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| Sunday 5th July 2009 | ||
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| In Highland the showy River Warbler continued to sing in Applecross
and in Norfolk the Caspian Tern was at Welney WWT for its second day,
before relocating to Wiggenhall St Germans later in the day. A Cattle Egret
was noted on Isle of Wight whilst Great White Egrets were on Mainland
Orkney and in Aberdeenshire.
In Oxfordshire the Marsh Warbler remained at Otmoor RSPB and in Co Cork a Pectoral Sandpiper was at Clogheen Marsh. |
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| - Stuart Piner, 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 4th July 2009 | ||
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| Seabirds started to feature today with a Scopoli's Shearwater seen
from a pelagic off the Scillies, whilst in County Cork a total of 53 Cory's
Shearwaters and 3 Great Shearwaters passed southern headlands during
the day. Elsewhere, Caspian Terns were the order of the day: one found in
the morning at Welney in west Norfolk proved to be a popular attraction; whilst
in Scotland there was another at the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire.
There was another belated report of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, this one was seen and photographed on 21st June at Needs Ore Point on the Solent in Hampshire. Could it have been the same bird which then wandered to north Devon? Also in Hampshire there was a report of a possible Gull-billed Tern at Titchfield Haven today. In Highland the River Warbler continued to sing near Applecross and in Aberdeenshire the Great White Egret remained at the Ythan Estuary. Elsewhere the Marsh Warbler was still holding territory at Otmoor in Oxfordshire. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Friday 3rd July 2009 | ||
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| Belated news of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater photographed at Braunton
Burrows (Devon) on Tuesday was released today - the first record since 1997 and
the first on the Mainland since 1989. Unfortunately a search of the area this
morning was unsuccessful.
In Highland the River Warbler continued to sing and show well at Applecross and further south a probable Two-barred Crossbill was seen in Dumfries & Galloway, whilst a probable Great Reed Warbler sang at Hummersea, Cleveland. In Co Wexford the Stilt Sandpiper was seen again at The Cull and in Herefordshire a Whiskered Tern visited Wellington Gravel Pits. New discoveries included a Red-backed Shrike and Golden Oriole at Rye Harbour NR, East Sussex, Common Rosefinch on North Ronaldsay and Sabine's Gull in Co Donegal. In Shropshire the two Common Cranes remained at Fenn's Moss and in Oxfordshire the singing Marsh Warbler lingered at Otmoor RSPB. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 2nd July 2009 | ||
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| A singing River Warbler showed well at Applecross, Highland for its
5th day. This individual will no doubt prove to be a popular attraction, given
that there hasn't been a twitchable Mainland River Warbler for almost thirteen
years.
Elsewhere, rarity news involved belated reports of Red-footed Falcon in Hampshire and Black Kite in Cambridgeshire, but unfortunately yesterday's reported Audouin's Gull in Co Kerry turned out to be an aberrant or hybrid gull. Elsewhere a Rose-coloured Starling was briefly in Falmouth (Cornwall), the Marsh Warbler continued to sing at Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire) and a drake Green-winged Teal was discovered on Mainland Orkney. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 1st July 2009 | ||
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| The place to be today was Blennerville in County Kerry in south west Ireland,
where the discovery of a Caspian Tern in the late morning was bettered in
the afternoon when an adult Audouin's Gull was found. The latter is the
first record for Ireland.
A Cattle Egret was seen briefly at Belmont Reservoir in Lancashire in the evening. The Marsh Warbler remained in Oxfordshire, nine Spoonbills were at Cley in Norfolk and a Red-necked Phalarope was still on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Otherwise the autumn wader passage is starting to get underway with common species such as Green Sandpipers and Greenshanks being seen at many sites. An unseasonal Arctic Skua was at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire in the evening. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 30th June 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Forster's Tern in County Wexford,
Black Duck in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset. Elsewhere, brief encounters included a
Squacco Heron in Wiltshire at Upavon and a Bee-eater at Stiffkey, Norfolk. A Red-backed Shrike in Cleveland and a Marsh Warbler in Oxfordshire headlined the scarcities whilst numbers of Wood Sandpiper (9), Spotted Redshank (45) and Crossbill (156) continue to be recorded. Significant late news from yesterday concerned an adult male Pallid Harrier at Toseland, Cambridgeshire briefly in the early afternoon. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 29th June 2009 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Bee-eater at Pott Row, Norfolk. A
Great White Egret was seen briefly at Reculver, Kent whilst another remained in Aberdeenshire, as did the
Little Bittern in Somerset and the Black Duck in Cornwall. Early autumn aggregations included 26 Spotted Redshanks together in Kent, 24 Green Sandpipers in London, 11 Spoonbills in Norfolk, 11 Wood Sandpipers in Lincolnshire and three Quail in Oxfordshire. Crossbills totaled 188 in seven counties including 110 in two flocks on the Orkney Isles. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 28th June 2009 | ||
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| Lingering rarities proved to be the day's highlights comprising the territorial
Little Bittern still in Somerset, Black Duck in Cornwall, three Cattle Egrets together in County Cork and single
Great White Egrets recorded in each of Aberdeenshire, Derbyshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Scarcities included a Purple Heron again in Somerset, a Serin still in Dorset, Surf Scoter in Aberdeenshire and Marsh Warblers in Oxfordshire and the Shetland Isles. Species engaged in post-breeding influxes included Crossbill (303 recorded in six counties including 172 on the Orkney Isles and 117 on the Shetland Isles), Wood Sandpiper (21 in seven counties including eight in Lincolnshire) and Spotted Redshank (93 across seven counties including 33 in Suffolk at Minsmere and 30 in Kent at Elmley Marshes). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 27th June 2009 | ||
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| A quiet summer day was headlined by the lingering Little Bittern in
Somerset, as well as a brief Bee-eater in Suffolk and long-staying
Forster's Tern in Co Wexford. A Great White Egret was observed at
Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) and in south Lancashire a Black Kite
was reported at Altcar Withins.
In Oxfordshire the Marsh Warbler continued to sing at Otmoor RSPB, a Serin made an appearance on Portland Bill (Dorset), an Icterine Warbler was trapped in Kilnsea (East Yorkshire), two Surf Scoters reappeared off Blackdog (Aberdeenshire) and in Fife a Cory's Shearwater flew past Fife Ness. At least 26 Wood Sands were logged, included a party of at least eight at Manby Flashes, Lincolnshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 26th June 2009 | ||
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| In Co Wexford the Stilt Sandpiper and Forster's Tern were both
still at Tacumshin and in Somerset the Ferruginous Duck lingered at Chew
Valley Lake.
An intriguing report related to a possible Least Tern at Seaforth LWT (Merseyside), but only until midday. The bird, which has a grey rump and central tail, was first seen on 2nd June, but did not reappear at the well-watched site until today. The BOU currently consider Least Tern to be conspecific with Little Tern, but given that this form has only been identified once in Britain (the famous male that returned to Rye Harbour NR, East Sussex, from 1983-1992) then it will no doubt prove to be a popular attraction if it reappears and the identification is confirmed. Elsewhere the Marsh Warbler continued to sing at Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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