Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
Computer-generated image courtesy of Colin R Casey.
One county record at Gibraltar Point May 11th, 2011. The finders flushed this impressively chunky Lark from the saltings in the north of the reserve. Good views were obtained despite the bird’s elusive nature and frequent flights (Finders report, below). It was eventually mobbed by a pair of Skylarks Alauda arvensis and flew low north not to be seen again. The observers were struck by the black neck patches and underwing and broad white trailing edge to the secondaries and inner primaries of the upperwing. It’s stay was brief and it could not be relocated after late morning that day, a tragically short stay!
Until the mid-1990s, Calandra Lark was a major rarity in Britain, but has featured in no fewer than 13 BBRC annual reports since 1994. This recent upturn may be associated with various factors including more successful breeding seasons, changing weather patterns as well as improved observer coverage. Mediterranean populations are largely resident but wander outside the breeding season. Eastern populations though are migratory or partially migratory and winter from southern Russia to North Africa and the Middle East; passage in Russia mainly October and March.
| Site | First date | Last date | Count | Notes |
| Gibraltar Point NNR | 11/05/2011 | - | 1 |
Finder’s report: Calandra Lark at Gibraltar Point NNR May 11th, 2011, first county record.
by Tim Bagworth and Kevin M. Wilson.
Note: this article first appeared in the Lincolnshire Bird Report 2011. The BBRC report for 2011 noted that this was the 16th British record with 23 in all to 2021. All but two of these records have been in spring and it characteristically turns up on islands (Fair Isle has had eight) and stays only briefly.
Circumstances
On May 10th, 2011, I was in an area of outer ridges counting southbound migrants such as swallows, swifts, finches, and corvids. At 07.50 hr. a Serin flew past me, calling as it headed low to the south. It possibly landed in the East Dunes some 250m away. I decided to follow it up. Whilst traversing the dry saltmarsh edge, a lark flew up at about 40m away and caught my attention. Skylarks breed commonly in this area, but something made me look at this bird through the binoculars. Flight views were brief and in very strong sun, but it did look bulky and a flash of what looked like a dark underwing brought Calandra immediately to mind. It landed further south, and I went to investigate further. It had landed over a dune rise and I was not sure of how far it had gone. The bird flushed again and flew about 150m with strong sunlight behind it again, but it did seem to show a very dark underwing, before giving just back-end views. I went to try and locate it but could not see it where I thought it had landed. The morning was advancing however, my mobile phone was ringing, and I needed to be attending to an extensive work list for the day.
With good weather continuing the following morning - 11th - I ventured out to the East Dunes to carry out a Common Bird Census, having taken an early detour for a Golden Oriole at the Plantation. After an hour and a half of census work, I headed north off the end of the outer ridge (Polypody Ridge) to cross the saltings and check on a pair of Wheatears that had been prospecting a rabbit burrow three days earlier. I was about 150 m north of where I had seen ‘the lark’ the previous day so I was extremely fortunate that I flushed the same bird again. It took flight only about 20m from me and flew away northward. The light conditions were perfect this time, it was slightly overcast with nothing like the glare of the previous day. This lark was certainly bulky, and the wings certainly were black underneath and not only that, but there was a broad white trailing edge to the secondaries that was striking. At this point, I was in no doubt that I had found a Calandra. I really wanted to see it on the ground.
Luckily it landed to the south on a marram grass ridge– as it landed, two skylarks flew up as if displaced by their larger cousin! I followed it up but could not see the bird due to the thick clumps of marram. Unfortunately, I got too close, and it flushed again within 30 m. It did a long, looping flight as if it wanted to come and land in the same area. During this flight it called three times. In line with my previous experience of the species in flight in Iberia, the call was somewhat disappointing in terms of what one may expect form a lark of such bulk! Against a backdrop of singing Skylarks, the call could be determined as a typically lark like churring, rasping trill, perhaps slightly less abrupt and more strained, as if a prelude to song. There was a hint of Corn Bunting song quality to the call.
This view enabled the full structure to be appreciated – I had not noted how short-tailed it looked before, but now it was beginning to remind me of a giant, long-winged Woodlark as it undertook a bounding flight. The short-tailed appearance was undoubtedly accentuated by the long-looking wings. Not only were the underwings dark, but the upperwing also looked blackish across the primaries and secondaries, as with the underwing and there was a striking contrast with the broad white trailing edge. I had not noticed this darkness to the upperwing before on Calandras abroad. The bird seemed keen to associate with locally nesting Skylarks, but they did not seem so keen on it! It often hovered a bit in flight – almost as if about to display. I was determined to see this bird on the ground but poor fieldcraft was generated by general panic, impatience, and lack of available time. Unfortunately, there were no other birders in the immediate proximity (as is usually the case at Gib!). I needed someone who was calm, not prone to panicking, and had previous experience of Calandras, who could corroborate the identification. Tim Bagworth was approximately 3 km away in the Shorebird Sanctuary at the extreme south end of the Reserve. I called him at 10.12 hr. and said, “I’ve got a Calandra!” His response seemed calm (he didn’t believe me?). “Where?” he said. He then set off on foot.
In the meantime, I had settled down on a ridge overlooking the saltings and dune edge where I was convinced the lark had landed after its last flight. Surely, I would get views now. But after what seemed like 30 minutes, I had not seen any movement – I ventured into the area again and the bird had disappeared. I thought it must have continued north so I started traversing up and down the saltings, probably covering about 2 km in the process – no luck. Some 10 Skylarks, five Meadow Pipits and a Wheatear were encountered, and I was distracted by a southbound Honey Buzzard that was being mobbed by two Jackdaws for a while. I noted on the Skylarks in flight how the white trailing edge was often difficult to see clearly in comparison to the Calandra. I returned to check to the south this time. Thankfully, the Calandra got up again at about 20m and flew to the seaward edge of the marram ridge again.
Tim arrived 5 minutes later, and we both cautiously approached the ridge. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the lark took flight and did another 80m flight back onto the saltings. “Oh yes” exclaimed Tim as he got initial flight views and he then remarked how the bird had held its wings downward on occasions in accordance with his previous experience of a Calandra on the Isle of Man. Again, it hovered hesitantly a couple of times before descending to the ground, as if contemplating a song flight. The relief that Tim had now seen it was immense. We moved slightly to get a better position to see the saltings again. Almost immediately, we saw the bird, which had moved out of some dense grass at c.70m and onto an open path, where it remained for about 10 seconds. I tried to get a brief bit of video (ridiculous really, at that distance!), while Tim watched it through binoculars, thus getting better views than me. Hoping the lark was settled, I was just about to set up my ‘scope on it when a pair of Skylarks came in and mobbed it. It quickly took flight and headed north, quite low, but this time moving for about 200m. We lost sight of it behind a dune ridge, and it was our impression that it had probably continued out across the large tidal creek and over to an extensive matrix of saltmarsh, dune grassland, scrub, and vegetated shingle ridges. With news out on Birdline etc., the first birders arrived about 20 minutes later and there followed an extensive search for the remainder of the morning and the afternoon, but the bird was not seen again.
Description
Notes below are based on flight views on May 11th May when seen in flight about six times down to 20m and over varying lengths of time up to 20 seconds.
General appearance – a large, chunky lark, with quite broad-based, long wings and shortish tail. Skylark in comparison probably about ¾ size or even less, with longer tail comparatively. The Calandra clearly had quite a large chunky bill which was more obvious when in flight compared to adjacent Skylark bills. It appeared pale at times. Legs were not seen.
Upperparts - mostly mid-brown on crown, mantle and wing coverts and any streaking on these areas was not possible to determine accurately. The tail was fairly short in respect of the bulk of the body and the length of the wings – something that I had not really appreciated on previous views of this species. It was dark brown centred with extensive white outer tail feathers which were easily seen. The tail was often spread while the bird was semi-hovering – deciding where to land etc. or even attempting a half-hearted display flight! The tail was not tipped white as in Bimaculated Lark.
Head – the face pattern appeared quite complex and bold, but typically lark-like with a broad, pale surround to the eye area and broad white supercilium above. The ear-coverts area was brownish like the upperparts. I specifically looked for the black patches at the lower neck when I realised the bird was a Calandra. It took a couple of views to see this in flight, but they were certainly apparent and particularly good views were obtained on one occasion when the bird was flying towards me. The black neck patches were clearly regular on each side and could not have been formed by the coalescence of patches of breast side streaking, nor caused by any feather ruffling that might result in showing dark bases to the feathers. There was a noticeable white “collar” between the brown of the face sides and the clear-cut upper borders of the black lower neck patches.
Underparts - the upper breast looked brownish or buff in a thin band below the black neck patches, but it was not possible to determine any streaking here. It certainly lacked a distinct, deep ‘pectoral band’ of streaking that might be more expected with Skylark or Woodlark. For the most part, the underparts were clean white (whiter looking than Skylarks) and this helped to accentuate the dark looking wings.
Wings - other than the black neck patches, the wings were the most remarkable feature of the bird. The underwings were almost solidly black except for a striking, broad and pure white band along the trailing edge due to the secondaries and inner primaries being white tipped. Both wings were intact, very smart, and pristine. The upperside of the secondaries and primaries was also very dark – almost blackish and this was a feature that I had not really noted before on Calandras. There was a hint of pale patches on the carpals (slightly reminiscent of Woodlark), that seemed to be a feature rather than caused by feather displacement when it was seen head on during one flight.
Kev Wilson's rapidly scribbled (and valuable) field notes of the Calandra Lark, May 10th-11th, 2011!
(Account as per new Birds of Lincolnshire (2021), included October 2022)