American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica (Statius Müller, 1776)
Kougarok Road, Nome, Alaska © Nigel Milbourne, 2012
Very rare, Nearctic vagrant. May occur between September & November.
- One, a juvenile, 1st-2nd Nov. 2003 (N.R. Milbourne, R. Mielcarek et al.).
- One, a presumed juvenile, 23rd Oct. 2013 (N.R. Milbourne).
American and Pacific Golden Plovers were considered to be races of ‘Lesser’ Golden Plover and weren’t split by the BOU until 1986 because it was thought that the two inter-bred. The paper by Dr Alan Knox (see 2 below) makes fascinating reading for those interested in how the ‘split’ was arrived at. The first accepted British record of American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica was on Fair Isle, Shetland in 1956, until a review of historical ‘Lesser Golden Plover’ records took place recently. They subsequently accepted two records as being American Golden Plovers, the first of which was in 1883, a bird shot at the mouth of the River Almond in Perth, Scotland. The second was of a bird shot in 1887 at Loch of Stenness, Mainland, Orkney.
The author found the first bird known to have visited Blagdon Lake early in the morning on the 1st November 2003. After about an hour of careful observation I had noted the grey underwing on four occasions and I put out the word of a Lesser (probable American) Golden Plover present off Bell’s Bush with European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria. Richard Mielcarek arrived and he and I were able to clinch the identification and age the bird as a juvenile. Although appearing to have flown off at 1215 hrs the bird returned later and was seen by many observers before flying off again at 1455 hrs. It was present again the following morning 2nd November and relocated for the last time at Yoxter on the Mendip plateau by Simon Isgar on 5th November.
The second record was of a bird that apparently flew up from Bell’s Bush, over the meadow close to the author allowing a clear view as it rose in the air calling. It flew towards Blagdon Village before veering south and rising over the Mendip ridge. The grey underwing and repeated call were both noted at the time, so I immediately drove home to listen to recordings of the call, before driving on to Cheddar Reservoir in the hope that it might have landed there. Sadly, it hadn’t.
Bibliography (sources of information):
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) website.
- Knox, A., Taxonomic Status of ‘Lesser Golden Plovers’. Brit. Birds 80: No. 10, pps 482-487.
- Naylor, K.A., Historical Rare Birds. 2024
- Rose, Dr H.E. (ed.). Avon Bird Report, 2003. Avon Ornithological Group.
- Rose, Dr H.E. (ed.). Avon Bird Report, 2013. Avon Ornithological Group.
Last update: 18th December 2024