At noon on Sunday 25th October 2020 Han Zevenhuizen had to do some shopping at the Cocksdorp, Texel NH. The mall was still closed, so Han had some minutes to spare and he decided to do some birding on the nearby cemetry. He played a tape which had a mix of Siberian species in order to enitice bird flocks to come closer. The usual suspects like Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita made an appearance, but also another bird joined the party. A yellowish warbler, with streaks on the breast and mantle plus a double white wingbar! He immediately identified the bird as a Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata! He described to have a so-called brain freeze, but he could grasp himself together and phoned nearby living Arend Wassink. The whatsapp group of Texel birders was informed quickly. The bird was well observed an photographs were taken, but around 13:00 hours it disappeared.
Now the Texel birders had to organize something as due to Covid-19 it was not allowed to get together in groups of thirty and people had to keep apart 1.5 meters. Around 16:00 hours the bird made an appearance again and now birders were allowed to stay for several minutes at the cemetry, but had to make room for other birders quickly. I was birding on Vlieland. With four other birders, Sander and Bas Lagerveld, Leo Stegeman and Vincent vander Spek a boat was chartered to bring us to the mainland at 13:15. There at Harlingen at 13:50 we had to take a car to Den Helder, where the boat to Texel would depart. We arrived at 15:06 just to see the boat of 15:00 hours leaving. Thankfully the next boat would depart at 15:30 hours. During our ride to the Cocksdorp, we learned the bird was seen again. On arrival at the Cocksdorp c 100 birders were gathered and very nervously misinformation was spread quickly. At 16:40 hours it was my turn to enter the cemetry. There, Ruud van Beusekom told me the story that Han had found the bird by playing the Siberian Mix. I had that mix in my smartphone and played it immediately. A Great Tit Parus major came in followed by another bird. Hans Pohlman said this bird was the Blackpoll and I handed over my laserpointer. Hans pointed the green dot next to the bird and everyone quickly saw the bird! I did not succeed in making photographs and I had to make room for other birders. At 17:30 we left the Cocksdorp. Bas and I decided to try to get the boat at 18:00 hours to Den Helder NH and eventually to get the 19:35 boat from Harlingen Fr to Vlieland again. We managed to make it on time and at 20:30 we were back in hour rental house on Vlieland again where the cold beers tasted wonderfully!
25 October 2020, RK Begraafplaats, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Laurens Steijn / Birding Breaks.
25 October 2020, RK Begraafplaats, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Laurens Steijn / Birding Breaks.
25 October 2020, RK Begraafplaats, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Laurens Steijn / Birding Breaks.
The birds stayed till 27 October. It was accepted as the first record for the Netherlands. Blackpoll Warbler is not very rare in Europe. The UK has 48 records, Ireland has 12 records, Iceland 13, France four, Norway two and Finland and Denmark both have one.
Do you want to go to the main-index, the 2020-index or the next new species, the Marmora's Warbler?