News Summary for Today Tuesday 28 June

Nick Littlewood went one further last night and located an apparent adult drake NORTH AMERICAN BLACK SCOTER in with the 1,200 or so strong scoter raft loafing offshore for the summer off Murcar Links Golf Course, just north of Aberdeen (Aberdeenshire). It was only a matter of time this was going to happen, particularly with a nigra off Bamburgh and Stag Rocks in Northumberland much earlier in the year (and last reported on 16 June). The moulting flock still harbours at least 4 SURF SCOTERS but the first-year drake North American White-winged Scoter has not been seen since Thursday evening (per Nick Littlewood).

Elsewhere in Scotland, we have the drake NORTH AMERICAN BLACK DUCK on the north shore of Loch Sunart, 4 miles to the west of Strontian (Highland), and the gorgeous male COMMON ROSEFINCH still whistling away by the village hall, Spar shop and bowling green in the beautifully picturesque surroundings of Nethy Bridge in Speyside. Both drake RING-NECKED DUCKS are still lingering with Tufted Ducks on Orkney - at Loch of Bosquoy

On the Isles of Scilly, a BLACK KITE is lingering for its third day, commuting widely between the islands and especially liking both Tresco and St Mary's, whilst another WILSON'S STORM PETREL was seen from an offshore pelagic last night, in amongst 20 or so British Storm Petrels about six miles south of Scilly. A single EUROPEAN BEE-EATER also still lingers on St Mary's.

A GLOSSY IBIS was an odd late June arrival at Stodmarsh NNR (Kent) yesterday, where it performed in front of the Marsh Hide until 1955 hours and then flew SE., whilst an ALPINE SWIFT was seen several times about the Spurn Point peninsular (East Yorks).

Otherwise, a list of long-stayers to complete the species on offer at present: the GREAT WHITE EGRET and first-year GLAUCOUS GULL at Dungeness (Kent), the COMMON CRANES at Nosterfield (North Yorks) and Saxby (Lincs) and the juvenile WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLE in Lincolnshire 6.5 miles south of Louth and 2.5 miles SW of the A16 near Burwell at Ruckland in trees by Ruckland Ponds.

In IRELAND, the summering adult FORSTER'S TERN is still to be found at Tacumshin Lake (County Wexford).