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| Friday 29th June 2012 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of single Gull-billed Terns at both Lodmoor, Dorset, and in County Waterford at Ballyneety. Elsewhere, an
Alpine Swift was seen briefly in East Yorkshire, between Bempton Cliffs and Buckton. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Little Swift on the Wirral - although it has become increasingly elusive, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Savi's Warbler in County Wexford, and Glossy Ibises in both Pembrokeshire and County Wexford. Scarce migrants included a new Purple Heron in Kent, Icterine Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Caspian Gull in Lincolnshire and Pectoral Sandpipers in both Argyll and the Shetland Isles. |
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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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| Thursday 28th June 2012 | ||
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| A Great Reed Warbler was found at Boddam on Mainland Shetland and, in
Ireland, an Alpine Swift was a new arrival at Tacumshin, County Wexford,
where it joined a Glossy Ibis and a Savi's Warbler. Another long
staying Savi's Warbler was still to be found at Blacktoft Sands in East Yorkshire.
The Little Swift remained at New Brighton on The Wirral today, albeit somewhat periodically during the heavy rain, and became the UK's longest staying Little Swift. The Iberian Chiffchaff was still to be found at Porlock in Somerset. An adult White-winged Black Tern was seen this afternoon at Shapwick Heath in Somerset - probably the same bird that was at the Cotswold Water Park yesterday. In Sussex the three White Storks were seen over Angmering and Pulborough Brooks as they continue their wanderings. A Long-tailed Skua was off Toe Head in County Cork and a Pomarine Skua flew over Tyninghame in Lothian. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 27th June 2012 | ||
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| On Shetland an Arctic Warbler was discovered on Whalsay this evening.
Lingering rarities comprised the Little Swift on the Wirral, Pacific Golden Plover in Norfolk, Black Scoter and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Gull-billed Tern on the Carmarthenshire/ Glamorgan border, Black Kite on Shetland, Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire, Savi's Warbler in Co Wexford, Red-footed Falcon in Co Antrim and Iberian Chiffchaff in Somerset. The best of the rest included White-winged Black Tern in Wiltshire, Marsh Warblers in Northumberland and on Orkney, six Surf Scoters in Aberdeenshire and Icterine Warbler on Shetland. Late news related to reports of a Pallid Harrier over Horning (Norfolk) on 25th June and a Black Stork over Sheep's Head (Co Cork) yesterday. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 26th June 2012 | ||
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| Lingering rarities included the Little Swift on the Wirral, Pacific
Golden Plover in Norfolk, Savi's Warbler in Co Wexford, River
Warbler on Shetland (where a Black Kite was also discovered),
Gull-billed Tern on the Carmarthenshire/ Glamorgan border, Iberian
Chiffchaff in Somerset and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
The seaduck flock off Blackdog (Aberdeenshire) continued to host Black Scoter, three Surf Scoters and a King Eider whilst in Co Antrim a Red-footed Falcon was discovered. Scarcity sightings included Serin in Suffolk, Woodchat Shrike in North Yorkshire, American Wigeon in Aberdeenshire, Icterine Warbler on Shetland, Red-necked Phalarope in Gloucestershire and Spotted Crake in Cambridgeshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Monday 25th June 2012 | ||
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| The Little Swift was only seen briefly at New Brighton (Wirral),
whilst in Norfolk the Pacific Golden Plover flew off from Cley NWT this
evening.
Elsewhere lingering rarities included Gull-billed Tern on the Carmarthenshire/Glamorgan border, Iberian Chiffchaff in Somerset and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire, whilst a Savi's Warbler and Glossy Ibis were both discovered at Tacumshin (Co Wexford). The best of the rest came in the form of White-winged Black Terns in Surrey and Kent, Rose-coloured Starlings in Lincolnshire and Anglesey, Icterine Warbler in Northumberland, Serin in Suffolk, Ring-billed Gull in Ayrshire and three flyover White Storks in West Sussex. Late news from yesterday related to a Spotted Sandpiper in Hertfordshire. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 24th June 2012 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Gull-billed Tern along the border between Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan, at the Loughor Estuary. Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Little Swift still on the Wirral,
Black Scoter, King Eider and four Surf Scoters all together in Aberdeenshire,
River Warbler still on the Shetland Isles, Pacific Golden Plover in Norfolk, the territorial
Iberian Chiffchaff in Somerset, and single Glossy Ibises in both Pembrokeshire and County Wexford. Scarcities included the Short-toed Lark still in County Wexford, Icterine Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Red-backed Shrikes in both East Yorkshire and Northumberland, Grey Phalarope in Highland, and three White Storks together in West Sussex. A Rose-coloured Starling arrived at Mizen Head, County Cork (whilst another reappeared in Conwy), bringing the total for the summer influx to 29 birds. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 23rd June 2012 | ||
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| The Little Swift remained for much of the day at New Brighton, Wirral,
occasionally venturing to the far side of the River Mersey and into Lancashire
before returning. It wasn't seen after 7.20pm, however.
A Black Kite was reported from Stonehenge, Wiltshire, whilst late news concerned two Black-headed Buntings and a Red-headed Bunting, the former in Glamorgan and Carmarthenshire on Sunday and Monday respectively and the latter on North Uist, Western Isles on Tuesday. The two Black-headed Buntings were both unmistakable males, but the reported Red-headed Bunting was a female, so the identification is not quite so clear cut. Lingering rarities today included the Pacific Golden Plover in Norfolk at Cley, Savi's Warbler in Devon at Exminster Marshes RSPB, Black Kite in Shetland on Unst and single Glossy Ibises in Pembrokeshire, Suffolk and Sussex. Scarcity highlights included the Grey Phalarope again in Highland, Sabine's Gull in Cumbria, three White Storks in Sussex, American Wigeon and Surf Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Short-toed Lark in County Wexford, Icterine Warbler in Shetland, Golden Oriole in Kent, Long-tailed Skua in County Cork and Rose-coloured Starling in Lincolnshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 22nd June 2012 | ||
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| The second Little Swift for the North-west region was discovered this
afternoon, and continued to show superbly to the assembled birders above and
below the promenade at New Brighton, Wirral until dusk, when it was seen to go to roost. This is the first confirmed British
record since 2008, when one was seen at Spurn and, later, Old Moor RSPB,
Yorkshire.
Other quality rarities seen today included an adult Pacific Golden Plover at Cley NWT, Norfolk and a Bee-eater over Chivelstone, Devon. The identification of the Savi's Warbler in the latter county, at Topsham, was confirmed, and photographs of a Squacco Heron seen yesterday in a tree in Seaford, Sussex were published online. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today included the Iberian Chiffchaff at Porlock, Somerset and the Glossy Ibis at Marloes Mere, Pembrokeshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 21st June 2012 | ||
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| Rarities reported today comprised single territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs still present in both Cornwall and Somerset, and the
Black Kite on the Shetland Isles, where it has relocated to Unst. Rose-coloured Starlings were in Lincolnshire (again at Frampton Marsh) and Norfolk (three reported together at Scratby), bringing the summer total of this species across Britain and Ireland to 25. Other scarcities today included the Night Heron still in Hampshire, and three White Storks together in West Sussex. Significant late news concerned a subadult Black-browed Albatross seen on 17th June from a fishing boat 30 miles southwest of Portland Bill, Dorset. Earlier this year, immature Black-browed Albatrosses were noted on 29th February 184 miles southwest of Mizen Head, County Cork, and twice off the Channel Islands; on 24th May 20 miles west of Guernsey, and on 17th June 20 miles north of Alderney. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 20th June 2012 | ||
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| A Bee-eater at Prawle Point, Devon was the only new rarity discovered
today.
Lingering rarities included the Savi's Warbler in East Yorkshire, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cornwall and single Glossy Ibises in Cornwall, Pembrokeshire and Hampshire. Scarcity highlights involved a Rose-coloured Starling, White-winged Black Tern, Woodchat Shrike, Marsh Warbler and three White Storks. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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