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| Wednesday 6th September 2006 | ||
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| Hot news today came in the form of a first-winter Citrine Wagtail on
St.Mary's, Isles of Scilly, juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper at Newport
Wetlands, Gwent, American Golden Plover over Beachy Head, East Sussex and
a Greenish Warbler on Bressay, Shetland.
Ireland continued to create headlines with four Semipalmated Sandpipers, five Buff-breasted Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, two Lesser Yellowlegs, along with a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling and a Wilson's Petrel making up the end-of-day tally. A report of a possible dark morph Eleonora's Falcon at Amble Marshes, Cornwall will have raised a few eyebrows and elsewhere the Citrine Wagtail remained on Fair Isle, Red-rumped Swallow on Mainland Shetland and two Buff-breasted Sandpipers were on South Uist, Western Isles. |
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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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| Tuesday 5th September 2006 | ||
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| Southern Ireland once again produced the goods today, with two more
Semipalmated Sandpipers being found in County Kerry, at Smerwick Harbour and
Blennerville. Add to this an adult White-rumped Sandpiper at Trabeg, also
County Kerry, the first Spotted Sandpiper of the autumn at Nethertown and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Tacumshin,
County Wexford and the
Greenish Warbler on Brownstown Head, County Waterford; it wasn't a bad day at all over the
Irish Sea.
On Scilly Bryher hosted both Greenish and Subalpine Warblers and a in Hampshire the juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper continued to show well at Keyhaven Marshes. In Suffolk the female Red-footed Falcon remained at Minsmere RSPB, as did the Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle and Red-rumped Swallow at Hoswick, Shetland. There was some late news from Shetland that will have made many a British twitcher take a sharp intake of breath; the Hippolais warbler present on 16th August, which was initially identified as an Icterine Warbler, then reidentified as an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, as been reidentified again from photos by Killian Mullarney, Hadoram Shirihai and Lars Svensson as the first Olive-tree Warbler for Britain and Northwest Europe. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 4th September 2006 | ||
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| The highlights of the day were a mobile adult Bonaparte's Gull at East Chevington and Cresswell, Northumberland and a fine juvenile
Semipalmated Sandpiper at Keyhaven Marshes, Hampshire. Other Semipalmated Sandpipers
remained at Smerwick Harbour, Co Kerry and on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. Other Scilly rarities included a
Subalpine Warbler on Bryher and the White-rumped Sandpiper on Tresco. In East Anglia the female Red-footed Falcon showed well at Minsmere, Suffolk but a first-winter Citrine Wagtail at Stiffkey Fen, Norfolk only made a brief appearance. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 3rd September 2006 | ||
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| Ireland enjoyed an even better day than yesterday for Nearctic waders. In
County Kerry a Semipalmated Sandpiper was at Smerwick Harbour, whilst a
White-rumped Sandpiper was at nearby Burnham Lagoon, in Dingle. In County
Cork the
Semipalmated Sandpipers remained at Ballycotton and Lissagriffin and a
Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at Kilcoole, County Wicklow. The Long-billed
Dowitcher and Pectoral Sandpiper remained faithful to Shannon Airport Lagoon, as
did the Lesser Yellowlegs to Dundrum Inner Bay, County Down.
Scilly also fared well for 'peeps', scoring a Semipalmated Sandpiper on St.Agnes; this bird is a different individual to the 'probable' seen on Bryher a few days ago. Nearby, the adult White-rumped Sandpiper returned to Tresco and a Pectoral Sandpiper was reported on St.Mary's. Back in Ireland a Greenish Warbler was found on Brownstown Head, County Waterford. A female Red-footed Falcon visited Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk. In Scotland Pectoral Sandpipers were located at Lochlea Farm Pool, Ayrshire, Tyninghame Bay, Lothian and on South Uist, Western Isles; another was at Cley NWT, Norfolk. The American Golden Plover was still present on Tiree, Argyll. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 2nd September 2006 | ||
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| Nearctic waders in southern Ireland created the headlines today. Semipalmated Sandpipers
were at Ballycotton and Lissagriffin, County Cork and
a Baird's
Sandpiper was at Lady's Island Lake, County Wexford. Shetland produced an Arctic Warbler on Foula and the Red-rumped Swallow was still at Hoswick, Mainland. In Argyll, Tiree continued to host the tremendous treble of Booted Warbler and Pacific and American Golden Plovers. A Great White Egret returned to Blashford Lakes HWT, Hampshire and the Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Dundrum Inner Bay, County Down. Elsewhere scarcities included the juvenile Night Heron at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex and the juvenile Temminck's Stint continued to show well at Foxcote Reservoir, Buckinghamshire. In Nottinghamshire the Dutch-ringed White Stork remained at Eaton and the juvenile Red-necked Phalarope was still at Hickling Broad NWT, Norfolk. On Fair Isle the Melodious Warbler continued its stay and was joined by a Woodchat Shrike and another Melodious Warbler was found at Tacumshin, County Wexford. Pectoral Sandpipers were located at Havergate Island RSPB, Suffolk and North Uist, Western Isles and plenty of Long-tailed Skuas were logged past coastal watchpoints. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 1st September 2006 | ||
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| The Isles of Scilly stole the show today, producing a Subalpine Warbler
on St.Agnes and a probable Semipalmated Sandpiper on Bryher. Yesterday's
White-rumped Sandpiper was relocated on the former island and St.Mary's
offered a Tawny Pipit briefly on the golf course. In Argyll the Booted Warbler and adult American Golden Plover remained on Tiree and on Mainland Shetland the Red-rumped Swallow returned to Hoswick. The stunning Snowy Owl remained on North Uist, a Great White Egret was at Old Hall Marshes RSPB, Essex and Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Dundrum Inner Bay, County Down. The best of the rest included the Night Heron at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex, Hoopoe at Lawford, Essex, a brief juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper on Fleetwood Golf Course, Lancashire, juvenile Temminck's Stint still at Foxcote Reservoir, Buckinghamshire, Red-backed Shrike at Reculver, Kent and another impressive movement of Great Shearwaters off Ireland. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 31st August 2006 | ||
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| The Scottish Islands stole the limelight today, and probably not for the last
time this autumn, with an Arctic Warbler on Fetlar, in the Shetlands, and
a Booted Warbler on Tiree, in Argyll. The latter island also still hosted
both an American Golden Plover and a Pacific Golden Plover.
The Snowy Owl remained on North Uist, in the Western Isles, with a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and a possible American Herring Gull on South Uist. A Melodious Warbler remained on Fair Isle, Shetlands, while in the Orkneys there was some good seawatching with 44 Great Shearwaters and 2 Cory's Shearwaters past North Ronaldsay. Not to be outdone, south-west Ireland produced another Fea's Petrel, this one past Cape Clear Island in County Cork. Elsewhere, a White-rumped Sandpiper was on Tresco in The Scillies, and Great White Egrets were again at Chigborough in Essex and Sturminster in Dorset. Two Long-tailed Skuas went past Dungeness, Kent, eight Spoonbills were together at Havergate Island in Suffolk, a Wryneck was in London at Bushy Park and inland Temminck's Stints were at Foxcote Reservoir, Buckinghamshire and Lound in Nottinghamshire. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 30th August 2006 | ||
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| Overall a quieter day than of late with the confirmation of the continued presence of both
Pacific Golden Plover and American Golden Plover on Tiree, Argyll the highlight. Otherwise a
Red-necked Phalarope arrived at Hickling Broad, Norfolk and the juvenile
Night Heron remained at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex. A scattering of scarce passerines along the English south coast between Devon and Kent comprised two Wrynecks as well as single Ortolan Bunting, Melodious Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Red-backed Shrike and Barred Warbler. Late news was received of two Little Shearwaters passing Kilcummin Head, Co Mayo yesterday. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 29th August 2006 | ||
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| A Western Bonelli's Warbler at Hauxley, Northumberland was the star find today with
Woodchat Shrike at Portland, Dorset, Ortolan Bunting at Nanjizal, Cornwall and a
Melodious Warbler on Skomer, Pembrokeshire the best of the scarce passerines. A juvenile
Night Heron showed well at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex. Whilst another Fea's Petrel off the Bridges of Ross, Co Clare was the headline seabird, a count of 190 Great Shearwaters at Butt of Lewis, Western Isles was noteworthy as were eight Long-tailed Skuas and ten Sabine's Gulls at Kilcummin Head, Co Mayo. It was an excellent day for waders on Tiree, Argyll where both American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper were found with a Pacific Golden Plover suspected as well. Belated news concerned a stunning adult Bridled Tern photographed by a novice in an apparently moribund state on the foreshore at Dovercourt, Essex on 25th August. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 28th August 2006 | ||
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| Once again seawatchers bagged major prizes in western Ireland with Little Shearwater and
Wilson's Petrel both recorded passing Bridges of Ross, Co Clare. In Co Mayo 507
Great Shearwaters passed Annagh Head. In Scotland the Snowy Owl remained on North Uist, Western Isles whilst a Red-rumped Swallow was a surprise find at Hoswick, Shetland. Discoveries in southern England included a female Lesser Scaup at Helston, Cornwall, a Melodious Warbler on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and a juvenile Woodchat Shrike that showed well during the afternoon at Langstone, Hampshire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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