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| Tuesday 2nd June 2009 | ||
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| Hot news today related to the discovery of a 1st-summer male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. After initially being photographed as an odd
wheatear, the bird soon 'firmed up' as the first confirmed Black-eared Wheatear
to be found in Britain since 2002.
The excellent run of Laughing Gull records continued with an adult on Coll, Argyll, whilst in Oxfordshire a Black Kite flew over Wootton and in Hampshire a Red-rumped Swallow was observed at Portsdown Hill. A Spotted Sandpiper was discovered on the Cefni Estuary, Anglesey. Lingering rarities included Black-winged Pratincole in Norfolk, Squacco Heron in Cambridgeshire, Great Reed Warbler and Lesser Scaup on Shetland, Pallid Swift in Merseyside, Black Duck in Cornwall and Red-breasted Goose in Aberdeenshire. Scarcity highlights included a male Common Rosefinch in Gloucestershire, Red-backed Shrikes on Isles of Scilly and Isle of Man and Icterine Warbler on Orkney. |
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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 1st June 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the first Black Stork of the year, seen in flight near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. Other brief encounters included a
Bee-eater in Suffolk, single Great White Egrets in both Dorset and Hampshire and
Black Kites in Cornwall, Devon and West Sussex. A Subalpine Warbler was found on Unst, Shetland Isles and in the evening a
White-winged Black Tern was discovered at Blanket Nook, County Donegal. Lingering rarities comprised the Black-winged Pratincole and Great Reed Warbler both still in Norfolk, Squacco Heron in Cambridgeshire, Black Duck in Cornwall, Great Reed Warbler on the Shetland Isles and the elusive Gull-billed Tern still in Devon. Scarce landbirds were represented by two each of migrant Golden Orioles, Icterine Warbler and Marsh Warblers and single Bluethroat (Argyll), Serin (Dorset), Hoopoe (Buckinghamshire) and Red-backed Shrike (Isles of Scilly). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 31st May 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of day was the discovery of a Black-winged Pratincole near Holme, Norfolk, although unfortunately is disappeared before it’s true identity was confirmed. Elsewhere, a singing male
Iberian Chiffchaff was found on South Uist, Western Isles and brief encounters included a
Red-footed Falcon in Kent, Alpine Swift in Clyde, single Red-rumped Swallows in both County Cork and Norfolk,
Black Kites in Hampshire and Suffolk and Bee-eaters in Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. Lingering rarities included the Forster's Tern still in County Wexford, Squacco Heron in Cambridgeshire and Great White Egret in Norfolk, whilst in Devon the Gull-billed Tern showed again briefly at the Clyst Estuary. On the Shetland Isles a River Warbler joined the Great Reed Warbler on Fair Isle, a Great Reed Warbler remained on Out Skerries and other birds around the archipelago included a Lesser Scaup, four Marsh Warblers and a Bluethroat. Scarcities elsewhere included four migrant Golden Orioles, three Icterine Warblers and three Marsh Warblers, two each of Purple Heron, Serin, Bluethroat and Red-backed Shrike and single Woodchat Shrike (Cornwall), Common Rosefinch (Gloucestershire), American Wigeon (Lancashire), Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire) and Grey-headed Wagtail (Orkney Isles). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 30th May 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Stilt Sandpiper seen briefly at Grove Ferry, Kent. Other brief encounters included an
Alpine Swift on the Western Isles, Red-footed Falcon in Northumberland and a
Great White Egret in Norfolk. A Bee-eater lingered on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. Lingering rarities included the Squacco Heron still in Cambridgeshire, Forster's Tern in County Wexford, Savi's Warbler in Essex, Bee-eater in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset. On the Shetland Isles there were two Great Reed Warblers, a Lesser Scaup, Icterine Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Common Crane, Honey Buzzard and two Golden Orioles. Scarcities elsewhere comprised four Purple Herons, two each of both Common Rosefinch and Surf Scoter and singles of Short-toed Lark (Norfolk), Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Lancashire), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), Grey-headed Wagtail (Berkshire), Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal (both Western Isles). Significant negative news concerned the disappearance of the pratincole from Pagham Harbour, West Sussex. Present on 28th and 29th May and identified in the field as a Collared Pratincole, photographs show that the bird was actually an Oriental Pratincole - only Britain's sixth record - although probably actually only the fourth individual - and the first since a mobile bird visited Norfolk, East Sussex and Suffolk in 1993 (with others in Suffolk in 1981 and Kent in 1988). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 29th May 2009 | ||
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| A Great Knot was discovered on Breydon Water, Norfolk late afternoon,
and was present until dusk. Although fairly close when first found, the bird
soon flew out to the middle of the estuary and remained very distant, and
possibly unidentifiable, for the rest of the evening, leading some to question
the identification.
Three Bee-eaters were found, one in Cornwall, one in Kent and one on Orkney. Lingering rarities included Collared Pratincole in Sussex, Squacco Heron in Cambridgeshire, Savi's Warbler in Essex, Whiskered Tern in Yorkshire and Great Reed Warbler on Shetland. The Western Sandpiper or Semipalmated Sandpiper was again present on the beach at Dawlish Warren NNR, Devon. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 28th May 2009 | ||
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| A Great Reed Warbler on Out Skerries (Shetland) and a probable
Collared Pratincole at Pagham Harbour (West Sussex) were today's new
rarities.
Lingering rarities included the Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper in Devon, Squacco Heron in Cambridgeshire, Subalpine Warbler and Wood Duck on Shetland, Whiskered Tern in West Yorkshire, Cattle Egret in Northamptonshire and Great White Egret in Cleveland. Scarcities came in the form of a probable Short-toed Lark on Isles of Scilly, Red-backed Shrikes in Kent and Suffolk, Woodchat Shrike and Spotted Crake in Dorset and two Icterine Warblers on Shetland, as well as four migrant Honey Buzzards, three Red-necked Phalaropes and two Golden Orioles. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 27th May 2009 | ||
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| East Yorkshire provided the best of today's new birds, in the form of a brief
Great Reed Warbler at Patrington Haven and a Bee-eater at Spurn,
then later at Easington. In Kent a couple of Black Kites flew over
Sandwich Bay and a Great White Egret visited Swale NNR. In
Northamptonshire a Cattle Egret arrived at Summer Leys NR.
In Cambridgeshire the Squacco Heron remained at Wicken Fen NT and in Devon the Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper lingered at Dawlish Warren NNR. Other lingering rarities included Pallid Swift in Merseyside, Laughing Gull, Lesser Scaup and Wood Duck in Shetland, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Whiskered Tern in West Yorkshire. Scarcities included a Red-necked Phalarope in Staffordshire, American Wigeon in Perth & Kinross, Spotted Crake in Dorset and Ring-necked Duck on Western Isles. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 26th May 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities today included the Squacco Heron at Wicken Fen NT,
Cambridgeshire, Pallid Swift at Seaforth, Merseyside, Savi's Warbler
in the Lee Valley Park, Essex, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Great
White Egret at Saltholme Pools RSPB, Cleveland.
Two Whiskered Terns arrived at Earls Barton GPs, Northamptonshire mid morning, with one remaining at Fairburn Ings, Yorkshire. A Black Kite was seen in Gloucestershire. A probable American Dunlin was found on the Isles of Scilly this evening, whilst the Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper remained at Dawlish Warren NNR, Devon. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Monday 25th May 2009 | ||
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| Adult Laughing Gulls at Marton Mere LNR (Lancashire) and Testwood
Lakes (Hampshire) were today's headline discoveries. Black Kites in
Lothian, Cornwall and Essex and three Bee-eaters in East Sussex were also
new, whilst sightings of Whiskered Terns at Broomhill Flash and Wombwell
Ings (South Yorkshire) and Fairburn Ings RSPB (West Yorkshire) presumably
involved birds seen yesterday at Swillington Ings, West Yorkshire (where one
Whiskered Tern remained).
In Kent the Black-winged Pratincole remained at Grove Ferry NR before relocating to Elmley Marshes RSPB later in the day. In Cambridgeshire the Squacco Heron continued to show well at Wicken Fen NT and other lingering rarities included the Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper in Devon, Franklin's Gull on Shetland, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Great White Egret in Cleveland, Red-footed Falcon in South Yorkshire, Collared Pratincole in West Yorkshire and Savi's Warbler in Essex. Scarcities included Common Rosefinches in Norfolk and Orkney, American Wigeon in Perth & Kinross, Hoopoe in Kent, Marsh Warblers in Dorset and East Yorkshire and Red-necked Phalarope in Aberdeenshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 24th May 2009 | ||
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| Once again, a fairly small area of Yorkshire produced some good birds, with
three Whiskered Terns joining the Collared Pratincole at
Swillington Ings, a Woodchat Shrike at Pugney's Country Park and a
Red-footed Falcon and Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Hatfield Moors, with
another Buff-breasted Sandpiper just 15 miles away in Lincolnshire.
Further south, a Squacco Heron was found at Wicken Fen NT,
Cambridgeshire, along with a Black Kite, and a Red-rumped Swallow
was at Paxton Pits NR.
Further south still, a Black Duck was in Cornwall, and seven Bee-eaters, a Black Kite and a Red-rumped Swallow were on the Isles of Scilly. Three more Bee-eaters were in each of Dorset and Kent, and the Black-winged Pratincole remained in the latter. Other lingering rarities included Savi's Warbler in Essex, Subalpine Warbler, Franklin's Gull and Laughing Gull on Shetland, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Forster's Tern in County Wexford. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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