Lesser Whitethroat - 2014 Siberian subspecies

In October a bird looking a close match for a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat S. c. blythi was found at the Farm on the 3rd (RDB). It appeared to have a shorter than average primary projection, the browner crown and nape typical of the race and when later trapped the wing was found to be rounded, with a second primary roughly equal in length to the seventh, and the tail exhibited a white tip to the penultimate feather and a brighter white outer feather. A feather has been sent for DNA analysis which will hopefully confirm this as the first Siberian Lesser Whitethroat for Skokholm. The bird was present from the 3rd until the 5th. The final record of the year on 30th October also looked like a good candidate for S. c. blythi, however it soon entered the Bracken and was not trapped to allow for a close inspection of wing formula and tail pattern (GE).

Source: Skokhom Annual Report 2014

DNA from the feather confirmed the identity, and the record was subsequently accepted by WBRC.