 |
|
|
| Thursday 15th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| Rarities today comprised the Squacco Heron still in West Sussex, Forster's Tern in County Louth,
Long-billed Dowitchers in both County Antrim and Lincolnshire, Bonaparte's Gulls
in County Clare and Kent, the Snowy Owl reappeared on St Kilda, Western Isles, and 10
Wilson's Petrels were logged at sea off the Isles of Scilly. Scarcties included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Lincolnshire), Barred Warbler and Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles), two Glossy Ibises and three Sabine's Gulls. |
||
| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
|
||
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.
|
|
|
| Wednesday 14th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| New discoveries included a Long-billed Dowitcher in Co Down
and Wilson's Petrel off the Cornish coast, whilst the
Squacco Heron (West Sussex), Snowy Owl (Shetland),
Long-billed Dowitcher (Co Wexford) and Blue-winged Teal
(Clyde) all lingered. The best of the rest included American Golden Plover (Aberdeenshire), Ring-necked Duck (Essex), Pectoral Sandpiper (Highland), Surf Scoter (Lothian), Serin (Isles of Scilly), Common Rosefinch and Red-necked Phalarope (Shetland). |
||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Tuesday 13th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| A Black Kite was seen near Crowborough, Sussex, and a Wilson's Petrel was seen from a pelagic off Baltimore, County Cork (with another two off the Scilly pelagic as well).
Lingering rarities included the Snowy Owl and six Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland, Squacco Heron in Sussex, Long-billed Dowitchers in Lincolnshire, County Antrim and County Wexford, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wexford, Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and County Clare and Blue-winged Teal in Clyde. Scarcity highlights included a Serin, a Shorelark, a Grey-headed Wagtail, four Marsh Warblers, a Grey Phalarope (until mid evening when it appeared to be taken by a Kestrel), an American Golden Plover, a Dotterel, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Glossy Ibis, a Long-tailed Skua, two Pomarine Skuas, a Glaucous Gull and two Honey Buzzards. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Monday 12th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| A new group of six Two-barred Crossbills was discovered at Catfirth, Shetland.
Lingering rarities included the Squacco Heron in Sussex, 16 Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland, Long-billed Dowitchers in Lincolnshire and County Antrim, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Cork, White-rumped Sandpiper in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and County Clare, a Wilson's Petrel off Scilly and Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, but there were no reports of the Little Bustard in Yorkshire. Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Grey-headed Wagtail, two Marsh Warblers, a Honey Buzzard, a Grey Phalarope, a Cory's Shearwater, 247 Balearic Shearwaters, a Long-tailed Skua, two Pomarine Skuas, a Surf Scoter and five Glossy Ibises. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Sunday 11th August 2019 | ||
|
||
The highlight of the day was a Stilt Sandpiper at Rathlin Island in Co.Antrim, while other new waders were a Long-billed Dowitcher at Lady's Island Lake in Co.Wexford and a White-rumped Sandpiper at Holy Island in Northumberland. In Co.Clare, a Bonaparte's Gull was at Clahane for its second day. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen during the evening's Scilly pelagic. A total of 10 Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland included four new birds. Among rarities continuing to show were the Little Bustard in West Yorkshire, Squacco Heron in Sussex, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Co.Cork, Long-billed Dowitchers in Lincolnshire and Co.Antrim, and continuing White-rumped Sandpipers in Co.Wexford (three) and Co.Wicklow. The day's scarcities included American Golden Plover (Co.Donegal), Long-tailed Skua (Pembrokeshire), two Sabine's Gulls (Shetland and Cornwall), Ring-billed Gull (Co.Kerry), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Grey Phalarope (Dorset), Ring-necked Duck (Essex) and two Marsh Warblers (part of the East Yorkshire family group). |
||
| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Saturday 10th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| A Pacific Swift was discovered at Hornsea Mere, Yorkshire mid morning, where it remained until early afternoon. It was later seen very briefly 21 miles south-east along the coast over Easington mid evening.
Other new discoveries today included a Great Reed Warbler at Rerwick, nine Two-barred Crossbills at Lerwick and another at Northdale, all Shetland, another Two-barred Crossbill on Tiree, Argyll, a White-rumped Sandpiper at Blessington, County Wicklow and Wilson's Petrels were seen off Bridges of Ross, County Clare and Kerry Head, County Kerry (two). Lingering rarities still present today included the Little Bustard, Squacco Heron in Sussex, four Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in County Antrim, two White-rumped Sandpipers in County Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Great Shearwater, Grey-headed Wagtail (Orkney), six Cory's Shearwaters, two Pomarine Skuas, seven Long-tailed Skuas, a Sabine's Gull and a Surf Scoter. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Friday 9th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| New discoveries comprised a Spotted Sandpiper at Brent
Reservoir (London) and White-rumped Sandpiper at Tacumshin (Co
Wexford), whilst the Little Bustard (West Yorkshire),
Snowy Owl (Shetland), White-rumped Sandpipers (Co
Wexford [2] and Lincolnshire), Long-billed Dowitchers (Co
Wexford and Lincolnshire), Blue-winged Teal (Clyde) and
Black Duck (Highland) all lingered. The best of the rest included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Co Wexford) and Glossy Ibis (Devon). Seawatchers in South-west produced a peak count of 385 Balearic Shearwaters past Berry Head (Devon), whilst five Cory's and two Great Shearwaters were logged off Cornish headlands and three Long-tailed Skuas comprised a lingering bird in Devon and singles past the Co Durham and Cornwall coastlines. |
||
| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Thursday 8th August 2019 | ||
|
||
| A new Two-barred Crossbill was found at Hoswick, Shetland, whilst in County Wexford there was a Long-billed Dowitcher at Tacumshin and a second White-rumped sandpiper arrived at Lady's Island Lake.
Lingering rarities included the Little Bustard in Yorkshire, Squacco Heron and Ferruginous Duck in Sussex, Long-billed Dowitchers in Lincolnshire and County Antrim, Snowy Owl and another Two-barred Crossbill in Shetland and Blue-winged Teal in Clyde. Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, five Marsh Warblers, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Ring-necked Duck, a White Stork, three Glossy Ibises, four Balearic Shearwaters and five Pomarine Skuas. |
||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Wednesday 7th August 2019 | ||
|
||
The Little Bustard obliged for much of the day in West Yorkshire, as did Cheshire's Gull-billed Tern. Other rarities extending their stays included the Squacco Heron in Sussex, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, four Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire and four White-rumped Sandpipers (three in Lincolnshire and the singles in Norfolk and East Yorkshire) There was little other significant national news besides an Icterine Warbler and the family of Marsh Warblers East Yorkshire. |
||
| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
|
||
|
|
|
| Tuesday 6th August 2019 | ||
|
||
Following vague news the previous evening, the male Little Bustard in West Yorkshire was tracked down at Mickletown Ings near Methley, where it showed all day. It resolved that the bird has been present since early July, not long after the Slimbridge bird vanished. In Cheshire, a Gull-billed Tern appeared all too briefly at Sandbach Flashes in Cheshire. Five Two-barred Crossbills included two in Shetland and three in Western Isles (of which two were new finds). Continuing rarities reported today were the Squacco Heron and Ferruginous Duck in Sussex, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, King Eider in Highland, and four White-rumped Sandpipers (two in Lincolnshire and singles staying on in Yorkshire and Norfolk). Other highlights included Purple Heron (Suffolk), Rose-coloured Starling (Co.Donegal), Pectoral Sandpiper (Norfolk), three Barred Warblers (all Shetland), Common Rosefinch (Shetland), four Marsh Warblers (family group in East Yorkshire), Grey Phalarope (Pembrokeshire), Surf Scoter (Angus), and Cory's Shearwater and Great Shearwater (both Cornwall). |
||
| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
|
||