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| Thursday 22nd May 2014 | ||
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| Two Mega-rarities were discovered today - a Baillon's Crake in Kent and
Calandra Lark on Fair Isle (where the Caspian Stonechat, Western Subalpine
Warbler and Bluethroat all lingered). Elsewhere new discoveries included
Bee-eaters in East Yorkshire (5) and Suffolk, Savi's Warbler in Dorset and
Great
Reed Warbler in Berkshire, whilst lingering rarities included Black-headed
Bunting in Pembrokeshire, Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk, King Eider
in
Aberdeenshire and Red-rumped Swallow on Shetland.
The best of the rest included Grey-headed Wagtail in Norfolk, Red-necked Phalarope in Buckinghamshire, American Wigeon on Western Isles, Red-breasted Flycatcher in Cornwall, two each of Purple Heron, Red-backed Shrike and Pectoral Sandpiper, three Glossy Ibises, three White-winged Black Terns and 11 Temminck's Stints. |
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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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| Wednesday 21st May 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Black-headed Bunting found this evening on Skomer, Pembrokeshire. Other discoveries included
Rustic Buntings in Argyll, Orkney Isles and Shetland Isles, Black Storks over Greater Manchester and Lincolnshire, three
Black-winged Stilts together in Dorset, Black Kite in Borders and Northumberland, and a
Marbled Duck on the Isle of Wight. The Terek Sandpiper lingered overnight at Covenham Reservoir, Lincolnshire, but departed mid morning. Elsewhere, Caspian Stonechat and two Subalpine Warblers remained on Fair Isle, as did a Red-rumped Swallow on the Shetland Isles, Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, and pairs of Black-winged Stilt in both Kent and West Sussex. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Isles of Scilly), Marsh Warbler (Lincolnshire), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Hoopoe (Ayrshire), Wryneck (Northumberland), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lincolnshire), American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), Bluethroat and Common Rosefinch (Shetland Isles), two each of Surf Scoter and migrant Dotterel, three each of White-winged Black Tern (together on the Western Isles), Golden Oriole and Red-backed Shrike, 11 Temminck's Stints, and 48 Long-tailed Skuas (Orkney Isles). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 20th May 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Terek Sandpiper in Lincolnshire at Covenham Reservoir, where it showed well all day. Elsewhere, rarities included pairs of Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire, Kent and West Sussex, a Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk, and single Western Subalpine Warblers at both Spurn and Fair Isle, whilst the Caspian Stonechat remained at the latter. Brief encounters included a Black Stork in Conwy, Red-throated Pipit in Northumberland, Red-rumped Swallows in Argyll and the Shetland Isles, Black Kites in Devon and Norfolk, and five Bee-eaters together in East Sussex. Scarcities included Red-spotted Bluethroat (Northumberland), Hoopoe (West Sussex), Red-backed Shrike (Orkney Isles), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), Pectoral Sandpiper (Worcestershire), two migrant Dotterel, three each of both White-winged Black Tern and Golden Oriole, and a total of 17 Temminck's Stints. Significant late news concerned a Blyth's Reed Warbler present yesterday on the Shetland Isles at Quendale. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 19th May 2014 | ||
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| A Bermuda Petrel was photographed from a research vessel c195 miles
west northwest of Slea Head (Co Kerry) this evening.
Elsewhere new discoveries comprised Terek Sandpiper in Lincolnshire, Red-footed Falcons in Norfolk and South Yorkshire and Black Kite and Bee-eater in Kent. Lingering rarities included Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire (3), Kent (3) and West Sussex (2) and Caspian Stonechat and two Western Subalpine Warblers on Fair Isle. The best of the rest included Wryneck, Short-toed Lark and Bluethroat (Shetland), White-winged Black Tern (Gloucestershire/Wiltshire), Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), American Wigeon (Western Isles), Snow Goose (Aberdeenshire), two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Red-backed Shrikes, at least three Honey Buzzards, six Glossy Ibises, seven Dotterel, seven Golden Orioles and 17 Temminck's Stints. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 18th May 2014 | ||
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| The arrival of European rarities was again notable today with a Great Reed Warbler
in Cambridgeshire at Nene Washes, Tawny Pipit in Devon at Northam Burrows,
Red-rumped Swallows in Cambridgeshire, County Down and the Shetland Isles, Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire (2), Kent (3), Northamptonshire (2) and West Sussex (2),
Black Kites in Cornwall, Hampshire, Kent and Surrey, and Bee-eaters in Hampshire, Norfolk (2), Isles of Scilly and West Sussex (2). Other rarities today included a Spotted Sandpiper new in South Yorkshire at Potteric Carr, Two-barred Crossbill still in Norfolk, and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. Scarcities were headlined by Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Orkney Isles), Short-toed Lark and Golden Oriole (together in Devon), Woodchat Shrike and Golden Oriole (together on the Isles of Scilly), Hoopoe (East Sussex), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Temminck's Stints and five migrant Dotterel. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 17th May 2014 | ||
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| High pressure today produced sightings of several mobile rarities, with brief encounters with Red-footed Falcon in Essex, Suffolk and the Isles of Scilly,
Bee-eaters in Kent, Pembrokeshire (3) and Suffolk, Red-rumped Swallow in Cornwall and Leicestershire, and
Black Kite in Cornwall, Hampshire and Suffolk. Rarities elsewhere comprised two Black-winged Stilts together in West Sussex at Bracklesham, a Lesser Yellowlegs on the Western Isles on South Uist, Two-barred Crossbill still in Norfolk, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, and both Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle. Scarcities included nine Temminck's Stints, six migrant Dotterel, four Glossy Ibises, two each of White-winged Black Tern (together in Greater Manchester), Golden Oriole, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and Cattle Egret, and single Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper (both Orkney Isles). |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 16th May 2014 | ||
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| New rarities today were headlined by a Terek Sandpiper at Amble
Marshes in Cornwall and a Broad-billed Sandpiper briefly at Alkborough
Flats in north Lincolnshire. A Great Reed Warbler was heard singing in
the morning at Walberswick in Suffolk and a Little Bunting was found at
Boddam on Mainland Shetland. There was an Eastern Subalpine Warbler on
Bardsey Island in Gwynedd and another Subalpine Warbler was found on
Bryher in the Isles of Scilly.
On Fair Isle (Shetland) the Hermit Thrush was seen again along with the Caspian Stonechat, a Subalpine Warbler and the island's first Glossy Ibis. A group of nine Bee-eaters were seen on St.Martins on the Isles of Scilly, with various other sightings of presumably the same birds around the islands during the day. A single Bee-eater also flew over Polgigga in Cornwall, an area which also hosted up to four Black Kites, 71 Red Kites, two Honey Buzzards, a Common Crane and a Great White Egret. In an amazing day for the species, other Black Kite records were as follows: Sennen, Kelynack and Pendeen (Cornwall); Tresco, St.Martin's and St.Agnes (Isles of Scilly); Skomer Island and Martins Haven (Pembrokeshire) and Winchester (Hampshire). The other species to feature prominently was Black-winged Stilt, with records as follows: two at Elmley in Kent; two near Spalding in Lincolnshire and two at Fen Drayton, and later at Ouse Fen, (Cambridgeshire) along with the ringed escaped bird. The Spotted Sandpiper was still on Unst in the Shetland Isles. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 15th May 2014 | ||
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| Multiple Black-winged Stilts were found in Lincolnshire and Kent
today, with two at Willow Tree Fen reserve in the former and four at Cliffe
Pools RSPB in the latter. Three Black Kites were in the St Buryan /Polgigga
area of Cornwall, a Subalpine Warbler was on Skokholm, Pembrokeshire and
a Spotted Sandpiper on Unst, Shetland rounded of the day's new rarities.
Lingering rarities included just the Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle and the King Eider on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 14th May 2014 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Hermit Thrush on Fair Isle, Sheltand Isles, where it showed alongside both
Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler. Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the Sardinian Warbler still in County Cork,
Great Reed Warbler in Gloucestershire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall, and a pair of Black-winged Stilts in Kent. New discoveries included two Subalpine Warblers together off the Isle of Man on the Calf of Man, a Bonaparte's Gull in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh, and in Hampshire a brief Black Kite near Petersfield. Highlights amongst the scarcities were Golden Oriole (Dorset), Serin (Lincolnshire), Purple Heron (Isle of Scilly), Cattle Egret (Somerset), five Temminck's Stints, seven each of both migrant Dotterel and Glossy Ibis, and a total of fifteen Long-tailed Skuas. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 13th May 2014 | ||
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| Fair Isle's run of top quality birds continued today, with the discovery this
evening of the island's third Hermit Thrush. This is also the
third Spring record of the species in Britain, with just one out of the previous
three records in Shetland occuring in Autumn. The Caspian Stonechat and
Western Subalpine Warbler both remained on Fair Isle.
Further south, a singing Great Reed Warbler spent the day at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, and a Red-rumped Swallow flew west at Reculver, Kent. Lingering rarities included the Whiskered Tern in County Cork, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall and Bonaparte's Gull in County Wexford. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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