On 19 November last year, a Shore Lark was discovered at Staines Reservoir, though it was only seen briefly before disappearing. The bird remained unrecorded until 24 November, when it was refound on the causeway. It was photographed by visiting birders the following day, prompting discussion about its possible Nearctic origin. As observations accumulated and more people connected with the bird, a consensus gradually emerged that it belonged to the Nearctic clade of Horned Lark subspecies.
Initially, I hesitated. With it being “only” a subspecies, enthusiasm among some of the lads was limited, and the familiar refrain of “it’ll never go on the list” did little to help my resolve. However, by the 28th, with the bird still showing each day reliably, I finally gave in and decided to go the following morning. I arrived at first light and spent the entire day searching, but the bird had gone. The sense of deflation was considerable.
Remarkably, the story did not end there. On Monday, the Shore Lark reappeared and was once again refound on the causeway, showing well through to sunset. I was working the following day, but took the decision to book Wednesday off.
That morning, I picked up Malc Curtin from Northwich and headed south, arriving at Staines Reservoir at first light. Conditions were far from encouraging: gale-force gusts approaching forty miles an hour, accompanied by relentless rain. We waited for the worst of the weather to ease before heading out onto the causeway. With no one else around on arrival, we began a careful search, walking the length of the causeway and scanning the verges.
After an hour with no sign, confidence was starting to ebb when, suddenly, the bird flew directly in front of me and dropped onto the grassy verge, where it began feeding unconcernedly, a moment of instant relief and quiet satisfaction after a prolonged run of doubt and missed opportunity.
In a British context, this individual may represent only the third American Horned Lark to be recorded, following birds on the Isles of Scilly in October 2001 and South Uist in October 2014, the latter particularly close in appearance to the Staines bird. However, it is worth noting that no Nearctic taxon of Horned Lark has yet been formally admitted to the BOU’s British List.
Regardless of its eventual taxonomic treatment, the Staines Shore Lark proved to be a fascinating and memorable bird, offering a rare opportunity to study a Nearctic form in the field and rewarding persistence in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.
