190 © British Birds 100 • March 2007 • 190–192

News and comment

New recordersKevin Clements is the new West Midlands County Bird Recorder.Kevin’s contact details are 26 Hambrook Close, Dunstall Park,Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV6 0XA; e-mail west-mids-recorder@westmidlandbirdclub.com; tel. 01902 568997.

Paul Harvey has taken over from Micky Maher as Recorder for Shet-land. Contact Paul at the Shetland Biological Records Centre, ShetlandAmenity Trust, Gartspool, Lerwick ZE1 0NY; e-mail sbrc@zetnet.co.uk;tel. 01595 694688.

Brian Rabbitts has taken over from Andrew Stevenson as Recorder forthe Western Isles. Brian’s contact details are 6 Carinish, North Uist, OuterHebrides HS6 5HL; e-mail rabbitts@hebrides.net; tel. 01876 580328.

Geri Thomas has taken over from Steve Moon as Recorder for EastGlamorgan. Contact Geri at 9 Julians Close, Gelligaer, Hengoed,Glamorgan CF82 8DT; e-mail geri.thomas@btopenworld.com; tel. 01443836949.

BTO Atlas2007–2011

BB editorial board member DawnBalmer has been appointed as AtlasCo-ordinator for the forthcomingcombined breeding and winteringBTO Atlas, fieldwork for which willbe conducted between 2007 and2011. Congratulations Dawn! Thiswill be the third breeding-bird atlasfor Britain & Ireland – but the firstto be edited by a woman. Conversely,the forthcoming Birds of Scotland(www.birdsofscotland.org.uk), thethird version of a Scottish avifauna,will be the first to be edited by men!

News and comment

Christopher HelmChristopher Helm died on 20thJanuary, shortly before his 70thbirthday. A towering presence inornithological publishing – and inreal life at 2 m tall – Christopher

came to the aid of BB as it strug-gled to remain viable in the late1990s. A full obituary will appearin BB in due course; in the mean-time, donations in his memory can

be made to the Cystic FibrosisTrust, c/o C. Waterhouse & Sons,High Street, Burwash, East SussexTN19 7ET, with a note mentioningChristopher.

Compiled by Barry Nightingale and Eric Dempsey

Recent reports

This summary of uncheckedreports covers early Januaryto early February 2007.

Falcated Duck Anas falcataStrumpshaw Fen (Norfolk),20th January; Cliffe (Kent),long-stayer to 3rd February.Blue-winged Teal Anas discorsNorth Bull Island (Co.Dublin), long-stayer to 21stJanuary. Lesser Scaup Aythyaaffinis Clea Lakes (Co. Down),long-stayer to 4th February;Sonning Eye Gravel-pits(Oxfordshire), long-stayer to4th February; Benbecula(Western Isles), two long-stayers to 4th February, oneto 7th. Black Scoter Melanittaamer icana Llanfairfechan(Conwy), long-stayer to 7th February. BuffleheadBucephala albeola Lough

79. Juvenile Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica, Farnham Gravel-pits,North Yorkshire, February 2007.

John

Car

ter

Atedaun (Co. Clare), long-stayer to 6th Feb-ruary; Unst (Shetland), long-stayer to 20thJanuary. Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephalaislandica Quoile Pondage (Co. Down), long-stayer to at least 26th January; Callander(Forth), long-stayer to 8th February.

Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica Farnham Gravel-pits(North Yorkshire), from about 10th January to

4th February; Llys-y-FranReservoir (Pembrokeshire),2nd–5th February.

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibisSevenoaks (Kent), 31stJanuary; Pulborough Brooks(West Sussex), 1st February;Otterton (Devon), long-stayer to 27th January. GreatWhite Egret Ardea albaSheppey (Kent), 13thJanuary; Walberswick(Suffolk), 7th February;Blashford Lakes (Hamp-shire), long-stayer to 21stJanuary.

‘Black-eared Kite’ Milvusmigrans lineatus Snettisham(Norfolk), long-stayer to 4thFebruary. Gyr Falcon Falco

rusticolus Stepper Point (Cornwall), at least30th–31st January.

American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica MaerLake (Devon), 19th–20th January. Long-billedDowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus Dundalk(Co. Louth), 9th–31st January; Inland Sea(Anglesey), 26th–29th January; Oare Marshes(Kent), long-stayer to 7th February. Lesser

191British Birds 100 • March 2007 • 190–192

Recent reports

80. Juvenile Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica, Farnham Gravel-pits,North Yorkshire, February 2007.

Sim

on S

tirru

p

81. First-winter Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes,Thornham, Norfolk, January 2007.

Iain

Lea

ch

192 British Birds 100 • March 2007 • 190–192

82. First-winter male ‘Black-throated Thrush’ Turdus ruficollis atrogularis Rothesay, Isle of Bute, February 2007.

Chris

Gal

vinRecent reports

Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Thornham (Norfolk),13th January to 4th February; Roscarberry (Co.Cork), long-stayer to 23rd January. SpottedSandpiper Actitis macular ius Hayle Estuary(Cornwall), long-stayer to 8th February.

Laughing Gull Larus atricilla In Devon, oneNewton Abbot area, 13th–20th January, Stover,24th–25th January and Preston, 4th February.Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan Aberystwyth(Ceredigion), 19th January. Bonaparte’s Gull

Larus philadelphia Whitehead (Co. Antrim),9th–21st January; Dingle (Co. Kerry), 15thJanuary; Otter Estuary (Devon), 31st January to2nd February; Ferryden (Angus), long-stayer to8th February; St Mary’s and Tresco (Scilly),long-stayer to 7th February. ‘American HerringGull’ Larus argentatus smithsonianus, Nimmo’sPier (Co. Galway), 14th–31st January. Forster’sTern Sterna forsteri Nimmo’s Pier, 25th Januaryto 4th February; Pilmore Strand (Co. Cork),28th January to at least 6th February.

Red-throated Pipit Anthuscervinus Rogerstown (Co.Dublin), long-stayer to 20thJanuary. ‘Black-throatedThrush’ Turdus ruficol l isatrogularis Rothesay (Bute), atleast 28th January to 7th Feb-ruary. American RobinTurdus migrator ius Bingley(West Yorkshire), at least24th January to 4th February.Penduline Tit Remiz pen-dul inus Rainham Marshes(Greater London/ Essex),long-stayer to 3rd February,joined by at least one other,14th January. Little BuntingEmber iza pusi l la AmwellGravel-pits (Hertfordshire),31st January to 7th February.

83. First-winter American Robin Turdus migratorius, Bingley,West Yorkshire,January 2007.

Ian

Butle

r