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| Sunday 4th October 2020 | ||
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A litany of finds today included a Steppe Grey Shrike at Benacre in Suffolk, Western Bonelli's Warbler in Easington in East Yorkshire, Lesser Grey Shrike on Holy Island in Northumberland; Red-flanked Bluetails at Holy Island in Northumberland, Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire and Duncansby Head in Highland; two Citrine Wagtails on Mainland Shetland, Eastern Stonechat sp on Foula in Shetland, two Rustic Buntings at Collieston in Aberdeenshire, Lesser Yellowlegs at Blacktoft Sands RSPB in East Yorkshire, Blyth's Reed Warbler at Druridge Pools in Northumberland, Subalpine Warbler sp at Mizen Head in Co.Cork, Red-throated Pipit at Gulberwick in Shetland; Olive-backed Pipits in Shetland (four), Aberdeenshire (two) and East Yorkshire; and Radde's Warblers in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Co.Durha (two), Norfolk (two), Lincolnshire (two), Shetland (two) Ongoing rarities were the Tennessee Warbler in Shetland, Siberian Thrush in Fife, Eyebrowed Thrush on North Ronaldsay, Masked Shrike in Cleveland, Upland Sandpiper in Co.Galway, Northern Harrier in Co.Cork, Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers in Shetland on Whalsay and Foula, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Gwynedd, Red-flanked Bluetail in East Yorkshire, six Blue-winged Teal in Western Isles, King Eider in Moray, Booted Warbler in Suffolk, Radde's Warbler in Co.Durham, Dusky Warbler in Essex, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Norfolk; Arctic Warblers in Northumberland, Shetland and Norfolk; Rustic Buntings in Suffolk and on North Ronaldsay (two) and Fair Isle; and Olive-backed Pipits in East Yorkshire and Shetland (three). Scarcity highlights included White-winged Black Tern (Suffolk), six Wrynecks, three Great Grey Shrikes, five Red-backed Shrikes, Shorelark (Norfolk), six Common Rosefinches, three Richard's Pipits, eight Bluethroats, 26 Little Buntings, 23 Red-breasted Flycatchers, 12 Barred Warblers, Icterine Warbler (East Yorkshire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, three Hoopoes, Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), three American Golden Plovers, four Pectoral Sandpipers, Surf Scoter (Shetland), two Spotted Crakes, three Sabine's Gulls, Long-tailed Skua (Fife), Honey Buzzard (Lincolnshire) and three Glossy Ibises. |
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| - David Campbell, 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 3rd October 2020 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Masked Shrike in Cleveland at Hartlepool Headland. In Ireland a Northern Harrier in County Cork at Barry's Head had first been seen there yesterday, whilst Black-browed Albatrosses were seen off The Mullet, County Mayo, and Brandon Point, County Kerry. However, it was an incredible array of Siberian vagrants that dominated the day with the Siberian Thrush still in Fife, Eyebrowed Thrush, Red-flanked Bluetail, Rustic Bunting, Olive-backed Pipit, and two Red-throated Pipits in Orkney, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Lanceolated Warbler, Red-throated Pipit, Rustic Bunting, Citrine Wagtail, Eastern Stonechat species, two Blyth's Reed Warblers, three Radde's Warblers, and three Olive-backed Pipits in Shetland, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Gwynedd, Great Snipe, Booted Warbler, Radde's Warbler and two Rustic Buntings in Suffolk, Red-throated Pipit, two Red-flanked Bluetails, and two Olive-backed Pipits in East Yorkshire, Red-throated Pipit in Kent, Red-flanked Bluetail in Northumberland, Arctic Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, three Radde's Warblers, and four Olive-backed Pipits in Norfolk, Radde's Warbler in County Durham, Rustic Bunting in Aberdeenshire , and Dusky Warbler in Essex. Otherwise, the Tennessee Warbler and Hornemann's Redpoll remined in Shetland, Upland Sandpiper in County Galway, Snowy Owl and four Blue-winged Teals in the Western Isles, Kentish Plover in West Sussex, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Wexford and North Yorkshire, two Cackling Geese together in Argyll. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 2nd October 2020 | ||
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| The third Eyebrowed Thrush for North Ronaldsay and Orkney was discovered this morning, and lingered until late afternoon at least. Great Snipes were flushed at Sandilands, Lincolnshire and Spurn Point, Yorkshire.
New discoveries in Shetland today included a Lanceolated Warbler at Sumburgh Head, a Booted Warbler on Fair Isle, Olive-backed Pipits at Spiggie and West Burrafirth, a Blyth's Reed Warbler at Ellister, a Radde's Warbler at Rerwick and a White-billed Diver at Hestingott, with Tennessee Warbler, White's Thrush, two Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers, another Radde's Warbler and Rusting Bunting all lingering in the archipelago. Elsewhere, other new arrivals included another Blyth's Reed Warbler at St Margaret's Hope, Orkney, a Kentish Plover at Ferrybridge, Dorset and a Red-throated Pipit heard at Land's End, Cornwall. Other lingering rarities included the Siberian Thrush in Fife, White's Thrush in Orkney, Two-barred Greenish Warbler in Northumberland, Upland Sandpiper in County Galway, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset and Yorkshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset and four Blue-winged Teals in Western Isles. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 1st October 2020 | ||
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Shetland delivered two Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers (on Unst and Foula), a Lanceoloated Warbler (Foula), two White's Thrushes (Quendale and Fair Isle), two Radde's Warblers (Foula and Whalsay), two Blyth's Reed Warblers (Mainland) and new arrivals of both Hornemann's and Coues's Arctic Redpoll (Foula and Unst respectively). Another White's Thrush was trapped and ringed on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, where a Red-throated Pipit was also found. A new Rustic Bunting was on Fair Isle with the continuing bird. Lesser Yellowlegs were fresh in at Chew Valley Lake in Somerset and mobile at sites in North Yorkshire. The Tennessee Warbler showed again on Yell in Shetland, while the Siberian Thrush in Fife and Two-barred Greenish Warbler in Northumberland also gave themselves up. Other rarity updates today involved the Booted Warbler in Western Isles, Arctic Warbler in Co.Wexford, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Norfolk, Wilson's Phalarope in Lancashire, Citrine Wagtail and Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on Fair Isle, Kentish Plover in Sussex, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in Co.Wexford, Long-billed Dowitchers in Dorset and Co.Wexford. The pick of the rest of the day's news included Bluethroat (Shetland), five Red-breasted Flycatchers, Hoopoe (West Yorkshire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, Little Bunting (Shetland), nine Common Rosefinches, six Wrynecks, four Red-backed Shrikes, six Barred Warblers, two American Golden Plovers, 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Dotterel, two Spotted Crakes, two Surf Scoters, Ring-necked Duck (Lancashire), two Glossy Ibises, three Honey Buzzards, Sabine's Gull (Gwynedd) and two Parrot Crossbills (Aberdeenshire). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 30th September 2020 | ||
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The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Siberian Thrush in Fife at Kilminning. Elsewhere discoveries included an Upland Sandpiper in County Galway on Inishbofin, Booted Warbler on the Western Isles on North Uist, and a Red-flanked Bluetail in East Yorkshire at Easington. On the Shetland Isles the Tennessee Warbler remained on Yell, Shetland albeit only seen briefly, Hornemmann's Arctic Redpoll on Unst, Rustic Bunting on Fair Isle, Olive-backed Pipit on Mainland, and two Citrine Wagtails. Elsewhere, lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Two-barred Greenish Warbler in Northumberland, Swainson's Thrush on the Orkney Isles, Wilson's Phalarope in Lancashire, Long-billed Dowitchers in both Cumbria and Dorset, Black Duck in Highland, King Eider in Moray, and in County Wexford Arctic Warbler, Red-throated Pipit and Long-billed Dowitcher. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 29th September 2020 | ||
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Britain's fifth Tennessee Warbler - the first since one on St.Kilda in 1995 - was discovered at Burravoe on Yell in Shetland in the morning and went on to show well for the rest of the day. In the evening, identification of a Two-barred Greenish Warbler at Budle Point in Northumberland was secured. The third headline bird of the day was a Black-browed Albatross past Hurlestone Point in Somerset. Other top finds included Wilson's Phalarope at Martin Mere WWT in Lancashire, Red-flanked Bluetail on the Isle of Man, Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle, Red-throated Pipits at Chobham Common in Surrey and over both Bardsey Island in Gwynedd and Tacumshin in Co.Wexford, Arctic Warbler in Shetland on Yell and Long-billed Dowitcher at Lytchett Fields RSPB in Dorset The day's other rarity reports involved the Kentish Plover in Sussex, Eastern Stonechat sp in Cleveland, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Norfolk, Olive-backed Pipit in Shetland, Arctic Warbler in Co.Wexford, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk, three Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls in Shetland (two on Fair Isle and one on Foula), Rustic Bunting in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Western Isles and Co.Wexford, Long-billed Dowitchers in Cumbria and Co.Wexford, King Eider in Moray and four Blue-winged Teal in Western Isles. The best of the rest was made up of Woodchat Shrike (Shetland), four Common Rosefinches, Richard's Pipit (Gloucestershire), Rose-coloured Starling (Pembrokeshire), two Red-breasted Flycatchers, five Barred Warblers, seven Red-backed Shrikes, Hoopoe (Yorkshire), 12 Wrynecks, two Little Buntings, two American Golden Plovers, Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Co.Derry), nine Pectoral Sandpipers, two Dotterel, three Spotted Crakes, two Surf Scoters, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Honey Buzzard (Kent), six Glossy Ibises, two Sabine's Gulls, four Grey Phalaropes and Long-tailed Skua (Suffolk). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Monday 28th September 2020 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black-browed Albatross in Suffolk; first suspected passing south at Lowestoft it was later tracked along the coast to Thorpeness. Meanwhile, the wandering
Lammergeier relocated to Norfolk where it spent two hours between Foxley and Beetley. New rarities elsewhere comprised in East Yorkshire a Red-flanked Bluetail at Spurn and an Arctic Warbler at Flamborough, in Norfolk a Blyth's Reed Warbler at Holme and a Greenish Warbler at Winterton, on the Isles of Scilly a Red-throated Pipit on St Mary's, and on the Shetland Isles a Red-throated Pipit on Mainland at Quendale, a Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on Whalsay, an Olive-backed Pipit on Fair Isle, and a Blyth's Reed Warbler on Unst. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Pallid Harrier and Kentish Plover in West Sussex, Eastern Stonechat in Cleveland, Red-throated Pipit in East Yorkshire, Olive-backed Pipit on Shetland at Asta, two Semipalmated Sandpipers in Cornwall, Blue-winged Teal and Lesser Yellowlegs on the Western Isles, Long-billed Dowitchers in both County Londonderry and County Wicklow, and in County Wexford both Long-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Yellowlegs together and - more significantly - the Greenish Warbler at Churchtown was reidentified as an Arctic Warbler. Scarcities included Bluethroat (Shetland), Rose-coloured Starling (Dorset), Surf Scoter (Lothian), Spotted Crake (Somerset), Great Shearwater (East Yorkshire), three each of Buff-breasted Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, Common Rosefinch, Glossy Ibis and Long-tailed Skua, four Sabine's Gulls, five of Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck, six Little Buntings, eight Red-breasted Flycatchers, 10 Barred Warblers, and a total of 12 Pectoral Sandpipers. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 27th September 2020 | ||
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The finds of the day were Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler on Fair Isle, Red-flanked Bluetail on Unst in Shetland, Olive-backed Pipit on Mainland Shetland and Eastern Stonechat sp at Deerness in Orkney. Two White-billed Divers flew past the Northumberland coast: one at Annstead Point then another at Newton Point. What was presumably the first bird was then seen off St.Abb's Head in Borders. An Arctic Warbler was a great record for Co.Wexford at Churchtown and a new Long-billed Dowitcher arrived at Kilcoole in Co.Wicklow. In Shetland, the islands of Fair Isle, Unst and Foula each had two Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls. Continuing rarities were the Kentish Plover in Sussex, Dusky Warbler in Shetland, Eastern Stonechat sp in Cleveland, two Semipalmated Sandpipers in Cornwall, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, and Lesser Yellowlegs in Warwickshire and Western Isles. The best of the rest included Bluethroat (Shetland), five Little Buntings, four Common Rosefinches, three Red-breasted Flycatchers, Short-toed Lark (Shetland), two Rose-coloured Starlings, five Barred Warblers, Hoopoe (Argyll), two Woodchat Shrikes (both Shetland), Red-backed Shrike (Orkney) 10 Wrynecks, Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), two American Golden Plovers, four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Dotterel, 11 Pectoral Sandpipers, Taiga Bean Goose (Anglesey), two Spotted Crakes, Surf Scoter (Argyll), American Wigeon (Co.Galway), five Glossy Ibises and two Honey Buzzards. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 26th September 2020 | ||
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Fair Isle turned up a White's Thrush which performed for much of the day. Shetland had Hornemann's Arctic Redpolls on Fair Isle (two) and Foula. The first Olive-backed Pipit of the autumn was on Unst, Shetland, while Red-throated Pipits were found at Spurn in East Yorkshire and Carrahane in Co.Kerry. A Radde's Warbler appeared in Essex at Holland Haven Country Park and a Dusky Warbler was found on Shetland at Maywick. An adult Lesser White-fronted Goose arrived with Pinkfeet at Staveley YWT in North Yorkshire before joining a flock of Canada Geese and Greylags. A juvenile Kentish Plover appeared at Thorney Island in Sussex. The Blue-winged Teal at Annagh Marsh in Co.Mayo was joined by a second bird and the Long-billed Dowitcher count at Tacumshin, Co.Wexford, also increased to two. Rustic Buntings on Fair Isle also made a brace. In Warwickshire, a Lesser Yellowlegs was found at Ladywalk NR in the evening. The Long-billed Dowitcher remained in Cumbria, as did Lesser Yellowlegs in Western Isles and Co.Wexford. Other highlights included Montagu's Harrier (Co.Wexford), Ortolan Bunting (Scilly), Little Bunting (Orkney), Bluethroat (Co.Cork), Red-breasted Flycatcher (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (North Yorkshire), three Common Rosefinches, six Barred Warblers, two Woodchat Shrikes (both Shetland), Red-backed Shrike (Co.Cork), 10 Wrynecks, two Red-necked Phalaropes, 15 Sabine's Gulls, 21 Long-tailed Skuas, 16 Grey Phalaropes, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Shetland), nine Pectoral Sandpipers, two Spotted Crakes, two American Golden Plovers, Dotterel (Scilly), six Glossy Ibises, American Wigeon (Cambridgeshire), Ring-necked Duck (Lancashire) and Todd's Canada Goose (Merseyside). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Friday 25th September 2020 | ||
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| A Black-browed Albatross was seen off Holy Island, Northumberland, on the sea for 20 minutes early evening before flying off north. Other new discoveries included a Long-billed Dowitcher and Black Kite at Tacumshin, County Wexford, a Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Kentish Plover on Hayling Island, Hampshire and an Alpine Swift at South Gare, Cleveland.
Lingering rarities included the Rustic Bunting in Shetland, Long-billed Dowitchers in Cumbria and County Derry, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Cornwall and Lesser Yellowlegs in County Wexford. Seawatching produced two Cory's Shearwaters, 12 Grey Phalaropes, 12 Leach's Petrels, 25 Sabine's Gulls, 25 Long-tailed Skuas, 37 Pomarine Skuas and 44 Balearic Shearwaters, as well as exceptional numbers of Sooty Shearwaters on the east coast, with high counts of 814 past Flamborough, 786 past Cullernose Point, 529 past Howick and 503 past the Isle of May. Other scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Bluethroat, a Hoopoe, a Common Rosefinch, a Rose-coloured Starling, two Barred Warblers, six Wrynecks, 47 Lapland Buntings, a Spotted Crake, a Corncrake, an American Golden Plover, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Dotterel, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 12 Pectoral Sandpipers, four Glossy Ibises, two Iceland Gulls and a Roseate Tern. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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