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| Thursday 4th April 2013 | ||
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| Today's headline rarities were the Harlequin Duck on Western Isles and
Pied-billed Grebe in Somerset, whilst the Lesser Scaups in Gwent,
Cornwall and Cleveland, Ferruginous Duck in Oxfordshire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Lesser
Yellowlegs in Devon and Black Duck in Co Mayo also lingered.
The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starling (Devon), Kentish Plover (East Sussex) and White-spotted Bluethroat (Dorset). |
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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 3rd April 2013 | ||
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| New discoveries comprised a Lesser Scaup in Cleveland and a Lesser
Yellowlegs in Co Dublin. Lingering rarities included Harlequin Duck
(Western Isles), Penduline Tit (Kent), Long-billed Dowitcher
(Lincolnshire), Lesser Yellowlegs (Devon), Lesser Scaup
(Lincolnshire, Gwent, Glamorgan and Cornwall), Pied-billed Grebe
(Somerset) and Red-breasted Goose (Hampshire).
Sightings of scarcities included Common Rosefinch (Dorset), White-spotted Bluethroat (Kent, Dorset, Isle of Wight) and Kentish Plover (East Sussex). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 2nd April 2013 | ||
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| Today's lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck and two
White-billed Divers on the Western Isles, Pied-billed Grebe in
Somerset, Snowy Owl on the Aberdeenshire /Moray border, Penduline Tit
in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Devon, Bonaparte's Gull in
Glamorgan, another White-billed Diver on Orkney, single Lesser Scaups
in Herefordshire, Lincolnshire, Cornwall and Glamorgan, Ferruginous Duck
in Oxfordshire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire and Glossy Ibis in
Pembrokeshire.
Scarcity highlights included five White-spotted Bluethroats, two Kentish Plovers, a Hoopoe, a Pallas's Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling, three Great Grey Shrikes, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, two Ring-necked Ducks, two American Wigeon, a Kumlien's Gull, two Iceland Gulls, four Glaucous Gulls, four Caspian Gulls, a Ring-billed Gull and a White-tailed Eagle. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Monday 1st April 2013 | ||
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| Thye highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Snowy Owl on North Uist, Western
Isles, first seen here as an adult male on 14th August 2003; approaching ten years
ago. Nearby, the Harlequin Duck remained at Balranald, whilst on Lewis two White-billed Divers continued their
stay between Port of Ness and Skigersta. Elsewhere, rarities included a brief Black Kite in Cornwall at St Agnes and Gwithian, with the Pacific Diver reported again nearby in Mount's Bay, the Pied-billed Grebe remained in Somerset, as did a Penduline Tit in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Devon, three White-billed Divers together in Aberdeenshire, Richardson's Canada Goose in County Sligo, Glossy Ibis in both Pembrokeshire and West Sussex, and single Lesser Scaups in Clyde, Cornwall, Glamorgan, Gwent, Herefordshire and Lincolnshire. The eigth and ninth White-spotted Bluethroats of the spring were located in Dorset and Kent, with other singles lingering in the latter county and on the Isle of Wight, Kentish Plovers were in both Dorset and East Sussex, a Hoopoe was found in Devon, Shorelark in Lincolnshire, and Lapland Bunting in Oxfordshire, whilst the Pallas's Warbler remained in Berkshire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 31st March 2013 | ||
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| A smart male Pallid Harrier was photographed at Papercourt, Surrey mid
afternoon, but was only identified after dark.
Lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck and two White-billed Divers on the Western Isles, Pied-billed Grebe in Somerset, Penduline Tit in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Devon, Lesser Scaups in Gwent, Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Herefordshire, Ferruginous Duck in Oxfordshire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire and Glossy Ibis in Sussex. Spring scarcities were headlined by just three White-spotted Bluethroats (one in Dorset and two in Kent) and a Kentish Plover (Sussex). |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 30th March 2013 | ||
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| The highlight of the day way the discovery of a Bonaparte's Gull in Highland at
Thurso: perhaps this is the same individual has now visited this location on seven
occasions since 12th September 2004. Elsewhere, a Glossy Ibis arrived at Arundel, West Sussex, and the presence of two
White-billed Divers off Lewis, Western Isles, was confirmed. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Harlequin Duck on the Western Isles, American Coot in County Galway, Pied-billed Grebe in Somerset, Penduline Tit in Kent, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Blue-winged Teal in County Kerry, Lesser Yellowlegs in Devon, King Eider on the Shetland Isles, White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire and the Orkney Isles, Ferruginous Duck in Oxfordshire, Northern Harrier in County Wexford, Black-bellied Dipper in Norfolk, and single Lesser Scaups in Clyde, Cornwall, Glamorgan, Gwent, Herefordshire and Lincolnshire. Otherwise, coastal White-spotted Bluethroats were located in Devon, Dorset, Isle of Wight and Kent, a Kentish Plover remained in East Sussex, as did both the Rose-coloured Starling and American Wigeon in Devon, and pan-British totals included seven Ring-necked Ducks, 17 Garganey, 40 Ring Ouzels and 58 Black Redstarts. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 29th March 2013 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Killdeer at Killybegs, County Donegal, whilst in Kent two Penduline Tits were located at Dungeness. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Harlequin Duck still on the Western Isles, American Coot in County Galway, Pied-billed Grebe in Somerset, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Blue-winged Teal in Dumfries and Galloway, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan, Lesser Yellowlegs in Devon, Ferruginous Duck in Oxfordshire, Northern Harrier in County Wexford, Richardsons's Canada Goose in Argyll and Western Isles, Black-bellied Dipper in Norfolk, and Lesser Scaups in County Armagh, Cornwall, Clyde, Glamorgan, Gwent, Herefordshire and Lincolnshire. Single White-spotted Bluethroats remained in Kent and the Isle of Wight, as did Kentish Plovers in East Sussex (2) and Kent, Pallas's Warbler in Berkshire, Rose-coloured Starling in Devon, and American Wigeons in County Down and Highland. Spring migrant totals from across Britain included 54 Black Redstarts, 32 Ring Ouzels and 23 Garganey. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 28th March 2013 | ||
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| Today's rarities included Snowy Owl in Argyll, Harlequin Duck
and Richardson's Canada Goose on Western Isles, Blue-winged Teals
in Dumfries & Galloway and Co Kerry, Forster's Tern in Co Galway,
Lesser Scaup in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Gwent, Ferruginous Duck
in Oxfordshire, Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in
Devon, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, two Black-bellied Dippers
in Norfolk and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire.
The best of the rest included White-spotted Bluethroats in Isle of Wight and Dorset, Kentish Plovers in East Sussex (2) and Kent and Rose-coloured Starling in Devon. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 27th March 2013 | ||
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| Discoveries today included a Blue-winged Teal in County Kerry at Ballylongford, a
White-billed Diver on the Western Isles off Lewis, and in Gwent the first
Lesser Scaup for the county, at Tredegar. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Harlequin Duck on the Western Isles, Pied-billed Grebe in Somerset, Black-throated Thrush in Aberdeenshire, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Blue-winged Teal in Dumfries and Galloway, Lesser Scaups in both Clyde and Lincolnshire, White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, Ferruginous Duck in Oxfordshire and two Black-bellied Dippers together in Norfolk. Notable migrants included White-spotted Bluethroats in both Kent and the Isle of Wight, two Kentish Plovers together in East Sussex, Shorelark in Suffolk, and totals of 21 Ring Ouzels, 25 Garganey and 37 Black Redstarts. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 26th March 2013 | ||
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| A male Black-throated Thrush in an Aberdeenshire garden was the
undoubted highlight of the day. Present in Ash Tree Road, Banchory for the last
three days, it showed very well today when news was released. A white morph
Gyr was seen on Fetlar, Shetland.
Lingering rarities seen today included Pied-billed Grebe at Ham Wall RSPB, Somerset, Lesser Scaups at Freiston Shore RSPB, Lincolnshire, Cardiff Bay, Glamorgan and Siblyback Lake, Cornwall, Ferruginous Duck at Otmoor RSPB, Oxfordshire, Black-bellied Dipper in Thetford, Norfolk, Desert Wheatear at Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Plymouth, Devon and Red-breasted Goose at Farlington Marshes HWT, Hampshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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