FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Feb 18th 2016, 16:00, by Roger Riddington A Yelkouan Shearwater  Puffinus yelkouan  seen off Berry Head, Devon, on 29th July 2008 has finally been accepted, and becomes the 600th bird on the British List.  The bird was seen by Mike Langman and Mark Darlaston while looking for a similar species, Balearic Shearwater  P .  mauretanicus . Balearic (above) and Yelkouan Shearwater (below), Castellon, Spain, December 2014. This side-by-side comparison reveals the larger size and bulky, pot-bellied structure of Balearic, and the slimmer, more attenuated appearance of Yelkouan. Pic by Victor Paris. The Yelkouan Shearwater breeds on islands and coastal cliffs in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly in the east. The majority of the Yelkouan population moves east outside the breeding season to winter in the Black Sea, but small numbers (presumably of the westernmost breeding birds) are known to move west and enter the North Atlantic to find food during ...

The week at a glance (21st - 27th of October) Chestnut Bunting  on Papa Westray Chimney Swift  briefly in Co Cork Blyth's Pipit  still on Scilly Another  White's Thrush  on Shetland Apparent  Short-toed Treecreeper  in East Sussex Few people paid much attention to a report of a  Yellowhammer  on Papa Westray, Orkney, last Monday until a poor-quality photo emerged late on the Tuesday evening, suggesting it might be something altogether rarer. It was not until 24 hours later, late on Wednesday evening, that further images emerged and served to confirm suspicions — the bird, with its rich chestnut hue on the upperparts, face and in particular tertial fringes, was surely a  Chestnut Bunting ! With no sign of the bird since it was briefly seen on the Tuesday, the automatic assumption was that it had gone — a potential first for Britain seemingly slipped through the net and rendered untwitchable. It was therefore somethi...

Juvenile Hen Harrier by Jude Lane Hen harrier chicks have been fitted with high-tech satellite tags as part of a new RSPB initiative to help conserve England’s most threatened bird of prey. The chicks, which are approximately four weeks old, are currently being raised in a nest on the United Utilities Bowland Estate. The site is traditionally the stronghold for the English hen harrier and the RSPB has worked with the water company and its shooting tenants to protect the birds there for more than 30 years. The hen harrier nest is the first successful one in England since 2012 and one of only three in the whole of England this year. Chicks produced in the other English nests – one of which is also on the United Utilities Bowland Estate –will also be fitted with satellite tags when they are large enough. The satellite tags were supplied by Natural England and fitted by Stephen Murphy, the Agency’s lead adviser for hen harriers. He said:  “The lightweight satellite tags...

Black-throated Diver by  Chris Gomersall A pioneering project to recreate ideal breeding habitat for one of Scotland’s rarest birds on some Scottish lochs has met with remarkable success. The black-throated diver, a species that only breeds in freshwater lochs in the north-west of the country, is benefitting from the scheme to create special floating rafts that provide the necessary conditions to breed and raise chicks.

The White-throated Needletail on the Isle of Harris, by David Campbell An enthusiast who travelled to the Western Isles to view a rare bird has told of his "dismay" after watching it fly into a wind turbine and die. The white-throated needletail, which breeds in Asia and winters in Australasia, was spotted on Harris. About 30 birdwatchers travelled to the island to see the unusual visitor, which has only been recorded five times in the UK since 1950. However, they then saw it die after colliding with the wind turbine. Birdwatcher David Campbell, from Surrey, told the BBC Scotland news website that the incident took place late on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Campbell, who is now making his way home to south east England, said: "We just watched the whole thing with dismay." He added that on a previous bird watching trip he had seen a migratory wryneck hit by a train. A relative of the common swift, the white-throated needletail is s...

Updated 3rd Edition, by Lee G R Evans --> When Lee Evans'  Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds  was published in 1996 it became an instant classic. For the first time in one place, British birders could discover how and where to see over 100 rarer and more difficult-to-find species. These are the birds that can make birding such an exciting and rewarding activity: there is nothing quite like the thrill of tracking down and observing elusive and attractive species such as Hawfinch, Spotted Crake and Honey Buzzard. Now BirdGuides has re-published Lee Evans' original guide in a fully revised, updated and extended edition. The information has been carefully reviewed for accuracy and also remembering the need to protect vulnerable breeders. The species accounts have been further enhanced with more than 60 new vignettes from illustrator Ray Scally. For each of the 142 species covered this book tells you all you need to know, including: where to look - ...

For the Latest Mega, Rare, Scarce & Uncommon Bird Sightings, Reports, Records, News & Updates from BirdGuides, Rare Bird Network, Rare Bird Alert & Going Birding?, all in one place, just visit our ' Latest Sightings ' page, or  click here .