Daily news summaries

Catch up with RBA's daily birdnews summaries. Browse ten days at a time, or choose a date to read summaries from that day backwards.

Daily summaries are available from 13 April 2006. For earlier weekly reviews, visit our articles.

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Wednesday 26th April 2006  
  A Red-rumped Swallow over Pegwell Bay Kent, a Cattle Egret near Beaulieu, Hampshire and a Subalpine Warbler (although only heard) provided the new rarities for the day. Notable longer staying birds included the drake King Eider in Ayr, three White-billed Divers off the Butt of Lewis, Alpine Swift at Seaton, Devon and American Golden Plover at Cemlyn.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 25th April 2006  
  Late news from yesterday concerned a Great White Egret that flew over Lodmoor RSPB and was probably the same bird that appeared on the fleet at Langton Herring this afternoon. Other new rarities were thin on the ground although a Bonaparte’s Gull appeared at Belfast Lough RSPB and there was yet another passage White-billed Diver, a bird seen from a boat off Stranraer yesterday. In Lewis a further three White-billed Divers continued their moult off north-west Lewis and the adult bird remained off the north end of North Ronaldsay. In Galway the adult Forster’s Tern reappeared again at Nimmo’s Pier where there was no sign of the 3rd-winter American Herring Gull. In Devon the Franklin’s Gull remained at Northam Burrows and at least one Alpine Swift roosted again in Seaton.

Hoopoes appeared on Mainland Shetland, Pett Level (E.Sussex) and Hayling Island (Hants). The Purple Heron was seen again at Minsmere RSPB and the adult Night Heron appeared on cue in Lincoln. Wrynecks appeared at Dungeness while other birds continued to show at Alkborough (Lincs) and at North Common (Glos). The Short-toed Lark remained on Scilly while a Great Grey Shrike was found near Walberswick (Suffolk). An Ashy-headed Wagtail made a brief appearance off the East bank at Cley NWT. On the local front, passage Wood Warblers appear to be fairly common this spring in comparison to recent years.
-  Richard Moores, RBA
Monday 24th April 2006  
  A poor day for exciting discoveries with a brief Cattle Egret at Samphire Hoe, Kent in the afternoon and an Alpine Swift at Meols, Wirral – the latter presumably the long-staying bird present recently at nearby Barnston. Three Wrynecks were found; at Portland, Dorset, Warmley, Gloucestershire and Alkborough, Lincolnshire whilst a confiding White Stork showed well during the afternoon and evening at Glais, Glamorgan.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 23rd April 2006  
  In Somerset a cracking male Black-headed Wagtail turned up on Minehead Golf Course and showed well near the coast path throughout the day. There has been a large influx of Yellow Wagtails during the last week or so, with many Blue-headed Wagtails and green-backed variants involved. Let’s hope we will see an upturn in fortunes for flavissima over the next few years. A controversial sandpiper in at Marston sewage works (Lincs) provided a tough identification for one wary birder. Although the bird exhibited spots down the flanks and on the belly, many of the other features pointed squarely at Common Sandpiper.

In Cornwall a Red-rumped Swallow was reported from Petherick Marsh near Bude and an adult Laughing Gull turned up at Porthcurnick Beach. In Berkshire, an Alpine Swift flew over Greenham Common but was not seen again. Selected remaining rarities included the Long-billed Dowitcher that reappeared at Old Hall Marshes RSPB (Essex), American Golden Plover at Cemlyn (Anglesey), Hooded Merganser on Unst, four White-billed Divers on Lewis and Lesser Scaup at Swithland Reservoir (Leics). On the scarcity front six Dotterel appeared on the Western Isles, both Tawny Pipit and Short-toed Lark popped up on St. Mary’s (Scilly), the Common Rosefinch remained on Portland, Woodchat Shrike stayed on at Porthgwarra. A brace of new drake Green-winged Teals appeared on Mainland Shetland and Pomarine Skuas picked up slightly off favoured headlands.
-  Richard Moores, RBA
Saturday 22nd April 2006  
  Although a busy day with the flood of migrants continuing – few new rarities were discovered, the best being a brief Black Kite near Sandwich, Kent and Woodchat Shrikes at both Porthgwarra, Cornwall and Pett Level, Sussex – the former briefly accompanied by a Bee-eater and the latter by a Cattle Egret! A showy Bluethroat at Staines Moor, Surrey proved predictably popular whilst a dapper Common Rosefinch at Portland Bill, Dorset gave most would-be observers the run around.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 21st April 2006  
  New rarities included a Snowy Owl on North Uist at Aird an Runair, Laughing Gulls at Bexhill (E.Sussex) and Restronguet Creek (Cornwall) and White-billed Diver off Unst. A Red-rumped Swallow was reported from Portland Bill, this might have been the bird that was belatedly reported present at Radipole Lake yesterday. In Shetland the drake Hooded Merganser of unknown origin reappeared on Unst after a day’s absence, while other rare ducks still present included Blue-winged Teal at St. Mary’s Island, Black Duck in Scilly, King Eider in Ayrshire, Lesser Scaup in Leicestershire and Black Scoter in Conwy.

The American Golden Plover remained at Cemlyn as did the Long-billed Dowitcher in Cornwall. A new Kentish Plover appeared at Breydon Water, a veritable hotspot for this species. The pair of Kentish Plovers remained at Marazion beach, while Dotterels were reported from Great Ormes Head and Pendle Hill. The Franklin’s Gull remained in Devon at Northam Burrows but there was no sign of all day of the Bonaparte’s Gull at Farmoor Reservoir (Oxon).

Late in the day an adult summer Bonaparte’s Gull was found roosting in Weymouth Bay. Further White-billed Divers remained off the north-east side of Lewis and North Ronaldsay. The adult Night Heron was seen again in Lincoln, while other rare herons included Purple Herons at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall), Bough Beech Reservoir (Kent), at a private site in Pembrokeshire and Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk). The Woodchat Shrike remained in Dorset and late Waxwings were in Berkshire and Edinburgh. A Hoopoe was reported in Shropshire and a Gull-billed Tern reported at Scalby Mills.
-  Richard Moores, RBA
Thursday 20th April 2006  
  Today's new rarities were two more White-billed Divers, this time off North Ronaldsay (Orkney). In Oxon the Bonaparte’s Gull again returned to roost at Farmoor Reservoir, while in Anglesey the 1st-summer American Golden Plover continued to show well at Cemlyn Lagoon. Other remaining rarities included King Eider at Irvine, Blue-winged Teal at St. Mary’s Wetland, Franklin’s Gull at Northam Burrows Country Park, Black Duck in Scilly, Lesser Scaup at Swithland Reservoir and Long-billed Dowitcher at Hayle Estuary. Alpine Swifts were again spotted in Kent and Wirral. Other birds of note included the pair of Kentish Plovers all day at Marazion beach, Purple Heron at Minsmere RSPB and a couple of Hoopoes were reported, in East Sussex and Cheshire respectively. A Night Heron was found in Lincoln.
-  Richard Moores, RBA
Wednesday 19th April 2006  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of another south coast Subalpine Warbler; at Samphire Hoe Country Park, Kent. Elsewhere in Kent an Alpine Swift was located at Margate in the evening whilst in adjacent East Sussex an adult Laughing Gull flew past Birling Gap in the morning.

Other new rarities found today were a White-billed Diver in Bluemull Sound, Shetland and a Cattle Egret at Barton Stacey, Hampshire. The Bonaparte’s Gull showed well at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire during the afternoon and the American Golden Plover remained at Cemlyn, Anglesey.

Notable scarcities comprised two Kentish Plovers at Marazion, Cornwall, a Purple Heron briefly at Dawlish Warren, Devon and the obliging Golden Oriole at Coldwaltham Brooks, West Sussex.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 18th April 2006  
  The most intriguing report of the day was of an orange-billed tern in the Christchurch Harbour area of Dorset – could it have been a return visit by last years’ Elegant Tern? Also found during the day were an Alpine Swift at Walmer in Kent, a White-billed Diver off Harris (Western Isles) and an inland Richard’s Pipit at Witcham in Cambridgeshire.

The American Golden Plover remained on Anglesey, as did the Bonaparte’s Gull in Oxfordshire and the Blue-winged Teal in Northumberland. Several long-staying rarities continued to entertain, including the Lesser Scaup at Swithland in Leicestershire, half a dozen Alpine Swifts, the Woodchat Shrike in Dorset and the Long-billed Dowitcher on the Hayle in Cornwall.

A Spotted Crake was singing at Malltraeth in Anglesey, Hoopoes were in Nottinghamshire and Shropshire but a reminder of winter was provided by the Shorelark which remained at Minsmere in Suffolk and a couple of flocks of Waxwings still around.
-  Richard Moores, RBA
Monday 17th April 2006  
  The highlights of the day were the discovery of an American Golden Plover at Cemlyn, Anglesey, a brief Laughing Gull at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset in the morning and a Bonaparte’s Gull at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire in the evening. A Blue-winged Teal that arrived at St Mary’s Island, Northumberland was presumably the bird present recently at Filey, North Yorkshire. Today the bird showed well and was seen to be bear a metal ring on it’s right leg; although – unless read - this has little bearing on the perceived provenance of this bird.

Alpine Swifts remained in Berkshire, Co Cork, Co Wicklow (3), Devon (2) and Wirral with a further bird at St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Kent briefly. The Black-winged Stilt remained on The Lizard, Cornwall as did the Franklin’s Gull at Northam Burrows, Devon and the Hooded Merganser on Unst, Shetland. The popular Western Subalpine Warbler at Stanpit Marsh, Dorset continued to perform and was briefly joined by an Ashy-headed Wagtail.
-  Chris Batty, RBA