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| Thursday 21st June 2018 | ||
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| In Dorset the American Royal Tern was seen off Weymouth at 5.30am, but, despite much searching, it wasn't located again.
Other lingering rarities included the Black-headed Bunting at Norwick, Shetland, Semipalmated Sandpiper at Washington, County Durham, Great Reed Warbler at Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire, Iberian Chiffchaff at Otley, Yorkshire and Bonaparte's Gull at Oare, Kent. Scarcity highlights included a Spotted Crake, a Glaucous Gull, two Honey Buzzards, six Rose-coloured Starlings and eight Cattle Egrets. |
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| - Will Soar, 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 20th June 2018 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the lingering American Royal Tern
at Church Norton (West Sussex) - but only just. Early risers bagged the tern at
first light, before it departed to the south at 4.37am. In the evening the tern
was relocated in Weymouth (Dorset), when it flew over Lodmoor RSPB at 8pm,
before eventually settling in Portland Harbour until 10.15pm, when it again flew
off. New discoveries elsewhere comprised Semipalmated Sandpiper at Washington WWT (Co Durham) (originally reported as a Little Stint before it was reidentified from photographs) and Black-headed Bunting on Unst (Shetland). The Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Shetland), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent) and Great Reed Warbler (Cambridgeshire) all lingered. The best of the rest included White-winged Black Tern (Co Durham), Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), three Rose-coloured Starlings, Glossy Ibis (Northumberland) and Lapland Bunting (Western Isles). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 19th June 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was an American Royal Tern in West Sussex in the Sandwich Tern colony at Church Norton. First discovered mid afternoon and believed to be the returning Elegant Tern present there last June it was only correctly identified until early evening after which it showed for a further three hours. The bird was not in full breeding aspect and this when combined with the presence of a metal ring showed it to be the same individual that had frequented the Channel Islands from 5th February to 26th May 2017 and again from 24th July 2017 to 6th May 2018 and also having visited Brittany, France between 12th June and 16th July 2017. It is the first American Royal Tern to be confirmed in Britain since a USA ringed bird was at Kenfig Pool, Glamorgan on 24th November 1979 (although a further metal ringed Royal Tern at Mumbles, Glamorgan on 21st December 2017 will also have been an American Royal Tern). Rarities elsewhere comprised the Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent, King Eiders in both Aberdeenshire and Gwynedd (the latter at Broad Water), the Black-winged Stilt still in Cambridgeshire, a flyover Black Kite in Cambridgeshire and White-billed Diver off the Orkney Isles. Scarcities included Marsh Warbler (Shetland Isles), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), two migrant Red-necked Phalaropes (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) and a total of six Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 18th June 2018 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Black-headed Bunting still in Highland, Great Reed Warbler
in Cambridgeshire, Eastern Subalpine Warbler on the Shetland Isles,
Iberian Chiffchaff on the Wirral, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, a Wilson's Petrel
at sea off the Isles of Scilly and single Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire, Kent and Norfolk. Scarcities included Marsh Warbler (Shetland Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), American Wigeon (County Londonderry), two migrant Red-necked Phalaropes (together in Cheshire) and a total of six Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 17th June 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black-headed Bunting near Lybster, Highland, whilst in
England three new Black-winged Stilts were discovered: in Cambridgeshire at the Ouse Washes, in Kent at Sandwich Bay and in Norfolk at Potter Heigham Marshes. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Snowy Owl still on the Western Isles, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cornwall, Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. In Cornwall a Wilson's Petrel passed Porthgwarra. Scarcities included Marsh Warbler (Shetland Isles), Glossy Ibis (Northumberland), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), two migrant Red-necked Phalaropes (together in Worcestershire) and a total of six Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 16th June 2018 | ||
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| Rarity highlights comprised Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Black Kite in Suffolk, whilst Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire), Serins (Shetland and Lincolnshire), Rose-coloured Starlings (Co Kerry [2], Cornwall, Shetland and Co Durham), Cory's Shearwater (West Sussex), Glossy Ibis and American Wigeon (Northumberland) were also logged. | ||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 15th June 2018 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the breaking news of a Snowy Owl on
Anglesey, where it was present for its fourth day. Elsewhere a Great
Reed Warbler was singing in Cambridgeshire and the Bonaparte's
Gull lingered in Kent. The best of the rest included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Norfolk), Glossy Ibis (Northumberland), Cattle Egret (Merseyside) and five Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 14th June 2018 | ||
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| New rarities today comprised a Laughing Gull in Cornwall passing Lizard Point, a
Black Kite in Suffolk over Leiston, Wilson's Petrels off the Bridges of Ross, County Clare and at sea off the Isles of Scilly, and an
intriguing report of three Greater Flamingoes flying northwest over Farthingstone, Northamptonshire. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent at Oare, territorial Iberian Chiffchaff on the Wirral and Black Duck in Highland at Strontian. Scarcities included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Norfolk), Woodchat Shrike (Cleveland), Glossy Ibis (Northumberland), three Sabine's Gulls (all passing County Clare) and three Rose-coloured Starlings (Essex, County Kerry and the Western Isles). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 13th June 2018 | ||
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| A Bee-eater was found at Sutton Benger, Wiltshire mid afternoon.
Lingering rarities included the Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Black Duck in Highland, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Iberian Chiffchaff in Wirral and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Golden Oriole, seven Rose-coloured Starlings, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, an American Wigeon, a Montagu's Harrier, four Honey Buzzards, a Glaucous Gull, three Balearic Shearwaters and a White Stork. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 12th June 2018 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent, long-staying
Black Duck in Highland and in Cornwall a Black Kite overflew Marazion. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike and Montagu's Harrier (Cleveland), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Cornwall), Purple Heron (Cambridgeshire), American Wigeon and Glossy Ibis (Northumberland), two each of both Golden Oriole and Cattle Egret, and a total of seven Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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