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| Wednesday 8th July 2020 | ||
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| In Dorset, a Yelkouan Shearwater spent the day off Portland Bill with the lingering flock of Balearic Shearwaters. Although this potential second for Britain remained offshore through to the evening (for its second day), it often proved a difficult bird to connect with in the melee, to confirm you'd seen the 'correct' bird, and even to confirm that there wasn't more than one Yelkouan Shearwater present, with several pale Balearic Shearwaters present along with at least one moulting Manx Shearwater to add to the confusion.
A Sooty Tern flew south over Minsmere RSPB late morning, before lingering around the offshore rigs at Sizewell for a little over an hour. Other lingering rarities included just the Lesser Yellowlegs in Yorkshire and single Bonamparte's Gulls in Kent and County Louth. Scarcity highlights included six Rose-coloured Starlings, a Spotted Crake, two Glaucous Gulls, four Pomarine Skuas and eight Roseate Terns. |
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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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| Tuesday 7th July 2020 | ||
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A potential Yelkouan Shearwater was photographed off Portland Bill in the morning and in the evening a Wilson's Petrel was seen during a Scilly pelagic. The day's continuing rarities were the Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, Pacific Golden Plover in Co.Clare, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Highland, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Black-winged Stilt in Kent and the Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and Co.Louth. The Lammergeier continued to roam the Derbyshire moors. Also reported today were 10 Rose-coloured Starlings (eight of which were on the Western Isles), Surf Scoter (Shetland), two Long-tailed Skuas (Western Isles), Sabine's Gull (Western Isles) and Cory's Shearwater (Co.Waterford). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Monday 6th July 2020 | ||
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A Wilson's Petrel was off St.Kilda in Western Isles and a Black Kite flew past Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk. Staying rarities included the Greater Sand Plover in Lothian, Pied-billed Grebe in Highland, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Highland, Pacific Golden Plover in Co.Clare, King Eider in Moray, Black-winged Stilt in Kent, Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and Co.Louth, White-rumped Sandpiper in Cleveland and Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria. The Lammergeier, presumably offspring of introduced birds in the Alps, reappeared in Derbyshire. Other news included Serin (Suffolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), nine Rose-coloured Starlings, two Red-backed Shrikes and two Glossy Ibises. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 5th July 2020 | ||
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A Semipalmated Sandpiper appeared on the beach at Dornoch Point in Highland. Wilson's Petrels flew past Pendeen Watch in Cornwall and Brandon Point in Co.Kerry. Continuing rarities comprised the Greater Sand Plover in Lothian, Pacific Golden Plover in Co.Clare, the flock of five Two-barred Crossbills in Shetland, Gull-billed Tern in Co.Cork, King Eider in Moray, Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and Co.Louth, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in Cleveland and Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria. Scarcities included 14 Rose-coloured Starlings, Serin (Suffolk), Montagu's Harrier (Norfolk), Glossy Ibis (Worcestershire) and Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 4th July 2020 | ||
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The day's finds included five Two-barred Crossbills at Kergord on Mainland Shetland, a Spotted Sandpiper at Aghagallon in Co.Antrim and a Bonaparte's Gull in Co.Louth. Still present were the Greater Sand Plover in Aberdeenshire, Gull-billed Tern in Co.Cork, King Eider in Moray, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Black-winged Stilt and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria and White-rumped Sandpiper in Cleveland. Scarcities included two Long-tailed Skuas, Marsh Warbler (Borders), 14 Rose-coloured Starlings (including five still at the north end of Lewis, Western Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Shetland) and Glossy Ibis (Worcestershire). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Friday 3rd July 2020 | ||
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Single Wilson's Petrels passed Tater-du Lighthouse in Cornwall and Ballycotton in Co.Cork. A White-rumped Sandpiper was found at Saltholme RSPB in Cleveland. The Black-browed Albatross performed in the morning at Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire but there was no further sign. The Greater Sand Plover in Lothian, Gull-billed Tern in Co.Cork, King Eider in Moray, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Argyll and Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria were all still present too. Scarcities included Night Heron (Somerset), seven Rose-coloured Starlings, an inland Roseate Tern (Nottinghamshire), six Sabine's Gulls, five Cory's Shearwaters and Glossy Ibis (Worcestershire). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 2nd July 2020 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black-browed Albatross in East Yorkshire at Bempton Cliffs in the
gannetry late afternoon before flying off north where it was last seen passing Filey, North Yorkshire. Presumably it is the same individual that previously visited Bempton Cliffs in summer 2017, Suffolk on 12th May 2015,
and has been returning to the North Sea - in particular Germany - since 2014. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Greater Sand Plover still in Lothian, Pacific Golden Plover in County Clare, Gull-billed Tern in County Cork, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria, King Eider in Moray, and Black-winged Stilt in Kent. Scarcities included Serin (Suffolk), Marsh Warbler and Long-tailed Skua (Shetland Isles), and eight Rose-coloured Starlings brought the total of this species recorded so far this summer to 207. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 1st July 2020 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Greater Sand Plover still in Lothian, Laughing Gull
in Staffordshire, Pacific Golden Plover in County Clare, Gull-billed Tern in County Cork,
Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria, Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, and
Black-winged Stilt in Kent. Scarcities included Serin (Dorset), Marsh Warbler and Red-backed Shrike (Shetland Isles), Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), three Long-tailed Skuas, and a total of 10 Rose-coloured Starlings. Signifcant late news for yesterday concerned the reappearance of the juvenile Lammergeier in Derbyshire where it was seen in flight over Hassop, Edale and probably the Goyt Valley during the afternoon and evening. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 30th June 2020 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of the second Booted Warbler of the spring on the Shetland Isles, singing on Fair Isle.
Meanwhile in County Clare the first Pacific Golden Plover of the autumn was at Doonbeg where it had
first been found yesterday. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Greater Sand Plover still in Lothian, Laughing Gull in Staffordshire, Lesser Grey Shrike on the Shetland Isles, Gull-billed Terns in both County Cork and Kent, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria, Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Argyll, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, King Eider in Moray, Black-winged Stilt in Kent, and Red-footed Falcons in both East Yorkshire and Northumberland. Scarcities included Serin (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope (Cheshire), Cory's Shearwater (Devon), Red-backed Shrike (Shetland Isles), two Long-tailed Skuas, and eight Rose-coloured Starlings brough the total of those recorded here since 28th May to 204 individuals. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 29th June 2020 | ||
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Ongoing rarities included the Greater Sand Plover in Lothian, Lesser Grey Shrike in Shetland, Laughing Gull in Staffordshire, Gull-billed Terns in Kent and Co.Cork, Black-winged Stilt in Kent, Alpine Swift in Norfolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Red-footed Falcon in Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Argyll and Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cumbria. Another Lesser Yellowlegs appeared on the Nottinghamshire/South Yorkshire border at Misson. Scarcities today included Temminck's Stint (Sussex), 14 Rose-coloured Starlings, Red-necked Phalarope (Cheshire), Glossy Ibis (Worcestershire), and Common Rosefinch, Marsh Warbler and Red-backed Shrike (all Shetland). The east coast witnessed a significant Swift movement, headlined with 46,026 moving south through Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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