| Daily News Summaries | ||||
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This page gives you access to all of RBA's daily news summaries (since April 13, 2006), 10 days at a time. The most recent are shown, or you can select a specific date to show (along with the previous 10 days). Prior to April 13, 2006 you can find weekly reviews, located in articles. | |||
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| Sunday 11th May 2008 | ||
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| A good number of Red-footed Falcons were seen again today, including
birds in Essex, Dorset, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Bedfordshire, with
several 'possibles' also seen around the country, including one as far north as
Merseyside. Other notable sightings include an adult summer Franklin's Gull,
seen in flight over Stithians Reservoir, Cornwall, a Great Reed Warbler
at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk and a Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle, Shetland.
Other rarities seen included Whiskered Terns in Glamorgan and Gloucestershire, Lesser Yellowlegs' in Northumberland and Suffolk, Bee-eaters on Scilly and in Cornwall, Ross's Gull and Bonaparte's Gull in Lancashire, but the male Spectacled Warbler in Suffolk presumably moved off over night. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 10th May 2008 | ||
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| Headline news today concerned a male Spectacled Warbler in Suffolk.
Initially identified as a Subalpine Warbler, it was later reidentified, enabling
good numbers of local birders to connect before dark.
An influx of Red-footed Falcons into Bedfordshire occurred, with birds at Broom GPs, Sandy and Coronation Pit, with further sightings in Hampshire, West Yorkshire and Kent. A Red-throated Pipit was seen briefly on the Isle of May, Fife, and a female Citrine Wagtail was seen at Spurn. Bee-eaters flew over Horsey, Norfolk, (two), Beeston Bump, Norfolk, St.Agnes, Scilly, Arthurstown, County Wexford and Lade GPs, Kent. Other new rarities included a White-winged Black Tern at Draycote Water, Warwickshire, Bonaparte's Gull at Stocks Reservoir, Lancashire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Northumberland, Black-winged Stilt at Ibsley Water, Hampshire, Glossy Ibis in County Wexford and a second Snowy Owl on North Uist, Western Isles. The Whiskered Tern remained in Cheshire, with another bird at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, American Herring Gull and Forster's Tern in County Galway and County Down respectively, and an eagle species was seen a few times over the New Forest, Hampshire, but remained distant. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 7th May 2008 | ||
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| The highlights of another busy day were the discoveries of a Broad-billed Sandpiper
in Gwent at Goldcliff, a Lesser Scaup in North Yorkshire at Cleasby,
Subalpine Warblers in Norfolk at Sea Palling and in Cornwall at Nanjizal (2) and, on the Western Isles, an
American Herring Gull and at least two White-billed Divers on Lewis. The more aerial migrants were well represented with eight Red-rumped Swallows (five together in Dorset and singles in County Cork, Devon and Wirral), single Black Kites in Hampshire, Kent and the Shetland Isles and Bee-eaters in Berkshire, Cornwall, Dorset and Norfolk. Lingering rarities comprised the Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, both Ross's Gull and Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Whiskered Tern in Dorset, American Herring Gull in County Galway and two Black-winged Stilts in Cheshire. Cattle Egret reports consisted of nine in Cornwall and singles in Ceredigion, Nottinghamshire and Wirral. Black Terns were again in evidence in England and Wales with 353 recorded from 25 counties including maximums of 52 in Norfolk, 46 in Cambridgeshire, 42 in Gloucestershire and 42 in Hertfordshire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 6th May 2008 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a WHITE-THROATED
SPARROW (Pic1)
(Pic2)
trapped and ringed at Heysham, Lancashire although, disappointingly, it was not seen after release. Other discoveries included a
Snowy Owl
(Pic) on North Uist Western Isles, single Red-rumped Swallows in both County Cork and Dorset
with brief encounters with a Black Stork at Scaling Dam Reservoir, Cleveland,
Whiskered Tern at Hurst, Hampshire and Black Kite at Dungeness, Kent. Lingering rarities comprised the Upland Sandpiper still in Aberdeenshire, Ross's Gull in Lancashire, Black Duck in County Donegal, American Golden Plover in Devon, Whiskered Tern in Dorset, American Herring Gull in County Galway, Subalpine Warbler in Cornwall, Black-winged Stilts in both Cheshire (2) and Gwent, two Black Kites in Hampshire, Great White Egret on the Isle of Man and Cattle Egrets in Cornwall (9) and Nottinghamshire. Black Terns were again in evidence with 269 reported from 26 counties in England and Wales including highs of 59 in Hertfordshire, 29 in Warwickshire, 22 in Oxfordshire and twenty in Cambridgeshire. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 5th May 2008 | ||
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| Bird of the day is likely to be the second ever spring record of Upland
Sandpiper, and a first for north-east Scotland. It was present this
afternoon just north of Loch of Strathbeg RSPB, Aberdeenshire, and showed well.
More classic spring rarities included another Subalpine Warbler, this time on Blakeney Point, Norfolk, Whiskered Terns in Somerset, Dorset and Glamorgan, Red-rumped Swallow in Flintshire and Bee-eaters in Kent and East Sussex. The American Golden Plover returned to Exminster Marshes RSPB this afternoon, and lingering winter rarities included the Ross's Gull in Lancashire, King Eider in Ayrshire, American Herring Gull in County Galway and Cattle Egrets in seven counties. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 4th May 2008 | ||
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| Another very busy day, with more classic spring rarities and plenty of
scarcities to go with them. New Subalpine Warblers were in Cornwall and
County Waterford, two Red-rumped Swallows were in Kent, and another was
in Greater Manchester, the first Black Stork of the year flew over Paxton
Pits, Cambridgeshire and an adult Whiskered Tern was at Kenfig Pool NNR,
Glamorgan, joining the Black-winged Stilt. The other two pairs of stilts
remained in Kent and Cheshire.
A first-summer American Golden Plover was seen at Exminster Marshes RSPB, Devon although it was very mobile, with one of the eleven new Temminck's Stints around the country at the same site. Just one Bee-eater was seen today, but this bird was seen in West Midlands, a good record for the county. Lingering rarities included Pallid Swift on Isles of Scilly (where there was also a flock of five Golden Orioles and a Woodchat Shrike), White-billed Diver on Orkney, and Ross's Gull in Lancashire. Pomarine Skua passage continued, with large numbers seen along the south coast, but today will likely be remembered for the large arrival of Black Terns, mainly into the Midlands and East Anglia. The easterly winds also left good numbers of arctic waders at inland sites. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 3rd May 2008 | ||
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| A small influx of Bee-eaters occurred today, with possibly up to
eighteen birds seen, mainly in Cornwall, although at least two were in Somerset
and one was seen briefly in Norfolk. Two Subalpine Warblers were found,
including another in Cornwall, in Nanjizal Valley, and a first-summer male in
Cleveland at Brotton.
A first-summer Bonaparte's Gull made a very brief appearance at Marton Mere LNR, Lancashire late afternoon, an Alpine Swift spent a few hours at Audenshaw Reservoir, Greater Manchester, and a Whiskered Tern was seen in County Cork. The Killdeer was present for its second day at Balranald RSPB, Western Isles. Drake King Eiders remained in Devon and Ayrshire, White-billed Diver in Moray, Black-winged Stilts in Glamorgan and Cheshire and the mobile pair was located at Elmley Marshes RSPB, Kent. The Pallid Swift on Scilly showed well for much of the day, and the adult Ross's Gull was still in Lancashire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 2nd May 2008 | ||
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| The continued presence of the female Caspian Plover on Fair Isle, Shetland would undoubtedly have made some birders' year, had it been twitchable. Unfortunately, it flew north-west at 10.30am, before the charter planes arrived, and was only seen again once the planes had all departed. A Killdeer was a new arrival on the Western Isles, found at Balranald RSPB, North Uist early afternoon. Four White-billed Divers were seen off North Ronaldsay, Orkney, with another summer plumaged bird remaining off Burghead, Moray. The pair of Black-winged Stilts continued to be mobile, today being found in Essex, at Abberton Reservoir. The Pallid Swift was still on Scilly, on St Agnes for its fifth day, with the male Western Subalpine Warbler seen again on the same island. Elsewhere on Scilly, the three Bee-eaters were very mobile, visiting St Martins, St Agnes, Tresco and St Mary's, with several Golden Orioles also present. Other lingerers included the Ross's Gull in Lancashire, American Herring Gull in Co Galway and the pair of Black-winged Stilts in Cheshire. | ||
| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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