There follows an update of the Rarity List first published in the 1980 Cheshire Bird Report (CBR). It includes most of the original species, the main changes being the inclusion of the species removed from those considered by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), the exclusion of species now being considered by the BBRC, plus a few others deemed to warrant inclusion. Most have occurred in our recording area less than 10 times per year over the last five years.

• Red-throated Diver (inland only)
• Black-throated Diver
• Great Northern Diver
• Red-necked Grebe
• Slavonian Grebe (winter plumage only)
• Black-necked Grebe (coastal records only)
• Cory’s Shearwater
• Great Shearwater
• Sooty Shearwater
• Balearic Shearwater
• Fulmar (blue phase)
• Storm Petrel
• Shag (inland only)
• Night Heron
• Purple Heron
• White Stork
• Bewick’s Swan (in flight)
• Whooper Swan (in flight)
• Bean Goose
• American Wigeon
• Green-winged Teal
• Red-crested Pochard (females and immatures only)
• Ring-necked Duck
• Velvet Scoter
• Honey Buzzard
• Red Kite
• Montagu’s Harrier
• Goshawk
• Rough-legged Buzzard
• Black Grouse
• Quail (non-calling birds)
• Spotted Crake
• Corncrake (non-calling birds)
• Common Crane
• Stone Curlew
• Kentish Plover
• Dotterel
• Temminck’s Stint
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Grey Phalarope
• Pomarine Skua (other than adult with spoons)
• Long-tailed Skua
• Sabine’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (intermedius/fuscus races)
• Yellow-legged Gull (cachinnans)
• Roseate Tern
• Black Guillemot
• Little Auk
• Puffin
• Long-eared Owl (flight only)
• Nightjar
• Bee-eater
• Hoopoe
• Wryneck
• Short-toed Lark
• Woodlark
• Shorelark
• Richard’s Pipit
• Tawny Pipit
• ‘Scandinavian’ Rock Pipit (littoralis)
• Water Pipit
• Yellow Wagtail (non-flavissima races)
• Nightingale
• Bluethroat
• Black Redstart (inland records only)
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Aquatic Warbler
• Marsh Warbler
• Icterine Warbler
• Melodious Warbler
• Dartford Warbler
• Barred Warbler
• Pallas’s Warbler
• Yellow-browed Warbler
• Chiffchaff (abientinus/tristis)
• Red-breasted Flycatcher
• Bearded Tit
• Golden Oriole
• Red-backed Shrike
• Great Grey Shrike
• Woodchat Shrike
• Chough
• Hooded Crow
• Serin
• Mealy Redpoll
• Hawfinch
• Lapland Bunting
• Snow Bunting (inland records only)
• Cirl Bunting
• Little Bunting

NB Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, has now been given full species status by the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC). However, L argentatus cachinnans (also known as Caspian Gull) is still only a form, but has been given full species status in some countries and may well be treated the same in Britain at some point. Races of Lesser Black-backed Gull have still not yet been given full specific status by the BOURC at this time.

Both Snow Goose and Ruddy Shelduck are mostly recorded as feral or escaped individuals. Genuine vagrants are rare nationally. If you really suspect that you have a vagrant, a description will be required to be forwarded to the BBRC. Otherwise descriptions for these species are not required.

There will be several species, as yet to be confirmed, which will not be considered by the BBRC from January 2006; notification of these will appear in the 2005 Bird Report. Descriptions for these will still be required but as a county rarity not as a national rarity.

Descriptions may also be required of migrants occurring out of season (March Lesser Whitethroats and November Willow Warblers are about as frequent as Pallas’s Warblers!) or of birds otherwise out of context (e.g. Red Grouse in Birkenhead Docks!).

Rarities Team