Red-footed booby among rarest birds spotted in Dorset in 2020s

The Herald Scotland

27-04-2025

The likes of the Red-footed booby, Eleonora's Falcon and Yelkouan Shearwater have made appearances in the last few years.
Keen birdwatchers have been out snapping and recording their sightings, hoping to capture some rarer finds.
Some of these sightings have been reported on the Bird Guides map, where you can look for where rare birds have been around the UK.
Native wild animals in the UK
Rare birds spotted around Dorset in the 2020s
Red-footed booby
The Red-footed booby is a variant of the more common Blue-footed booby, and it is usually found around 6,000 miles away from the UK in the Galapagos Islands.
However, it has on a couple of occasions reportedly been spotted in Dorset, including in Portland in August 2021.
Don't twitch much these days so it was a huge bonus when the Red footed Booby reappeared on the Bishop this afternoon #Scilly pic.twitter.com/IvVOIh2ukB — Lee (@Bluetail007) October 8, 2023
It took a few more years for another keen birdwatcher to spot one within the county.
In June 2024, one was spotted around 800 metres offshore from Worbarrow Bay.
Eleonora's Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon has been spotted on a few occasions around Dorset in the last five years, starting in 2020.
Honestly, the Eleonora's Falcon in Kent might be my favourite twitch of all time. WHAT A BIRD! pic.twitter.com/3fAd8KsJdF — Simon Mitchell (@perilsofbirding) June 1, 2022
It was reportedly first seen near Lytchett Bay in September of that year, before another couple of possible viewings in August 2021 near Cogden Beach and Tyneham.
According to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), it is an "extremely rare visitor to Britain & Ireland".
Its breeding season is usually around July to August to take advantage of migrating birds travelling past its Mediterranean breeding colonies.
Yelkouan Shearwater
A Yelkouan Shearwater was spotted a couple of times in 2020 (Image: Getty Images)
The Yelkouan Shearwater is the Mediterranean counterpart of the Manx Shearwater, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
It is said to be an "extremely rare visitor to British & Irish waters" with its unique name deriving from the Turkish word 'Yelkovan', which means 'wind-chaser'.
According to the Birds Guide map, it was spotted twice in Dorset in 2020, with both occasions being in July.
An individual was seen among a group of Balearic Shearwaters near to Chesil Cove and Portland.
Forster's Tern
A cluster of sightings of Forster's Terns have been reported in Dorset in 2024 and 2025 (Image: Getty Images)
The Forster's Tern is a "rare visitor from North America", according to the BTO, with it being recorded sporadically around the winter months.
In appearance, it is similar to the Common Tern, but with a pale orange bill.
Sightings mostly correlate with returning individuals, which seems to be the case in Dorset.
A cluster of reports were made around Poole, Brownsea Island and Arne RSPB in late March and April 2024.
Again in 2025, a cluster of sightings were made in April in similar areas as well as Lytchett Bay.
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Short-toed Snake Eagle
Only one sighting of the Short-toed Snake Eagle has been recorded in the county in the last five years.
A Short-toed Snake Eagle has been spotted just once in Dorset in the 2020s (Image: Getty Images)
According to the eBird website, it is a "large, slightly ungainly raptor with long and very broad wings, a shortish tail, and a conspicuously big head".
It adds: "Pale belly and underwings contrast with the darker head in most adults, but juveniles have pale heads. All age groups have a tendency to look a bit dishevelled."
The bird is mostly seen around mainland Europe, very rarely venturing over to the UK.
One was found injured on the beach near Hengistbury Head in October 2020 and was taken into care.