A new design of firebreaks around a Bolivian nature reserve has been successful in protecting the habitat of the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw.
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A superb week with birds from the west and east, highlights included a 'Mega-fall' of Yellow-browed Warblers, Swainson's Thrushes, Two Red-eyed Vireos, Brunnich's Guillemot and Brown Shrike.
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Stuck on the mainland as they waited to get to the Isle of May, Alan Lauder & Ken Shaw find a Brunnich's Guillemot in Anstruther harbour.
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New research conducted at Fair Isle Bird Observatory has shown that migrating birds like Swallows and House Martins are increasingly reluctant to leave the UK and return to Africa.
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Two captive-bred Egyptian Vultures released this year in Bulgaria have drowned crossing between Turkey and Cyprus on their migration south.
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Following their launch in 2015, Spurn Bird Observatory Trust is once again running their 'School of Birding' workshops this coming October.
Full details here >

Lots of good old-fashioned east coast (and Northern Isles) birding, with the highlight being a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler at Spurn, however a Common Yellowthroat in Northern Ireland bucked the trend.
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Andy Stoddart reviews the new DVD which provides easy access to all 26 'Birding World' volumes and 'Twitching' too, 324 issues in all.
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BirdLife Malta's have begun their annual Raptor Camp monitoring illegal hunting of wild birds during peak autumn migration when it coincides with the hunting season. More here >

Defra have confirmed the first Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) in the UK, two have been found in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. More here >

Ecuador and Peru are creating the first UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve to protect almost 2 million hectares of dry forest across two countries. More here >

Great Tits pick their spring breeding sites to be near their winter flockmates, according to new research into the social networks of birds from the University of Oxford. More here >

An international team of scientists and conservation experts has discovered that the critically-endangered Hawaiian Crow, or Alala, is a highly proficient tool user. More here >

This year 43 pairs of the re-introduced population of Bearded Vultures have been observed nesting in the Alps, a new record. More here >

The RSPB and its partners were granted 83,700 pounds from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a new Oxford 'Swift City'. More here >

The UK and several UK Overseas Territory Governments have jointly announced that over two million square kilometres of British waters will be protected for future generations. More here >

A mixed bag this week with a Red-footed Booby taken into care in Sussex, a Cliff Swallow on the Scillies, two Pallid Harriers and various long stayers.
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The call comes after a week of killings which has seen two Black Storks shot as well as Bee-eaters, Night Herons, Golden Oriole and Honey Buzzard! More here >

An emergency motion passed by the IUCN is appealing to the Argentinian Government to save Critically Endangered bird from badly-planned hydroelectric dams. More here >

Jim Almond looks back on a memorable twelve days spent on St. Mary's when he took part in eleven Scilly Pelagic sessions from the 11th to 22nd August 2016.
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Andy rounds up another superb week for rare birds, Britain's first Red-footed Booby is found on a Sussex Beach whilst Scilly lands Britain's 10th Cliff Swallow plus much more.
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A Red-footed Booby is currently being cared for by the RSPCA after it was found exhausted on the beach at Hastings in East Sussex on Sunday 4th September. More here >

11 of the world's leading conservation orgs have announced an ambitious new partnership to identify, map and conserve the most important places for life on earth. More here >

The male Hen Harrier was the only chick to hatch from a clutch of five eggs at the North Pennines reserve and is one of only seven to fledge in the whole of England this season.
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Brian Rabbitts tells the story of finding a Western Sandpiper at Aird an Runair on the Western Isles, a potential first for the archipelago.
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The Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project has installed nest boxes on some of St Agnes' boulder beaches, to help one of England's rarest seabirds.
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The once-extinct Large Blue Butterfly, reintroduced to the UK in 1984, flew in its highest numbers for at least 80 years this summer, belying warnings that 2016 could be the worst year on record for British butterflies. More here >

A recent handover of land has set an RSPB reserve on the way to becoming the UK's largest created reedbed.
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Highlights included Western Purple Swamphen in Lincolnshire, Royal Tern in Kerry, Sykes's Warbler in Orkney, Semipalmated Sandpiper influx in Ireland and much more.
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Six Turtle Doves are being satellite tracked from their breeding grounds in the UK to their wintering grounds in West Africa, to help better understand why numbers are crashing so rapidly. More here

Sligo Birder Seamus Feeney finds Ireland's second ever Royal Tern in Mayo and a week later Kerry birder Davey Farrar relocates it at Beale strand some 80mls to the south. More here

The Scottish Wildlife Trust, RSPB Scotland, BugLife and Plantlife Scotland have come together to campaign against a proposal to build a golf course at Coul Links in East Sutherland. More here

Despite overwhelming opposition from scientists and the public the Welsh government has decided against a ban on the shooting of Endangered Greenland White-fronted Geese!
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The countdown is now on and there is less than two weeks to go to the fourth Annual Spurn Migration Festival, for a full programme of events and how to book your tickets.
See here

Known from a single specimen taken from the Karimui Basin in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea in 1964 the Karimui Owlet-nightjar has been rediscovered. More here >

Highlights this week included a Brown Booby photographed off the Kerry coast, Royal Tern, Fea's Petrel, large numbers of Curlew Sands, Greenish Warbler influx and much more.
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In an effort to understand the threats and inform conservation of these areas, scientists have identified vital stopover areas for Dunlin.
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Preserving old villages and farm buildings - and being more creative in designing new rural homes - could help halt the decline in European farmland bird populations, according to new research.
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Airflows around even small-scale features can have profound implications for energy use and flight control in birds which could be useful in drone technology. More here >

With Swift numbers and nesting sites in decline the RSPB and the UK's biggest house builder have collaborated to create a new Swift nest box in a brick format which can then easily be fitted in any new home. More here >

Staff and volunteers at RSPB Lakenheath Fen nature reserve are celebrating after two pairs of Cranes have successfully raised three Crane chicks, for the second year running.
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Scientists have discovered that Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers are 99.97 percent genetically alike which could have impications for their conservation. More here >

RSPB Scotland has today announced that a young male Hen Harrier, has gone missing on a grouse moor in the Monadhliath Mountains, south east of Inverness.
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For the first time since its release between 2014-2016 under the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Houbara Reintroduction Project, a Houbara Bustard nest has been spotted by field teams in Jordan.
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Ireland steals the show yet again with a glut of top quality birds. The highlight was a Royal Tern in Mayo with backup provided by Solitary and Least Sandpipers together in County Clare.
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The RSPB is deeply concerned that the Secretary of State's decision to approve an offshore wind farm off Hornsea will lead to the unnecessary death of globally important seabirds. More here >

Nearly 23,000 birds were recorded in five markets during a three-day survey, with clear indication that the vast majority were illegally taken from the wild.
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Scientists have discovered a new species of colourful songbird in the Galápagos Islands, with one catch: it's extinct.
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Conservationists in Brasil are encouraged by the early results of a project to re-introduce Black-fronted Piping-guan to the Atlantic forest.
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RSPB Rainham Marshes in east London has received a substantial grant from waste management company Veolia to help protect ground-nesting Lapwings.
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Recorded at Hen Harrier Day 2016 events the latest TN series of vox pops and in-the-field conversations, with birders, naturalists, political leaders, plus Chris Packham. More here >

Dr.Mark Avery's e-petition calling for driven grouse shooting to be banned in England has surpassed the 100,000 signatures required for a parliamentary debate. More here >

A colony of up to 20 individual Red-billed Tropicbirds, including eight pairs, has been discovered on Fuerteventura, the first colony to be found on the Canaries. More here >

Following their recent withdrawal from Defra's Hen Harrier Action Plan the RSPB, is warning that reform is the only way grouse shooting can save itself in England. More here >

The stress of birds' continent-spanning annual migrations, it appears, leads to faster ageing and a potentially earlier death, a new study has shown.
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The Minsmere Purple Swamphen hangs on for a few days but then does a bunk. Elsewhere there was brace of Least Sandpipers in Devon, and the first Fea's type Petrel of the Autumn, plus much more.
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Following a large public outcry over the decision to issue a license to kill Buzzards to protect pheasants, Natural England has issued a statement explaining their decision. More here >

An intrepid BirdLife International team are back from their voyage to discover the nesting grounds of Beck's Petrel, a small seabird facing an uncertain future.
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The RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE project team and LUSH are giving people the opportunity to name a recently satellite tagged Hen Harrier chick.
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For the first time, researchers have discovered that birds can sleep in flight but do so for only a fraction of the time they do when on land.
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Biologists have discovered high levels of pesticides from marine mammals in the tissues of California Condors living near the coast, and could complicate recovery efforts. More here >

A new technique to lab-rear a fly which parasitise ground finches on the Galapagos islands may prove to be a crucial tool in the fight to save endemic birds.
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For the first time in the UK, scientists working in the Brecks are using high-tech GPS tags to study the movements of one of the country's most threatened birds, the Stone Curlew. More here >

Mark Golley reviews the latest offering from Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher in their series of Multimedia ID Guides, and its fair to say he likes it!
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A relatively quiet week was turned on its head when a Western Purple Swamphen was found at RSPB Minsmere, and in the last hours of the roundup period a Least Sandpiper in Devon.
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New findings suggest that the famous cooperation between honeyguide birds and human honey hunters in sub-Saharan Africa is a two-way conversation.
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Scientists are hoping that glider pilots will be able to soar more efficiently by adopting the learning strategies that birds use to navigate their way through thermals. More here >

Charlie is in conversation with Rob Hume and Andy Swash on what it took to produce their epic new photo ID guide for the birds of Britain and Ireland.
Listen here >

Six small Indian mongooses that hitched a ride from Fiji inside a shipping container have escaped and now threaten native wildlife on Tonga.
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More than 1000 birds were found for sale at the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market over two days, including many internationally threatened species.
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Scientists have shown that there is a genetic basis to the migratory routes flown by songbirds, and have narrowed in on a cluster of genes that may govern the behaviour. More here >

A young male, named Larzac, that left the Grands Causses several weeks ago to make a complete tour of the Netherlands, has now been found dead in northern Germany. More here >

Andy reviews this new photo id guide and after initial trepidation he was clearly very impressed calling it 'best photo guide now on the market.'
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Numbers of Puffins and Manx Shearwater have rocketed on an island off the coast of Devon, a decade after it was declared rat-free.
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After the relative doldrums of the last couple of weeks, the pace really stepped up a gear this week, indeed this was an outstanding period for July and, as is typical for the season, the main interest lay in waders and seabirds. More here >

To celebrate the publication of the new The Birds of Spurn a book launch is being held at Westmere Farm, Kilnsea on Sunday 14th August 2016. All are welcome. More here >

Supermarket Aldi is celebrating the first anniversary of its educational partnership with the RSPB which has seen them donate £775,000 from the sale of its carrier bags. More here >

Tacumshin in Co.Wexford in south west Ireland strikes gold again as Paul Kelly finds Ireland's fifth ever Western Sandpiper.
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RSPB Scotland has appealed for information following the discovery of illegally-set spring traps in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
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The Scottish Raptor Study Group has launched a petition calling on the Scottish government to introduce a state regulated licensing scheme for all gamebird hunting in Scotland. More here >

Mallorca's Black Vultures have enjoyed their best breeding season but with previously closed land being opened to access conservationists are worried about disturbance. More here >

New research has shown that the foraging behaviour of Little Auks in the arctic might make them more resilient to climate change than other species.
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As the weather heated up, the birding was on more of a slow simmer. The best new discovery was a Terek Sandpiper at North Bull Island while a Black Stork in Sussex was another new find this week
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Andy reviews Lost Among the Birds, the story of Neil Hayward, a North American birder who's Big Year was unplanned and accidental but turned out a perfect distraction to his complicated life.
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Shorebirds breeding in Alaska are being exposed to mercury at levels that could put their populations at risk, according to new research from The Condor: Ornithological Applications.
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Hummingbirds are among nature's most agile flyers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometres per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation. More here >

A female Hen Harrier chick has been satellite tagged at Mar Lodge Estate, following the first successful breeding attempt on the estate in several decades.
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The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report has revealed that Turtle Dove numbers have hit a new low, declining by 93% since 1994.
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A newly-published paper in Ringing & Migration explains how state-of-the art GPS tags have unlocked the secrets of four Herring Gulls nesting on the rooftops of St Ives, Cornwall. More here >

Those eagerly awaiting Orkney's first sea eagle chicks in over a century will have to wait a little longer, it seems as both adult birds have abandoned the nest. More here >

Some nice summer highlights this week including Somerset's second Collared Pratincole, the first being way back in 1858 so safe to assume that all Somerset listers needed this one!
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30 chicks have been hatched by conservationists in Russia over the weekend as part of on-going efforts to save the Critically Endangered wader.
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A new colony of one of Europe’s rarest butterflies has been discovered on an RSPB reserve in Cumbria, marking a new milestone for a reintroduction project.
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A Northern Gannet from Alderney arrived home from a week-long, 2,700km, foraging trip which is the longest ever recorded for an adult of its kind.
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Jon Dunn reviews Siberia's Sprite, which sets out to explore the history and to understand our lasting relationship with Pallas's Warbler and its place in our fascinations and desires.
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Despite being a protected species, each year, 30.000 are illegally trapped and killed during the autumn migration in August and September in the southwest of France. More here >

The RSPB has fitted Whinchats at RSPB Geltsdale with special tracking devices in an attempt to discover why these migrant birds are in serious decline.
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New research by scientists at the Universtiy of East Anglia illustrates how lone, singing male Willow Warblers, could be an inevitable symptom of species declines.
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The BOURC has announced some changes to the British List, accepting both Chinese Pond Heron and Slaty-backed Gull to Category A, whilst placing Mugimaki Flycatcher in Category E. More here >

Malta now has its first eight marine SPAs within the Natura 2000 network which gives seabirds in Malta full protection on land and at sea.
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