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| Saturday 2nd May 2015 | ||
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| New discoveries included Red-rumped Swallow in East Sussex and White-billed
Diver in Shetland, whilst the Hudsonian Godwit (Somerset), Great Blue Heron
(Isles of Scilly), Pied-billed Grebe (Lancashire), Harlequin Duck,
King Eider and White-billed Diver (Aberdeenshire) and White-rumped Sandpiper
(Orkney) all
lingered.
The best of the rest included Night Heron (Isles of Scilly), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), Shorelark (Cleveland), Cattle Egret (Kent), Wryneck (Co Durham), Kentish Plover (Somerset), Hoopoe (Co Donegal) and Pectoral Sandpipers (Norfolk and Merseyside). A Bufflehead in Cheshire and Snowy Owl in Highland today both turned out to be escaped birds, whilst a Scops Owl was found dead on St Kilda (Western Isles) yesterday. |
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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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| Friday 1st May 2015 | ||
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| New discoveries today included a Red-rumped Swallow at Shoeburyness,
Essex, a White-rumped Sandpiper on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and a
White-billed Diver off Esha Ness, Shetland.
Lingering rarities included the Hudsonian Godwit at Meare Heath, Somerset, Great Blue Heron at Lower Moors, Isles of Scilly, Harlequin Duck in Aberdeen, three White-billed Divers off Portsoy and King Eider at Newburgh, all Aberdeenshire, Pied-billed Grebe at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, American Herring Gull near St Just, Cornwall and four Black-winged Stilts at Cliffe, Kent. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 30th April 2015 | ||
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| Today's highlights included the lingering mega-rare American non-passerines -
Great Blue Heron on Isles of Scilly, Hudsonian Godwit in Somerset
and Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, as well as Pacific Diver and
American Herring Gull in Cornwall, a report of a Red-footed Falcon
in Oxfordshire, Lesser Scaup in Ayrshire, Laughing Gull in Co
Cork, Harlequin Duck in Highland and Red-rumped Swallow in East
Yorkshire.
The best of the rest included Purple Heron and Woodchat Shrike (Cornwall), Spotted Crake (Lancashire), Grey-headed Wagtail (North Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (East Sussex), Hoopoe (Co Mayo), two Pectoral Sandpipers, two American Wigeons and eight Dotterel. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 29th April 2015 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the female Hudsonian Godwit at Meare Heath,
Somerset; relocated late morning the bird showed into the evening when it departed to the west with Black-tailed Godwits. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Great Blue Heron still on the Isles of Scilly, Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, single Harlequin Ducks in both Aberdeenshire and Highland, a Spotted Sandpiper new in Powys at Neuadd Reservoirs, four Black-winged Stilts together in Kent, King Eider still in Aberdeenshire, and a brief Red-rumped Swallow at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire. Scarities included Purple Heron (County Wicklow), Pectoral Sandpiper (London), Grey-headed Wagtail (North Yorkshire), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), two each of Night Heron, Hoopoe, Rough-legged Buzzard and Shorelark, and 16 migrant Dotterel. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 28th April 2015 | ||
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| The only new rarity for today was a report of a male Red-footed Falcon
over Rainham Marshes RSPB, London.
Lingering rarities once again included the Great Blue Heron in the Isles of Scilly, both Harlequin Ducks in Aberdeenshire and Highland, Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, White-rumped Sandpiper and White-billed Diver in Orkney, Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and single Lesser Scaups in Ayrshire and Glamorgan. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Monday 27th April 2015 | ||
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| Lingering rarities still present today included the Great Blue Heron
in the Isles of Scilly, both Harlequin Ducks in Aberdeenshire and
Highland, Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, King Eider and five
White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire (with another of the latter nearby in
Moray), Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, Lesser Scaup in
Glamorgan, Black Kite in Shetland and Red-rumped Swallow in the
Isles of Scilly.
Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Little Bunting, a Wryneck, a Spotted Crake, a Lapland Bunting, three Hoopoes, four Night Herons and 15 Dotterels. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 26th April 2015 | ||
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| New discoveries today included a Snowy Owl at Blacksod, County Mayo, a
Black Kite at Sumburgh, Shetland, two Black-winged Stilts at Trimley,
Suffolk and a Red-rumped Swallow at Cliffe, Kent.
Lingering rarities included the Great Blue Heron in the Isles of Scilly, both Harlequin Ducks in Aberdeenshire and Highland, Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, White-rumped Sandpiper and White-billed Diver in Orkney, Laughing Gull in County Cork and Red-rumped Swallow in the Isles of Scilly. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 25th April 2015 | ||
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| The first Hudsonian Godwit since 1988 was discovered at Meare Heath,
Somerset yesterday evening, and remained on view until 4.15pm today when it flew
west. The only other twitchable Hudsonian Godwit, first found in 1981, visited
both Yorkshire and Devon where it remained for several weeks, and was present
again in Yorkshire two years later for eleven days.
Further north, a Pied-billed Grebe was found at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire. This is likely to be yesterday's Gloucestershire bird, of which there was no sign all day. Other new discoveries included a White-rumped Sandpiper on Papa Westray, Orkney, two separate Black Kites in Norfolk and single Red-rumped Swallows in Kent and the Isles of Scilly. Lingering rarities included the Great Blue Heron in the Isles of Scilly, Harlequin Duck in Highland and both King Eider and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 24th April 2015 | ||
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| The first Pied-billed Grebe for Gloucestershire was discovered today,
on the Severn Estuary at Berkeley, where it remained all day. Other new
discoveries included a flyover Red-throated Pipit at Hengistbury Head,
Dorset and a flyover Black Kite at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk.
Lingering rarities included the Great Blue Heron in the Isles of Scilly, Harlequin Duck in Highland, King Eider and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire and single Lesser Scaups in Ayrshire and Glamorgan. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 23rd April 2015 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Great Blue Heron still on the Isles of Scilly,
Harlequin Duck in Highland, Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, with a brief
Red-rumped Swallow new in Devon, and a Black Kite lingering in North Yorkshire, in Littondale. Scarcities included five each of Wryneck, Shorelark and migrant Dotterel, three Hoopoes, Serin (Suffolk), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Little Bunting and White-tailed Eagle (both Norfolk), and on the Isles of Scilly: Short-toed Lark, Golden Oriole and three Night Herons all noted. Significant late news concerned confirmation of a Spanish Wagtail yesterday at Filey, North Yorkshire, the first British record of this form. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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