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| Thursday 9th July 2009 | ||
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| A good day for rare waders was headlined by the finding of an adult Stilt
Sandpiper at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire), where a Pectoral
Sandpiper was also seen. Pectoral Sandpipers were also found in
Lincolnshire and Suffolk.
Ireland's third Terek Sandpiper was discovered on the Swords Estuary (Co Dublin) whilst in Highland the River Warbler continued to sing at Applecross. Elsewhere the Little Bittern was still in Somerset and in Norfolk the Buff-breasted Sandpiper lingered at Cley NWT. |
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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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| Wednesday 8th July 2009 | ||
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| Cley in north Norfolk was the centre of attention today with the discovery of
an adult summer White-winged Black Tern which frequented the NWT reserve
during the afternoon and early evening. Also at Cley, the Buff-breasted
Sandpiper re-appeared in the evening following its absence during the day,
when what was presumably the same bird put in a brief appearance at Titchwell
RSPB. Six Spoonbills were also at Cley. In Kent a probable American
Golden Plover was seen briefly at Cliffe Pools and in Dorset, a Black
Kite flew over near Stoborough.
Lingering rarities included the singing River Warbler in Highland, the Little Bittern in Somerset and the Great White Egret on Mainland Orkney. There was a belated record of two Bee-eaters on Friday near Melverley in Shropshire. Of commoner birds, Quails are currently featuring heavily, particularly in the north. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 7th July 2009 | ||
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| The second Wilson's Petrel of the year was seen this evening, this
time from a pelagic out of the Isles of Scilly. In Highland, the male River
Warbler continued to sing and show very well at Applecross. Other lingering
rarities included the male Little Bittern in Somerset, Great White
Egret on Orkney and Cattle Egret on the Isle of Wight.
Scarcities included the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Cley NWT, Norfolk, where nine Spoonbills also remained, the male Marsh Warbler at Otmoor RSPB, Oxfordshire, an adult Long-tailed Skua from a boat west of Gairloch, Highland and also several Roseate Terns and Balearic Shearwaters around the country. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Monday 6th July 2009 | ||
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| In Highland the lingering River Warbler continued to sing at
Applecross and was the highlight of a relatively quiet day.
In Norfolk a Buff-breasted Sandpiper showed throughout the day at Cley NWT, an eclipse drake Blue-winged Teal (or perhaps a Cinnamon Teal) was near Back Saltholme (for its second day) and in Scotland Great White Egrets remained in Aberdeenshire and Orkney. In Oxfordshire the Marsh Warbler remained at Otmoor RSPB and a Golden Oriole was logged at Pett Level, East Sussex. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 5th July 2009 | ||
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| In Highland the showy River Warbler continued to sing in Applecross
and in Norfolk the Caspian Tern was at Welney WWT for its second day,
before relocating to Wiggenhall St Germans later in the day. A Cattle Egret
was noted on Isle of Wight whilst Great White Egrets were on Mainland
Orkney and in Aberdeenshire.
In Oxfordshire the Marsh Warbler remained at Otmoor RSPB and in Co Cork a Pectoral Sandpiper was at Clogheen Marsh. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 4th July 2009 | ||
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| Seabirds started to feature today with a Scopoli's Shearwater seen
from a pelagic off the Scillies, whilst in County Cork a total of 53 Cory's
Shearwaters and 3 Great Shearwaters passed southern headlands during
the day. Elsewhere, Caspian Terns were the order of the day: one found in
the morning at Welney in west Norfolk proved to be a popular attraction; whilst
in Scotland there was another at the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire.
There was another belated report of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, this one was seen and photographed on 21st June at Needs Ore Point on the Solent in Hampshire. Could it have been the same bird which then wandered to north Devon? Also in Hampshire there was a report of a possible Gull-billed Tern at Titchfield Haven today. In Highland the River Warbler continued to sing near Applecross and in Aberdeenshire the Great White Egret remained at the Ythan Estuary. Elsewhere the Marsh Warbler was still holding territory at Otmoor in Oxfordshire. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Friday 3rd July 2009 | ||
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| Belated news of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater photographed at Braunton
Burrows (Devon) on Tuesday was released today - the first record since 1997 and
the first on the Mainland since 1989. Unfortunately a search of the area this
morning was unsuccessful.
In Highland the River Warbler continued to sing and show well at Applecross and further south a probable Two-barred Crossbill was seen in Dumfries & Galloway, whilst a probable Great Reed Warbler sang at Hummersea, Cleveland. In Co Wexford the Stilt Sandpiper was seen again at The Cull and in Herefordshire a Whiskered Tern visited Wellington Gravel Pits. New discoveries included a Red-backed Shrike and Golden Oriole at Rye Harbour NR, East Sussex, Common Rosefinch on North Ronaldsay and Sabine's Gull in Co Donegal. In Shropshire the two Common Cranes remained at Fenn's Moss and in Oxfordshire the singing Marsh Warbler lingered at Otmoor RSPB. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 2nd July 2009 | ||
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| A singing River Warbler showed well at Applecross, Highland for its
5th day. This individual will no doubt prove to be a popular attraction, given
that there hasn't been a twitchable Mainland River Warbler for almost thirteen
years.
Elsewhere, rarity news involved belated reports of Red-footed Falcon in Hampshire and Black Kite in Cambridgeshire, but unfortunately yesterday's reported Audouin's Gull in Co Kerry turned out to be an aberrant or hybrid gull. Elsewhere a Rose-coloured Starling was briefly in Falmouth (Cornwall), the Marsh Warbler continued to sing at Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire) and a drake Green-winged Teal was discovered on Mainland Orkney. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 1st July 2009 | ||
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| The place to be today was Blennerville in County Kerry in south west Ireland,
where the discovery of a Caspian Tern in the late morning was bettered in
the afternoon when an adult Audouin's Gull was found. The latter is the
first record for Ireland.
A Cattle Egret was seen briefly at Belmont Reservoir in Lancashire in the evening. The Marsh Warbler remained in Oxfordshire, nine Spoonbills were at Cley in Norfolk and a Red-necked Phalarope was still on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Otherwise the autumn wader passage is starting to get underway with common species such as Green Sandpipers and Greenshanks being seen at many sites. An unseasonal Arctic Skua was at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire in the evening. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 30th June 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Forster's Tern in County Wexford,
Black Duck in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset. Elsewhere, brief encounters included a
Squacco Heron in Wiltshire at Upavon and a Bee-eater at Stiffkey, Norfolk. A Red-backed Shrike in Cleveland and a Marsh Warbler in Oxfordshire headlined the scarcities whilst numbers of Wood Sandpiper (9), Spotted Redshank (45) and Crossbill (156) continue to be recorded. Significant late news from yesterday concerned an adult male Pallid Harrier at Toseland, Cambridgeshire briefly in the early afternoon. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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