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| Sunday 6th October 2019 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the discovery of Britain's fourth Rufous-tailed Robin, in Feal Plantation on Fetlar, Shetland. It showed to just one observer for five minutes early evening, and wasn't seen again by dark. A Baltimore Oriole was discovered on Achill Island, County Mayo (the fourth for Ireland), and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo spent the afternoon at Lower Moors, Scilly. Late news from yesterday concerned the discovery of Ireland's third Black-and-white Warbler on Inishbofin, County Galway, but it wasn't seen today.
Red-eyed Vireos were found in County Clare (two at Kilbaha), Cornwall (Porthgwarra) and County Waterford (Helvick Head). Other new arrivals included single Red-flanked Bluetails in Shetland and Aberdeenshire, Isabelline Wheatear also in Shetland, Subalpine Warbler sp in Norfolk, Eastern Stonechat sp in Yorkshire, single Olive-backed Pipits in Angus and Orkney, Red-throated Pipit in Cornwall, American Black Tern in Dorset,Lesser Yellowlegs at Blennerville in Co.Kerry, King Eider in County Antrim and Ferruginous Duck in Powys. Lingering rarities seen today included Eastern Stonechat sp, Bee-eater and Semipalmated Sandpiper in Shetland, Red-flanked Bluetails in Cleveland and Fife, Greenish Warbler in Northumberland, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll in Orkney, Kentish Plover in Merseyside, Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Wexford and Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire. |
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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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| Saturday 5th October 2019 | ||
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| Today's headline new discoveries comprised a Bonelli's warbler
species on Shetland, Red-flanked Bluetail on Orkney,
Dusky Warblers in Cleveland and Norfolk, Kentish Plover
in Merseyside, Lesser Yellowlegs in Co Waterford and
Long-billed Dowitcher in Argyll. Isles of Scilly continued to host the Blue Rock Thrush, as well as Ortolan Bunting, Red-backed Shrike, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Short-toed Lark, Spotted Crake and Wryneck, whilst the Shetland Isles produced lingering Semipalmated Sandpiper, Eastern Stonechat species, Coues's Arctic Redpoll, Bee-eater, Bluethroat, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Short-toed Lark, Waxwings and Lapland Buntings. Elsewhere, lingering rarities included Snowy Owl (Western Isles), Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll (Orkney), Pacific Golden Plover and Greenish Warbler (Northumberland), Red-flanked Bluetail (Fife), Long-billed Dowitcher (Devon), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Co Wexford) and Black-winged Stilt (Berkshire). The best of the rest included Pallas's Warbler (Suffolk), Rose-coloured Starling (Western Isles), Common Rosefinch (Fife), Great Grey Shrike (Northumberland), Little Bunting (Orkney), Hoopoe (Northumberland), Lesser Snow Goose (Perth & Kinross), two Pectoral Sandpipers, Spotted Crakes, Black Brants, Glossy Ibises and Shorelarks, three Barred Warblers, Wrynecks and Ring-necked Ducks, four American Golden Plovers and Richard's Pipits and five Red-breasted Flycatchers. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 4th October 2019 | ||
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| New discoveries today included a Red-flanked Bluetail on the Isle of May, Fife, a Coues's Arctic Redpoll at Lamba Ness, Shetland, a Red-throated Pipit at Porthgwarra, Cornwall and a Dusky Warbler on Burray, Orkney.
Lingering rarities included the Red-eyed Vireo in Cornwall, Blue Rock Thrush in Scilly, Eastern Stonechat sp, Dusky Warbler, Bee-eater and Semipalmated Sandpiper in Shetland, Greenish Warbler in Northumberland, Snowy Owl in the Western Isles, American Black Tern in County Galway, Long-billed Dowitchers in Yorkshire and Devon, Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire and Blue-winged Teal in Clyde. Scarcity highlights included a Melodious Warbler, six Barred Warblers, a Richard's Pipit, an Ortolan Bunting, a Little Bunting, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Hoopoe, two Short-toed Larks, three Wrynecks, four Red-breasted Flycatchers, four Red-backed Shrikes, nine Waxwings, a Spotted Crake, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two American Golden Plovers, a Great Shearwater, four Long-tailed Skuas and a Ring-necked Duck. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 3rd October 2019 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was news of a Black-and-white Warbler on the Isles of Scilly on St Martin's where yesterday it had been photographed and momentarily caught in netting but today it was only glimpsed once. Elsewhere on that archipelago
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Melodious Warbler and Dotterel were all on St Mary's, with
Short-toed Lark, Ortolan Bunting, Red-breasted Flycatcher,
Corncrake and two Lapland Buntings around the islands. On the Shetland Isles two
Olive-backed Pipits, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Greenish Warbler and Bee-eater were all on Mainland,
Dusky Warbler and Red-flanked Bluetail were both on Unst (although the latter died), with around island totals of Little
Bunting, Short-toed Lark, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Waxwing, two each of Red-backed Shrike
and Lapland Bunting, and six Barred Warblers. Elsewhere, an adult male Red-flanked Bluetail was new in Cleveland at Brotton, whilst lingering rarities confirmed as still present were Red-eyed Vireo in Cornwall, Booted Warbler in East Yorkshire, Pacific Golden Plover and Greenish Warbler together in Northumberland, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on the Orkney Isles, Long-billed Dowitchers in both Devon and West Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Ayrshire and Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 2nd October 2019 | ||
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| The highlight of the day came from the Isles of Scilly where a Yellow-billed Cuckoo
was seen briefly on St Mary's where Blue Rock Thrush and Melodious Warbler remained whilst on Tresco
White-winged Black Tern, Short-toed Lark, Ortolan Bunting and Hoopoe were all present, with four Wrynecks
and five Lapland Buntings around the islands. On the Shetland Isles both
Red-flanked Bluetail and Dusky Warbler were on Unst, with Snowy
Owl, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Greenish Warbler and Bee-eater
all on Mainland and around island totals of Short-toed Lark, Little
Auk, two each of Red-breasted Flycatcher, Barred Warbler, Red-backed
Shrike, Glaucous Gull and Lapland Bunting, and three
Waxwings. Discoveries elsewhere included an Isabelline Wheatear in Conwy at Llandudno, a Gull-billed Tern briefly in Dorset at Lodmoor, and in Cornwall a Red-eyed Vireo on The Lizard, a Greenish Warbler in Cot Valley, and both Red-throated Pipit and Blyth's Reed Warbler at Nanjizal. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were Red-eyed Vireos in both County Antrim and County Cork, Booted Warbler and Rustic Bunting together in East Yorkshire, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Long-billed Dowitchers in Devon and West Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Ayrshire and Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire. Sadly, a second Yellow-billed Cuckoo arrived but was picked up dead in Seaford, East Sussex. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 1st October 2019 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Booted Warbler in East Yorkshire at Spurn whilst in Ayrshire a
Lesser Yellowlegs was new at Capringstone Flash. Lingering rarities included Red-eyed Vireos
in both County Antrim and County Cork, Pacific Golden Plover and Greenish Warbler
together in Northumberland, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on the Orkney Isles,
Rustic Bunting in East Yorkshire, American Black Tern in County Galway, Blue-winged Teal
in County Wexford, Long-billed Dowitchers in both Devon and West Yorkshire, and Black-winged Stilt
in Berkshire. Elsewhere, on the Isles of Scilly Blue Rock Thrush, Rustic Bunting, Melodious Warbler, Dotterel and Red-backed Shrike were all on St Mary's with Short-toed Lark, Ortolan Bunting, Richard's Pipit and Hoopoe on other islands. On the Shetland Isles a Red-flanked Bluetail arrived on Unst, Snowy Owl, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Bee-eater and two Olive-backed Pipits were all located on Mainland, with around island totals of single American Golden Plover, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Pectoral Sandpiper and Lapland Bunting. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 30th September 2019 | ||
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The day's best finds were Red-eyed Vireos at Ballynacarriga and Galley Head in Co.Cork, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on North Ronaldsay in Orkney, Red-footed Falcon at Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire, Blyth's Reed Warbler at Polgigga in Cornwall, Rustic Buntings at Spurn in East Yorkshire and on St.Mary's in Scilly, and Semipalmated Sandpiper in Co.Kerry. Still with us were the American Black Tern in Co.Galway, American Buff-bellied Pipit in Gwynedd, Red-eyed Vireo on Rathlin Island in Co.Antrim, Whiskered Tern in Western Isles, Pacific Golden Plover in Northumberland, White-rumped Sandpipers in Nottinghamshire and Forth, Long-billed Dowitchers in Devon and Gloucestershire, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire, and Baird's Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Bee-eater, two Olive-backed Pipits and Snowy Owl all in Shetland. The best of the rest included two Short-toed Larks (both Scilly), Hoopoe (Scilly), two Little Buntings (Shetland), Ortolan Bunting (Scilly), Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), two Red-backed Shrikes, five Red-breasted Flycatchers, seven Barred Warblers, two Wrynecks, Spotted Crake (Somerset), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Co.Wexford), Red-necked Phalarope (Gwent), five Grey Phalaropes, Dotterel (Cumbria), five American Golden Plovers, five Pectoral Sandpipers, Ring-necked Duck (Essex), Honey Buzzard (Gloucestershire), two Iceland Gulls, Sabine's Gull (Hampshire) and a Long-tailed Skua. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 29th September 2019 | ||
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| New discoveries today included single Red-eyed Vireos on Rathlin Island, County Antrim and Mizen Head, County Cork, an American Buff-bellied Pipit on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, a Citrine Wagtail on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, an Olive-backed Pipit at Hoswick, Red-throated Pipit on Foula and a Bee-eater at Ollaberry, all Shetland, a Barolo Shearwater off Pendeen, Cornwall, a Gull-billed Tern off Cullernose Point, Northumberland, a Whiskered Tern at Baleshare, Western Isles, a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Derrymore, County Kerry, single White-rumped Sandpipers at Lound, Nottinghamshire and Skinflats, Forth and a Black-winged Stilt over Binley, Warwickshire.
The Daurian Shrike, Rustic Bunting, Eastern Stonechat sp, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Baird's Sandpiper all remained in Shetland, as did the Blue Rock Thrush in Scilly, American Black Tern in County Galway, Snowy Owl in the Western Isles, Pacific Golden Plover in Northumberland, Long-billed Dowitchers in Yorkshire, Devon and Gloucestershire, Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Wexford, Black-winged Stilt in Berkshire and Blue-winged Teal in County Wexford. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 28th September 2019 | ||
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The Northern Isles dominated the new rarity alerts, with Shetland producing a Brown Shrike on Out Skerries and on Mainland an Isabelline Shrike (most likely Turkestan), two Olive-backed Pipits, an Eastern Stonechat sp and a Semipalmated Sandpiper. Orkney had a Rustic Bunting on North Ronaldsay and an Olive-backed Pipit on Sanday. Other new rarities were an Alpine Swift at Hendon in Co.Durham and a Red-throated Pipit at Carrahane in Co.Kerry. There was also news that identification of the recent Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Anglesey has been confirmed from sound recordings. The day's continuing rarities were the Blue Rock Thrush in Scilly, Great Reed Warbler in Dorset, Citrine Wagtail in Shetland, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde and Co.Wexford, Black-winged Stilt (Berkshire), Baird's Sandpiper in Shetland, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Co.Wexford, and Long-billed Dowitchers in Devon, Gloucestershire and West Yorkshire Other highlights included two Ortolan Buntings (Scilly and Highland), Melodious Warbler (Shetland), two Barred Warblers, two Bluethroats, seven Red-breasted Flycatchers, Marsh Warbler (Shetland), two Richard's Pipits (Shetland and Orkney), Common Rosefinch (Shetland), four Little Buntings, Rose-coloured Starling (Sussex), Red-backed Shrike (Shetland), two Short-toed Larks (Scilly and Shetland), Hoopoe (Orkney), Grey-headed Wagtail (Orkney), Wryneck (Fair Isle), six American Golden Plovers, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Pectoral Sandpipers, Spotted Crake (Somerset), two Glossy Ibises (Gwent and Co.Wexford), Great Shearwater (Dorset), five Sabine's Gulls, two Leach's Petrels, five Grey Phalaropes, three Long-tailed Skuas and 12 Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Friday 27th September 2019 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the discovery of an Isabelline Wheatear
on Mull (Argyll). Elsewhere new rarities comprised Alpine
Swifts (Shetland and Co Durham), Semipalmated Sandpiper
(Co Wexford), Red-rumped Swallow (East Yorkshire),
Red-footed Falcon (Kent) and Blyth's Reed Warbler,
Greenish Warbler and Red-throated Pipit
(Shetland). Lingering rarities included Blue Rock Thrush (Isles of Scilly), Long-billed Dowitchers (Devon, Gloucestershire and West Yorkshire), Subalpine Warbler and Blyth's Reed Warbler (Western Isles), Red-flanked Bluetail (Shetland), Black-winged Stilt (Berkshire) and probable Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Anglesey). The best of the rest included Melodious Warbler (Shetland), Red-necked Phalarope (Merseyside), Dotterel (Pembrokeshire), Ortolan Bunting (Isles of Scilly), Bluethroat (Hampshire), Short-toed Lark (Shetland), Corncrake (Shetland), two Snow Geese (Western Isles), Ring-necked Duck (Perth & Kinross) and Rose-coloured Starling (West Sussex), two American Golden Plovers, Spotted Crakes and Red-backed Shrikes, three Barred Warblers, four Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers, six Wrynecks, nine Little Buntings and 12 Red-breasted Flycatchers. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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