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| Monday 21st May 2018 | ||
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| New discoveries included Long-billed Dowitcher (Western
Isles), Red-footed Falcon (Wiltshire), Red-throated
Pipit (Isles of Scilly) and Bee-eaters (Dorset and
Gloucestershire), whilst Iberian Chiffchaffs (Cornwall [2],
North Yorkshire and Wirral), Lesser Scaup (Berkshire),
Savi's Warbler (Norfolk), King Eider (Aberdeenshire)
and Red-rumped Swallow (Essex) all lingered. The best of the rest included Marsh Warbler (Kent), Serin (Cornwall), Ring-billed Gull (Western Isles), two each of Red-backed Shrike, Short-toed Lark, Temminck's Stint, American Wigeon and Red-necked Phalarope, four Honey Buzzards and five White-winged Black Terns. |
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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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| Sunday 20th May 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Rustic Bunting on the Shetland Isles on Noss. Elsewhere, the
Black-winged Stilt returned to Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire, Black Kite and
Bee-eater were both seen briefly in Cornwall and a Bee-eater flew over in Cleveland. Lingering rarities confirmed as sill present were the American White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Forster's Tern in County Wexford, Lesser Scaup in Berkshire, Bee-eater in Kent and territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs in Cornwall (2) and North Yorkshire, Wirral. Scarcities included single White-winged Black Terns in Lancashire, Leicestershire and North Yorkshire, Kentish Plover (Kent), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), Wryneck (Cornwall), Red-necked Phalarope (South Yorkshire), Purple Heron (Somerset), Pectoral Sandpiper (Anglesey), American Wigeon (County Wexford), Ring-necked Duck (Western Isles), Dotterel (Devon), two each of both Hoopoe and Glossy Ibis, and three of Temminck's Stint and Cattle Egret. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 19th May 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the popular Terek Sandpiper in Sussex, present for its second day at Rye Harbour NR. Other new discoveries included singing Iberian Chiffchaffs at Otley, North Yorkshire and Hayle, Cornwall, a Red-footed Falcon at Worth and a Bee-eater at Dungeness, both Kent, single Alpine Swifts over Skomer, Pembrokeshire and Skewjack, Cornwall, single Red-rumped Swallows over The Naze, Essex and Ventnor Downs, Isle of Wight, single Black Kites over The Lizard, Cornwall and Whitehaven, Cumbria and a White-billed Diver at Talmine, Highland.
Lingering rarities included the Iberian Chiffchaff in Wirral, Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, Black-winged Stilt in Leicestershire, Forster's Tern in County Wexford and King Eider in Aberdeenshire. Scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Red-spotted Bluethroat, a Hoopoe, a Rose-coloured Starling, an Icterine Warbler, a Marsh Warbler, a Serin, three Red-backed Shrikes, a Red-necked Phalarope, three Dotterel, five Temminck's Stints, a White Stork, two Glossy Ibises, a Ring-necked Duck, two Green-winged Teals, a Kumlien's Gull, two Glaucous Gulls and three Iceland Gulls. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Friday 18th May 2018 | ||
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| New discoveries today included a female Subalpine Warbler on Tory Island, County Donegal, two Bee-eaters over Lizard and a Black Kite over Sancreed, both Cornwall, a Bee-eater at Sandwich Bay, Kent, a Tawny Pipit at Soar, Devon, a Lesser Scaup at Lower Farm GPs, Berkshire and a Black-winged Stilt at Ferry Meadows Country Park, Cambridgeshire.
Lingering rarities included the Song Sparrow on Fair Isle, Shetland, Iberian Chiffchaff at Thurstaston, Wirral, Black-winged Stilt at Rutland, Leicestershire and the Forster's Tern at Tacumshin, County Wexford. Scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Common Rosefinch, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Hoopoe, a Golden Oriole, a Marsh Warbler, a Serin, three Red-backed Shrikes, a Spotted Crake, a White-winged Black Tern, a Purple Heron, two Glossy Ibises, seven Long-tailed Skuas, two Glaucous Gulls, four Iceland Gulls, an American Wigeon, two Ring-necked Ducks, two Honey Buzzards, a Dotterel and three Temminck's Stints. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 17th May 2018 | ||
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| New discoveries included Eastern Subalpine Warbler and
Blyth's Reed Warbler (Shetland) and Red-rumped Swallow
(Northumberland), whilst Song Sparrow (Shetland),
Eastern Subalpine Warbler (East Yorkshire), Red-rumped Swallow
(Suffolk), Lesser Yellowlegs (Western Isles), Iberian
Chiffchaffs (Cornwall and Wirral), Black-winged Stilt
(Norfolk), Forster's Tern (Co Wexford), Snowy Owl
(Western Isles), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll) and three
White-billed Divers (Co Donegal) all lingered. The best of the rest included Purple Heron (Somerset), Dotterels (Shetland and Isles of Scilly), Marsh Warbler (Highland), Rose-coloured Starling (Northumberland) and Common Rosefinch and Temminck's Stint (Norfolk). |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 16th May 2018 | ||
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| The Song Sparrow and Crag Martin both
remained on Fair Isle (Shetland). New discoveries included Eastern
Subalpine Warbler (East Yorkshire) and Lesser Yellowlegs
(Western Isles), whilst American Bittern (Suffolk) and
King Eider and White-billed Diver (Aberdeenshire) all
lingered. The best of the rest included Ortolan Bunting (Shetland), two Temminck's Stints, three Bluethroats and eight Dotterel. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 15th May 2018 | ||
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| Another exciting day on the Shetland Isles where on Fair Isle a Song Sparrow
was trapped and ringed early in the morning and then showed throughout the day. Although only the eighth British record it was the fourth for Fair Isle, where the
Crag Martin found yesterday remained. Elsewhere on Shetland a Terek Sandpiper arrived at the Pool of Virkie and
a Bee-eater flew over Sandwick but on Unst neither the Marmora's Warbler
nor Black-faced Bunting could not be found. Otherwise rarities comprised the Semipalmated Sandpiper still on the Western Isles, Iberian Chiffchaff on the Wirral, territorial Savi's Warbler in Norfolk, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and a Black-winged Stilt new in Essex at Old Hall Marshes. Scarcities included Red-breasted Flycatcher (Norfolk), Common Rosefinch (Anglesey), Red-backed Shrike (East Yorkshire), Kentish Plover (Essex), Temminck's Stint (Cleveland), American Wigeon (Northumberland) and Cattle Egret (Suffolk), two each of Red-spotted Bluethroat, Purple Heron and Surf Scoter, four Glossy Ibises and a total of eight migrant Dotterel. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 14th May 2018 | ||
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| An exceptional day for the Shetland Isles with three mega rarities discovered during the afternoon and evening. First to be found was the seventh British record of
Marmora's Warbler on Unst at Baliasta that was quickly followed by the seventh British record of
Black-faced Bunting at Norwick, just four miles away. Later in the evening the eleventh British record of Crag Martin was located on Fair Isle. Additional notables around the Shetland Isles today included
Red-breasted Flycatcher, Marsh Warbler, two Red-backed Shrikes and a total of six
Bluethroats. Elsewhere new rarities comprised a Rustic Bunting on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, two Bee-eaters briefly in East Yorkshire at Spurn and fly-over Black Kites in both Pembrokeshire and Suffolk, whilst lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Laughing Gull on the Isles of Scilly, Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Western Isles, Iberian Chiffchaff on the Wirral and Savi's Warbler in Norfolk. Further scarcities included Red-spotted Bluethroat (Dorset), Red-breasted Flycatcher and Red-backed Shrike (both East Yorkshire), Kentish Plover (Essex), Ring-necked Duck (Western Isles), four Glossy Ibises and five migrant Dotterel. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 13th May 2018 | ||
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| Discoveries today included a Red-rumped Swallow in Suffolk at Shingle Street, a Black Kite in Gwynedd over Bardsey Island, now two
White-billed Divers together in County Donegal and brief encounters with
Red-footed Falcon (Hampshire) and Bee-eater (Isles of Scilly). Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were both the Northern Harrier and Laughing Gull on the Isles of Scilly, American Bittern and Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper in Avon, Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Western Isles, Savi's Warbler and Black-winged Stilt in Norfolk, White-billed Diver in Moray and territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs in both Cornwall and the Wirral. Scarcities were headlined by a total of 12 Bluethroats with an associated arrival of six Red-backed Shrikes, a Golden Oriole (Somerset) and a Marsh Warbler (Shetland Isles). Otherwise Kentish Plover (Essex), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Cattle Egret (Lancashire), Lapland Bunting (Shetland Isles), two Temminck's Stints, three Glossy Ibises and a total of 19 migrant Dotterel was logged. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 12th May 2018 | ||
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| A male Northern Harrier was on St Mary's (Isles of Scilly)
for its second day, having originally been misidentified as a Montagu's Harrier.
Elsewhere new discoveries included Great Reed Warbler
(Suffolk), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Western Isles),
Black Kite (Suffolk) and both Black-headed Wagtail and
Black-winged Stilt (Norfolk). Lingering rarities included American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), American Bittern (Suffolk), King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Savi's Warblers (Norfolk and Suffolk), Laughing Gull (Scilly), Spotted Sandpiper (Somerset), Lesser Yellowlegs (Western Isles) and Iberian Chiffchaff (Wirral). A Serin (Cornwall), Hoopoe (Lancashire), Purple Heron (Hampshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), two Marsh Warblers, three Red-backed Shrikes, five Bluethroats and five Temminck's Stints were the best of the scarcities. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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