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| Friday 28th May 2010 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the continued presence of the White-tailed Plover
at Seaforth LWT (Merseyside). New discoveries included Rustic Bunting
on Fetlar (Shetland), two Red-footed Falcons at Breydon Water (Norfolk),
Bee-eater at Durlston Country Park (Dorset) and Whiskered Tern at
Ely Beet Factory (Cambridgeshire). In Somerset a male Little Bittern was
present for its fourth day in the Ham Wall RSPB/Walton Heath area - it
seems likely that this is the same bird that lingered in the same area from at
least 6th June-24th July last year.
Elsewhere lingering rarities included Savi's Warbler (South Yorkshire), Iberian Chiffchaffs (South Yorkshire and Kent), Blue-winged Teal (Cambridgeshire), Bee-eaters (10 on Isles of Scilly), Black Stork (Co Durham), Red-footed Falcons (four in Co Wexford and singles in Hertfordshire and Co Kildare), Ferruginous Duck (Somerset), Great Reed Warbler (Derbyshire), Forster's Tern (Co Wexford) and Red-rumped Swallow on Orkney. Late news from yesterday related to a flyover Collared Pratincole in the West Midlands. |
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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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| Thursday 27th May 2010 | ||
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| A stunning White-tailed Plover at Seaforth LWT (Merseyside) was
today's hot news. This is the second time this species has occurred in
Lancashire and North Merseyside, following the famous 2007 White-tailed Plover
that spent eight days at Leighton Moss RSPB in June, having initially been
discovered at Caerlaverock WWT (Dumfries and Galloway) earlier in the same
month.
Elsewhere new rarities included Savi's Warbler at Old Moor RSPB (South Yorkshire), Red-rumped Swallow at Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon), Red-throated Pipit and no less than 12 Bee-eaters on Isles of Scilly, Black Stork near Barnard Castle (Co Durham) and Black Kite on The Lizard (Cornwall). Four Red-footed Falcons were discovered at Tacumshin (Co Wexford), whilst other Red-footed Falcons records came in the form of two at Wilstone Reservoir (Hertfordshire) and singles at St Just (Cornwall) and in Co Kildare. A Blue-winged Teal at Paxton Pits NR (Cambridgeshire) was thought to be the same bird that visited Groby Pool (Leicestershire) yesterday - Paxton Pits NR is approximately 50 miles south-east of Groby Pool. Lingering rarities comprised Broad-billed Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire, Subalpine Warbler on Shetland, Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire and Iberian Chiffchaffs in South Yorkshire and Kent. The best of the rest included 12 Temminck's Stints, at least four Red-backed Shrikes, two Purple Herons, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Icterine Warblers, Hoopoe (Cornwall), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire) and Great White Egret (Carmarthenshire). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 26th May 2010 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black-browed Albatross off Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire early in the morning before flying further out to sea. On the Isles of Scilly a
White-throated Sparrow was a long-awaited first for the archipelago whilst discoveries elsewhere included a
Blue-winged Teal in Leicestershire at Groby Pool, a Red-rumped Swallow in Suffolk at Trimley Marshes and single
Red-footed Falcons in Hertfordshire at Wilstone Reservoir and County Kildare at Timahoe West. Meanwhile, lingering rarities confirmed as still present today were the Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire,
Red-rumped Swallow on the Orkney Isles and territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs in Gwent, Kent and South Yorkshire. Brief encounters comprised a Black Stork in Highland, a Glossy Ibis in County Kerry, Alpine Swift in Kent, Bee-eater in West Sussex and Black Kites in Cornwall (2) and Somerset. Scarcities included nine Temminck's Stints spread across seven counties, two each of Red-backed Shrike and migrant Golden Orioles, Purple Heron (Suffolk), Bluethroat (Wirral), Common Rosefinch (Lancashire), Serin (Dorset), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), Hoopoe (Cornwall), Great White Egret (Carmarthenshire), Pectoral Sandpiper and Cattle Egret (both Lincolnshire). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 25th May 2010 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a lingering Red-rumped Swallow on the Orkney Isles on South Ronaldsay. Elsewhere, the newly discovered rarities chose not to linger:
White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, Red-footed Falcon in Norfolk and single Black Kites in both Hampshire and West Sussex were seen only by their finders. On the Western Isles the elusive Black Stork showed again, whilst other lingering rarities comprised the Forster's Tern still in County Wexford, Wilson's Phalarope in Merseyside, Broad-billed Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire, Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire and territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs in each of Gwent, Kent and South Yorkshire. Scarcities included 19 Temminck's Stints spread across ten counties, four migrant Golden Orioles, three Purple Herons, two each of Common Rosefinch and White-winged Black Tern (the latter together in Leicestershire) and single Serin (Leicestershire), Bluethroat (Wirral), Icterine Warbler (East Yorkshire), Marsh Warbler and Great White Egret (both Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (County Durham), Hoopoe (West Sussex), Long-tailed Skua (Highland), Pectoral Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire) and Glaucous Gull (County Wicklow). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 24th May 2010 | ||
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| New discoveries included a Red-throated Pipit on Fair Isle,
Bee-eaters at Dungeness (Kent) and over Sennen (Cornwall), Subalpine
Warbler (probably an Eastern) at Cot Valley (Cornwall) and Red-rumped
Swallow at Spurn (East Yorkshire).
The Wilson's Phalarope in Merseyside, Black Stork on Western Isles, Squacco Heron in Cornwall, Iberian Chiffchaffs in Kent, South Yorkshire and Gwent, Broad-billed Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire and Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire all lingered. Scarcities included two White-winged Black Terns (Leicestershire), Serin (Dorset), Great White Egret (Carmarthenshire) and Bluethroat (East Yorkshire) in addition to three Pectoral Sandpipers, seven Red-backed Shrikes and 17 Temminck's Stints. Photos of a possible Long-toed Stint in Co Durham unfortunately proved the bird to be a Little Stint. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 23rd May 2010 | ||
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| New rarities flooded into Britain today - Great Snipe (Western Isles),
a pair of Subalpine Warblers (Gwynedd), Black Kites (Cornwall and
Lincolnshire), Savi's Warbler (Norfolk), Bee-eaters (three in
Lincolnshire then East Yorkshire and four in Cornwall), Red-rumped Swallows
(Dorset and East Yorkshire) and Broad-billed Sandpipers (South Yorkshire
and Aberdeenshire) were all discovered today.
Lingering rarities included Wilson's Phalarope (Merseyside), Black Stork (Western Isles), Iberian Chiffchaffs (Gwent, South Yorkshire and Kent), King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Great Reed Warbler (Derbyshire), Pacific Diver (Co Clare) and Squacco Heron (Cornwall). Scarcities were represented by 29 Temminck's Stints, four Red-backed Shrikes, three Purple Herons, two Dotterels, two White-winged Black Terns, Grey-headed Wagtail, Serin, Pectoral Sandpiper, Hoopoe and a Great White Egret. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 22nd May 2010 | ||
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| Today's highlights included an adult female Wilson's Phalarope at
Seaforth LWT, Merseyside, and a Squacco Heron at Par, Cornwall, both
present this evening. A female Red-footed Falcon was seen in a field near
Penicuik, Lothian briefly, whilst an Alpine Swift was in the Plymouth
area of Devon. Black Kites were in Devon and Cornwall (the latter county
seeing a significant movement of Red Kites during the day), and Bee-eaters
were seen or heard in Ceredigion, Scilly and Norfolk (two).
The Black Stork was reported again from the Western Isles, this time on Berneray, with lingering rarities including Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire and single Iberian Chiffchaffs in Gwent, Kent and Yorkshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 21st May 2010 | ||
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| Following hot on the heels of a White-throated Sparrow on Fair Isle,
Shetland's second White-throated Sparrow of the week was found at Spiggie
today. Unfortunately the sparrow failed to avoid the attention of a local cat.
Elsewhere a female King Eider was located off Westray (Orkney) and a Black Kite flew over Connah's Quay (Flintshire). Lingering rarities included Great Reed Warbler (Derbyshire), Iberian Chiffchaffs (South Yorkshire and Kent) and Rustic Bunting (Fair Isle). The best of the rest included Red-backed Shrikes on Isles of Scilly (2) and Cornwall, Red-spotted Bluethroat in Pembrokeshire, Serin in Dorset, Purple Heron in Cambridgeshire and Ring-necked Duck in Fife. Six Temminck's Stints and four migrant Honey Buzzards were also reported. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 20th May 2010 | ||
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| The eighth Brown Shrike for Britain was discovered this evening at
Sennen Cove, Cornwall, where it remained elusive until dusk. This is the fourth
record since 2008.
Other new discoveries today included a Rustic Bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland, where the White-throated Sparrow remained present, a Tawny Pipit at Kessingland, Suffolk and a Black Kite over St Austell, Cornwall. Lingering rarities included Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire and Iberian Chiffchaffs in Gwent, Yorkshire and Kent. Scarcity highlight was a Red-breasted Flycatcher on Shetland, with a scattering of Golden Orioles, Temminck's Stints, Honey Buzzards and Purple Herons being the best of the rest. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 19th May 2010 | ||
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| The third White-throated Sparrow in Britain this year was found on
Fair Isle, Shetland, and late news concerned the second Dark-eyed Junco
this year, present in a garden in Folkestone, Kent from Saturday to Monday. A
Black Kite was at the Loch of Strathbeg RSPB, Aberdeenshire mid afternoon.
Long staying rarities included Oriental Pratincole in Lincolnshire, Great Reed Warbler in Derbyshire and Iberian Chiffchaffs in Kent, Yorkshire and Gwent. Scarcities were headlined by White-spotted Bluethroat in Norfolk, Purple Herons in Yorkshire and Kent, Ring-necked Duck in Fife, Serin in Kent, Dotterels in Suffolk and Sussex, White Stork in Yorkshire, Golden Oriole in the Isles of Scilly and Pomarine Skua in Lancashire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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