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| Sunday 22nd February 2015 | ||
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| Highlight of the day was the reappearance of the
female Harlequin Duck in Brora (Highland); the bird was first reported on
17th February. In Aberdeenshire the drake Harlequin Duck remained on the
River Don. Elsewhere lingering rarities comprised King Eider (Fife),
Lesser Scaup (Ayrshire), White-billed Diver and Blue-winged Teal
(Orkney), Ferruginous Duck (Gloucestershire), Laughing Gulls
(Co Cork and Wirral), Bonaparte's Gull (Devon), Black-bellied Dipper
(East Yorkshire) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Co Dublin).
The best of the rest included Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), American Wigeon (West Yorkshire), two Little Buntings, two Cattle Egrets and three Richard's Pipits. |
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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 21st February 2015 | ||
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It was very much 'as you were' again today with the Harlequin Duck still in Aberdeen, the Black Scoter still in Northumberland and the American Coot still in County Kerry. Cornwall continued to host a Pacific Diver, a King Eider and a Little Bunting and Lesser Yellowlegs were still to be found in Sussex and County Dublin. The Laughing Gull continued to be showy at New Brighton as did the Little Bunting near Cardiff in Glamorgan, where the Lesser Scaup was still to be found. Other lingering wildfowl included the Blue-winged Teal in Orkney and the Ferruginous Duck at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. The Black-bellied Dipper was seen again in East Yorkshire. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Friday 20th February 2015 | ||
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| Lingering rarities still present today included the Harlequin Duck in
Aberdeenshire, American Coot in the Western Isles, Pacific Diver
and King Eider in Cornwall, Black Scoter in Northumberland,
Blue-winged Teal and White-billed Diver in Orkney, single Laughing
Gulls in Wirral and County Cork, single Lesser Scaups in Glamorgan
and Powys and Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll.
A Wood Sandpiper photographed in Kent is one of a very few winter records of the species. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 19th February 2015 | ||
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| A grey morph Gyr was reported in County Kerry at Lough Gill where the
American Coot and drake Lesser Scaup both remained in residence. A
new Lesser Scaup was found at Lough Parasee in County Cavan. In Cornwall
Pacific Divers were reported at both Mount's Bay and Gerrans Bay.
Long staying rarities included the Harlequin Duck in Aberdeen, Laughing Gulls on The Wirral and in County Cork, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Blue-winged Teal in Orkney, Black Duck on Scilly and Ferruginous Duck at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. Two Little Buntings remained in residence - in Glamorgan and Cornwall. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 18th February 2015 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was confirmation of two Pacific Divers in Cornwall, where the
King Eider also remained. Rarities elsewhere comprised Black Scoters in both Cornwall and County Kerry, Laughing Gull
on the Wirral, Ferruginous Duck in Gloucestershire, Ross's Goose in Northumberland, and
Richardson's Cackling Geese in Argyll (2) and County Sligo. Scarcities included Yellow-browed Warbler (Devon), Ring-necked Duck (County Kerry), two each of Richard's Pipit and Surf Scoter, three each of Little Bunting, Glossy Ibis and Shorelark, six American Wigeons, seven each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Lapland Bunting and Great Grey Shrike, and 27 Waxwings. Gulls totaled 21 Glaucous, 15 Iceland, seven Caspian, six Ring-billed and two Kumlien's. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 17th February 2015 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall at Mawnan Smith. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Harlequin Duck still in Aberdeenshire (with another reported briefly in Highland), American Coot, Black Scoter and Lesser Scaup in County Kerry, Black Scoter and Ross's Goose in Northumberland, Laughing Gull still on the Wirral, King Eider in Cornwall, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan, and Black-bellied Dipper in East Yorkshire. Scarcities included Serin (Essex), two Surf Scoters, three each of Little Bunting, Richard's Pipit and Glossy Ibis, five American Wigeons, six Shorelarks, 10 Waxwings, 13 Rough-legged Buzzards and 20 Great Grey Shrikes. Further notable gulls were represented by 15 Iceland, 12 Glaucous, five Ring-billed and two Caspian. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 16th February 2015 | ||
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| Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today were the Harlequin Duck in Aberdeenshire, both Pacific Diver and King Eider in Cornwall, Black Scoters in County Kerry and Northumberland, Laughing Gull on the Wirral, White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Ferruginous Duck in Gloucestershire, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll, and Ross's Goose in Northumberland. Scarcities included Serin (Essex), Shorelark (Cleveland), Glossy Ibis (Cambridgeshire), two each of Little Bunting, Surf Scoter and Cattle Egret, three Richard's Pipits, four Green-winged Teals, five American Wigeons, six Rough-legged Buzzards, eight Great Grey Shrikes, and 12 Waxwings. Notable gull totals were 24 Glaucous, 13 Iceland, nine Ring-billed, five Caspian and three Kumlien's. | ||
| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 15th February 2015 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was an adult male Two-barred Crossbill in Gloucestershire, in the Forest of Dean at Yew Tree Brake; probably the same male present at that site on 15th September 2014. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Harlequin Duck still in Aberdeenshire, Pacific Diver and King Eider in Cornwall, American Coot and Lesser Scaup together in County Kerry, Black Scoter and Ross's Goose in Northumberland, Laughing Gull on the Wirral, Bonaparte's Gulls in both Devon and Glamorgan, Blue-winged Teal on the Orkney Isles, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, and Ferruginous Duck in Gloucestershire. In Norfolk a Dark-breasted Barn Owl was reported at Welney. Scarcities included Lapland Bunting (Somerset), two each of Yellow-browed Warbler and Glossy Ibis, three each of Little Bunting, Richard's Pipit, Shorelark and Cattle Egret, four of American Wigeon and Surf Scoter, six Rough-legged Buzzards, 11 Waxwings and 16 Great Grey Shrikes. Notable gulls comprised 19 Iceland, 17 Glaucous, 11 Ring-billed, eight Caspian and a Kumlien's. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 14th February 2015 | ||
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| Rarities today comprised the Harlequin Duck still in Aberdeenshire, American Coot
in County Kerry, Black Scoters in both County Kerry and Northumberland,
Laughing Gull in Wirral, three Penduline Tits in Devon, Blue-winged Teal and
White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan,
King Eider in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin, Lesser Scaup in Ayrshire and Glamorgan,
Ferruginous Duck in Gloucestershire, Ross's Goose in Northumberland and
Black-bellied Dipper in East Yorkshire. Scarcities included Yellow-browed Warbler (Devon), two each of Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret, three of Little Bunting, Surf Scoter, Ring-necked Duck and Shorelark, seven American Wigeons, nine Rough-legged Buzzards and 15 Great Grey Shrikes. Other notable gulls were 17 Iceland, 16 Glaucous, 11 Caspian, six Ring-billed and a Kumlien's. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 13th February 2015 | ||
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| A Black-bellied Dipper was first reported today at Burton Agnes in
East Yorkshire, although it had been present for four days. Otherwise it was
business as usual with the only rarities reported being the Harlequin Duck
in Aberdeen, the Laughing Gull on the Wirral, the Blue-winged Teal
in Orkney, Lesser Scaups in Glamorgan and County Kerry, and the
Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo. There were also reports of
possible/probable American Herring Gulls at Hayle in Cornwall and in
Yorkshire yesterday.
A Glossy Ibis at Gonalston in Nottinghamshire proved popular and the Little Bunting remained well watched in Cardiff, with the two Serins remaining in Essex. There were six Rough-legged Buzzards, five Great Grey Shrikes, and three American Wigeons but only one Shorelark. The Richard's Pipit was still to be found on the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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