Daily news summaries

Catch up with RBA's daily birdnews summaries. Browse ten days at a time, or choose a date to read summaries from that day backwards.

Daily summaries are available from 13 April 2006. For earlier weekly reviews, visit our articles.

Choose a starting date
Tuesday 10th July 2007  
  With no new rarities being found it was long-staying rarities that proved the highlights today. The Glossy Ibis appeared again at Marshside Merseyside, the Great White Egret remained by Loch Lomond Clyde as the did the Bonaparte's Gull on South Uist Western Isles. In North Yorkshire the Spotted Sandpiper was seen again at Wykeham Lakes but access to this site is being denied.

Late news concerned the Killdeer remaining at Virkie, Shetland Isles until yesterday at least, and constituting the first summer record of this species in the British Isles.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 9th July 2007  
  The most notable discovery today was a Whiskered Tern present briefly at Machrihanish, Argyll. In Co Clare a Wilson's Petrel was seen from Bridges of Ross.

The Hudsonian Whimbrel remained on Walney Island Cumbria as did the Subalpine Warbler on Isle of May Fife, Lesser Yellowlegs at Broad Lough Co Wicklow and Bonaparate's Gull on South Uist Western Isles.

Late news from yesterday concerned a Great White Egret near Barcombe Mills, East Sussex.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 8th July 2007  
  A quiet day with highlights being several long-staying rarities. In Cumbria the Hudsonian Whimbrel was still on Walney Island as was the Subalpine Warbler on Isle of May Fife, Bonaparte's Gull on South Uist Western Isles and Great White Egret at Loch Lomond Clyde.

Balearic Shearwaters were again prominent off the English south coast with over 80 seen from Portland Bill, Dorset.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 7th July 2007  
  A quite quiet day on the rarity front today, new rarities being the belated news of the discovery of an adult Spotted Sandpiper in North Yorkshire on a private site, though there was no sign of it today.  The only other new rarities to be reported were a probable American Herring Gull in Cornwall and brief view of a possible Chimney Swift in Northumberland.

Other rarities today were the Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cumbria, Bonaparte's Gull on South Uist, King Eider in Argyll, Lesser Yellowlegs in Co. Wicklow,  Great White Egret in Clyde and the Ferruginous Duck still in Somerset.

Sea watching in the south and west today produced a couple of Cory's Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwater, a couple of Pomarine Skuas and again good numbers of Balearic Shearwaters and Storm Petrels.
-  Keith Langdon, RBA
Friday 6th July 2007  
  Following two sightings past the Bridges of Ross on Wednesday it seems the now traditional summer Wilson's Petrel season has kicked off in style with three birds seen today from a pelagic trip south of St Agnes on the Isles of Scilly. The only other new rarity to be found today was a Lesser Yellowlegs at Broad Lough in County Wicklow, while there was also belated news of a White-rumped Sandpiper at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire on Tuesday. Elsewhere it was another quiet day with remaining rarities represented by the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Walney Island, Cumbria and single Great White Egrets at Wards Pond, Clyde and Loch Doon, Ayrshire.

Strong westerly winds created some interest for seawatchers in the south and west as small numbers of Storm Petrels were blown onshore along the coast between Dorset and Dumfries and Galloway. The peak count came from Workington harbour in Cumbria where 100 passed in one hour. The highest count of Balearic Shearwaters once again came from Portland Bill in Dorset with 20 birds seen, while a huge count of 10,000 Manx Shearwaters passed St Ives, Cornwall.
-  Andy Symes, RBA
Thursday 5th July 2007  
  There was an unconfirmed report of a White-tailed Plover in Cambridgeshire today, seen in flight between Swaffham Prior and Swaffham Bulbeck. Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern put in another appearance on The Fylde in Lancashire, this time it was seen briefly at Lytham St.Anne's, before flying off. In Norfolk, a Black Kite flew over the A149 west of Holkham in the afternoon, whilst the Hudsonian Whimbrel could still be found at at Walney Island in Cumbria.

Both of the Great White Egrets found in Scotland yesterday were still present today, one in Ayrshire and one near Loch Lomond in Clyde, and on the Isle of May, the female Subalpine Warbler remained, albeit somewhat elusively. Seawatching along western approaches continued to yield Storm Petrels in small numbers, but off Portland there were over 90 Balearic Shearwaters and 5,000 Manx Shearwaters.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA
Wednesday 4th July 2007  
  The highlight of the day was a Black Stork watched circling over Bough Beech Reservoir, Kent before drifting off only to be relocated briefly over Eastry. Nearby, an Alpine Swift flew over Sandwich Bay. Single Great White Egrets were found at Wards Pond, Clyde and Loch Doon, Ayrshire.

The Hudsonian Whimbrel remained on Walney Island, Cumbria and late news from Scotland concerned the continued presence of the Subalpine Warbler on the Isle of May, Fife yesterday and a Dark-eyed Junco on 23rd June at Kylesku, Highland.

Seawatchers enjoyed two Wilson's Petrels off Bridges of Ross, Co Clare whilst in southwest England 55 Cory's Shearwaters passed Porthgwarra with a further 17 seen from St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 3rd July 2007  
  On what was a quiet day the highlight was once again a Caspian Tern, one being seen to flew over near Oundle, Northamptonshire.

Lingering rarities included the Hudsonian Whimbrel on Walney Island, Cumbria and the Squacco Heron at Radipole Lake, Dorset.

Otherwise, organised schemes allowing views of some of the rarest breeding birds in Britain remained popular, in particular the Montagu's Harriers at Digby Fen, Lincolnshire, Golden Orioles at Lakenheath Fen, Suffolk and Honey Buzzards at Great Ryburgh, Norfolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 2nd July 2007  
  The highlight of the day was a Caspian Tern in Lancashire. First glimpsed passing Rossall Point early afternoon before arriving at Knott End soon after and remaining over the high tide period before finally departing to the south.

Both the Hudsonian Whimbrel on Walney Island, Cumbria and Squacco Heron at Radipole Lake, Dorest remained in place.

Balearic Shearwaters again featured prominently at south coast seawatching localities including 44 passing Portland Bill, Dorset in the morning.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 1st July 2007  
  An otherwise quiet 'mid-summer' day was interrupted by the incredible news of a sub-adult Yellow-nosed Albatross picked up exhausted on Brean Beach in Somerset by walkers on Friday and taken into care at a local wildlife hospital overnight, then released, apparently in reasonable health, yesterday at Brean Down. Unfortunately for would be twitchers, it seems that the finders and 'carers' were not aware of the enormity of this find. This first for Britain was found on the same day as one was seen in Finnish waters but despite searches, it could not be relocated in the Brean area today. For further news and pictures see links in the bird news entry below.

Elsewhere the main rarity interest came from Cumbria where the Hudsonian Whimbrel remained at Walney Island, and Dorset where the Squacco Heron remained, somewhat elusively, at Radipole Lake RSPB reserve. The over-summering Killdeer was still to be found on Shetland Mainland, now back at Pool of Virkie, and in Norfolk, the Alpine Swift put in another brief appearance at Titchwell in the evening. Roseate Terns were popular attractions at Cley in Norfolk and Seaforth in Merseyside.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA