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| Thursday 15th June 2006 | ||
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| A Great Reed Warbler at Sandwich Bay, Kent was the best new rarity
found today, where it showed on and off until at least early evening. At least 2 Bee-eaters
were heard as they flew over Titchfield Haven, Hampshire, and a Black
Kite flew east over Sennen, Cornwall.
The Scops Owl performed another late-night show in Thrupp, Oxfordshire, and the Marsh Sandpiper remained at Dungeness RSPB, Kent. Other long-stayers included the first-summer male Red-footed Falcon at Marston Vale Millennium County Park, Bedfordshire and Lesser Yellowlegs at Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, 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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| Wednesday 14th June 2006 | ||
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| In Thrupp, Oxfordshire the Scops Owl continued singing for over an hour after dawn and resumed well before dusk. Although in the main elusive the bird was glimpsed on occasion and showed well at least once today. A Marsh Sandpiper at Dungeness, Kent was perhaps the same bird as that seen at Reculver, Kent briefly last Sunday. Found on Denge Marsh during the morning the bird became elusive during the afternoon. Elsewhere, in Co Wexford the Night Heron showed again at Tacumshin whilst on Shetland a small arrival of late drift migrants included a Marsh Warbler and a Red-backed Shrike on Unst and Red-backed Shrikes on both Whalsay and Mainland at Virkie. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 13th June 2006 | ||
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| The major news release tonight was of a singing male Scops Owl just outside Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The bird has been
on territory at Thrupp for at least three weeks when it was first noticed by inquisitive residents. There is a similar record of a singing Scops Owl in
southern England, at Dummer, Hampshire - 45 miles to the south of Kidlington - from 12th May until 14th July 1980. If the current bird remains until mid July
it will certainly prove to be a popular attraction, although - as was the case with the Dummer bird - gaining an acceptable view may prove
very difficult. Highlights elsewhere included a lingering Purple Heron at Old Moor, South Yorkshire and a Red-necked Phalarope at Eyebrook Reservoir, Leicestershire. In Scotland the singing Great Reed Warbler at Loch of Kinnordy, Angus showed only briefly whilst on Shetland a female Red-footed Falcon was located at Fladdabister. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 12th June 2006 | ||
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| Shetland hogged the rarities today with the outstanding highlight being a Paddyfield Warbler at Skaw on Whalsay. Elsewhere in the archipelago a
Red-footed Falcon paused briefly at Collafirth and on Fair Isle Short-toed
Lark, an Icterine Warbler and two Common Rosefinches were
all logged. Meanwhile, the Lesser Yellowlegs lingered at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire and the Red-footed Falcon remained at Marston Vale, Bedfordshire video clip 1 video clip 2 (video from Stewartby Lake Country Park). A Red-breasted Flycatcher and a Serin at Portland Bill, Dorset, and a fine Red-backed Shrike at Elmley, Kent were the best of the rest from around England. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 11th June 2006 | ||
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| A Marsh Sandpiper at Coldharbour Lagoon, Kent was today's star bird,
but flew west soon after it was found. Other new rarities included a Great
Reed Warbler at Loch of Kinnordy, Angus, which was possibly the same bird that was at
Forfar Loch in mid May. The first Wilson's Petrels of the Scilly pelagic
season were seen, with three in the evening about 6 miles south of St.Mary's. A Gull-billed
Tern flew past Goring in West Sussex before heading inland over Worthing,
whilst at the other end of the country, a Red-rumped Swallow was reported
at Mey Village east of Thurso in Highland. Spurn Point, in East Yorkshire, had a
memorable day with a Bee-eater present for a short while in the morning,
a male Red-footed Falcon through in the evening, a probable Pallid Swift
through with over 4,500 Common Swifts during the day, and 2 Spoonbills
over in the early afternoon. Nearby the mobile Great White Egret
reappeared at Hornsea Mere.
In Bedfordshire the splendid first-summer male Red-footed Falcon continued to perform at Marston Vale Millennium County Park but was often distant whilst hawking with Hobbies in the glorious summer sky. In Lincolnshire the Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Gibraltar Point. On Anglesey the controversial tern, now thought by many to be a hybrid or an aberrant Sandwich Tern, remained at Cemlyn Lagoon, but was a little less obliging. A Pectoral Sandpiper was found in Cleveland, an unseasonal Black Redstart was at Blakeney Point in Norfolk and one or two Black Terns were still around. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 10th June 2006 | ||
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| Best of the new discoveries today was a first-summer male Red-footed Falcon at Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Bedfordshire, which performed well in the evening. A female Red-footed Falcon was on Mainland Shetland and a Caspian Tern in Hampshire was seen off Sandy Point at 1pm then past Barton-on-Sea at 6.45pm. In Cheshire a Great White Egret was at Woolston Eyes and not too far away in southeast Liverpool, a swift sp with a white rump and throat could have been 'the one that got away'. Another Great White Egret flew over Atwick, East Yorkshire and in Derbyshire, a Bee-eater was reported over Codnor Park. Norfolk hosted a singing male Red-backed Shrike at Friary Hills, and the Lesser Yellowlegs returned to Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire. Last but by no means least, an Icterine Warbler was found at Filey in the evening | ||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 9th June 2006 | ||
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| Find of the day was an elusive male Rustic Bunting in an Overstrand
garden, Norfolk. A pratincole species seen flying over the road between
Cambridge and St.Neots, Cambridgeshire, would have caused a stir if it had been
pinned down and specifically identified. The Lincolnshire Lesser Yellowlegs
moved from Freiston Shore RSPB to Gibraltar Point NNR during the morning and in Cumbria a Great White Egret graced
Walney Island. A White Pelican on the sea off Whitehead, Co.Antrim was an
intriguing record.
Quality scarcities included an Icterine Warbler on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and a female Red-backed Shrike at Fife Ness, Fife. Late news from Wednesday related to an adult Baird's Sandpiper at Aston-on-Trent Gravel Pits, Derbyshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 8th June 2006 | ||
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| In Merseyside a Black Stork flew north-east over Marshside RSPB at 12.20pm. The only other new rarities involved a Red-rumped Swallow at Polgigga, Cornwall, and a Great White Egret in East Yorkshire that was first seen to fly in off the sea at Aldbrough in the morning before being relocated at Hornsea Mere in the evening. In Lincolnshire the Lesser Yellowlegs reappeared at Freiston Shore RSPB in the afternoon. Red-backed Shrikes were relatively numerous while a belated report from yesterday of a Woodchat Shrike from Cambridgeshire would have represented the first county record for 166 years had it been confirmed. In London, the Nightjar continued to perform exceptionally well in central Teddington. | ||
| - Richard Moores, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 7th June 2006 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the discovery of a Lesser Yellowlegs at Freiston Shore, Lincolnshire where the bird was on show for the majority of the day before departing to the south. In Borders three
Bee-eaters flew over near Reston. The best of the rest comprised a showy male Red-backed Shrike at Titchwell, Norfolk and lingering Purple Herons at College Reservoir, Cornwall and Walberswick, Suffolk. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 6th June 2006 | ||
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| A good day for fresh discoveries with the highlight being a Pacific Golden Plover that spent much of the afternoon at Hickling Broad, Norfolk before departing to the southwest. In Scotland an adult
Laughing Gull was located on North Uist, Western Isles with a Subalpine Warbler
on Fair Isle, Shetland whilst in Northern Ireland an adult White-winged Black Tern at Belfast Lough, Co Down in the evening. Mobile rarities included a Black Stork seen flying over Margate late in the afternoon and Gazeley, Suffolk late in the evening. A Black Kite over Polzeath, Cornwall occurred amid a mass arrival of Red Kites into west Cornwall including at least eighteen in the vicinity of Land's End. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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