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| Thursday 10th August 2006 | ||
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| A fairly quiet day saw new rarity action limited to a possible White-winged
Black Tern that flew west past Holme NOA (Norfolk). Yesterday's star bird,
the Franklin's Gull at Blithfield Reservoir in Staffordshire, roosted
overnight and was seen to depart the site shortly after dawn. Fresh new waders
included a juvenile Kentish Plover at Ferrybridge (Dorset) and a Pectoral
Sandpiper on the boating lake at Southwold (Suffolk). Long-billed
Dowitchers remained in both Lincolnshire and Co. Clare.
The Cattle Egret in Norfolk proved somewhat mobile today as it was seen to fly south over the church at Burnham Market in the early morning before returning to the marshes between Burnham Norton and Burnham Overy Staithe in the afternoon. A Surf Scoter was new at Lunan Bay (Angus) and yesterdays Melodious Warbler was re-trapped in the Portland Bill observatory garden. Seawatching proved profitable in places with both Leach's and Storm Petrels past certain northerly headlands, while in Ireland, Kilcummin Head started to get into gear with Long-tailed Skua and Sabine's Gull past in the morning. |
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| - Richard Moores, 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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| Wednesday 9th August 2006 | ||
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| Rare gulls again made the headlines today when an adult Franklin's Gull
was discovered late in the evening at Blithfield Reservoir, Staffordshire - the first county record. Disappointingly it was
soon lost in the large gull roost but hopefully it will reappear there tomorrow.
On Tiree, Argyll a brief adult Ross's Gull was most unseasonal. Elsewhere an adult White-winged Black Tern flew over Neumann's Flash, Cheshire late in the evening and a Melodious Warbler was trapped at Portland Bill, Dorset in the morning - the fourth individual of this species at this bird observatory in little over a fortnight. The Cattle Egret remained for its second day at Burnham Norton, Norfolk and appears not to be ringed. The escaped Cattle Egrets (emanating from Pensthorpe Waterfowl Park, Norfolk) present nearby last year were both ringed on the tibia, although the rings were difficult to discern at times. However, whilst the benefit of the doubt may be given to the Cattle Egret, photographs of the White Pelican at Bough Beech Reservoir, Kent appear to show that several of the primary feathers have been clipped indicating a captive origin for this bird. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 8th August 2006 | ||
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| In Suffolk an adult White-winged Black Tern found at Minsmere RSPB
during the morning was the same individual as that present yesterday evening on Filey Brigg, North Yorkshire - an overnight movement of around 160 miles. A brief Pallid Swift was over St. Mary's (Scilly)
during the evening, (relatively) hot on the heels of a bird on Bryher two weeks
ago. In Norfolk a Cattle Egret was located at Burnham Norton but its'
provenance is anyone's guess as two birds were present at nearby Burnham Overy Staithe
for much of last autumn.
In Northumberland a subadult Night Heron was reported from Cresswell Pond briefly while a Grey Phalarope was a good find from a pelagic out of Lyme Bay (Dorset) during the morning. Otherwise it was still fairly slow, particularly in regards to wader passage, although a few more Wood Sandpipers and Spotted Redshanks in the past couple of days are hopefully the forerunner of more numbers, as well as much wanted diversity. |
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| - Richard Moores and Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 7th August 2006 | ||
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| A few new arrivals today including two White-winged Black Terns in Yorkshire; an adult at Filey Brigg and a juvenile at Hornsea Mere, and two
Melodious Warblers in Dorset; at Portland Bill and Hengistbury Head. An adult stint present at East Chevington, Northumberland in the late afternoon was thought most likely to be a Red-necked Stint but unfortunately the bird was flushed by an aircraft before the identification could be confirmed. The appearance of waders at this site is often determined by the tide so hopefully the bird will reappear tomorrow. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 6th August 2006 | ||
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| Northumberland produced both the new rarities today with the first Greenish
Warbler of the autumn at Cresswell Pond in the evening and a White-winged Black Tern at Big Waters throughout the day. Elsewhere, rare passerines included Rose-coloured Starlings on Unst, Shetland and at Skibbereen, Co Cork, a male Red-backed Shrike at Coldwaltham, West Sussex and the long staying Woodchat Shrike at Friskney, Lincolnshire. In Kent the Cattle Egret reappeared at Stodmarsh whilst in Essex the mobile Great White Egret remained around Chigborough Lakes. In Co Antrim the second-winter Franklin's Gull remained at Whitehouse Lagoon. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 5th August 2006 | ||
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| The star finds today were both Nearctic gulls; a first-summer Franklin's Gull at Whitehouse Lagoon, Co Antrim and a first-summer
Laughing Gull at Dawlish Warren and Cockwood, Devon. Interestingly the Laughing Gull is the same individual as that present at Arlington Reservoir, East Sussex on 11th-23rd July. Elsewhere the first Buff-breasted Sandpiper of the autumn was found at Tacumshin, Co Wexford and a Spotted Crake showed well at Dorman's Pool, Cleveland. Lingering rarities consisted of the Great White Egret at Chigborough Lakes, Essex, Long-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Yellowlegs at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire and the White Pelican at Bough Beech Reservoir, Kent. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 4th August 2006 | ||
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| A quiet day, without major drama. A juvenile White-winged Black Tern
was found at Covenham reservoir in Lincs but was not twitchable, it had already flown off north by the time the news broke. A flyover Bee-Eater on Shetland was the only
other new rarity reported today.
The White Pelican (of unknown origin) is still at Bough Beech resr, Kent, and nearby the Cattle Egret was seen again at Grove Ferry. In Essex the Great White Egret remained at Chigborough Lakes all day. In Cleveland one of the White-rumped Sandpipers was again at Seaton Snook and in West Sussex the Marsh Sandpiper was reportedly again at Pagham Harbour, apparently having moved to Church Norton. Scarce migrants were indeed scarce. A Melodious Warbler was trapped and ringed at Portland Dorset, and a Pectoral Sandpiper (originally found on Thursday) remained at Martin Mere Lancs. |
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| - Dick Filby, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 3rd August 2006 | ||
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| A lot of today’s birding interest came
from the east coast where seawatchers were rewarded with a reasonable passage of
seabirds. Best was an adult Gull-billed Tern off Gorleston in East
Norfolk, but there was also a good scattering of Long-tailed Skuas
including 11 off Southwold, Suffolk, with smaller numbers in Norfolk, Yorkshire
and Northumberland. Other seabirds seen along the east coast included
Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters, Roseate Tern and Pom Skua.
Single Cory’s and Great Shearwaters flew past Perranporth
in Cornwall, but star seabird in the south west was a Wilson’s Petrel
from a pelagic off Scilly.
Elsewhere, a Red-necked Phalarope put in a brief appearance at Oare Marshes in Kent, a Great White Egret was again at Chigborough Lakes near Maldon in Essex, and a Pec Sand was at Titchwell in Norfolk. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 2nd August 2006 | ||
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| With no new discoveries today the main news centered on the long staying Marsh Sandpiper at Pagham Harbour, West Sussex,
Long-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Yellowlegs at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire and the
White Pelican at Bough Beech Reservoir, Kent. As is typical for the season, numbers of northerly dispersing European species such as Balearic Shearwater, Little Egret, Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls continued to increase at scattered sites. Meanwhile the Glossy Ibis reported on Monday near Leyburn, North Yorkshire has been identified from photographs as an adult Puna Ibis; a South American species and an obvious escape. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 1st August 2006 | ||
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| A reasonably quiet day with the only new rarity news concerning probables and
possibles. In Aberdeenshire a Gull-billed Tern was reported from the
Ythan Estuary by a visiting Danish birder. Unfortunately this report came
through too late in the day for any locals to go and check it out. A probable Alpine
Swift was reported south over Mangotsfield (Somerset) at 10.45am and there
was an intriguing report from yesterday of a Glossy Ibis on a small river
in the middle of North Yorkshire.
The majority of yesterdays rare waders stayed put with White-rumped Sandpipers in Cleveland and Orkney; Long-billed Dowitchers in Lincolnshire and Co. Clare; Marsh Sandpiper in West Sussex and Lesser Yellowlegs in Lincolnshire all seeing out another day at their respective haunts. A Pectoral Sandpiper appeared at Holland Haven (Essex) whilst another bird remained at Titchwell RSPB reserve (Norfolk). A change in wind direction and strength meant a change in headland and fewer birds for many seawatchers. |
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| - Richard Moores, RBA | ||
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