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| Wednesday 3rd May 2006 | ||
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| Portland, Dorset was certainly the place today with highlights including three Red-rumped Swallows, two Serins, a male Ashy-headed Wagtail and a Wryneck. Elsewhere a Black-winged Stilt arrived on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent and a Blue-winged Teal was found at Brodgar, Orkney, whilst a Bee-eater flew over Sheringham, Norfolk. The most notable discoveries amongst the national scarcities were a Serin at Landguard, Suffolk, a Wryneck at Horsey, Norfolk and a Kentish Plover at Dawlish Warren, Devon. | ||
| - Richard Moores and Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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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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| Tuesday 2nd May 2006 | ||
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| Bird of the day was a Gull-billed Tern in southeast Devon. First seen
briefly on the Axe Estuary at Seaton it soon flew off west and was relocated on
the Exe Estuary in the evening. Other highlights included an Alpine Swift
over St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly and a singing Bonelli’s Warbler species
briefly at Rutland Water, Leicestershire. A Woodchat Shrike at Long Eaton, Derbyshire was an excellent local record, as was the Montagu’s Harrier that remained at Belfast Harbour Estate, Co Down. A good passage of Pomarine Skuas was more routine with maximum day counts of 25 off Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria, 11 Selsey Bill, West Sussex and six at both Dungeness, Kent and Thurlestone Bay, Devon. A female aythya duck at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, that was originally identified as a Redhead, eventually showed well and photographs proved the bird to be hybrid of unknown parentage; and certainly not a pure Redhead. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 1st May 2006 | ||
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| Whilst Mayday brought several new rarities it lacked the major find many were
hoping for on this bank holiday. The picks of the bunch were a Long-billed
Dowitcher inland at Nosterfield, North Yorkshire and an Alpine Swift
at Arlington Reservoir, East Sussex, whilst a mobile Broad-billed Sandpiper
on the Exe Estuary, Devon gave many would-be watchers the run-around. A
Blue-winged Teal was present near Borriskane, Co Tipperary, a Gull-billed
Tern flew past Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire whilst yet another
White-billed Diver was discovered in northwest Scotland; off Handa,
Highland. It was a good day for inland birders with Bar-tailed Godwits and Arctic Terns at many sites whilst coastal locations logged several Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 30th April 2006 | ||
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| A male Subalpine Warbler was trapped and ringed on Hilbre Island,
Wirral, in the morning but proved to be elusive during the rest of the day.
Nearby a Great Grey Shrike was at Leasowe. A 1st summer Laughing Gull
was at Penzance, a new White-billed Diver was off south Mainland,
Shetland and a Great White Egret was reported over Earith Gravel Pits,
Cambs. One of two Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls, first reported yesterday,
was still at Hermaness, Unst, Shetland. Long-staying rarities included the Bonaparte's Gull at Belfast Lough County Antrim, the Franklin's Gull at Northam Burrows Country Park, Devon, the American Golden Plover at Cemlyn Lagoon, Anglesey, and the drake Lesser Scaup at Swithland Reservoir in Leicestershire. There was a Hoopoe at West Bexington, Dorset, a Montagu's Harrier near Belfast Lough RSPB, County Down, a popular Dotterel at Salthouse, Norfolk and patch watchers were rewarded with plenty of spring migrants including a number of Common Scoters and Arctic Terns on inland waters. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 29th April 2006 | ||
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| The inevitable anticipation that a Spring Bank Holiday always brings could
not be matched in reality today with no new rarities discovered throughout the
British Isles. New Hoopoes were discovered at South Walney, Cumbria and
in Dorset at both Hengistbury Head and Portland. Most notable amongst the long staying rarities was the reappearance of both the Long-billed Dowitcher at Old Hall Marshes, Essex and the Laughing Gull at Devoran Quay, Cornwall. The Whiskered Tern showed again at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset but went missing during the morning; to the chagrin of many. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 28th April 2006 | ||
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| The high point of a relatively quiet day was the discovery of a Whiskered
Tern at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, in the afternoon, which then showed
distantly until dark. The only other new rarity discovered today was a
Coues’s Arctic Redpoll near Thetford, Norfolk. A Hoopoe at Portland, Dorset was the pick of today’s scarcities, whilst elsewhere Dotterel continued to arrive, including three at Gringley on the Hill, Nottinghamshire and one at Foulden, Norfolk. A Night Heron showed briefly at Dungeness, Kent. Birders in the English Midlands were treated a strong passage of Arctic Terns, with a maximum count of 220 at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire in the evening. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 27th April 2006 | ||
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| A Red-rumped Swallow flew over St.Margaret's at Cliffe in Kent, and what was probably the same bird was seen an hour later over Kingsdown but, unfortunately, it was not seen again. An Alpine Swift was a good find at Ogston Reservoir, Derbyshire and proved popular during the evening and first thing the next morning. A Black Stork was reported over Minsmere RSPB Reserve and Westleton Heath, both Suffolk, and a Caspian Tern was reported at Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire. | ||
| - Richard Moores, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 26th April 2006 | ||
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| 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 | ||
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| Tuesday 25th April 2006 | ||
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| 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. |
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| - Richard Moores, RBA | ||
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| Monday 24th April 2006 | ||
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| 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 | ||
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