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| Saturday 22nd May 2021 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the relocation of the White-throated Sparrow on the Shetland Isles on Unst,
with also a Bee-eater there briefly, a Rustic Bunting new-in on Fair Isle, and a
King Eider on the Mainland at Ireland. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Double-crested Cormorant still in County Kerry at Ballylongford, Rustic Bunting still in Fife on the Isle of May, Collared Pratincole again briefly in Norfolk, a flyover Alpine Swift in Cornwall, Red-rumped Swallow in Devon at Exminster Marshes and Greater Manchester at Audenshaw Reservoir, and territorial Savi's Warblers still in both Carmarthenshire and North Yorkshire. Scarcities included Red-spotted Bluethroat (Lothian), Rose-coloured Starling (Norfolk), Purple Heron (County Cork), Grey-headed Wagtail (Northumberland), Kumlien's Gull (Leicestershire), two each of Icterine Warbler, Golden Oriole, Sabine's Gull, Long-tailed Skua, Temminck's Stint, Red-necked Phalarope, and Ring-necked Duck, three Red-backed Shrikes, and a total of eight Glossy Ibises. |
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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 21st May 2021 | ||
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| New discoveries today included a Rustic Bunting on the Isle of May, Fife, a Bonaparte's Gull at Rosslare, County Wexford, an Alpine Swift at Spurn, Yorkshire and the Forster's Tern reappeared in County Galway at Inishroo.
Lingering rarities included the Double-crested Cormorant in County Kerry, Savi's Warbler and Franklin's Gull in Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Dorset and Great Reed Warbler in Shetland. Scarcity highlights were a Bluethroat, an Icterine Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling, two Wrynecks, two Red-backed Shrikes, two Grey-headed Wagtails, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Temminck's Stint, a Honey Buzzard, a Glossy Ibis, two Ring-necked Ducks, a White-winged Black Tern, two Roseate Terns, a Long-tailed Skua, 18 Pomarine Skuas, two Sabine's Gulls, three Glaucous Gulls and four Iceland Gulls. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 20th May 2021 | ||
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| The highlights of the day again came from Norfolk where a Collared Pratincole appeared between Blakeney and Cley, an
Alpine Swift moved west along the coast between West Runton and Hunstanton, and a
Red-rumped Swallow showed briefly at Titchwell. Elsewhere, in Dorset a Bonaparte's Gull
and Black-winged Stilt were together at Lodmoor, and on the Shetland Isles a
Great Reed Warbler arrived on Fair Isle, and a Bee-eater was new on Foula. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Franklin's Gull in West Yorkshire, territorial Savi's Warbler in North Yorkshire, two White-billed Divers together on the Shetland Isles, and in Highland both Bonaparte's Gull and King Eider. Scarcities included Serin (Norfolk), Wryneck and Lapland Bunting (Shetland), Sabine's Gull and Ring-necked Duck (Cornwall), Little Auk (Orkney Isles), two each of Golden Oriole, Purple Heron, and Temminck's Stint, and a total of five mobile Glossy Ibises. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 19th May 2021 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Great Reed Warbler in Norfolk at Breydon Water. Rarities showing elsewhere comprised both
White-throated Sparrow and two White-billed Divers still on the Shetland Isles,
Franklin's Gull in West Yorkshire, Collared Pratincole in Kent,
Caspian Tern in Norfolk, Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, and Savi's Warbler in North Yorkshire, whilst brief encounters included a Whiskered Tern in Dorset,
Black Kite in Lincolnshire, Red-rumped Swallow in East Yorkshire,
Bee-eater in Cornwall, and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Purple Heron (Isle of Wight), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Ring-necked Duck (Shetland Isles), Rough-legged Buzzard (Anglesey), Wryneck and Lapland Bunting (Shetland Isles), two Glossy Ibises, three Golden Orioles, and a total of four Temminck's Stints. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 18th May 2021 | ||
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| Rarities discovered today comprised a White-throated Sparrow on the Shetland Isles on Unst, a Franklin's Gull in West Yorkshire at Swillington Ings,
Red-rumped Swallows in both East Yorkshire at Spurn and Kent at Lade, and at least three
Bee-eaters flew over Brighton, East Sussex. Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern showed again in Norfolk, the Double-crested Cormorant remained in County Kerry, as did the Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Baltic Gull in Northamptonshire, both King Eider and Bonaparte's Gull in Highland, and territorial Savi's Warblers continued in both Carmarthenshire and North Yorkshire. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Serin (Norfolk), Hoopoe (Northamptonshire), Purple Heron (Isle of Wight), Pectoral Sandpiper (Suffolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Ring-necked Duck (Shetland), Kumlien's Gull (Leicestershire), four Grey-headed Wagtails, five each of Golden Oriole, Temminck's Stint, and Glossy Ibis, and a total of 19 Long-tailed Skuas counted passing the Western Isles. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 17th May 2021 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Double-crested Cormorant still in County Kerry,
Pacific Diver still in County Mayo, a Subalpine Warbler species new on the Shetland Isles on Foula, a
Red-footed Falcon in County Wexford at Tomhaggard briefly, Bonaparte's Gull still in Highland, Black Kites in both Highland and the Orkney Isles, King Eiders in Aberdeenshire and Highland, and territorial
Savi's Warblers in both Carmarthenshire and North Yorkshire. Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (Kent), Serin (Highland), Purple Heron (Isle of Wight), Long-tailed Skua (Western Isles), Ring-necked Duck (Cornwall), Hoopoe (Norfolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Grey-headed Wagtail (Aberdeenshire), Kumlien's Gull (Leicestershire), four Temminck's Stints, and five each of both Golden Oriole and Glossy Ibis. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 16th May 2021 | ||
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The day's best finds were a Collared Pratincole at Higham Marshes in Kent, Caspian Tern in Norwich in Norfolk, Black Kite on Fair Isle and Red-rumped Swallow at The Naze in Essex. The Double-crested Cormorant was still in Co.Kerry, with other long-stayers including the Hooded Merganser in Shetland, Savi's Warblers in Carmarthenshire and North Yorkshire, Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire, Snowy Owl in Western Isles, Gull-billed Tern in Co.Donegal, Whiskered Tern in Dorset and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. The best of the rest included Woodchat Shrike (Gwynedd), Serin (Cornwall), Red-backed Shrike (Shetland), Long-tailed Skua (Carmarthenshire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Shetland), Dotterel (Northumberland), two Purple Herons and Grey-headed Wagtails, eight Temminck's Stints, 12 Golden Orioles, two Ring-necked Ducks, three Glossy Ibises and four Honey Buzzards. |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 15th May 2021 | ||
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| Devon featured an Eastern Subalpine Warbler on Lundy, a Laughing Gull over East Prawle and a Red-rumped Swallow at Man Sands, whilst a Black Kite flew over South Anston, Yorkshire.
Lingering rarities included the Calandra Lark, Hooded Merganser and Citrine Wagtail in Shetland, American Herring Gull in Cornwall, Squacco Heron in Ceredigion, Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, Savi's Warblers in Yorkshire and Carmarthenshire, Snowy Owls in Orkney and Western Isles, Caspian Tern in Suffolk and Whiskered Tern in Dorset. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 14th May 2021 | ||
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Iken in Suffolk scored its third rarity of the month with a Caspian Tern discovered late in the day. An Olive-backed Pipit was new on Fair Isle and a female King Eider was seen at Loch Fleet in Highland. The Collared Pratincole reappeared on the Wirral at Leasowe lighthouse. Shetland held onto its Hooded Merganser, Pallid Harrier and Citrine Wagtail. Other continuing rarities included Squacco Heron in Ceredigion, Thrush Nightingale in East Yorkshire, Savi's Warblers in Carmarthenshire and North Yorkshire, Whiskered Tern in Dorset, Kentish Plover in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gull in Highland and Red-rumped Swallow in Devon. Two White-billed Divers were seen in Shetland, with another off the Moray coast. Among the rest of the day's news were Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Montagu's Harriers in Co.Cork and Cornwall, Serin (Cornwall), two Dotterel (East Yorkshire), two Hoopoes and Honey Buzzards, three Golden Orioles, four Woodchat Shrikes, six Temminck's Stints, Kumlien's Gull (Leicestershire), Ring-necked Duck (Cornwall) and Glossy Ibis (Derbyshire). |
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| - David Campbell, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 13th May 2021 | ||
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| Incredible news today from Lincolnshire where an adult Egyptian Vulture was reported
as having flown west over Willingham by Stow. There are currently only two accepted British records of this
species: in Somerset in 1825 and Essex in 1868. Other rarities discovered today comprised a Squacco Heron in Ceredigion at Ynys-hir, a Thrush Nightingale in East Yorkshire at Spurn, Black Kite in Worcestershire at Bewdley, and Red-rumped Swallows in Devon at Dawlish and on South Uist, Western Isles. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were Calandra Lark, Pallid Harrier, and Hooded Merganser all on the Shetland Isles, Gull-billed Tern in County Donegal, Whiskered Tern in Dorset, Black Kite in Aberdeenshire, Savi's Warbler in North Yorkshire, Kentish Plover in Northumberland, and Bonaparte's Gulls in both Highland and Nottinghamshire. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike and Ring-necked Duck (both Cornwall), Serin and Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), Golden Oriole and Hoopoe (East Yorkshire), Montagu's Harrier (County Dublin), Green-winged Teal (Western Isles), Shorelark (Orkney Isles), two each of Wryneck, Glossy Ibis, and migrant Dotterel, and a total of seven Temminck's Stints. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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