Tuesday 28 April 2009

LATEST SUMMARY



























































































RECENT IMAGES
Plates 1-4: WHISKERED TERNS, Willington GP, Derbyshire, 25-27 April (Glyn Sellors)
Plates 5-8: first-summer PURPLE HERON, Crossness LNR, London, 26-27 April (John Archer)
Plates 9-10: BLACK-WINGED STILT at Maxey GP, Cambs, 25 April (Will Bowell)
Plates 11-13: male BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL, Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk, 25 April (Ben Lewis)

This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert for Monday 27 April, issued at 2100 hours

A male WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER remains for a second day at Uskmouth RSPB (Gwent) but remains typically elusive (park in the RSPB visitor centre car park) whilst a female WOODCHAT SHRIKE was on gravestones in Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth (South Devon) throughout the day. A female MONTAGU'S HARRIER was seen at various locations on St Mary's (Scilly) with one of this weekend's RED-RUMPED SWALLOWS at Far Pasture NR near Gateshead just ENE of Rowlands Gill (Durham) briefly this morning and again this evening (another was at Atwick, East Yorks, for its second day).

Five of this weekend's unprecedented arrival of WHISKERED TERNS moved from Staffordshire south to Leicestershire, where from late morning until mid-afternoon they were feeding over the South Arm, with a further adult at Diddington Pit, Paxton Pits NR (Cambs) from mid-afternoon until mid-evening.

A first-summer PURPLE HERON flew west over Cley Marshes NWT and ESE over Salthouse and Kelling Quags (Norfolk) early morning, where the drake North American Green-winged Teal remains on Simmonds Scrape and the first-summer Eurasian Spoonbill in dykes west of West Bank. Meanwhile, the London first-summer PURPLE HERON returned to Cross Ness LNR, visiting once more the Great Breach Lagoon.

A WRYNECK was newly discovered, showing well by the path north of the eastern car park at Westleton Heath (Suffolk) this morning

Eight rather late BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were in Sycamores behind the bus stop on Askew Road West in Teams, Gateshead (Durham) with another two in Chapeltown, Leeds (West Yorks)

1-2 CATTLE EGRETS remain at Plex Moss (Lancs), in fields along Plex Moss Lane between the caravan park and the farm.

A DOTTEREL remains for a second day alongside the path next to the Beacon Stones at Axletree Edge (Grtr Manchester) at SD 983 139 (take Pennine Way south for 800 yards from the first car park on the A672) witrh a further three

Male BLACK-HEADED WAGTAILS appeared at Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on Saturday (25th) and on Holy Island (Northumberland) yesterday (26th)

The near-resident drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK remains at the north end of Wimbleball Lake (Somerset) (assuming this is the Chew bird) whilst in NE Scotland, the two SNOW GEESE remain with Pink-footed Geese at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire)

In IRELAND. the male WOODCHAT SHRIKE continues to show well in bushes in the boggy field between Ballydwan and Stradbally (Co. Waterford).