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| Tuesday 12th December 2006 | ||
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| A probable Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler at Donmouth, Aberdeenshire,
was the find of the day; following a blank autumn for this species, it may
prove to be a popular attraction as the year draws to a close.
With the Leach's Petrel extravaganza largely over (apart from in Northwest England) it was left to the long-staying rarities to provide the rest of today's news. The juvenile Black-eared Kite in Norfolk was still the most popular attraction, but Marbled Duck in Essex, Bonaparte's Gull on Isles of Scilly, Snowy Owl on Lewis, Red-breasted Geese in Lincolnshire, Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth and Glossy Ibis in Lancashire also received attention. |
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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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| Monday 11th December 2006 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the juvenile Black-eared Kite at Snettisham, Norfolk. On the Isles of Scilly the first-winter
Bonaparte's Gull was seen again on St Mary's. In Scotland the Snowy Owl remained on Lewis, Western Isles as did the King Eider at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire and Lesser Scaups at both Caerlaverock, Dumfries and Galloway and North Uist, Western Isles. Leach's Petrels continued to be seen from some coasts with the 52 reported from nine counties including maximum site counts of fifteen off Workington, Cumbria and at least seven passing Rossall Point, Lancashire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 10th December 2006 | ||
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| Two new rarities were found today a White-billed Diver past
Flamborough Head, Yorkshire and a Bonaparte's Gull in Co.Cork.
Other news included the re-appearance of the Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, and the continuing presence of all the major rarities including the Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth, Falcated Duck in Devon and Black-eared Kite in Norfolk. Rarities which also continued to be seen included Lesser Scaups in County Down and Dumfries and Galloway, the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall and the Cattle Egret in Devon. The Leach's Petrel influx seems to have tailed off for the time being, with only a few birds reported today. In the last few days somewhere in the region of 2000 have been seen, making this the biggest wreck since 1989. At least 20 Great Northern Divers are still present at scattered inland reservoirs. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 9th December 2006 | ||
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| A possible female Lesser Scaup reported in County Down was the only
new rarity, though a Ring-necked Duck in Buckinghamshire was also
noteworthy. The Black-eared Kite in Norfolk, Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth and Falcated
Duck in Devon continued to be the headline birds.
Other rarities continuing to be seen included the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, the Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent and the returning Ferruginous Duck in Kent. Also seen were the Great White Egret in Hampshire, the Cattle Egret in Devon and the Red-breasted Geese in Lincolnshire. Leach's Petrels continue to be seen, mostly on the coast or sadly picked up dead inland. The peak counts today were 190 past Crosby Marina, Lancashire and 91 past St. Ives, Cornwall. Good numbers of Great Northern Divers continue to be seen at inland sites. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Friday 8th December 2006 | ||
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| The day's only new rarity was a Marbled Duck found at Holland Haven,
Essex. This is probably the same individual that was recently in neighbouring Suffolk.
The other main news was the re-surfacing of the Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth and the Black-eared Kite in Norfolk. The drake Falcated Duck in Devon continues to moult into adult plumage and is already becoming a stunning bird. The Leach's Petrel influx continues, and though there are now fewer wrecked birds inland, impressive totals were still recorded in the South West, most notably 155 past Hartland Point, Devon. With strong southerly wind predicted again on Sunday, there may yet be more to come. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 7th December 2006 | ||
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| The continuing south-westerly gales deposited a couple of Bonaparte's
Gulls in the south-west region today, near Plymouth, Devon, and on St
Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
However, the spotlight was again on Leach's Petrels, with larger numbers wrecked than yesterday in south-west England and Wales and several individuals made it much further inland. At least three were seen at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire during the morning, whilst two were at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire and another was at nearby Dix Pit. Several reservoirs in the south-east region played host to singletons and in Leicestershire individuals were at Swithland Reservoir and Watermead Country Park. At least one was seen at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire. A count of over 80 was made at Kenfig Pool NNR, a truly remarkable figure for a freshwater location. Sadly, virtually all of these inland visitors are likely to succumb to exhaustion (and that is if they avoid the attention of gulls and corvids). It was not just Leach's Petrels making it to inland locations - one of the best finds of the day was an adult pale morph Pomarine Skua at Belvide Reservoir. The Oceanodroma show somewhat overshadowed today's rarities, but long stayers included the Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth, Bufflehead on Shetland, two Lesser Scaups in County Donegal and the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall. A female Blue-winged Teal was located at North Bull Island, County Dublin, probably the same bird that spent last winter in the area. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 6th December 2006 | ||
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| Leach's Petrels once again created the headlines in an otherwise quiet
day. Numbers were lower than in previous days, but south west England and Wales
still produced some decent totals. The most popular Leach's Petrel was an
individual found at Startop's End Reservoir, where it spent all afternoon
straddling the Hertfordshire/ Buckinghamshire border. Another was at Farmoor
Reservoir, Oxfordshire, but was sadly attacked and killed by a Carrion Crow. The
supporting cast along the coast came in the form 7 Little Auks, a Grey
Phalarope. 3 Pomarine Skuas, a couple of Sabine's Gulls and impressive December totals of
Balearic Shearwaters off the Cornish coast.
In Devon both the Falcated Duck and Cattle Egret were still present, and on Lewis, Western Isles, the Snowy Owl reappeared outside Oceancrest. The White-rumped Sandpiper continued its (long) stay at Cley NWT, Norfolk and what was thought probably to be the juvenile Black-eared Kite was once again seen briefly at Snettisham RSPB. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 5th December 2006 | ||
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| With sustained strong winds the wreck of Leach's Petrels continued with
reports from eighteen counties including 100 at Black Rock Sands, Gwynedd, 56 at Porthcawl, Glamorgan, 50 off Chesil Cove, Dorset,
twelve at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire and eleven off Saltcoats, Ayrshire. Associated arrivals included
Sabine's Gulls in both Dorset and Hamphire, an unseasonal Roseate
Tern in Co Dublin and Long-tailed Skua and 67 Balearic Shearwaters passing St Ives Island, Cornwall. Other than the wintering Barrow's Goldeneye in Co Down and Lesser Scaup in Dumfries and Galloway all other rarity reports came from southwest England where the Falcated Duck and Cattle Egret remained in Devon and the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 4th December 2006 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the widespread influx of Leach's Petrels with birds reported in twenty counties from Co Cork to Aberdeenshire, Co Fermanagh, Essex and North Yorkshire. The peak count was of 102 in Galway Bay, Co Galway with other highs of 93 at Porthcawl, Glamorgan, 47 off Heysham, Lancashire and 36 over the Severn Estuary at Sharpness, Gloucestershire. Otherwise, lingering rarities included the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Cattle Egret in Devon, Lesser Scaup in Co Dublin, White-rumped Sandpiper in Norfolk and Great White Egret in Hampshire. The first-winter male Falcated Duck remained at Bowling Green Marsh, Devon as did the Red-breasted Goose at Arne, Dorset. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 3rd December 2006 | ||
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| Leach's Petrels were definitely the flavour of the day, with at least
150 being recorded. Strong westerly/south westerly winds pushed the majority past
the south and west coast,
but several found refuge on coastal pools and a scattering of individuals were
found further inland. Long-tailed Skuas were noted off Minehead, Somerset,
Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Chesil Cove, Dorset and a Pomarine Skua flew
past Whitburn, County Durham. A Red-necked Phalarope past Hartlepool
Headland, Cleveland, was an excellent record and a Grey Phalarope was
briefly at inland West Hartford, Northumberland.
The only new rarity came in the form of a Falcated Duck at Helston Loe Pool, Cornwall, but information about the bird is somewhat limited at the moment. There doesn't seem to be a week go by without a notable bird being found at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire - today a Yellow-browed Warbler joined the Siberian Chiffchaff by the Barclay Hide. Elsewhere many of the long-staying favourites such as Barrow's Goldeneye, Glossy Ibis, Falcated Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Great White Egret and Spotted Sandpiper remained in-situ. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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