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| Wednesday 30th July 2008 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued arrival of Two-barred Crossbills
in the northern isles. Today four were seen on the Shetland Isles - singles on Mainland at both East Voe of Scalloway and Esha Ness and two on Fair Isle - and three were seen on the Orkney Isles; all on the Mainland at Finstown, Rendall and Stenness. A Bonaparte's Gull was discovered in County Kerry at Castlemaine with other new finds including an American Golden Plover at Elmley Marshes, Kent and a Cattle Egret at Earls Barton, Northamptonshire. In southwest Britain and Ireland productive seawatching took place with Cory's Shearwater counts including site maximums of 710 off Cornwall, 205 off Devon, 53 off County Cork and five off the Isles of Scilly. Great Shearwaters comprised 25 off Cornwall, five off County Cork and three off Devon whilst a Sabine's Gull was seen off Cornwall. |
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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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| Tuesday 29th July 2008 | ||
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| A Mediterranean shearwater, thought most likely to be a Yelkouan
Shearwater was observed for twenty minutes alongside a Balearic
Shearwater off Berry Head, Devon this morning. Given the
difficulty in separating Yelkouan Shearwater from both Manx and Balearic
Shearwaters, prolonged views and sufficient photographic evidence will no doubt
be required to add this species to the British List. Elsewhere on the south
coast, Cory's Shearwaters were observed in decent numbers - totals
included 205 past Porthgwarra, Cornwall, 61 past St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and
52 past Galley Head, Co Cork. A few Great Shearwaters were also mixed in
with the Cory's movement.
Two more Two-barred Crossbills arrived on Mainland Orkney, and in Shetland the female remained in situ in Sandgarth. Back on Orkney, a Bee-eater was watched in Stromness and the Pacific Golden Plover continued its stay on North Ronaldsay. A new Pectoral Sandpiper was at Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex, whilst another remained at Holland Haven Country Park, also in Essex and others were still in Cumbria and Norfolk News from Spurn related to the successful breeding of a pair of Marsh Warblers, which raised at least three young this summer. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 28th July 2008 | ||
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| Four Two-barred Crossbills were discovered on the Northern Isles - two
on Fair Isle, one on Mainland Shetland and another on Mainland Orkney. A
White-rumped Sandpiper arrived at Cresswell Pond NWT, Northumberland and in
Oxfordshire two Bee-eaters flew south over Oxford.
A possible Booted Eagle was observed flying east over Christchurch, Dorset and lingering rarities included Pacific Golden Plover on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, Lesser Scaup at Balgray Reservoir, Clyde, Hooded Merganser in Weymouth, Dorset and Ferruginous Duck at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset. Another Ferruginous Duck was reported at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire. At Spurn Point a Marsh Warbler was located, a Pectoral Sandpiper was found at Titchwell RSPB and elsewhere Pectoral Sandpipers remained at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, Holland Haven Country Park, Essex and Port Carlisle, Cumbria. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 27th July 2008 | ||
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| The Northern Isles delivered today, with Shetland attracting a Two-barred
Crossbill, on Fair Isle, and Orkney had an adult Pacific Golden Plover
on North Ronaldsay.
Further south, a Glossy Ibis was on the East Yorkshire coast in the Spurn area until mid afternoon. The Marshside RSPB, Merseyside ibis was not seen today, despite searching; could it be that its long stay has ended? A Great White Egret was seen at Trimley Marshes SWT, Suffolk, with another at Loughor, Glamorgan. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from a boat NNW of Padstow, Cornwall, whilst longer staying rarities included White-rumped Sandpiper at Cley NWT, Norfolk, Ferruginous Duck at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, King Eider at Tacumshin, County Wexford and the Glossy Ibis remained for its 4th day at Ennis, County Clare. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 26th July 2008 | ||
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| Despite being an otherwise fairly quiet day, again, several rarities were
either seen or reported for the first time. A Red-footed Falcon was
present over Queensferry, Lothian, for a few minutes this evening before
continuing south, and a Black Stork was seen over Witcham, Cambridgeshire
for a few minutes before drifting north-west.
What is probably the returning adult Long-billed Dowitcher was found at Shannon Airport Lagoon, County Clare, with the Glossy Ibis in the same county, still at Ennis. Other rarities included Lesser Scaup in Clyde, at Balgray Reservoir, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, at Chew Valley Lake, where the controversial large white-headed gull species was also present and the White-rumped Sandpiper was still in Norfolk, briefly at Cley NWT. Late news for yesterday concerned the Caspian Tern again, this time at Kirkby on Bain Gravel-pits, Lincolnshire, briefly in the evening. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 25th July 2008 | ||
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| The White-rumped Sandpiper remained at Cley NWT, Norfolk, the
Glossy Ibises were still in Merseyside and Co Clare, the Hooded Merganser
could still be found in Weymouth and in Co Wexford the King Eider was
once again relocated, this time at Lady's Island Lake.
Pectoral Sandpipers were at Holland Haven Country Park, Essex, Edderthorpe Flash, South Yorkshire, Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire and Dundrum Inner Bay, Co Down and in Shropshire a Hoopoe visited Bishop's Castle. A Sabine's Gull lingered around a boat four miles off the Devon coastline and a Wilson's Petrel, several Cory's Shearwaters and two Grey Phalaropes were observed from a boat between 150 and 190 miles south west or west of the Isles of Scilly. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 24th July 2008 | ||
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| A probable adult summer Brünnich's Guillemot off Cley and Salthouse
caused a stir in Norfolk, but unfortunately the identification remained
unconfirmed. Nearby both the White-rumped and Pectoral Sandpipers
remained at Cley NWT, along with five Spoonbills and a nice selection of
commoner waders.
In Co Clare a Glossy Ibis was in Ennis for its second day and in Scotland the White-billed Diver reappeared off South Ronaldsay, Orkney. The Hooded Merganser was still in Weymouth, Dorest, but those hoping that the Caspian Tern would return to Collingham Gravel Pits, Nottinghamshire were left disappointed by the no show. In addition to the aforementioned Cley Pectoral Sandpiper, this species was also located at Edderthorpe Flash (South Yorkshire), Holland Haven Country Park (Essex) and Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire). Elsewhere a flock of 37 Common Cranes flew over Brampton Bierlow, South Yorkshire and on Lewis, Western Isles, the Rose-coloured Starling was still in situ. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 23rd July 2008 | ||
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| An adult Caspian Tern was discovered at Collingham Gravel-pits,
Nottinghamshire mid afternoon, and proceeded to show well until 7.45pm. It was,
however, very mobile, and flew off, mainly north, several times, only to return
a short while later. This is potentially the same bird as was seen at Old Moor
RSPB, Yorkshire on the 15th July.
The Black Stork made another appearance in Essex, circling briefly over Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea mid evening. The adult White-rumped Sandpiper remained on Cley North Scrape, Norfolk, with other lingerers including the Lesser Scaup at Balgray Reservoir, Clyde, Glossy Ibis at Marshside RSPB, Merseyside, and two Great White Egrets flew over Portland Bill, Dorset. Five Pectoral Sandpipers were seen, in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Yorkshire and Leicestershire, and a Ring-necked Duck was at Loch Gelly, Fife. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 22nd July 2008 | ||
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| A Bee-eater was seen briefly at Witham, Essex but, unfortunately, it
was not seen by anyone but the initial observer. A drake Lesser Scaup
remained on Balgray Reservoir, Clyde for its second day, and an adult White-rumped
Sandpiper was located amongst the Dunlin flock on Cley North Scrape,
Norfolk. Also at this site, and three others in England, was an adult
Pectoral Sandpiper.
Long staying rarities included the White-billed Diver on Orkney and the Glossy Ibis in Merseyside, and late news for yesterday concerned a Red-footed Falcon in West Sussex. The Hoopoe continued to show well in Yorkshire, near York, and the Red-backed Shrike was again seen at Sea Palling, Norfolk. A press release from the Somerset Ornithological Society heralded the arrival of a new breeding species to the county, and possibly to Britain, with a pair of Cattle Egrets raising one young this summer. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Monday 21st July 2008 | ||
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| An American Golden Plover was found in Argyll, on the Add Estuary at
Crinan, but unfortunately it did not stay long. Other brief new rarities were a
Black Stork near Braintree in Essex and two Wilson's Petrels seen
from the evening pelagic off the Scillies. The Glossy Ibis could still be
found at Marshside Marsh in Merseyside, but few other rarities were lingering.
Rose-coloured Starlings were at Lewis on the Western Isles still, with the bird at Hayle in Cornwall also reported again. A Hoopoe was well watched at Dunnington near York and four Pectoral Sandpipers could be found: in Essex, Norfolk, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire. A Ring-necked Duck was still at Linlithgow Loch in Lothian. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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