Alpine Accentor – Saltfleetby, Lincolnshire, 17^th November 1994

As this potential ‘new’ bird had been around for some days I was getting twitchy about it. It had turned up on Monday the 14th November 1994. This situation was made worse by the fact that I was in Scotland, and then, for at least part of the forthcoming weekend, I was occupied – there was a Scotland to Northern Ireland Pipeline Project team-building event on Saturday the 19th November. When was I going to get the chance to see it?

Then a solution occurred to me. I could take the Thursday off in lieu of the Saturday. So it was that I set off from Creetown to Burnley after work on the Wednesday evening. The following morning, I awaited news without any joy, so I finally departed at around 08:30. I was made to regret this decision further after a slow rate of progress through both Hebden and Sowerby Bridges. And then I had a major crisis on the M62 when the news came through of a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Bristol. I wavered and I deliberated but I then continued on, and 2.5 hours later I was there. The correct decision.

It was a smart place too, with a good set-up, car-park, track, fences, etc., and pristine sand-dunes and salt-marshes – one against the other, with a track along the edge of the dunes. 300 m along this track were several birders, and an Alpine Accentor.

As easy as that! It was amazing how close it was – it was really close!! As it was feeding in the open most of the time, only occasionally disappearing into the sea buckthorn, it gave superb views. At one stage it was within 3 m!!!

It was stunning to see so close in good light – it had really bright plumage, which was visible in amazing detail.

It was a large accentor. It had striking rufous flanks, which became streaks towards the under-tail coverts which were, as such, streaked. It had rufous and dark brown remiges as well. The greater coverts were black with white tips. It had light grey-brown upper-parts with darker streaks and a light grey-brown head, neck and upper breast and a whitish throat with black flecks. It had a yellow and black bill and pinky-orange legs.

Wow! After the Radde’s Accentor in Turkey I was becoming an accentor fan.

Alpine Accentor, Saltfleetby, Lincolnshire, November 1993 (photograph credited to unknown).