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| Saturday 5th April 2008 | ||
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| A very early Whiskered Tern was seen in County Cork, at Kilcolman
Birdwatch Ireland Nature Reserve, with other spring rarities including a
Black Kite in Kent, over Capel Fleet and several Cattle Egrets and
Great White Egrets moving around the country.
Continuing winter rarities included the King Eider in Ayrshire, Bonaparte's Gull on the Western Isles, Lesser Scaups in Forth, Dumfries and Galloway and Somerset, Spotted Sandpipers in Forth and Glamorgan and the female Black Duck was still in Pembrokeshire, on Marloes Mere. Two Night Herons were found, with one, an adult, as far north as Fair Isle! Ospreys and Ring Ouzels continued their movement into inland Britain, and many other spring migrants are becoming more available, including a Grasshopper Warbler in East Sussex. |
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| - Will Soar, 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 4th April 2008 | ||
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| Two male Penduline Tits were found today, showing well briefly at
Oulton Broad, Suffolk. Despite searching, they were not seen again. One was
heard again at Minsmere RSPB, near the West Hide. On the Western Isles, an adult
Bonaparte's Gull was seen at Peninerine, South Uist, and a
White-billed Diver was off Port Skigersta, Lewis.
A new Cattle Egret was located in Norfolk, and the Great Reed Warbler was heard again on Scilly. Three Lesser Scaups were seen, as well as a drake King Eider in Ayrshire and Barrow's Goldeneye in County Down. Also in Ireland, the juvenile American Herring Gull was still in County Galway, and the Lesser Yellowlegs remained in County Cork. Spring migrants continued to flood in, with a good passage of Ospreys occurring across the country, around 25 birds were seen. The first three Dotterel of the year were seen, on Scilly and in Carmarthenshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 3rd April 2008 | ||
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| A King Eider was discovered off the coast of North Ronaldsay, Orkney
this afternoon and in Ayrshire the King Eider lingered off Girvan. Other
lingering rarities included Black Duck in Pembrokeshire, Lesser Scaups
in Somerset, Forth and Dumfries and Galloway, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire
and Spotted Sandpiper in Glamorgan. At least fifteen Cattle Egrets
remained in southern England.
Scarcity highlights included a Serin in West Sussex and several Common Cranes, including a flock of five over Saltwick Nab, North Yorkshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 2nd April 2008 | ||
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| Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today included the Killdeer
on the Shetland Isles, Barrow's Goldeneye in County Down, American Herring Gull in County Galway, King Eider in Ayrshire,
Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Spotted Sandpiper in Forth and both Lesser Scaup and
Great White Egret in Somerset. Cattle Egret reports comprised seventeen together in Cornwall and singles in each of Cumbria, Devon and Gloucestershire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 1st April 2008 | ||
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| Rarities reported today included a Black Kite over Bourley and Long
Valley, on the Hampshire/Surrey border, Lesser Scaups on North Uist and
in Somerset and Dumfries and Galloway, Ross's Goose in Lancashire,
Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler and at least thirteen Cattle Egrets in
Cornwall and King Eider in Ayrshire.
A Yellow-browed Warbler was discovered at Swallow Pond, Northumberland, in Dorset the Pallas's Warbler continued to sing and a Cory's Shearwater past Saltcoats harbour, Ayrshire was an exceptional record. Lingering scarcities included Kentish Plover on the Western Isles, Green-winged Teals in Leicestershire and Gloucestershire and a Ring-billed Gull on Anglesey. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 31st March 2008 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Ross's Gull at Marton Mere, Lancashire. Found early in the afternoon this adult bird showed well for more than four hours before disappearing. Elsewhere, a
Gyr made a brief appearance at Annagh Head, County Mayo and the identification of a
Lesser Scaup at Auchenreoch Loch, Dumfries and Galloway was confirmed (it had first been seen yesterday). Lingering rarities comprised the Forster's Tern in County Galway, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Spotted Sandpiper in Forth, Ross's Goose in Lancashire, both Lesser Scaup and Great White Egret in Somerset and single King Eiders in both Ayrshire and Devon. Cattle Egret reports comprised eight in Cornwall, two in Devon and singles in each of Cambridgeshire, Cleveland and Gloucestershire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 30th March 2008 | ||
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| A Black Kite drifted east over Regent's Park, London this afternoon
and on Shetland two White-billed Divers were logged, one in Mousa Sound
and another off West Burra. Lingering rarities included King Eiders in
Devon and Ayrshire, Black Duck in Pembrokeshire, Spotted Sandpiper
in Glamorgan, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall and Lesser
Scaup in Somerset. A Ross's Goose was in Aberdeenshire for its second
day, whilst long-staying Ross's Geese also remained in Lancashire and
Norfolk. A total of seventeen Cattle Egrets were reported in southern
England.
In Suffolk the White-spotted Bluethroat showed again at Minsmere RSPB, but only until mid morning and in Dorset the Pallas's Warbler continued to sing in Weymouth. In Ireland, late news from yesterday related to an American Herring Gull on Loop Head, the first for Co.Clare. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 29th March 2008 | ||
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| The mobile White-tailed Eagle was seen again today, briefly over
Seaforth LWT, Merseyside, but there was no sign of the bird since.
Long staying rarities included King Eiders in Devon and Ayrshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Forth, and Glossy Ibis in Lancashire. The Long-billed Dowitcher reappeared at Bowling Green Marsh, Devon, with the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler still in Cornwall, at Tehidy Country Park. The male White-spotted Bluethroat showed well all day at Minsmere, RSPB, and, inland, good numbers of Kittiwakes and Little Gulls were seen. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 28th March 2008 | ||
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| Two new rare raptors were seen today, a Black Kite in Wiltshire, and a
White-tailed Eagle in Conwy, with what was probably the same bird over
Prescot, Merseyside yesterday.
Two King Eiders were seen in Scotland, in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, with other rare wildfowl comprising the Barrow's Goldeneye in County Down, and three Lesser Scaups across the country. Both the Bonaparte's Gull and Franklin's Gull remained in Somerset, as did the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire and several Cattle Egrets. A male White-spotted Bluethroat remained in Suffolk, at Minsmere, but the Winterton bird failed to reappear. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 27th March 2008 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a new King Eider in Scotland; at Ruddons Point, Fife. Meanwhile, single
King Eiders remained in both Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire. Other lingering rarities included the Great Reed Warbler on the Isles of Scilly, Black Duck in Pembrokeshire, Franklin's Gull and Bonaparte's Gull both in Somerset, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Lesser Scaups in both Dumfries and Galloway and Leicestershire, Ross's Geese in Lancashire and Norfolk and single Great White Egrets in Norfolk, Somerset and the Western Isles. Cattle Egret reports comprised ten in Cornwall, five in Cork and two in Hampshire with singles in Cambridgeshire, Ceredigion, Devon and Gloucestershire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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