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| Sunday 11th June 2017 | ||
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| The Elegant Tern remained at Church Norton, West Sussex on and off all
day, occasionally heading out to sea to feed but returning to the tern island a
few hours later.
New discoveries today included a Squacco Heron at Dungeness, Kent, a female Subalpine Warbler species at Virkie, Shetland and several groups of Bee-eaters were in Devon, with eight at Galmpton, three over Chudleigh and two at Holsworthy. Other lingering rarities included the Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, single Red-footed Falcons in Cornwall, Somerset, Surrey and Suffolk, Little Bittern in Somerset, seven Black-winged Stilts in Norfolk, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Black Duck in Highland, Ferruginous Duck in County Durham and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. Scarcity highlights included a Red-backed Shrike, a Common Rosefinch, a Great Shearwater, a Ring-billed Gull, two Icterine Warblers, two Marsh Warblers, two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Hoopoes, two Glaucous Gulls, two Iceland Gulls, two Pomarine Skuas, four Honey Buzzards and seven Red-necked Phalaropes. |
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| - Will Soar, 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 10th June 2017 | ||
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| Having briefly reappeared at Hayling Island (Hampshire) yesterday evening,
the Elegant Tern was relocated at Church Norton (West Sussex)
late morning, and remained in the area until the late evening. Elsewhere new discoveries included a Red-footed Falcon in Surrey and three flyover Bee-eaters in Suffolk, whilst Red-footed Falcons (Suffolk and Somerset), Black-winged Stilt family (Norfolk), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria) and Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire) all lingered. The best of the rest included Red-necked Phalarope (Warwickshire/Staffordshire border), White-winged Black Tern (Norfolk), Icterine Warbler (Highland), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Rose-coloured Starling (Glamorgan), two Night Herons (Shropshire and Norfolk) and two Marsh Warblers (Cleveland and Orkney). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 9th June 2017 | ||
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| In Hampshire the Elegant Tern reappeared off Hayling Island
this evening, but only for a short time early evening. Elsewhere a Bee-eater was briefly at Lydd (Kent), King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Black Duck (Highland), Black-winged Stilt family and Savi's Warbler (Norfolk), Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon (Somerset) and Red-footed Falcon (Suffolk). The best of the rest included Purple Heron (South Yorkshire), Ortolan Bunting (Orkney), Red-necked Phalarope and Night Heron (Norfolk), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Woodchat Shrike and Icterine Warbler (Highland), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Rose-coloured Starling (Glamorgan) and Marsh Warbler (Cleveland). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 8th June 2017 | ||
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| The Elegant Tern could not be relocated today in Hampshire but rarities noted
as present were the Spotted Sandpiper still in Cumbria, a Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk and
in Norfolk the Black-winged Stilts that arrived at Potter Heigham
Marshes on 5th May now have four chicks. Scarcities included White-winged Black Tern and Night Heron (both Norfolk), Ortolan Bunting and Common Rosefinch (together on the Orkney Isles), Woodchat Shrike (Highland), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), two migrant Red-necked Phalaropes, three Red-backed Shrikes, four Cattle Egrets and a total of eight Marsh Warblers. Significant late news from Devon concerned a Black-headed Bunting on 4th June near Wembury and a Bee-eater on 6th June at Man Sands. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 7th June 2017 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of an Elegant Tern in Hampshire at Hayling Island. Found at Fishery Creek mid morning roosting on the rising tide but present only until late morning when it flew out of Chichester Harbour. Interestingly the bird was wearing colour-rings that proved it to be an individual previously present on the Atlantic seaboard of France most summers since 2002 and trapped and ringed in a Sandwich Tern colony at the Banc d' Arguin, Gironde on 3rd July 2003. The identity of this bird has been confirmed as Elegant Tern by genetic analysis - as have all the other candidate Elegant Terns in Europe that have been tested - and it's appearance is very similar to that of the first British record present at Dawlish Warren on 18th May 2002 and it seems likely to be the same individual. It has also been seen in the interim staging on migration in southern Spain and then twice in winter in South Africa; at Kromme Estuary in March 2005 and again at Rooi Els River and Buffels Bay on 2nd and 5th March 2017. Although yet to be accepted, there are three other British records: one visiting Norfolk then Devon in 2002, a further (third) individual in 2002 moving from Devon to Gwynedd, and one in Dorset on 10th May 2005. New rarities elsewhere comprised a Greenish Warbler on the Shetland Isles on Whalsay, and single Red-footed Falcons in Suffolk at North Warren and briefly at Spurn, East Yorkshire. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black Duck in Highland, Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Little Bittern in Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Highland), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), two each of both Icterine Warbler and migrant Red-necked Phalarope, three Common Rosefinches, four Red-backed Shrikes, five Marsh Warblers and eight Cattle Egrets. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 6th June 2017 | ||
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| Rarities today were limited to a brief Red-footed Falcon in Cornwall at Lizard and the long-staying
Black Duck still in Highland at Strontian. Scarcities included two territorial Marsh Warblers (both in Cleveland), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (Fife), Golden Oriole (Orkney Isles), Common Rosefinch (Shetland Isles) and a total of 12 Cattle Egrets. The gale force winds and rain that caused so few landbirds to be recorded today brought some seabirds within sight of land with two Long-tailed Skuas (Western Isles), three Balearic Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters off four counties and a scattering of Storm Petrels. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 5th June 2017 | ||
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| The only new rarity found today was a Greenish Warbler on the Isle of
Man, which was trapped and ringed at the Calf of Man Bird Observatory.
Lingerers included the Little Bittern at Shorncote, Gloucestershire, Iberian Chiffchaff at Kelsall, Cheshire, Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper at Buttermere, Cumbria, King Eider at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire and Bonaparte's Gull at Longham, Dorset. Scarcity highlights included a Purple Heron, a Marsh Warbler, two Icterine Warblers, a Red-backed Shrike, a Common Rosefinch, a Honey Buzzard, two Pomarine Skuas, an Iceland Gull and three Glaucous Gulls. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 4th June 2017 | ||
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| New discoveries today were confined to East Anglia, with a Red-footed
Falcon at Minsmere and a Black Kite at Orford Ness, both Suffolk, and
another of the latter at Potter Heigham, Norfolk.
Lingering rarities included single Little Bitterns in Gloucestershire and Somerset, Black Scoter and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, single Savi's Warblers in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and single Red-footed Falcons in Cornwall and Somerset. Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Serin, three Hoopoes, two Icterine Warblers, four Marsh Warblers, a Purple Heron, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Glossy Ibises, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, two Glaucous Gulls, four Iceland Gulls and two Pomarine Skuas. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 3rd June 2017 | ||
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| New discoveries comprised Blyth's Reed Warbler (Shetland),
Red-rumped Swallow and Black Kite (Kent),
Black-winged Stilt (Norfolk) and a report of a Little
Bittern in Suffolk. Lingering rarities included Black Scoter and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk), Red-rumped Swallow (Devon) and Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon (Somerset). The best of the rest included Marsh Warblers (Cleveland and West Yorkshire), Red-backed Shrike (Co Durham), Icterine Warbler and Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Serin (Norfolk), Night Heron (Shropshire) and Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 2nd June 2017 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was a Sooty Tern that flew south past Uisaed
Point, Argyll. Elsewhere, an Eastern Subalpine Warbler was new on the Orkney Isles on Sanday as were
Black-winged Stilts in East Sussex at Rye Harbour and The Midrips (2). Brief encounters included
Red-footed Falcons in Dorset and Kent, Black Kite in Derbyshire,
Bee-eater in Kent and at least one Barolo Shearwater reported at sea off Start Point, Devon. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Black Duck in Highland, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon together in Somerset, and territorial Savi's Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk. Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk), Short-toed Lark (Isles of Scilly), Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Golden Oriole (East Yorkshire), Marsh Warbler (Pembrokeshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Orkney Isles), Night Heron (Shropshire), Ring-necked Duck (Argyll), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Red-backed Shrike and Surf Scoter (both Shetland Isles), two each of Common Rosefinch, Hoopoe and Glossy Ibis, three Icterine Warblers and a total of 20 Cattle Egrets. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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