Wednesday 28 April 2010

With a wave of earlier summer migrants than normal, total for year now reaches 320 species

The total number of species recorded in combined Britain and Ireland this year has now reached 320 species, with the addition of the following 18 since my last update in mid April -:

1) BLACK STORK (single vagrants in South Devon and Somerset);

2) Eurasian Honey Buzzard (3+ - slightly earlier than usual);

3) RED-FOOTED FALCON (male in Rutland on 27 April, early individual);

4) Common Quail (2 early calling birds);

5) Spotted Crake (5+, including a twitchable bird at Slimbridge);

6) Corncrake (1 in North Wales);

7) Pectoral Sandpiper (first spring migrant in Suffolk on 27 April);

8) Wood Sandpiper (23 birds, much earlier than normal);

9) Roseate Tern (5+, including some very early migrants at Dawlish Warren);

10) Black Tern (large arrival);

11) WHISKERED TERN (long-staying twitchable bird in Cornwall);

12) Common Swift (widespread arrival, in much larger numbers earlier than normal);

13) EUROPEAN BEE-EATER (7+, including two on Mull);

14) BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL (twitchable male in Northumberland);

15) SAVI'S WARBLER (reeling male at Marazion Marsh, Cornwall, for several days);

16) WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER (5+ including a twitchable male in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset);

17) Golden Oriole (early migrants)