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| Saturday 1st September 2007 | ||
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| A very quiet day today in respect of new rarities to report, though there was
a fair selection of other rarities and a few scarcities available around the
country. Only two new rarities were reported, the first a brief juvenile
Lesser Yellowlegs on South Uist at Peninerine and then another Marbled
Duck at Rutland Water at the Egleton Reserve. Also, there was belated news
of an Aquatic Warbler trapped & ringed in Devon at South Milton Ley on
Tuesday.
Still on offer today were yesterdays Blue-winged Teal in Cleveland at Haverton Hole and White-winged Black Tern in Kent at Dungeness. Also, Citrine Wagtail remained on Fair Isle, Wilson's Phalarope was still in Co Wexford at Lady's Island Lake, White-rumped Sandpiper reappeared in Norfolk again at Breydon Water and the Marbled Duck was still in Suffolk at Lowestoft. The three Great White Egrets were all seen today at Cotswold Water Park in Wiltshire, Leighton Moss in Lancashire and at Marshside in Merseyside. The Glossy Ibis was also again present at the latter. Also of interest today there were at least five Spotted Crakes around the country, four Red-backed Shrikes and singles of other scarce birds such as Melodious Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Wryneck, Barred Warbler, Sabine's Gull, Pectoral Sandpiper & Purple Heron. |
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| - Keith Langdon, 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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| Friday 31st August 2007 | ||
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| County Wexford was still the centre of attention, although the news today was disappointing, as there was no sign of the Red-necked Stint at Carne Harbour all day. The county did continue to host a Wilson's Phalarope at Lady's Island Lake and a new Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at Tacumshin. In England, an eclipse drake or female Blue-winged Teal was found at Haverton Hole in Cleveland and there was a juvenile White-winged Black Tern on 'The Patch' off the power station at Dungeness, although it is impossible to know if this is a different bird to the one which frequented the reserve a few days ago. In Shetland, the Hudsonian Whimbrel spent another day on Fair Isle and there was a Melodious Warbler on Unst. The Black Stork was seen again over the Alaw Estuary in Anglesey and Great White Egrets remained in Lancashire and Wiltshire. Spotted Crakes were in Essex and Gloucestershire and a popular Red-backed Shrike remained at Rainham in London. | ||
| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 30th August 2007 | ||
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| The Red-necked Stint remained in County Wexford, although it was not
relocated until the evening when it again returned to Carne harbour at high tide
and showed very well to a small crowd. Nearby the Wilson's Phalarope was
still at Lady's Island Lake. A Great White Egret was found at Marshside
Marsh RSPB Lancs, the Hudsonian Whimbrel was relocated and photographed
on Fair Isle, Shetland, and a Baird's Sandpiper was reported at Irvine,
Ayrshire.
Lingering birds included single Great White Egrets at Cotswold Water Park, Wilts, and at Leighton Moss RSPB Lancs, the Bonaparte's Gull on South Uist and the Glossy Ibis at Marshside Marsh Lancs, as well as belated news of the summering Killdeer still at Virkie, Shetland yesterday, but there was no sign today of the Franklin's Gull at Braunton, Devon. |
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| - Dick Filby, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 29th August 2007 | ||
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| The undoubted highlight of the day came when an adult Red-necked Stint
was discovered at Carne Harbour, near Rosslare, Co.Wexford. The bird was watched
until dusk as it fed over the high tide with Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and
Sanderling. Supporting cast nearby was nicely provided by the Wilson's
Phalarope which moved from Lady's Island Lake to Nethertown Strand.
Other new rarities were a Franklin's Gull at Braunton Marsh, Devon, a White-winged Black Tern which flew through Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, a possible Little Shearwater past Flamborough Head and a probable Hudsonian Whimbrel flew by near the observatory on Fair Isle. There were also several new scarcities discovered: a Barred Warbler at Hauxley NR, Northumberland; a Red-backed Shrike at Rainham Marshes, Greater London; an Ortolan Bunting at Portland, Dorset and a Melodious Warbler on St Mary's, Scilly. Other rarities still present from previous days were rather thin on the ground: the Marbled Duck moved back to Normanston Park, Lowestoft and the Great White Egret performed well in Lancashire. The King Eider at Wester Quarff, Shetland was seen for the first time in a few days and the eclipse drake American Wigeon on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire was picked out amongst its Eurasian counterparts again. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 28th August 2007 | ||
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| The best new rarity of the day was a juvenile Wilson's Phalarope
discovered at Lady's Island Lake, County Wexford. The only other new rarity
reported was a belated report of a Cattle Egret near Seaton in
Devon yesterday, but there was no further sign today.
In East Anglia the juvenile Marbled Duck relocated from Lowestoft to Minsmere and a Sacred Ibis in Norfolk baring a red colour-ring on it's right leg provoked much debate as to it's origins. If it proves a wandering individual from the French feral population in may well be popular as many would then consider this a 'tickable' individual. A Gull-billed Tern reported past Cley may hopefully be picked up again elsewhere along the well-watched Norfolk Coast. The best rarities were rather inaccessible; the Solitary Sandpiper remained on St Kilda as did the juvenile Pallid on Shetland Mainland. Elsewhere the Black Stork remained on Anglesey as did the Great White Egrets in Lancashire and Glostershire and the White-winged Black Tern in Essex. The good spell for sea-watching continued but most of the action was further north with Northumberland and Durham both scoring high-prized North Sea records of Great Shearwater and Orkney fairing even better with a single Cory's and 21 Greats recorded altogether today. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Monday 27th August 2007 | ||
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| A Solitary Sandpiper was the best discovery on Bank Holiday Monday,
but unfortunately it chose far flung St Kilda, Western Isles, to make landfall.
Mainland discoveries came in the form of a popular Great White Egret at
Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, a Marbled Duck at Leathes Ham, Suffolk,
White-winged Black Tern in Funton Creek, Kent and Squacco Heron in
Dorset. A Greenish Warbler at Rockland Broad, Norfolk, was a superb find
away from the coast. A Gull-billed Tern was once again reported off the
Norfolk coastline, this time at Cley and Blakeney, and a report of three
Black Storks came from Porthleven, Cornwall.
On the Norfolk coast just one Greenish Warbler remained, a well-watched bird at Walsey Hills NOA. Equally popular rarities were the White-winged Black Tern in Essex, Great White Egret in Wiltshire and Ferruginous Duck in East Yorkshire. An Ortolan Bunting graced Portland Bill and a party of three Ortolan Buntings flew over nearby Ferrybridge. There were several Wrynecks, Red-backed Shrikes and Barred Warblers available in southern England, the Woodchat Shrike was at Church Norton, West Sussex for its second day, a Dotterel visited St David's Airfield, Pembrokeshire, the Purple Heron was still at Frensham Little Pond, Surrey and the Red-necked Phalarope continued its stay at Cantley beet factory, Norfolk. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 26th August 2007 | ||
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| Most of yesterday's Greenish Warblers had cleared out, leaving just a
couple at Walsey Hills NOA and a singleton at Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk. In
Staffordshire a Black Kite was reported flying over Aqualate Mere and a
probable Great White Egret was at Marshside RSPB, Merseyside as darkness
fell this evening. A probable Isabelline Wheatear on Davidstow Airfield,
Cornwall, will hopefully be seen again tomorrow.
Popular rarities included the Wilson's Phalarope in Buckinghamshire, Great White Egret in Wiltshire and White-winged Black Tern in Essex whilst on Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, the Melodious Warbler continued to attract plenty of attention. Nearby a juvenile Ferruginous Duck remained on Hornsea Mere. In Merseyside the Glossy Ibis was still at Marshshide RSPB and other lingering rarities included American Golden Plover in Co Kerry, Black Stork on Anglesey, Black Kite in Lincolnshire, Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle, Killdeer and King Eider on Mainland Shetland and a Wilson's Petrel was seen on an Isles of Scilly pelagic. On Shetland Mainland an Ortolan Bunting was at Hoswick for its second day, but a Woodchat Shrike in Sussex, Red-necked Phalarope in Norfolk, Purple Heron in Surrey and a scattering of Barred Warblers, Red-backed Shrikes and Wrynecks were more accessible for the masses. The magic late August dates once again produced Fea's Petrel past Bridges of Ross. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 25th August 2007 | ||
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| Today was again dominated by Greenish Warblers in Norfolk. At least
seventeen individuals were spread along the Norfolk coastline, with supporting
cast including several Barred Warblers,
Red-backed Shrikes and Wrynecks. At Snettisham RSPB a Gull-billed Tern
was reported.
Away from Norfolk, scarce migrants were represented by Red-backed Shrikes in East Sussex, Kent, East Yorkshire and Shetland; Wrynecks in Cornwall, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Suffolk and Barred Warblers in Suffolk and Essex. The Isle of Wight also produced an Icterine Warbler, the Hoopoe remained near Dover, Kent and in Shetland an Ortolan Bunting was at Hoswick, Mainland. In Buckinghamshire the adult Wilson's Phalarope continued to frequent Willen Lake and White-rumped Sandpipers remained at Brownsea Island, Dorset, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, whilst in Essex last weekend's adult reappeared at Canvey Point. The long-staying near-adult Black Stork was once again seen on Alaw Estuary in the morning, and in Wiltshire a Great White Egret remained at Cotswold Water Park. The Melodious Warbler at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire was a popular weekend attraction for northern-based birders and in Cornwall the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at Hayle Estuary RSPB for its second day. In Surrey the Purple Heron showed several times in flight throughout the day at Frensham Little Pond, and in Staffordshire the eclipse male Ring-necked Duck returned to Blithfield Reservoir. The Bank Holiday weekend crowds scored a Fea's Petrel double past Bridges of Ross, Co Clare this evening, one at 6.50pm and another sighting at 7.39pm. The Killdeer made an unexpected reappearance on Mainland Shetland today, back at the Pool of Virkie, and an eclipse drake King Eider at Wester Quarff was presumably a returning bird. Further south, on Fair Isle, the Citrine Wagtail was still present, and on Western Isles the Bonaparte's Gull reappeared on South Uist. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 24th August 2007 | ||
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| North Norfolk was the centre of attention today with thirteen Greenish Warblers
recorded between Holme and Sea Palling alongside a supporting cast of six Red-backed
Shrikes, three Barred Warblers, three Wrynecks and singles of
Icterine Warbler, Spotted Crake and Red-necked Phalarope. Elsewhere, associated arrivals included single
Greenish Warblers in both Suffolk and Kent as well as a further thirteen
Wrynecks, four Red-backed Shrikes and a Hoopoe. Other fresh discoveries included a Wilson's Phalarope at Willen Lake, Buckinghamshire (suspected to be the individual present recently in both Co Durham and North Yorkshire), an American Golden Plover at Cromane Co Kerry, White-winged Black Tern at Abberton Reservoir Essex, Great White Egret at Lodmoor Dorset and - in pride of place - a Fea's Petrel seen this evening from the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles. The Black Stork showed again on Anglesey as did the Great White Egret in Wiltshire, Glossy Ibis in Merseyside, Long-billed Dowitcher in Co Clare, two Wilson’s Petrels off the Isles of Scilly, single White-rumped Sandpipers in both Aberdeenshire and Dorset and Ferruginous Ducks in East Yorkshire and Somerset. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 23rd August 2007 | ||
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| The best bird of the day was on Shetland where a juvenile Pallid Harrier
was found in the Loch of Spiggie area of Mainland. Elsewhere the east coast
continued to host migrants from Scandinavia with Greenish Warblers in
Norfolk at Blakeney, Holkham and Weybourne, along with four Red-backed
Shrikes and two Wrynecks in Norfolk, and two Red-backed Shrikes in
Lincolnshire. A Great White Egret was found at the Cotswold Water Park in
Wiltshire and in East Yorkshire a Ferruginous Duck was confirmed at
Hornsea Mere after poor views yesterday evening.
In Dorset the White-rumped Sandpiper remained in Poole Harbour and White-winged Black Terns could still be found at Dungeness in Kent and Minsmere in Suffolk. Red-necked Phalaropes were at Keyhaven Marshes in Hampshire and Cantley Beet Factory in Norfolk. Seawatching along the east coast produced a smattering of Sabine's Gulls and Long-tailed Skuas. A belated report came of a Black Stork over Calne in Wiltshire on 13th August. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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