Cream-coloured Courser

Cursorius cursor (Latham, 1787) (28, 8)

Photo © Matthew K Naylor, St Mary’s Golf Course, Isles of Scilly, October 2004

STATUS

Palearctic. Polytypic.

OVERVIEW

Seen in the south from Kent, Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. Two in the Midlands, six in East Anglia, three records from Scotland although one sighting was of three together, two in the north-west and in the Midlands, five in the north-east, one in Somerset and four occasions in Wales.

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BBRC RECORDS

1). 1785 Kent Near Wingham, immature, shot, autumn.

(Latham, 1787; G. Fox, Zoological Journal 3: 493; Jenyns, 1835; G. Fox, Wood's Naturalist 1837: 133; J. Pemberton Bartlett, Zoologist 1844: 623; Yarrell, 1845; Newman, 1866; Stevenson, 1866; Harting, 1872; Yarrell, 1871-85; Babington, 1884-86; Ticehurst, 1909; Gurney, 1921; Harrison, 1953).

2). 1793 County unknown Locality in north Wales, shot, undated.

(Fleming, 1828; S. Palmer (1837) Maund & Holl's Naturalist 1: 1-3; Yarrell, 1845; Yarrell, 1871-85; Dobie, 1893; Forrest, 1907; Lovegrove, Williams & Williams, 1994).

3). 1827 Leicestershire & Rutland Timberwood Hill, Charnwood Forest, shot, 15th October, now at Leicester Museum (L.Z458.1968.1.0).

(G. T. Fox, Zoological Journal 3: 492-493; Selby, 1833; Jenyns, 1835; Yarrell, 1845; Bewick, 1847; Newman, 1866; Yarrell, 1871-85; M. Browne, Zoologist 1886: 326-327; Browne, 1889; Hickling, 1978).

4). 1828 Suffolk Friston, shot, 3rd October, now at Saffron Walden Museum.

(E. Acton, Loudon's Magazine of Natural History 4: 163; Jenyns, 1835; C. R. Bree, Field 7th Dec., 1867: 465; Stevenson, 1870; Babington, 1884-86; P. R. Lowe, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 44: 93; Ticehurst, 1932).

5). 1828 Yorkshire Holme, near Market Weighton, obtained, undated.

(Allis, 1844; Clarke & Roebuck, 1881; Seebohm, 1883-85; Harting, 1901; Nelson, 1907; Chislett, 1952; Mather, 1986).

6). 1840 Lincolnshire Near Marshchapel, caught exhausted, undated.

(Yarrell, 1871-85; Witherby et al., 1940-52; Smith & Cornwallis, 1955; Lorand & Atkin, 1989).

7). 1845 Hampshire Sopley, shot, undated, now at Hampshire Cultural Trust, Chilcomb House, Winchester.

(Kelsall & Munn, 1905; Clark & Eyre, 1993; Clark & Combridge, 2009; Clark, 2022, photo).

8). 1846 Northumberland Near Cheswick, immature male, shot, 9th November, now at Chelmsford Museum, Essex.

(Eds., History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 2: 200; Gray, 1871; Harting, 1872; Hancock, 1874; G. Bolam, Annals of Scottish Natural History 1896: 77; Evans, 1911; Bolam, 1912; Galloway & Meek, 1978-83; Wood, 2007).

9). 1847 Norfolk Morston, seen, autumn.

(Stevenson, 1870; Yarrell, 1871-85; Lubbock, 1879; Riviere, 1930; H. H. Edwards, British Birds 28: 242; Seago, 1977).

10). 1853 Dorset Batcombe Down, shot, undated.

(Mansel-Pleydell, 1873, 1888; Yarrell, 1871-85; F. L. Blathwayt, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society 55: 195; Prendergast & Boys, 1983; Morrison, 1997).

12). 1855 Norfolk West Acre, seen, autumn.

(Stevenson, 1870; Yarrell, 1871-85; Lubbock, 1879; H. H. Edwards, British Birds 28: 242; Riviere, 1930; Seago, 1977).

11). 1855 Wiltshire East Down, near Tilshead, Salisbury Plain, adult, shot, 2nd October.

(J. Gardner, Zoologist 1855: 4913; Newman, 1866; A. C. Smith, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 12: 48-49; Yarrell, 1871-85; Smith, 1887; Buxton, 1981).

13). 1856 Devon Braunton Burrows, immature male, shot, late October.

(G. F. Mathews, Morris's Naturalist 6: 286-287; M. A. Mathew, Zoologist 1857: 5346; G. F. Mathews, Naturalist 1866: 359; J. Gatcombe, Zoologist 1871: 2475; Harting, 1872; Moore, 1969).

14). 1858 Essex/Greater London Temple Mill Marshes, Stratford, female, shot, 19th October.

(E. Newman, Field 30th Oct., 1858: 357; E. Newman, Zoologist 1858: 6309; Harting, 1866, 1872; Christy, 1890; Swann, 1893; Glegg, 1929; Hudson & Pyman, 1968; Cox, 1984; Self, 2014).

15). 1862 Cumbria Allonby, near Maryport, killed, October.

(T. H. Allis, Zoologist 1865: 9418, 9457; Harting, 1872; Yarrell, 1871-85; Macpherson, 1892; Harting, 1901; Hutcheson, 1986).

16). 1866 Kent Near Sandwich, shot, early October.

(H. J. Harding, Zoologist 1866: 523; Harting, 1872; Ticehurst, 1909; Harrison, 1953).

17). 1868 Clyde Cleghorn, near Lanark, Lanarkshire, first-winter male, shot, 7th October, now at National Museums of Scotland (NMSZ 1954.43).

(F. Walker, Zoologist 1868: 1459; J. A. Harvie-Brown, Zoologist 1868: 1482; "S." Field 19th Dec., 1868: 508; Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow 1: 238; Gray, 1871; Harting, 1872; Cordeaux, 1872; Annals of Scottish Natural History 1897: 216; Baxter & Rintoul, 1953; Thom, 1986).

18). 1870 Northumberland Goswick, adult, killed, first week of November, now at Berwick Museum.

(J. H. Gurney, jun., Zoologist 1871: 2522, 2562; Harting, 1872; Galloway & Meek, 1978-83).

19). 1884 Cornwall St Mawgan-in-Pydar, obtained, December, now at the Booth Museum, Brighton.

(T. Cornish, Zoologist 1885: 113; Ed., Field 18th May 1889: 687; Penhallurick, 1969; Wood, 2007).

20). 1886 Ceredigion Ynyslas, Dyfi Estuary, shot, 2nd October.

(J. Hooton, Field 16th Oct., 1886: 555; A. Hooton, Zoologist 1887: 269; T. H. Nelson, Field 16th Apr., 1887: 534; Forrest, 1907; Lovegrove, Williams & Williams, 1994).

21). 1896 Wiltshire Erlestoke Down, shot, 10th October.

(A. C. Smith, Zoologist 1896: 434-435; A. C. Smith, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 29: 70-71; Eds., Ibis 1897: 142; G. B. Hony, British Birds 7: 288; Buxton, 1981).

22). 1916 Kent Dungeness, adult, seen, 9th September.

(H. G. Alexander, British Birds 10: 263-264; Harrison, 1953).

23). 1934 Norfolk Thornham, juvenile, shot, 3rd October, now at Castle Museum, Norwich (Acc. No. NWHCM: 1935.16).

(H. H. Edwards, British Birds 28: 242; Seago, 1977; Dye, Fiszer & Allard, 2009).

24). 1941 Somerset Minehead Golf Course, adult, 24th to 26th September.

(A. V. Cornish, British Birds 35: 131-132; F. C. Butters, E. W. Hendy, R. W. Howell & H. G. Hurrell, Devon Bird-Watching & Preservation Society Report 1941: 9-11; Hendy, 1943; Somerset Ornithological Society, 1988; Ballance, 2006).

25). 1947 Cumbria Grune Point, Skinburness, adult male, shot, 15th October, now at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle.

(E. Blezard, British Birds 41: 92; E. Blezard, North Western Naturalist 23: 273; Hutcheson, 1986).

26). 1949 Clyde Near Luggiebank, Lanarkshire, three, 10th October.

(D. Stephen, "Daily Record" 13th October 1949; J. A. Gibson, Glasgow and West of Scotland Bird Bulletin 2: 31; E. V. Baxter, Scottish Naturalist 67: 102, rejected; Eds., Scottish Birds 4: 230; D. G. Andrew, Scottish Birds 5: 15; D. Stephen, Scottish Birds 5: 28-29; Thom, 1986).

29). 1959 Devon Dawlish Warren, 11th, 13th to 14th October.

(G. A. Pyman and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 53: 419).

30). 1965 Lothian Aberlady Bay, 9th to 21st October, photo.

(D. D. Harber and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 59: 290; D. Baty & G. Waterston, Scottish Birds 4: 230-232; D. G. Andrew, Scottish Birds 5: 15; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo).

31). 1968 Carmarthenshire Cefn Sidan, Pembrey, 23rd October.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 62: 471).

32). 1969 Norfolk Blakeney, first-winter, 18th to 29th October; same, Ormesby East End, afternoon of 29th October to 20th November, when found dead, photo, now at Castle Museum, Norwich.

(F. R. Smith and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 63: 278, plate 49; Norfolk Bird & Mammal Report 1969: photo; Norfolk Bird & Mammal Report 2002: photo).

33). 1980 Cornwall Ruan Lanihorne, 8th October.

(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 74: 466).

34). 1984 Essex Hadleigh Marsh, second-winter, 29th September to 2nd October, photo.

(British Birds 77: plate 264; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 78: 543, plates 251-254; Wood, 2007).

35). 2004 Isles of Scilly Wingletang Down, St Agnes, first-winter, 28th to 29th September, photo; same, Sheep Fields, St Martin's, 29th September to 8th October; same, Airfield, St Mary's, 8th to 26th October, taken into care, died in Mousehole Bird Hospital, Cornwall, on 27th October, now at Isles of Scilly Museum.

(Birding World 17 (9): 361, photo; A. Fisher & R. L. Flood, Birding World 17 (10): 426-428, plates 1-4; Birding World 17 (12): 509, photo; British Birds 97: plate 386; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 98: 648, plate 420; Birding World 20 (8): 339, photo; Flood, Hudson & Thomas, 2007: plate 45; Birding World 23 (8): 321, photo).

36.0). 2012 Herefordshire Bradnor Hill, adult, 20th to 23rd May, photo; also in Radnorshire.

(Birding World 25 (5): 178, photo; P. Downes, Birding World 25 (5): 202-204, plates 1-3; British Birds 105: plate 228; Birding World 25 (12): 519, photo; N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 106: 599, plate 348).

36.1). 2012 Radnorshire Stanner, 23rd May; same as Herefordshire.

(N. A. J. Hudson and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 106: 599).