & Rintoul, 1953; W. B. Alexander & R. S. R. Fitter, British Birds 48: 7-8; Pennington et al., 2004; BOURC (2010), Ibis 152: 200; A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 103: 276-283).
3). 1898 North-east Scotland Gight, Aberdeenshire, adult female, shot, 21st November, S. u. ulula.
(G. Sim, Annals of Scottish Natural History 1899: 49; Sim, 1903; Witherby, 1920-24; Thom, 1986; Phillips, 1997; A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 103: 276-283).
4). 1983 Shetland Frakkafield, Mainland, 12th to 13th September, photo; same Bressay, 20th to 21st September, photo.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 77: 538, plate 223; Birding World 6 (4): 156, photo; Birding Scotland 6 (2): plate 67; Saunders, 1991: 106, photo; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo; British Birds 102: plate 265; A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 103: 276-283; Scottish Birds 39: plate 208).
