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| Monday 1st September 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Paddyfield Warbler on the Shetland Isles, on Whalsay at Skaw, with an
Arctic Warbler nearby at Sandwick. Elsewhere, the Eastern Subalpine Warbler remained in Suffolk, as did the Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall,
White-rumped Sandpiper in Argyll, and Citrine Wagtail on the Western Isles. In Gwynedd a
Red-throated Pipit flew over Bardsey Island. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Northumberland), White-winged Black Tern (County Limerick), Rose-coloured Starling and Red-backed Shrike (both Norfolk), Spotted Crake (Somerset), Cattle Egret (County Down), Lapland Bunting (Orkney Isles), three each of Common Rosefinch and Pectoral Sandpipers, and five each of Barred Warbler, Wryneck and Glossy Ibis. Seawatching produced Sabine's Gull (County Kerry), two Long-tailed Skuas, five Great Shearwaters and 32 Balearic Shearwaters. |
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| - Chris Batty, 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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| Sunday 31st August 2014 | ||
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| New discoveries included a Pallid Harrier on Foula (Shetland),
White-rumped Sandpiper on Tiree (Argyll), Citrine Wagtail on South
Uist (Western Isles), Western Bonelli's Warbler on Bardsey Island
(Gwynedd) and Black Kite at Dungeness (Kent).
The Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall, Greenish Warblers in North Yorkshire and Suffolk, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk and Tawny Pipit in Kent all lingered. A Melodious Warbler (Anglesey), Rose-coloured Starlings (Norfolk and Devon), Short-toed Lark (Shetland) and White-winged Black Tern (Co Limerick) were also recorded. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 30th August 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Booted Warbler on Burray, Orkney Isles. Elsewhere,
Blyth's Reed Warblers were trapped in both Aberdeenshire and Suffolk, whilst in Kent a
Tawny Pipit showed well, and both Gyr and Black Kite flew over. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the
Marsh Sandpiper in Gloucester, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall, Western Bonelli's Warbler
on the Isles of Scilly, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk, and in Suffolk,
Eastern Subalpine Warbler, two Greenish Warblers and a Ferruginous
Duck. Scarcities included 20 Wrynecks, eight each of Barred Warbler and Common Rosefinch, five Pectoral Sandpipers, four Dotterel, two each of Melodious Warbler and Red-backed Shrike, and single Short-toed Lark (Shetland Isles), Red-necked Phalarope (Kent), Temminck's Stint (Cambridgeshire), Spotted Crake (Somerset) and Purple Heron (Suffolk). Seawatching produced Wilson's Petrel (County Clare), 20 Great Shearwaters, 16 Leach's Petrels, nine Sabine's Gulls and three Cory's Shearwaters. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 29th August 2014 | ||
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| Rare warblers dominated today with a Western Bonelli's Warbler
discovered on the Isles of Scilly, Arctic Warbler on the Shetland Isles,
Subalpine and Greenish Warbler in Suffolk, with further Greenish
Warblers in Norfolk (2) and North Yorkshire. Elsewhere, the Marsh
Sandpiper remained in Gloucestershire, a Lesser Yellowlegs was new in Cornwall at Croft
Pascoe Pool, and a Black Kite was reported briefly in County Meath. Scarcities included Melodious Warbler and Red-necked Phalarope (both Kent), Ortolan Bunting (North Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (Warwickshire), Temminck's Stint (Cambridgeshire), Barred Warbler (Shetland Isles), two Spotted Crakes, three each of Red-backed Shrike and Pectoral Sandpiper, five Common Rosefinches, seven Dotterel and 16 Wrynecks. Seawatch totals comprised 59 Balearic, 50 Great, and 13 Cory's Shearwaters, 58 Sabine's Gulls, six Pomarine Skuas, four Leach's Petrels and a Grey Phalarope. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 28th August 2014 | ||
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| Seawatching in Ireland produced the biggest surprise of the day - a
Swinhoe's Petrel seen flying past Kerry Head in County Kerry at 3.15pm along
with some big counts of large shearwaters later in the day, eg 488 Cory's
Shearwaters and 351 Great Shearwaters past Galley Head in County
Cork.
The pick of the other new rarities found was a Marsh Sandpiper at Frampton-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, which represented a long awaited county first. Two Citrine Wagtails were found in east Scotland - at Barns Ness in Lothian and Nigg Bay in Aberdeenshire. The flush of birds along the east coast continued today with new Greenish Warblers at Blakeney Point in Norfolk and Scarborough in North Yorkshire along with remaining birds at Stiffkey and East Hills (both Norfolk). Scarce migrants along the east coast included an Ortolan Bunting in Kent, about 18 Wrynecks, 3 to 4 Icterine Warblers, 7 Barred Warblers, 2 Red-backed Shrikes and 3.Common Rosefinches on the northern Isles. Elsewhere, a Black Kite was in County Wicklow, the Lesser Scaup remained in Somerset, but there were just 2 Bee-eaters seen in the Isle of Wight. A Melodious Warbler was at Dungeness, Spotted Crakes remained in Leicestershire and Devon, 7 Dotterel were in Hertfordshire and there were Temminck's Stints in Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and Devon. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 27th August 2014 | ||
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| Five of the six new rarities reported today were Greenish Warblers,
all of which were on the north Norfolk coast. First up was one trapped and
ringed at Weybourne during the morning, whilst the afternoon produced single
birds at Wells Woods, East Hills, Stiffkey and Northrepps. Further north, a
Citrine Wagtail was discovered on the Farne Islands, Northumberland.
Lingering rarities included the Greenish Warbler at Whitburn, County Durham, Ferruginous Duck at Minsmere, Suffolk and all twelve Bee-eaters at Niton, Isle of Wight, but yesterday's Blue-winged Teal in Worcestershire was re-identified as a hybrid Shoveler. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 26th August 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was an arrival of drift migrants on the east coast and Northern Isles, with single
Greenish Warblers in County Durham and East Yorkshire, four each of both
Icterine and Barred Warbler, five Common Rosefinches and nine
Wrynecks. Seawatch totals comprised 36 Long-tailed Skuas, 15 Pomarine Skua, 12 Balearic, four Great and one Cory's Shearwater, and two Sabine's Gulls. Lingering rarities comprised the Ferruginous Duck still in Suffolk at Minsmere, the Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid), in Worcestershire, and the Broad-billed Sandpiper briefly in West Sussex. The best of the rest were Red-necked Phalarope (Kent), Temminck's Stint and Montagu's Harrier (Devon), Hoopoe (Orkney Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibis (cleveland), four each of both Spotted Crake and Caspian Gull, and five Great White Egrets. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 25th August 2014 | ||
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| A Swinhoe's Petrel flew past the Bridges of Ross, County Clare this
evening. This would be the third record for Ireland, and the second for the
site, following the first ever for the British Isles was seen there on 15th
August 1985. In Britain, the first Blue-winged Teal to be seen in
Worcestershire for 25 years was found at Grimley, and a Blyth's Reed Warbler
was on Foula, Shetland.
Lingering rarities included the Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 24th August 2014 | ||
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| On the busiest day for over three months (the first day since 19th May to
break 300 messages), it was uncommon migrants, mainly Whinchats and Redstarts, which provided the bulk of the news.
Nevertheless, one of the first messages this morning contained news of two
Fea's Petrels from a pelagic off Baltimore, County Cork, seen within 20
minutes of setting sail.
Lingering rarities still present today included the Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly, 12 Bee-eaters on the Isle of Wight, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. Scarcities included an Icterine Warbler, a Common Rosefinch, two Red-backed Shrikes, four Barred Warblers, four Spotted Crakes, a Pectoral Sandpiper and a Temminck's Stint, whilst other seabirds included two Sabine's Gulls, seven Cory's Shearwaters, 20 Great Shearwaters, two Long-tailed Skuas and four Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 23rd August 2014 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Laughing Gull still in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly,
Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk, and at least eight
Bee-eaters still together at the nest site on the Isle of Wight. Scarcities included Icterine Warbler (Western Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), White Stork (Dorset), Rose-coloured Starling and Temminck's Stint (both Devon), Barred Warbler (East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire), two each of both Pectoral Sandpiper and migrant Dotterel, three Spotted Crakes, six Glossy Ibises, and twelve each of both Great White Egret and Caspian Gull. Seabirds records included Cory's, Great and Balearic Shearwater (5), Long-tailed Skua, Grey Phalarope, two Sabine's Gulls and ten Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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