RARE BIRDS IN BRITAIN

With near gale force and very humid winds and weather blowing up from the Southwest of Europe on Friday, the weekend saw a remarkable run of early spring arrivals, with an additional 19 species pushing the annual tally of birds recorded in Britain and Ireland to 298 species - the highest number ever achieved by the first few days of April.
The latest additions are as follows -:

1) LEACH'S STORM PETREL (an exceptionally early individual windblown inland to Theale GP in Berkshire)

2) PURPLE HERON (two individuals in the Southwest - on Scilly and in Cornwall)

3) BLACK STORK (a very early individual flew NE over Scilly on 2 April and was seen making further headway NE in Somerset on 3 April)

4) Hobby (unusual number of very early migrants)

5) Wood Sandpiper (exceptionally early migrant in Cambs on 2 April)

6) Little Tern (several seen along the South Coast)

7) Common Cuckoo (25+ already arrived - extremely early)

8) ALPINE SWIFT (1-2 mobile individuals on the east coast and another in County Cork)

9) EUROPEAN BEE-EATER (two ridiculously early vagrants - in Cornwall and in Norfolk)

10) WRYNECK (two seen over the weekend in the Southwest)

11) GREATER SHORT-TOED LARK (one at Portland Bill on 3 April)

12) RED-RUMPED SWALLOW (the first to arrive was in West Cornwall)

13) RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL (an exceptional spring female at Durlston Head, Dorest, on 2-3 April)

14) Common Redstart (widespread arrival)

15) Grasshopper Warbler (very early reeler in Norfolk)

16) Western Reed Warbler (Radipole Lake recorded its first on 1 April)

17) WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER (a male in North Lincolnshire on 3 April)

18) Common Whitethroat (a few early arrivals on the South Coast)

19) Garden Warbler (exceptionally early male in Cambs)