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| Saturday 11th July 2020 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Lammergeier along the border between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire at Howden Moors where it remained until dusk. New rarities discoveries comprised a Great Reed Warbler on the Shetland Isles at Scousburgh, a Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk at Wells, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wicklow at Kilcoole, and in Cornwall a Bee-eater flew over Goss Moor. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Caspian Tern still in Lincolnshire, Pacific Golden Plover in County Clare, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, Bonaparte's Gulls in each of Argyll, Kent and County Louth, the territorial Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, and Black-winged Stilts in Kent and Somerset (2), but in Dorset there was no sign of the Yelkouan Shearwater off Portland Bill. Scarcities included Night Heron (Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire), Red-backed Shrike (Pembrokeshire), Temminck's Stint (Northumberland), and four Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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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 10th July 2020 | ||
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| New discoveries today included single Caspian Terns at Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire and Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk and a Long-billed Dowitcher at Port Carlisle, Cumbria. A pair of Black-winged Stilts have hatched two young at Steart WWT, Somerset.
The Yelkouan Shearwater remained off Portland Bill, Dorset mid morning but not since, and the Lammergeier was successfully twitched in South Yorkshire, where it was later found roosting on a cliff by Abbey Brook and was present until dusk. Other lingering rarities seen today included the Pacific Golden Plover in County Clare, single Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and County Louth, Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk and Black-winged Stilt in Kent. Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, five Rose-coloured Starlings, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Pomarine Skuas and a Glossy Ibis. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 9th July 2020 | ||
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The Yelkouan Shearwater continued to loaf offshore at Portland in Dorset, while other stayers were the King Eider in Moray, Black-winged Stilt in Kent, Pacific Golden Plover in Co.Clare, Bonaparte's Gulls in Argyll, Kent and Co.Louth. The evening's Scilly pelagic produced three Wilson's Petrels. Scarcities included Long-tailed Skua (Cornwall), Hoopoe (Norfolk), four Rose-coloured Starlings and Serin (Suffolk). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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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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| 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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