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| Monday 4th January 2016 | ||
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| Rarity sightings comprised Mourning Dove (Shetland),
Glaucous-winged Gull and Spotted Sandpiper (Co Cork),
Pacific Diver, Ross's Gull, Lesser
Scaup and Hudsonian Whimbrel (Cornwall), Gyr
(Western Isles), Bonaparte's Gull (Hertfordshire),
Dusky Warbler (Somerset), Penduline Tits and
Ferruginous Duck (Hampshire), Long-billed Dowitcher
(Northumberland) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk). The best of the rest included Serin (Cambridgeshire), Pallas's Warbler (Wirral), Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), two American Wigeons, two Surf Scoters, three Cattle Egrets, at least three Richard's Pipits, four Yellow-browed Warblers, five Ring-necked Ducks, 13 Waxwings and at least 19 Glossy Ibises. An excellent movement of Little Auks off the east coast of Scotland included peak counts of 1,100 in Lothian, 1,030 in Fife, and 1,016 in Aberdeenshire. |
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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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| Sunday 3rd January 2016 | ||
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| Lingering rarities still present today included the Glaucous-winged Gull
at Castletownbere, County Cork, Mourning Dove at Lerwick, Shetland,
Ross's Gull on The Lizard, Hudsonian Whimbrel at Marazion,
Pacific Diver at Newlyn and Lesser Scaup at Dozmary Pool, all
Cornwall, Pallid Harrier at Flitcham, Norfolk, three Penduline Tits
at Titchfield Haven and Ferruginous Duck at Blashford Lakes, both
Hampshire, Dusky Warbler at Ham Wall, Somerset and Bonaparte's Gull
at Exmouth, Devon.
Scarcity totals were singles of Pallas's Warbler, Hoopoe, Rose-coloured Starling and American Wigeon, two each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Glossy Ibis, Surf Scoter and Black Brant, three each of Richard's Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler, Great Grey Shrike and Grey Phalarope, four Ring-billed Gulls, five Cattle Egrets, five Ring-necked Ducks, six Green-winged Teals, seven Shorelarks, seven Waxwings, 11 Iceland Gulls and 12 Glaucous Gulls. Seawatching produced excellent numbers of Little Auks, with the highest totals coming from Girdle Ness (1,163), Newtonhill (844) and Collieston (230), all Aberdeenshire, Brora (900) and Chanonry Point (150), both Highland, Kinghorn, Fife (536), Hound Point, Lothian (270), and Fishtown of Usan (209), Mains of Usan (171) and Arbroath (122), all Angus. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 2nd January 2016 | ||
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| An exciting day was headlined by the discovery of an adult Glaucous-winged Gull
in County Cork at Castletownbere; the first record for Ireland. Elsewhere in County Cork the Spotted Sandpiper remained at Pilmore, and at Owenahincha a dead
Brown Booby was found on the tideline. Rarities elsewhere comprised a Ross's Gull new in Cornwall on The Lizard, with Hudsonian Whimbrel and Pacific Diver remaining nearby. The Mourning Dove was still on the Shetland Isles, as was the Gyr on the Western Isles, Penduline Tit in Hampshire, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, and single Ferruginous Ducks in both County Durham and Hampshire. Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Wirral), Richard's Pipit (East Yorkshire and Kent), Grey Phalarope (Gloucestershire), American Wigeon (two together in County Donegal), Kumlien's Gull (County Antrim and Norfolk), Cattle Egret and Lapland Bunting (Suffolk), five Ring-billed Gulls, six Ring-necked Ducks and a total of 30 Glossy Ibises (including 19 together in County Waterford). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 1st January 2016 | ||
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| In Cornwall, the Hudsonian Whimbrel was once again present in Mount's
Bay at Marazion, having first been refound yesterday.
Other lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, White-billed Diver in Orkney, King Eider in Fife and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire. Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), a Hoopoe (Staffordshire), an American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), a Balearic Shearwater (Cornwall), two Richard's Pipits (Yorkshire), two Pomarine Skuas (Highland), two Great Grey Shrikes, two Cattle Egrets, three Waxwings, three Black Brants, four each of Surf Scoter, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Rough-legged Buzzard, Lapland Bunting and Glossy Ibis, five Ring-billed Gulls, six Grey Phalaropes, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, eight Iceland Gulls, eight Glaucous Gulls and nine Shorelarks. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 31st December 2015 | ||
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| Scotland's fourth (and December's 1st) Little Swift was discovered at
Thorntonloch, Lothian today. It was only present for around an hour, and wasn't
relocated by late afternoon. Another Pacific Diver was found in Cornwall
at Maenporth, with the other remaining in Mount's Bay, whilst the
White-billed Diver returned to St Margaret's Hope Bay, Orkney.
Other lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser Yellowlegs and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Gyr in the Western Isles, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Penduline Tit and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire and single Lesser Scaups in Cornwall and Somerset. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 30th December 2015 | ||
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| Rarity highlights included Red-rumped Swallow and
Pallid Harrier (Norfolk), Penduline Tit (Hampshire),
Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Greater
Yellowlegs (Isle of Wight), Pacific Diver and
Lesser Scaup (Cornwall) and Richardson's Cackling Goose
(Co Sligo). The best of the rest included Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), two Cattle Egrets, two Yellow-browed Warblers, three Shorelarks, five Ring-necked Ducks and seven Glossy Ibises. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 29th December 2015 | ||
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| Long-staying rarities confirmed as still present today were the Mourning Dove
on the Shetland Isles, Pacific Diver, American Herring Gull and
Lesser Scaup all in Cornwall, Pallid Harrier and Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk,
Greater Yellowlegs on the Isle of Wight, three Penduline Tits
together and a Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Dusky Warbler in Somerset,
Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, King Eider in Fife, Bonaparte's Gull
in Devon, and Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo. Scarcities included Hoopoe (West Midlands), Sabine's Gull (County Galway), American Wigeon (Highland), Snow Goose (Cumbria), three each of Richard's Pipit, Shorelark and Surf Scoter, four of Cattle Egret, Ring-billed Gull, Great Grey Shrike and Waxwing, five each of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Rough-legged Buzzard, and six of Glossy Ibis and Ring-necked Duck. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 28th December 2015 | ||
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| Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Mourning Dove on the Shetland Isles,
Pacific Diver, American Herring Gull and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall,
both Pallid Harrier and Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, and
Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland. Scarcities included Night Heron (Perth and Kinross), Hoopoe (West Midlands), Lapland Bunting (Essex), Waxwing (Merseyside), two each of Richard's Pipit, Cattle Egret, Surf Scoter, American Wigeon and Ring-billed Gull, three of Rough-legged Buzzard and Great Grey Shrike, four Ring-necked Ducks, five Glossy Ibises, six Tundra Bean Geese, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, and 10 Shorelarks. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 27th December 2015 | ||
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| A female King Eider was found off Ruddon's Point, Fife today.
Lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Pacific Diver in Cornwall, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Gyr in the Western Isles, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo, King Eider in Highland, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire. Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, two Great Grey Shrikes, three Richard's Pipits, three Rough-legged Buzzards, four Green-winged Teals, five Ring-necked Ducks, five Surf Scoters, five Grey Phalaropes, five Lapland Buntings, six Yellow-browed Warblers, six Waxwings and 12 Little Auks. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 26th December 2015 | ||
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| The first Mourning Dove for Shetland was discovered this morning, and
was still present in gardens in Lerwick this afternoon.
Further south, a Bonaparte's Gull was at Lower Farm GPs, Berkshire, an Azorean Yellow-legged Gull was at Kilvington, Nottinghamshire and a Lesser Yellowlegs was at Greencastle, County Down. Lingering rarities included the Northern Harrier in Orkney, Red-rumped Swallow and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland and Dusky Warbler in Somerset. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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