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| Saturday 2nd January 2010 | ||
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| A drake American Eider, of the form dresseri, was discovered in Glasagh
Bay, County Donegal this morning. This is possibly the first Western Palearctic
record, at a site also well known for records of borealis Northern Eiders.
In Surrey, the Brown Shrike remained at Staines Moor, although it proved very elusive. The Forster's Tern remained at Nimmo's Pier, County Galway, as did the Blue-winged Teal at North Bull Island, County Dublin, single Spotted Sandpipers in Devon and Essex, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Little Bunting in Highland, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire and single Ferruginous Ducks in Yorkshire and Staffordshire. |
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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 1st January 2010 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the wintering Brown Shrike at Staines Moor, Surrey. Present from 11th October until 17th December, it was widely presumed to have disappeared as a result of the onset of the harsh winter weather, but in fact it remained unseen on site, or at least nearby. Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Forster's Tern still in County Galway, Black Duck on the Isles of Scilly, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian, Spotted Sandpipers in both Devon and Essex, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, two Richardson's Canada Geese in County Sligo, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire and single Ferruginous Ducks in each of County Armagh, Norfolk, Somerset, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire. Scarcities included eight each of Shorelark and Lapland Bunting, seven each of Ring-necked Duck, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and Iceland Gull, five Black Brants, three each of Ring-billed Gull and Green-winged Teal, two each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Great Grey Shrike and Caspian Gull and single Little Bunting (Highland), Serin (London), Surf Scoter (Devon), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Kumlien's Gull (Lincolnshire), Glaucous Gull (Derbyshire) and Greater Snow Goose and Waxwing (Norfolk). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 31st December 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities remaining in situ until the end of 2009 included
Spotted Sandpiper in Essex, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire,
Ferruginous Ducks in Staffordshire and West Yorkshire and Forster's Tern
in Co Galway.
Elsewhere Cattle Egrets remained in Devon and Somerset, two Great White Egrets were still in Northamptonshire and Yellow-browed Warbler and Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Little Bunting (Highland) and Serin (London) were all still present. In Highland an unconfirmed report of an Eyebrowed Thrush visiting a garden in Dingwall brought 2009 to a close. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 30th December 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly,
Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, single
Ferruginous Ducks in both Staffordshire and West Yorkshire, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire, single
Cattle Egrets in both Devon and Somerset and Great White Egrets in Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Scarcities included 20 Lapland Buntings together in Lincolnshire, eight Iceland Gulls, seven each of Ring-necked Duck and Tundra Bean Goose, six Caspian Gulls, five Glaucous Gulls, two Black Brants and single Little Bunting (Highland), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Ring-billed Gull (Essex) and Great Grey Shrike (Hampshire) whilst in Cornwall Richard's Pipit, Shorelark and Yellow-browed Warbler were all seen. Significant late news concerned a Nutcracker reported briefly in a garden at Hadley, Worcestershire on 28th December but not seen since. However, despite reports of this species on an almost annual basis, the last acceptable Nutcracker in Britain was in 1998. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 29th December 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities reported today included Baird's Sandpiper
(Lothian), Long-billed Dowitcher (Cumbria) and Spotted Sandpiper
(Essex) whilst wildfowl included Ferruginous Ducks in West Yorkshire,
Staffordshire and Norfolk, King Eider in Moray and Red-breasted Goose
in Devon. The Siberian Stonechat apparently reappeared in Nottinghamshire
after a four-day absence.
Four Great White Egrets, three Cattle Egrets, a single Glossy Ibis, four Ring-necked Ducks and two Green-winged Teals were logged and the Little Bunting in Highland and Richard's Pipit in Cornwall both remained on show. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 28th December 2009 | ||
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| In Cornwall an adult Bonaparte's Gull was discovered on the Gannel
Estuary late in the afternoon. Elsewhere new discoveries included a
Long-billed Dowitcher on Islay (Argyll) and a Ferruginous Duck in
Staffordshire.
Lingering rare waders came in the form of Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria and Spotted Sandpiper in Essex whilst rare wildfowl included King Eider (Moray), Blue-winged Teal (Co Dublin), Red-breasted Goose (Devon) and Ferruginous Ducks in Norfolk and West Yorkshire. Glossy Ibises were logged in Somerset (2) and Worcestershire, five Great White Egrets were reported and Cattle Egrets were seen in Somerset and Co Cork. The best of the rest included Little Bunting in Highland, Yellow-browed Warblers in Somerset and Cornwall and Serin in London. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 27th December 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities comprised Spotted Sandpiper in Essex,
Ferruginous Ducks in West Yorkshire, Somerset and Norfolk, Long-billed
Dowitcher in Cumbria, King Eider in Moray, Red-breasted Goose
in Devon and Black Duck on Isles of Scilly. A reported Little Crake
in Shropshire (apparently present since Boxing Day) failed to materialise when
it was searched for from late morning into the afternoon.
Three Glossy Ibises remained in Somerset, eight Cattle Egrets were logged (including five together in Devon) and four Great White Egrets were recorded. The best of the rest included Yellow-browed Warblers in Somerset and Cornwall, Little Bunting in Highland and Richard's Pipit in Glamorgan. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 26th December 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the reappearance - albeit brief - of the elusive
Killdeer in County Wicklow. Lingering rarities recorded elsewhere comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly,
Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian, Spotted Sandpiper
in Essex, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, King Eider in Moray,
Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Ferruginous Ducks in both Norfolk and West Yorkshire,
Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire, Cattle Egrets in County Cork (3) and Devon and single
Great White Egrets in both Hampshire and Kent. Scarcities included eight Ring-billed Gulls, three each of Ring-necked Duck, Iceland Gull and Caspian Gull, two Great Grey Shrikes and single Little Bunting (Highland), Surf Scoter (Devon), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Rough-legged Buzzard (Cambridgeshire), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Green-winged Teal (Greater Manchester), Yellow-browed Warbler (Somerset) and Lapland Bunting (Lincolnshire). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 25th December 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Killdeer present at Greystones, County Wicklow briefly before flying off north. Elsewhere in Ireland, an
American Herring Gull was discovered at Portrush, County Antrim. Other rarities comprised the Snowy Owl still on the Western Isles, Red-breasted Goose and Cattle Egret still in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, single Ferruginous Ducks in East Sussex, Somerset and West Yorkshire, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire and single Great White Egrets in both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Scarcities were represented by a Little Bunting (Highland), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Yellow-browed Warbler (Somerset), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Ring-necked Duck (West Yorkshire), Green-winged Teal (Greater Manchester) and two Lapland Buntings (together in East Yorkshire) whilst scarce gull totals included three each of both Ring-billed and Iceland and two Caspian. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 24th December 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the sighting, albeit brief, of a Greater Yellowlegs at Kinneil Lagoon, Forth. With the last easily twitchable Greater
Yellowlegs on the British mainland being in Cumbria in 1994, the current bird will prove
most popular if relocated. Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Siberian Stonechat in Nottinghamshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Essex, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire, Ferruginous Ducks in both Norfolk and West Yorkshire, Great White Egret in Warwickshire and single Cattle Egrets in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. Scarcities included 13 Lapland Buntings across three counties, 10 Waxwings in Merseyside, five Caspian Gulls, three each of both Ring-billed Gull and Iceland Gull, two each of Richard's Pipit and Ring-necked Duck, and single Little Bunting (Highland), Rough-legged Buzzard (Cambridgeshire), Great Grey Shrike (Hampshire) and Shorelark (Suffolk). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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