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| Saturday 18th August 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Semipalmated Sandpiper in Suffolk at Minsmere where it showed throughout the day. Other rarities today comprised the
Solitary Sandpiper still on the Isles of Scilly, Western Bonelli's Warbler in Cleveland,
Hooded Merganser on the Shetland Isles, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Sligo and
Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and Wirral. Seabird highlights were a total of 13 Wilson's Petrels recorded between Cornwall and County Donegal, Sabine's Gull (County Donegal), Long-tailed Skua (County Durham), 423 Cory's Shearwaters and 782 Great Shearwaters with 350 and 750 of those logged at sea off the Isles of Scilly. Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), Barred Warbler (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (East Yorkshire), American Golden Plover (Forth), Purple Heron (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), Surf Scoter (Angus), two Wrynecks, three Glossy Ibises, five Spotted Crakes and a total of 15 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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| Friday 17th August 2018 | ||
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| A Bonelli's warbler species was discovered at North Gare
(Cleveland), whilst the Solitary Sandpiper (Isles of Scilly),
Hooded Merganser (Shetland), Bonaparte's Gulls
(Kent, Wirral and Western Isles) and White-rumped Sandpiper
(Shetland). The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starling (Argyll), Purple Herons (Dorset and Norfolk), Red-backed Shrikes (East Yorkshire and Suffolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), Wryneck (Leicestershire) and Spotted Crakes (Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 16th August 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Solitary Sandpiper on the Isles of Scilly. Other lingering rarities comprised both the
Hooded Merganser and White-rumped Sandpiper on the Shetland Isles, and single
Bonaparte's Gulls in each of Kent, Western Isles and the Wirral. New-in were an
Arctic Warbler on the Shetland Isles on Fair Isle and a Black Kite in Cornwall near Helston. Notable seabirds today were 10 Wilson's Petrels and three Cory's Shearwaters together at sea off the Isles of Scilly, three Sabine's Gulls passing County Clare, a Long-tailed Skua in County Durham and a total of 13 Great Shearwaters (including nine between Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire). Scarcities included American Golden Plover (Suffolk), White Stork (Norfolk), Purple Heron (Dorset), Red-backed Shrike (East Yorkshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Glossy Ibis (Devon), two Cattle Egrets and four Spotted Crakes. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 15th August 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Solitary Sandpiper on Tresco, Isles of Scilly; the fifteenth record for those islands where the most recent British record was also present on 12th-17th October 2012 (on Bryher then St Mary's). New rarities elsewhere were a Hooded Merganser on the Shetland Isles at Lerwick with a White-rumped Sandpiper nearby at Pool of Virkie, and a Bonaparte's Gull on North Uist, Western Isles. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Forster's Tern in County Louth, Ferruginous Duck in Essex, and Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and Wirral. Seawatching produced Wilson's Petrels passing both County Clare and County Cork and between County Clare and Cornwall totals of 19 Cory's Shearwaters, 42 Great Shearwaters, Sabine's Gull and Long-tailed Skua. Scarcities included Night Heron (Herefordshire), Red-backed Shrike (East Yorkshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), White Stork (Norfolk), Surf Scoter (Angus), two Cattle Egrets and four Spotted Crakes. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 14th August 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of an Arctic Warbler on the Shetland Isles on Unst. Rarities elsewhere comprised the
Pacific Golden Plover still in Moray, Baird's Sandpiper on the Western Isles,
Forster's Tern in County Louth, King Eider in Ceredigion and Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and Wirral. Two Wilson's Petrels were at sea off the Isles of Scilly with national totals of four Cory's and 17 Great Shearwaters logged. Scarcities included American Golden Plover (Suffolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Leicestershire), Purple Heron (Kent), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Ring-necked Duck (Derbyshire), Ring-billed Gull (Argyll), Surf Scoter (Angus), two each of both Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret, and three of Red-backed Shrike and Spotted Crake. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 13th August 2018 | ||
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| The first Aquatic Warbler of the autumn was found in a mist net near Weymouth, Dorset early morning.
Lingering rarities included the Pacific Golden Plover in Moray, Baird's Sandpiper in Scilly, King Eider in Ceredigion, Ferruginous Duck in Essex and Bonaparte's Gulls in Wirral and Kent. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from the Scilly pelagic. Scarcity highlights included a Barred Warbler, an Icterine Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Ring-necked Duck, a Dotterel, an American Golden Plover, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Red-backed Shrikes, a Honey Buzzard, a Glossy Ibis, three Purple Herons and four Spotted Crakes. Seawatching and pelagic trips produced a Long-tailed Skua, eight Pomarine Skuas, four Cory's Shearwaters, 12 Great Shearwaters and 82 Balearic Shearwaters. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 12th August 2018 | ||
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| A Bonaparte's Gull was found at Hoylake on the Wirral and pelagic trips off the Scillies produced a Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel as well as two Wilson's Petrels, with another Wilson's Petrel being seen from the Scillonian. A further two were seen from a pelagic off County Cork.
Lingering rarities included the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Forster's Tern in County Louth, Baird's Sandpiper on the Western Isles, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Cork, Pacific Golden Plover in Moray and Ferruginous Duck in Essex. Well over 100 Great Shearwaters were logged in the south and west but only 5 Cory's Shearwaters. Spotted Crakes were in Northumerland, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Red-backed Shrikes were in Yorkshire and Essex, an American Golden Plover was in Yorkshire, Pectoral Sandpipers were in Northumberland, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and a Red-necked Phalarope was in Leicestershire. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 11th August 2018 | ||
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| New rarities discovered today included a Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel off Porthgwarra, Cornwall, a Blue-winged Teal at Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire, a Marsh Sandpiper at Cliffe Pools, Kent and a Baird's Sandpiper at Ardivachar, Western Isles.
Lingering rarities included just the Baird's Sandpiper on Scilly and the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, and a Wilson's Petrel was seen on the Scilly pelagic. Scarcity highlights included a Red-backed Shrike, a Ring-necked Duck, a Pectoral Sandpiper, two Purple Herons, two Glossy Ibises, two White Storks, four Spotted Crakes, four Honey Buzzards and an Iceland Gull. Seabird totals were 276 Great Shearwaters, 64 Cory's Shearwaters, 182 Balearic Shearwaters, two Long-tailed Skuas and three Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 10th August 2018 | ||
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| Lingering rarities seen today included the Franklin's Gull at Pinchinthorpe, Cleveland, Baird's Sandpiper on Tresco, Scilly, White-rumped Sandpiper at Lower Rosses, County Sligo, Forster's Tern at Dundalk, County Louth and Snowy Owl on North Uist, Western Isles. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from the pelagic off Scilly.
Scarcity highlights included a White-winged Black Tern, a White Stork, two Red-backed Shrikes, two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Glossy Ibises, three Spotted Crakes, three Grey Phalaropes, a Long-tailed Skua, four Pomarine Skuas, seven Cory's Shearwaters at least 209 Great Shearwaters. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 9th August 2018 | ||
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| Two classic August rarities were found today: a Greenish Warbler was at Newtonhill in Aberdeenshire and a Baird's Sandpiper was on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly. The latter location also provided a memorable pelagic trip this evening with a bumper count of 14 Wilson's Petrels as well as 43 Great Shearwaters. There were also 2 Great Shearwaters and 6 Cory's Shearwaters seen from the Scillonian on the crossings to and from the islands.
The Franklin's Gull was relocated in a stubble field near Guisborough in Cleveland and other lingering rarities comprised Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, Forster's Tern in County Louth and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. A Roseate Tern was a great inland find at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire, there were Spotted Crakes in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, Red-backed Shrikes in Yorkshire and Essex, a Rose-coloured Starling in Shetland, Glossy Ibises in Essex, Devon and London, a Pectoral Sandpiper in Northumberland and Purple Herons remained in Leicestershire and Somerset. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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