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| Tuesday 24th April 2007 | ||
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| A male Black-headed Wagtail reported among a large number of White
Wagtails at Lough Foyle, County Derry is a potential first for Ireland and will
no doubt be keenly searched for tomorrow. What was presumably the Black Kite
seen between Sheringham and Cley on Sunday was relocated at Titchwell, Norfolk,
early morning, then moving to the Burnham Deepdale area where it remained for
most of the day and proved remarkably obliging for this usually difficult
species. The Black Kite on Scilly proved similarly co-operative, showing
to birders on both St Mary's and St Martin's. A drake Lesser Scaup was
reported at Eyebrook Reservoir, Leicestershire in the evening, where a drake Green-winged
Teal was already present.
At least 14 Glossy Ibises could still be seen at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, with seven remaining on The Lizard, Cornwall, and the long-staying bird at Warton Marsh, Lancashire. Although there were no new individuals reported today, there are surely still others from this remarkable influx still lurking unnoticed in the south-west. The Iberian Chiffchaff continued to hold territory at Colney, Norfolk, at least one White-billed Diver remained off Lewis in the Western Isles, but yesterday's Black-throated Thrush on Fair Isle, Shetland appears to have departed. The Marbled Duck at Saul, Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper at Hayle, Cornwall and Laughing Gull at Topsham, Devon remained yet another day in their respective localities. A Richard's Pipit at Lytham Moss, Lancs was a good Spring record while, more typical of the season, Hoopoes put in brief appearances at Lossiemouth, Moray and Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, but one at Calshot in Hampshire was much more obliging. A female Ring-necked Duck at North Plain RSPB, Cumbria, was a new find, and healthy total of eight Spoonbills were seen in the Cley area, Norfolk. |
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| - Andy Symes, 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 23rd April 2007 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a female Black-throated Thrush on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles. Elsewhere on Shetland lingering rarities included the
Killdeer, a King Eider and yesterday a White-billed Diver. Continuing spring rarities comprised a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Hilbre Island, Wirral, the territorial Iberian Chiffchaff at Colney, Norfolk and Glossy Ibises remaining at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire (17) and The Lizard, Cornwall (7) with a further bird reported yesterday at West Alvington, Devon. Winter birds hanging on included the Forster's Tern in Co Galway, Laughing Gull in Devon, Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, King Eider in Moray and both White-billed Diver and American Herring Gull on the Western Isles. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 22nd April 2007 | ||
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| A busy Sunday saw the arrival of several new rarities. These included
four new Glossy Ibises seen flying over the M5 in Somerset, Red-rumped
Swallows over Landguard NR, Suffolk, Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire and
Spurn, East Yorkshire and lingering Black Kites on the North Norfolk
coastline and Isles of Scilly. A party of seven Bee-eaters were briefly on Walland
Marsh, Kent, in the morning and an Olive-backed Pipit was apparently
photographed in a garden near Hull, East Yorkshire.
Perhaps the most significant news however, relates to a bird found yesterday evening - a chiffchaff just outside Norwich, Norfolk, was recorded singing and calling like an Iberian Chiffchaff. Excellent views of the bird this morning and analysis of sonograms confirmed the identification as an Iberian Chiffchaff, the first for Norfolk. Elsewhere the Killdeer remained on Shetland and the popular parties of Glossy Ibises (seventeen at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire and seven on The Lizard, Cornwall) were still on offer. In Devon the first-winter Laughing Gull made a brief appearance at Bowling Green Marsh RSPB and in Cornwall the Spotted Sandpiper was at Hayle. A Serin was singing in Nanjizal Valley, Cornwall and a Wryneck was at Rye, East Sussex. Ducks were represented by the Marbled Duck in Gloucestershire and Barrow's Goldeneyes in Forth and Co Down, as well as a 'new' adult drake Lesser Scaup at Vane Farm RSPB, Perth and Kinross. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 21st April 2007 | ||
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| Following the finding of seventeen Glossy Ibises in
Gloucestershire on Friday, it was no surprise that this species continued to
create the headlines today. Seven more ibises were discovered, all on The
Lizard, Cornwall - a party of five at Hayle Kimbro Pools and a couple just
northeast of Lizard village. The Slimbridge flock remained in-situ and many
jumped at the chance to witness the spectacle of such a large gathering of this
species on British soil. How many more are lurking undetected in southwest
England?
Red-rumped Swallows also played a significant role in today's news; singles were seen over Boulby Cliffs, Cleveland, Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, Lissagriffin, Co Cork (present for its second day) and another was reported over Dungeness, Kent. The masses twitching the Glossy Ibises in Gloucestershire also enjoyed the Marbled Duck which remained at nearby Saul Warth and elsewhere long-staying rarities included King Eiders in Moray and Aberdeenshire, American Herring Gull and White-billed Diver on Lewis, Snowy Owl on North Uist, Laughing Gull in Devon and Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth. Other notable discoveries made today included a Red-backed Shrike at Pagham Harbour, West Sussex, Golden Orioles at Dungeness, Kent and Cape Cornwall, Cornwall, a Hoopoe at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset and a Wryneck near Mathry, Pembrokeshire. The elusive Spotted Crake continued to frustrate would-be observers at Attenborough, Nottinghamshire and Ring Ouzels were widespread, including some impressive flocks, especially on the Norfolk coastline. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 20th April 2007 | ||
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| Following the six Glossy Ibises seen yesterday in Co Kerry and three seen over Hayle, Cornwall this afternoon, this evening saw the exceptional arrival of 17
Glossy Ibises at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. The last influx of this species was in September 2002, but the number currently present in the British Isles exceeds any recent records. Otherwise, the Barrow's Goldeneye remained in Forth, Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Laughing Gull in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Derry, King Eider in Moray, a White-billed Diver on Shetland Isles and an American Herring Gull was seen again at Polgigga, Cornwall. Migrants continued to arrive, particularly Ring Ouzels and Redstarts, with a Spotted Crake at Attenborough in Nottinghamshire and several scattered Dotterel being notable. Pomarine Skuas moved east along the English Channel between West Sussex and Kent. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 19th April 2007 | ||
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The blue ringed third-winter Glaucous-winged Gull continues to be frustratingly difficult to connect with, and today there was no sign of the bird all day at Beddington in south London. It must be anyone's guess where, when and indeed if it will turn up again, although there must be a high chance it is still lurking with the large numbers of gulls that frequent the South-east's many reservoirs, rubbish tips and estuaries. Perhaps the most remarkable report concerned an impressive party of six Glossy Ibises which were seen in flight over Kerry Airport in County Kerry, but sadly not yet relocated. The only other new rarity reports both came from Scotland: a report of a flyover White-tailed Eagle near Irvine, Ayrshire and drake King Eider off Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Although not an entirely unpredictable record these beautiful seaduck are always lovely birds to find, while although the eagle must have been an impressive sight there is a strong possibility that it originated from the reintroduced population in western Scotland. Lingering rarities included drake Barrow's Goldeneyes in Forth and County Down, the Laughing Gull at Topsham, Devon with the Cattle Egret at nearby Budleigh Salterton, the Marbled Duck at Frampton-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper on the Hayle Estuary, Cornwall and Glossy Ibis at Warton Marsh, Lancashire; while what was presumably the male Subalpine Warbler found on Lundy Island, Devon on the 11th was seen again this morning. Brief Hoopoes in Lincolnshire and Cornwall did not remain on view for long, while a new Green-winged Teal at Kirkby-on-Bain, Lincolnshire proved particularly obliging as there were no other teal present on its chosen pool. The unringed White Stork at Bishop Middleham, County Durham proved popular, while decent numbers of Ring Ouzels, several inland Little Gulls and Little Terns and a scattering of Garganey, flyover Ospreys and Red Kites and arriving summer migrants kept patch-watchers happy. |
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| - Andy Symes, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 18th April 2007 | ||
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| The big surprise of the day was the unexpected reappearance of the
blue-ringed Glaucous-winged Gull at Beddington Sewage Farm in south-west
London. Last seen in south Wales in early March, its appearance in the London
area was not easily predicted. Unfortunately, it was only seen for about an hour
in mid afternoon and not subsequently, but hopefully it will reappear tomorrow.
A Red-rumped Swallow was found at Dublin in the morning, but otherwise it was another day dominated by arriving common migrants with more small arrivals at south coast sites. Ring Ouzels again featured highly and scarce migrants included a Serin at Portland in Dorset, and Hoopoes at Felixstowe in Suffolk, near Pratt's Bottom on the London/Kent border and at Poolewe in Highland. Shorelarks remained on Cape Clear in County Cork and at Snettisham and Cley, both in Norfolk. The King Eider was seen again in Moray and long staying rarities included the Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth, the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, the Forster's Tern in County Galway, the Long-billed Dowitcher in County Louth and the Laughing Gull in Devon. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 17th April 2007 | ||
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| With cooler northerly air over much of the country it was not surprising that
arrivals of migrants slowed down a little, with the obvious exception of the
south west coasts where one or two notable falls occurred. Biggest of these was
at Portland Bill in Dorset, where grounded migrants included 100+Redstarts,
2000+Willow Warblers, 500 Wheatears, 20 Grasshopper Warblers,
100 Chiffchaffs, 5 Ring Ouzels, 6 Pied Flycatchers and 15.Tree
Pipits. Among these along the south coast were Hoopoes at Portland
Bill and on the Isle of Wight, and Wrynecks at Portland Bill, the Isle of
Wight and Dungeness in Kent.
No new rarities were found, but the Killdeer was still on Shetland and the Eastern Subalpine Warbler was reported again at Rame in Cornwall. However, the Lesser Scaup in Edinburgh could not be found. The Laughing Gull put in another appearance in Devon and the Marbled Duck remained in Gloucestershire, with the Spotted Sandpiper again being reported in Cornwall. The Pallas's Warbler was still in Kent and Spoonbills were popular in Gloucestershire and Gwent. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Monday 16th April 2007 | ||
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| Today continued the theme of arriving common migrants with notable falls at
Portland Bill and Hengistbury Head in Dorset. With these arrivals came a singing
Subalpine Warbler (probably Eastern) near Rame, in Cornwall and a new Red-rumped
Swallow in Aberdeenshire. A Great White Egret was reported briefly
just south of Norwich in Norfolk, whilst a Serin and a Wryneck
were among the migrants at Portland Bill, and an Icterine Warbler was
reported singing briefly at Reculver in Kent in the morning.
Remaining rarities included the Killdeer on Shetland, the American Golden Plover at Tacumshin in County Wexford, three Lesser Scaup in Scotland, the Barrow's Goldeneye in Forth and the Marbled Duck in Gloucestershire. The Pallas's Warbler continued to sing in east Kent, although still elusive and in Devon a Kentish Plover was found at Dawlish Warren. Ring Ouzels continued to feature highly among the common migrants, especially around the East Anglian coast. Three early Honey Buzzards were seen in southern counties and five Pomarine Skuas passed the Western Isles. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 15th April 2007 | ||
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| A couple of Cattle Egrets at Radipole Lake RSPB were the only new
rarities to be located in Britain today, but an American Golden Plover
was new over the Irish Sea at Tacumshin, Co Wexford. On Shetland the Killdeer
remained on West Burra and popular rarities included the Marbled Duck in
Gloucestershire, Lesser Scaup in Lothian and Barrow's Goldeneye in
Forth. The Red-breasted Goose present earlier in the year at Haugh of
Blackgrange, Forth, returned to the same fields with Pink-footed Geese.
Other notable sightings included a Richard's Pipit over Brean Down, Somerset, Wrynecks on Scilly, Portland (Dorset), and Porthgwarra (Cornwall) and Hoopoe on Dartmoor. Common migrants continued to flood into Britain, with Ring Ouzels remaining particularly abundant and widespread. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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