The first British record of Pallas's Sandgrouse
(named after the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas) was a party of three near
the River Glaslyn at Tremadoc in Caernarvonshire on July 9th 1859. In the 19th
century large irruptions of this species headed westwards into Europe. Invasions
were noted in May 1863, 1888 and 1908, but smaller numbers were noted in many of
the years with birds also recorded in 1872, 1876, 1890, 1899, 1904, 1906 and
1909. In 1888 an irruption occurred on a massive scale with up to 2,000 birds in
Scotland and in the region of 5,000 noted across the British Isles. Breeding
occurred in Yorkshire in 1888, Scotland in 1888/ 89 and probably Suffolk in
1888.
There have been around ten Pallas's Sandgrouse
reported historically from S. Gloucestershire;
1888: (c.10)
Eight were recorded on June 3rd at Hambrook,
possibly as many as ten. This occurrence constitutes the first report of this
species for S. Gloucestershire; One was 'obtained' sometime in July at Yate; Two
were seen sometime in July at Hambrook.