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| Wednesday 7th June 2017 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of an Elegant Tern in Hampshire at Hayling Island. Found at Fishery Creek mid morning roosting on the rising tide but present only until late morning when it flew out of Chichester Harbour. Interestingly the bird was wearing colour-rings that proved it to be an individual previously present on the Atlantic seaboard of France most summers since 2002 and trapped and ringed in a Sandwich Tern colony at the Banc d' Arguin, Gironde on 3rd July 2003. The identity of this bird has been confirmed as Elegant Tern by genetic analysis - as have all the other candidate Elegant Terns in Europe that have been tested - and it's appearance is very similar to that of the first British record present at Dawlish Warren on 18th May 2002 and it seems likely to be the same individual. It has also been seen in the interim staging on migration in southern Spain and then twice in winter in South Africa; at Kromme Estuary in March 2005 and again at Rooi Els River and Buffels Bay on 2nd and 5th March 2017. Although yet to be accepted, there are three other British records: one visiting Norfolk then Devon in 2002, a further (third) individual in 2002 moving from Devon to Gwynedd, and one in Dorset on 10th May 2005. New rarities elsewhere comprised a Greenish Warbler on the Shetland Isles on Whalsay, and single Red-footed Falcons in Suffolk at North Warren and briefly at Spurn, East Yorkshire. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black Duck in Highland, Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Little Bittern in Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Highland), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), two each of both Icterine Warbler and migrant Red-necked Phalarope, three Common Rosefinches, four Red-backed Shrikes, five Marsh Warblers and eight Cattle Egrets. |
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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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| Tuesday 6th June 2017 | ||
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| Rarities today were limited to a brief Red-footed Falcon in Cornwall at Lizard and the long-staying
Black Duck still in Highland at Strontian. Scarcities included two territorial Marsh Warblers (both in Cleveland), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (Fife), Golden Oriole (Orkney Isles), Common Rosefinch (Shetland Isles) and a total of 12 Cattle Egrets. The gale force winds and rain that caused so few landbirds to be recorded today brought some seabirds within sight of land with two Long-tailed Skuas (Western Isles), three Balearic Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters off four counties and a scattering of Storm Petrels. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 5th June 2017 | ||
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| The only new rarity found today was a Greenish Warbler on the Isle of
Man, which was trapped and ringed at the Calf of Man Bird Observatory.
Lingerers included the Little Bittern at Shorncote, Gloucestershire, Iberian Chiffchaff at Kelsall, Cheshire, Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper at Buttermere, Cumbria, King Eider at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire and Bonaparte's Gull at Longham, Dorset. Scarcity highlights included a Purple Heron, a Marsh Warbler, two Icterine Warblers, a Red-backed Shrike, a Common Rosefinch, a Honey Buzzard, two Pomarine Skuas, an Iceland Gull and three Glaucous Gulls. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 4th June 2017 | ||
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| New discoveries today were confined to East Anglia, with a Red-footed
Falcon at Minsmere and a Black Kite at Orford Ness, both Suffolk, and
another of the latter at Potter Heigham, Norfolk.
Lingering rarities included single Little Bitterns in Gloucestershire and Somerset, Black Scoter and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, single Savi's Warblers in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and single Red-footed Falcons in Cornwall and Somerset. Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Serin, three Hoopoes, two Icterine Warblers, four Marsh Warblers, a Purple Heron, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Glossy Ibises, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, two Glaucous Gulls, four Iceland Gulls and two Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 3rd June 2017 | ||
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| New discoveries comprised Blyth's Reed Warbler (Shetland),
Red-rumped Swallow and Black Kite (Kent),
Black-winged Stilt (Norfolk) and a report of a Little
Bittern in Suffolk. Lingering rarities included Black Scoter and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk), Red-rumped Swallow (Devon) and Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon (Somerset). The best of the rest included Marsh Warblers (Cleveland and West Yorkshire), Red-backed Shrike (Co Durham), Icterine Warbler and Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Serin (Norfolk), Night Heron (Shropshire) and Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 2nd June 2017 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Sooty Tern that flew south past Uisaed
Point, Argyll. Elsewhere, an Eastern Subalpine Warbler was new on the Orkney Isles on Sanday as were
Black-winged Stilts in East Sussex at Rye Harbour and The Midrips (2). Brief encounters included
Red-footed Falcons in Dorset and Kent, Black Kite in Derbyshire,
Bee-eater in Kent and at least one Barolo Shearwater reported at sea off Start Point, Devon. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Black Duck in Highland, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon together in Somerset, and territorial Savi's Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk. Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk), Short-toed Lark (Isles of Scilly), Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Golden Oriole (East Yorkshire), Marsh Warbler (Pembrokeshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Orkney Isles), Night Heron (Shropshire), Ring-necked Duck (Argyll), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Red-backed Shrike and Surf Scoter (both Shetland Isles), two each of Common Rosefinch, Hoopoe and Glossy Ibis, three Icterine Warblers and a total of 20 Cattle Egrets. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 1st June 2017 | ||
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| New discoveries on the first day of June included Red-footed Falcons
in Cornwall (2) and Norfolk, Greenish Warbler in Dorset and
Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, whilst Black Scoter
and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Pied-billed Grebe
(Argyll), Savi's Warbler (Cambridgeshire and Norfolk),
Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Spotted Sandpiper
(Cumbria), Little Bittern (Somerset) and Red-footed
Falcon (Suffolk). The best of the rest included American Golden Plover (Anglesey), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike and Common Rosefinch (Shetland), Short-toed Lark (Orkney), Pectoral Sandpiper (Argyll), two Serins, two Hoopoes, two Rose-coloured Starlings and three Night Herons. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 31st May 2017 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black Scoter identified in Aberdeenshire at Murcar; the third to be located with the gathering Common Scoters there since 2011. Discoveries elsewhere included an
Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire at Kelsall, Greenish Warblers in Essex at Colne Point and the Western Isles on Eriskay,
Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk at Minsmere, Red-rumped Swallow in Dorset at Portland and
single Black Kites in both Kent and Norfolk. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Western Subalpine Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon together in Somerset, Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, and Savi's Warbler in Norfolk where at Welney a pair of Black-winged Stilts saw at least two chicks hatch before they were predated. Scarcities included American Golden Plover (Pembrokeshire), Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), Golden Oriole (Dorset), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Ring-billed Gull (Ceredigion), Temminck's Stint (Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), Night Heron (Shropshire), three migrant Red-necked Phalaropes, and seven Cattle Egrets. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 30th May 2017 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the discovery of a Two-barred Greenish
Warbler on Foula (Shetland). New discoveries included Alpine
Swift (Kent), Red-footed Falcons (Norfolk and
Suffolk), Western Subalpine Warbler (Shetland) and
Gull-billed Tern (Somerset). Lingering rarities included Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Great Snipe (Ceredigion), Greenish Warbler (Norfolk), Red-footed Falcons (Somerset and Isles of Scilly), Little Bittern (Somerset) and Savi's Warblers (Norfolk and Suffolk). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 29th May 2017 | ||
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| The rarest bird of the day was a Great Snipe, which was flushed from a
path at Ynyslas, Ceredigion mid morning, and was seen again in a horse field
there mid afternoon. This would be the fourth individual for the county, the
last being one shot in 1947.
Other new discoveries included single Greenish Warblers at Blakeney, Norfolk and Calf of Man, Isle of Man, eight Bee-eaters over Birling Gap, East Sussex, a Red-footed Falcon on The Lizard, Cornwall and single Black Kites over Lydd, Kent and Westfield, East Sussex. Lingering rarities included the Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon in Somerset, Red-rumped Swallow in Scilly, Greenish Warbler in County Wexford, single Savi's Warblers in Norfolk and Suffolk and Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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