Hoopoe In The UK?

Brum

Brum

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
This may sound bizarre but I'm pretty sure I've just seen a hoopoe in my local park, for the second time! I've looked online and found no other reports or observations so was wondering if anybody had any idea how it's turned up? Could it be an escape from a private breeder?

I honestly can't think of what else it could be, it looked exactly like a hoopoe. Unfortunately no photo as I was walking the dog and couldn't keep my hand steady, I did get a shot of the tree next to it though... ;)

Any help/suggestions would be great as I fear I'm going mad(der)! :p
 
I've never seen one here, but they do occur as vagrants, a few birds a year, and there was a long-staying one in your neck of the woods not so long ago if I recall. Far from a common bird to see, though! I think it's unlikely you would mistake it for anything else that would be about!
 
Thanks @Maguari, didn't realise one had been reported previously? I first saw it about 5 months ago and then saw it again today within 100 metres of the last time. Surely a bird like this would have been picked up by the twitcher community though?

And yeah, it's not like there's a great selection of similar birds to choose from. I may well go for another look tomorrow morning.
 
Brum said:
Thanks @Maguari, didn't realise one had been reported previously? I first saw it about 5 months ago and then saw it again today within 100 metres of the last time. Surely a bird like this would have been picked up by the twitcher community though?

And yeah, it's not like there's a great selection of similar birds to choose from. I may well go for another look tomorrow morning.
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Spring and Autumn migration periods are when most Hoopoes pass through the UK. They usually only stay a few days in one place though. Seeing one five months ago and again now either indicates one has been breeding near you( a rare occurrence) or its a remarkable coincidence- or its an escaped captive bird... They are unmistakeable of course.
 
Pertinax said:
...indicates one has been breeding near you( a rare occurrence) or its a remarkable coincidence- or its an escaped captive bird...
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I think it's either one of those last two options, I doubt there would be a breeding pair within Birmingham that had managed to fly under the radar for so long.

Pertinax said:
They are unmistakeable of course
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Indeed, very striking birds. :) And I feel honoured having seen one (two?) in the wild. Admittedly if it is the same escaped bird then it will take the shine off but as it stands I'm pretty happy! :)
 
I've seen three (in the UK) in about fifty years of birding interest. Last one was spring 2016. There was one near Portsmouth a few years ago that was seen over several months- that one was believed to be an escapee- without the usual migratory instinct probably.
 
It's about 5 minutes from where I live but as I said, Bartley Green reservoir is pretty close as well and is quite a good bidding spot by all accounts.
 
Brum said:
How and to where do I report it?

Will they take me seriously?
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I guess here (these seem to be the county recorders): Record Submission - westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk

Contact them and ask about how to report it. In NZ there's an actual form for reporting rare birds (e.g. vagrants), and you need to put down all the details of the sighting, describe the bird, etc, so they can make an assessment based on how reliable it sounds. Also reporting it means that "twitchers" can get out and look for it, and if they find it then it obviously corroborates the bird's presence. It doesn't matter if you're a birder or not, especially because Hoopoes aren't easy to mistake for something else normally.

It's always better to report a sighting of a vagrant, even if it turns out to be a mistake, because otherwise it may be completely missed by everyone else.
 
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One downside to the UK having a legion of different charities/groups/organisations is that it can be a little confusing just who is "in charge" of something. BTO are petty much the big name for birds along with RSPB - that said BTO do a lot more of the logging/recording aspects, though your local RSPB reserve would likely have staff eager to know of the bird being around - they might even be aware of it.

As for reports in general any reports by the public who are "unknown" in birding skill can be questioned or might not be officially recorded without an approved recorder also then seeing the bird; or without additional information/evidence. Photographs showing the bird, both in detail and also in general showing the scene and surroundings so that it can be identified as being in a specific place and not just a close up that could be taken anywhere.

It's part and parcel of having proper measures in place as not everyone is equally skilled in identification.


I recall that there are two apps for reporting bird identifications; one is general open to all public and the other is a bit more refined. I honestly forget what they are called but BTO would likely be able to tell you and provide more information.
 
Hi Brum, it is possible that the bird you saw was a Jay, esp if there was oak woodland in the park. They are a similar size and the base colour is similar and without a close up view or binoculars it would be easy enough to confuse them. However if the crest was fully raised ignore the above.
Here in Ireland Hoopoes are often seen along the South and South East coast in April and occasionally in decent numbers (e.g.2015. 60 plus.) They get blown off course on the way to France etc. and soon head off to there. They are seldom seen here in Autumn (whereas the Jay is most often observed at this time.) and I think its similar for the UK.
Although the Jay is classed as common and resident they are not so easily randomly seen (unlike other crows) unless you set out specifically to see them in their preferred deciduous woodland home.
Anyway that's my best guess. ps I hope it was a Hoopoe.
 
dublinlion said:
...and without a close up view or binoculars it would be easy enough to confuse them. However if the crest was fully raised ignore the above.
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I've seen the bird/s from within about 20 to 30 feet/foot* without binoculars, twice.

dublinlion said:
ps I hope it was a Hoopoe.
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And me! :) If I'm wrong then I will feel a bit of a tw*t but I know what I saw... :p


*Which one is correct?
 
For the sightings, basically find out how to make the report and what you need to include, and then just put all the information into it. They will also want to know why you have ruled out more likely birds, and other such relevant things.
 
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