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Recent taxonomic changes to 'Eastern Stonechats' have separated Stejneger's Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri from the five taxa that now comprise Siberian Stonechat S. maurus. This brings previously unexplored identification and recording challenges. This paper summarises the current knowledge of stonechat taxonomy, and the identification and British status of the 'Eastern Stonechat' taxa that are known to have occurred here, with particular reference to the appearance of genetically sampled individuals in Britain and Europe. It also sets out BBRC's approach to identifying and recording 'Eastern Stonechats'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A Pale-legged Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes was discovered dead after hitting a window at the lighthouse on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, on 21st October 2016. Feathers taken from the bird were sent for DNA analysis, which confirmed the bird to be a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler and eliminated the morphologically similar Sakhalin Leaf Warbler P. borealoides. An earlier record of one of this species pair from Portland, Dorset, on 22nd October 2012 concerned a bird photographed and seen well by several observers, but it was not possible to establish which species was involved. Full details of both sightings are described here. This is the first record of Pale-legged Leaf Warbler for Britain and the Western Palearctic, and the species has been added to Category A of the British List. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three subspecies o f C om m on C hiffchaff Phylloscopus co llybita have occurred in B ritain.‘Siberian Chiffchaff' P. c. tristis is now recognised as a scarce but regular m igrant to w e stern Europe, b u t the e x tra lim ita l status o f presum ed Scandinavian individuals o f P. c. abietinus is uncertain. Identification issues and the problem o f abietinus x tristis intergrades remain.This paper summarises the results o f genetic analyses o f 149 migrant and w intering Chiffchaffs in Britain & Ireland during 2009-17. G enetically confirm ed Siberian Chiffchaffs w ere found to be prim arily late-autumn migrants, w ith a num ber of overw intering birds and a small peak o f early spring migrants. M ost Siberian Chiffchaffs in Britain & Ireland are males. In our sample, abietinus was much less frequent than tristis; this subspecies is probably overlooked, w ith records in late autumn, w in te r and a few in the late spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A notable gathering of w in te rin g C om m on Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus olly b ita at Nigg Bay, N orth-east Scotland, form s the basis o f this short paper. In addition to field observations, six o f the seven birds w ere trapped and ringed, w hich facilitated sound recordings and/or genetic analysis o f these individuals. A close examination of plumage characters suggested that six o f the seven were m ost like ‘Siberian Chiffchaff' P. c. tris tis , but w ith m inor deviations from ‘classic' tris tis . Data from sound recordings and D N A suggest that all six are best treated as tris tis . The wider implications for subspecies identification of Chiffchaffs in Britain are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unstreaked Acrocephalus warbler found freshly dead near Jenny Brown's Point, Lancashire & North Merseyside, on 11th December 2011 proved to be an unseasonal Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus. The following year a cold-looking, unstreaked Acrocephalus was discovered at Kergord, in central mainland Shetland, on 4th November 2012. The observers had suspicions that it might be a Reed Warbler of the eastern form A. s. fuscus ('Caspian Reed Warbler'), and it was trapped to help establish the identification. Subsequently, DNA analysis confirmed that both birds were of the eastern race A. s. fuscus; these are the first records of Caspian Reed Warbler in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the discovery of a Siberian Saxicola maurus (S. m.) Stonechat bird in Portland, Dorset in England on October 24, 2012 suspected as S. m. stejnegeri bird and was confirmed through the DNA analysis after being trapped and ringed. Topics mentioned include the confirmation by photographs on its presence in Texel, Netherlands from October 8-23, 2012, the first recorded stejnegeri in western Europe, and the last seen specie was found dead in Landsort, Sweden in October 2008.

The article reports on the first record of the sighting of a Grasshopper Warbler from central Asia in Great Britain on September 20, 2012 at the Bird Observatory at Fair isle. It states that genetic analysis and biometric measurements confirmed the resemblance to the bird species of eastern origin and similarities with the Lanceolated Warbler.

The article discusses the difference between the three types of Water Pipit or Anthus spinoletta including Buffbellied, Water and Rock Pipits. It highlights the breeding ecology, behavior and the genetic status of the Water Pipits. It also examines the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction of the birds through their feathers and mitochondrial genes.

The article presents a review on the record of a Slender-billed Curlew sighting at Druridge Bay, Northumberland, England. Included in the article are the background of the Druridge bird identification, summary of the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) review and the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) review, and the plumage and structural characteristics of the Druridge Bay curlew addressed by BOURC including under-primary pattern, size, and tibia feathering.

The article presents a report on Subalpine Warblers, highlighting the review by the British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) to determine the first records of Eastern and Western Subalpine Warblers in Britain. Topics discussed include the proposed revised taxonomy of the species leading to a three-way grouping of its subspecies, and process of identification and classification of the records. Also described is the DNA analysis of samplings from the first warblers mounted in museums.

The article discusses research which aims to provide a genetic analysis of migrant Siberian Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita tristis in Great Britain. It reports plumage characteristics observed in migrant birds salvaged from Shetland and County Waterford in Ireland and Suffolk, England. Evidence of intergradation occurrence has been concluded from morphological and vocal analyses. Brief details about genetic identity of migrant Chiffchaffs identified in the Netherlands are also presented.

The article presents a genetic analysis of the two accepted specimens of an eastern subspecies of Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava simillima, added to the British list, and a record of a putative eastern Yellow Wagtail trapped at Colyton, Devon in December 2010. The analysis showed that the 1912 Fair Isle bird, probably a British Yellow Wagtail M. f. flavissima was of western origin, while the 1909 Fair Isle and 2010 Devon birds were of eastern origin.

The article examines evidence about the scale of commercial trade in rare species of birds at the Leadenhall Market in London, England. Rare birds reportedly turned up regularly at the Market which is deemed the most famous venue where poultry and game have been sold since the 14th century. It talks about Leadenhall as a potential vehicle for fraud and its relevance to trade in rarities, noting that fraud has been a constant feature of ornithological recording in Britain since the 1800s.

The article presents the results of a genetic analysis of the first British Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus shot on the Isle of May in October 1913. DNA from the mounted specimen reportedly matched known specimens of nominate maurus, and was genetically divergent from S. m. stejnegeri which is deemed morphologically similar to maurus. It notes that Caspian Stonechat S. m. variegatus, the only other species of Siberian Stonechat to have reached western Europe, can be distinguished by plumage.

The article presents a study on the prevalence of fraud in ornithology. It elaborates on the known and suspected historical examples of ornithology fraud which have occurred with consistency such as the Hastings Rarities, scientific fraud, and modifications of descriptions. It notes that small-scale fraud likely remains and it has implications for the level of proof needed by those evaluating records of rarities.

The article discusses the biometrics, vocalisations and DNA sequence of two Swinhoe's Storm-petrels Oceanodroma monorhis on bird ringing in Fair Isle since summer 2013. Topics covered include wing, tail and tarsus length measurements, brood patch scores, and chatter call through sonogram using Syrinx Software. It also mentions the birds' DNA sequence National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) accession numbers.

The article features the female Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans bird that was found at Lower Leogh, Fair Isle in Scotland on May 26, 2012. Based on its measurement, it was suggested that it was of the eastern form S. c. albistriata. The bird was compared online against the Fair Isle bird using the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) nucleotide Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST).