jhiggott@oyster.axion.bt.co.uk (Jeff Higgott) (11/08/89)
Some recent bird news from Britain includes the occurence of three rare transatlantic vagrants: In the middle weekend of October, a Red-breasted Nuthatch was found in Norfolk on the east coast. This is the first record for Britain and only the second for Europe (the other record concerns a single bird in Iceland). The bird is still present at the time of writing. This bird was followed a week and a half later by a Yellow-billed Cuckoo which spent a day in Suffolk. This is about the 50th record for Britain. Another first for Britain occurred on the last day of October when a Mourning Dove was trapped on the Isle Of Man. The bird was very light and unfortunately failed to survive the night, being found dead the next day. This bird, if accepted will be the first record for Europe. Other more expected American vagrants to have been seen here recently were 3 Red-eyed Vireos in Southwest England (the species is now of almost annual occurrance in Britain), several Pectoral Sandpipers and a small number of Ring-billed Gulls. The last two are now regularly recorded in Britain. Jeff Higgott jeff *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* * Jeff Higgott # Phone + 44 473 645684 * * RT3121 # E-Mail jhiggott@axion.bt.co.uk * * * * British Telecom Research Laboratories * * Martlesham Heath, IPSWICH IP5 7RE, Suffolk, England * * * * "Oh well, enough said" - SPM * *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*