 |
|
|
| Sunday 3rd August 2008 | ||
|
||
| Once again the highlight of the day was the Lesser Grey Shrike at Middlebere Heath, Dorset. Other lingering rarities included a
Two-barred Crossbill on the Shetland Isles, Pacific Golden Plover on the Orkney Isles,
White-rumped Sandpiper in Northumberland and Hooded Merganser in Dorset. A
Wilson's Petrel was again seen off the Isles of Scilly. Migrant waders continue to be seen throughout the country, most notably Curlew Sandpipers (39 in five counties) and Wood Sandpipers (25 in twelve counties). |
||
| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
|
||
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.
|
|
|
| Saturday 2nd August 2008 | ||
|
||
| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Lesser Grey Shrike at Middlebere Heath, Dorset - only the fifth county record and the first since 1989. Elsewhere, a
Citrine Wagtail was found on North Ronaldsay, Orkney Isles and new rare waders comprised a
Baird's Sandpiper at Ballycotton, County Cork, a White-rumped Sandpiper at Spurn, East Yorkshire and a brief
Pacific Golden Plover at Aberlday Bay, Lothian. Lingering rarities included a Two-barred Crossbill on the Shetland Isles, the Pacific Golden Plover on the Orkney Isles, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Hooded Merganser in Dorset. Seabird headlines were stolen by a Wilson's Petrel and four Cory's Shearwaters from a pelagic off the Scilly Isles but over 100 Cory's Shearwaters and five Great Shearwaters were seen from land in County Cork, a Great Shearwater passed Kent and 33 Balearic Shearwaters were reported from nine counties. |
||
| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Friday 1st August 2008 | ||
|
||
| Four Two-barred Crossbills are present on Fair Isle, Shetland, with
another bird still at Finstown, Orkney. The adult summer Pacific Golden
Plover remains with the Golden Plover flock on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, and,
nearby, a Bee-eater was present for a few minutes on Shapinsay.
Further south, the adult summer White-rumped Sandpiper is still on the Wyre Estuary, Lancashire. A possible Yelkouan Shearwater was seen off Pendeen Watch and Sennen Cove, Cornwall this morning, together with large numbers of Cory's Shearwaters, and smaller numbers of Balearic Shearwaters and Great Shearwaters. The drake Ferruginous Duck was seen again at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, and a Great White Egret was in Kent, at Reculver Marshes. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Thursday 31st July 2008 | ||
|
||
| Just two Two-barred Crossbills were reported today, with one remaining
at Esha Ness lighthouse, Shetland, and another still at Queenamidda, Orkney.
Also on Orkney, the adult Pacific Golden Plover reappeared on North
Ronaldsay.
A Black Stork was watched for a few minutes as it circled over Cramlington, Northumberland, and then drifted south. A Black Kite was seen to fly north-east over Rainham Marshes RSPB, London and the Glossy Ibis was seen again in Yorkshire, this time over Holmfirth before flying south. An adult White-rumped Sandpiper was found this evening at Skippool Creek, Lancashire, and an Alpine Swift lingered at Kilcoole, County Wicklow for twenty minutes early afternoon. Late news involved a Fea's Petrel in County Galway, which was photographed from a fishing boat off Slyne Head last Monday. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Wednesday 30th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| The highlight of the day was the continued arrival of Two-barred Crossbills
in the northern isles. Today four were seen on the Shetland Isles - singles on Mainland at both East Voe of Scalloway and Esha Ness and two on Fair Isle - and three were seen on the Orkney Isles; all on the Mainland at Finstown, Rendall and Stenness. A Bonaparte's Gull was discovered in County Kerry at Castlemaine with other new finds including an American Golden Plover at Elmley Marshes, Kent and a Cattle Egret at Earls Barton, Northamptonshire. In southwest Britain and Ireland productive seawatching took place with Cory's Shearwater counts including site maximums of 710 off Cornwall, 205 off Devon, 53 off County Cork and five off the Isles of Scilly. Great Shearwaters comprised 25 off Cornwall, five off County Cork and three off Devon whilst a Sabine's Gull was seen off Cornwall. |
||
| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Tuesday 29th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| A Mediterranean shearwater, thought most likely to be a Yelkouan
Shearwater was observed for twenty minutes alongside a Balearic
Shearwater off Berry Head, Devon this morning. Given the
difficulty in separating Yelkouan Shearwater from both Manx and Balearic
Shearwaters, prolonged views and sufficient photographic evidence will no doubt
be required to add this species to the British List. Elsewhere on the south
coast, Cory's Shearwaters were observed in decent numbers - totals
included 205 past Porthgwarra, Cornwall, 61 past St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and
52 past Galley Head, Co Cork. A few Great Shearwaters were also mixed in
with the Cory's movement.
Two more Two-barred Crossbills arrived on Mainland Orkney, and in Shetland the female remained in situ in Sandgarth. Back on Orkney, a Bee-eater was watched in Stromness and the Pacific Golden Plover continued its stay on North Ronaldsay. A new Pectoral Sandpiper was at Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex, whilst another remained at Holland Haven Country Park, also in Essex and others were still in Cumbria and Norfolk News from Spurn related to the successful breeding of a pair of Marsh Warblers, which raised at least three young this summer. |
||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Monday 28th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| Four Two-barred Crossbills were discovered on the Northern Isles - two
on Fair Isle, one on Mainland Shetland and another on Mainland Orkney. A
White-rumped Sandpiper arrived at Cresswell Pond NWT, Northumberland and in
Oxfordshire two Bee-eaters flew south over Oxford.
A possible Booted Eagle was observed flying east over Christchurch, Dorset and lingering rarities included Pacific Golden Plover on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, Lesser Scaup at Balgray Reservoir, Clyde, Hooded Merganser in Weymouth, Dorset and Ferruginous Duck at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset. Another Ferruginous Duck was reported at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire. At Spurn Point a Marsh Warbler was located, a Pectoral Sandpiper was found at Titchwell RSPB and elsewhere Pectoral Sandpipers remained at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, Holland Haven Country Park, Essex and Port Carlisle, Cumbria. |
||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Sunday 27th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| The Northern Isles delivered today, with Shetland attracting a Two-barred
Crossbill, on Fair Isle, and Orkney had an adult Pacific Golden Plover
on North Ronaldsay.
Further south, a Glossy Ibis was on the East Yorkshire coast in the Spurn area until mid afternoon. The Marshside RSPB, Merseyside ibis was not seen today, despite searching; could it be that its long stay has ended? A Great White Egret was seen at Trimley Marshes SWT, Suffolk, with another at Loughor, Glamorgan. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from a boat NNW of Padstow, Cornwall, whilst longer staying rarities included White-rumped Sandpiper at Cley NWT, Norfolk, Ferruginous Duck at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, King Eider at Tacumshin, County Wexford and the Glossy Ibis remained for its 4th day at Ennis, County Clare. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Saturday 26th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| Despite being an otherwise fairly quiet day, again, several rarities were
either seen or reported for the first time. A Red-footed Falcon was
present over Queensferry, Lothian, for a few minutes this evening before
continuing south, and a Black Stork was seen over Witcham, Cambridgeshire
for a few minutes before drifting north-west.
What is probably the returning adult Long-billed Dowitcher was found at Shannon Airport Lagoon, County Clare, with the Glossy Ibis in the same county, still at Ennis. Other rarities included Lesser Scaup in Clyde, at Balgray Reservoir, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, at Chew Valley Lake, where the controversial large white-headed gull species was also present and the White-rumped Sandpiper was still in Norfolk, briefly at Cley NWT. Late news for yesterday concerned the Caspian Tern again, this time at Kirkby on Bain Gravel-pits, Lincolnshire, briefly in the evening. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Friday 25th July 2008 | ||
|
||
| The White-rumped Sandpiper remained at Cley NWT, Norfolk, the
Glossy Ibises were still in Merseyside and Co Clare, the Hooded Merganser
could still be found in Weymouth and in Co Wexford the King Eider was
once again relocated, this time at Lady's Island Lake.
Pectoral Sandpipers were at Holland Haven Country Park, Essex, Edderthorpe Flash, South Yorkshire, Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire and Dundrum Inner Bay, Co Down and in Shropshire a Hoopoe visited Bishop's Castle. A Sabine's Gull lingered around a boat four miles off the Devon coastline and a Wilson's Petrel, several Cory's Shearwaters and two Grey Phalaropes were observed from a boat between 150 and 190 miles south west or west of the Isles of Scilly. |
||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
|
||