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.

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Thursday 3rd January 2008  
  New Cattle Egrets today included one in Cheshire, at Neston and one in Ceredigion, near Borth. A redpoll at Marsh Lane NR, West Midlands has been re-identified as an Arctic Redpoll. This bird is an unusual specimen, and has sparked much debate on online forums over its identity.

Lingering rarities included three Ross's Geese in Norfolk, White-tailed Eagle in Hampshire, two Hume's Yellow-browed Warblers on the south coast, and upwards of 25 Cattle Egrets. The female Ferruginous Duck reappeared at Theale GPs, Berkshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 2nd January 2008  
  Another egret day, with at least four Great White and at least 51 Cattle Egrets reported. The White-tailed Eagle was reported again in Hampshire, and two Hume's Yellow-browed Warblers remained on the south coast.

Other lingering rarities included Lesser Scaup in Warwickshire, Lesser Yellowlegs again in Angus with another still in Suffolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon, Red-breasted Geese in Dumfries and Galloway and Sussex, Spotted Sandpipers in Forth and Glamorgan, and a high count of three adult Ross's Geese in Norfolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 1st January 2008  
  Just like the end of 2007, the first day of 2008 was full of Cattle Egrets. New birds were discovered at Leigh upon Mendip and Chapel Cleeve, both in Somerset, and five arrived in Bideford, Devon. Impressive numbers remained in Cornwall, including a flock of 18 near Drift. Much further north, the lone bird remained in Dumfries and Galloway.

Hume's Yellow-browed Warblers were still in Cot Valley, Cornwall and at Beachy Head, East Sussex, the Desert Wheatear was still in North Yorkshire and Spotted Sandpipers were present in Forth and Glamorgan. Other lingering rarities included Lesser Yellowlegs in Suffolk, Red-breasted Goose in West Sussex/Hampshire, Wilson's Snipe on Isles of Scilly, Lesser Scaups in Warwickshire and Western Isles, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire and Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon.

Great White Egrets were at Peacehaven, East Sussex, Blashford Lakes HWT, Hampshire, Newtown, Powys, Ouse Washes RSPB, Cambridgeshire and North Warren RSPB, Suffolk.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 31st December 2007  
  Cattle Egrets continued to dominate proceedings on New Years Eve - at least 51 were reported, the majority still in southwest England.

Hume's Yellow-browed Warblers remained at Beachy Head, East Sussex and Cot Valley, Cornwall and in North Yorkshire the long-staying Desert Wheatear was still at Cromer Point. Other lingering rarities included the Lesser Yellowlegs in Suffolk, Lesser Scaups in Warwickshire and Western Isles, Red-breasted Goose in West Sussex, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire and Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon

A Great White Egret appeared at Thorpeness, Suffolk, the Short-toed Lark remained at Long Nanny, Northumberland and a Richard's Pipit was still at Terrington Marsh, Norfolk.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 30th December 2007  
  Yesterdays Yellow-browed Warbler at Beachy Head, Sussex was re-identified today as a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler, with the Cornwall bird remaining elusive. New Great White Egrets were found in Leicestershire and in Powys, and up to 48 Cattle Egrets were seen.

The Lesser Scaup remained in Warwickshire, Desert Wheatear in Yorkshire, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Suffolk, 2 King Eiders in Aberdeenshire with the Bonaparte's Gull nearby and two Red-breasted Geese in Sussex and Dumfries and Galloway.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 29th December 2007  
  At least 35 Cattle Egrets remain across Great Britain today, with birds as far east as Cambridgeshire, and north to Dumfries and Galloway. The majority are in Cornwall, with a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in the same county still. Nearby, the Long-billed Dowitcher is still in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh, and the Red-breasted Goose remains at West Wittering, Sussex.

There is a first winter drake King Eider at Leven, Fife, and the Spotted Sandpiper was seen again in Forth at Kinneil Lagoon. Further south, the Desert Wheatear lingers in North Yorkshire, Lesser Scaup in Warwickshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Suffolk and Great White Egret in Cambridgeshire.

Best of the rest includes a Pallas's Warbler still in Suffolk, whilst in Ireland the Black Duck in County Donegal relocated to Blanket Nook.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 28th December 2007  
  In Cornwall the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler remained on show in Cot Valley throughout the day. Elsewhere in the county fourteen Cattle Egrets were available, a lower total than in recent days. Away from Cornwall Cattle Egrets continued to grace Cambridgeshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Devon, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset and Co Cork.

In Oxfordshire the juvenile Arctic Canadian gull, either a Thayer's Gull or hybrid reappeared at Dix Pit, the White-tailed Eagle was seen again in Hampshire and a Wilson's Snipe remained on Isles of Scilly. Other lingering rarities included Lesser Scaups in Warwickshire and Western Isles, Red-breasted Goose in West Sussex, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Ferruginous Duck in Berkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Suffolk and Spotted Sandpiper in Glamorgan.

The best of the rest included the Pallas's Warbler in Suffolk, Hoopoe in Hampshire, Great White Egrets in Cambridgeshire and Hampshire and Richard's Pipit in Norfolk.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 27th December 2007  
  Possibly as many as 57 Cattle Egrets were recorded today, with new birds arriving in Co Cork (a flock of nine roosted at Clonakilty), Cornwall (at a handful of new sites) and in Hampshire (a single near Fordingbridge). Cornwall continued to host the lion's share of egrets but singles in Cambridgeshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and West Sussex and six in Dorset were all well received.

Lingering rarities included the American Buff-bellied Pipit at Red Barn Strand, Co Cork, Wilson's Snipe on Isles of Scilly, Desert Wheatear at Cromer Point, North Yorkshire, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Spotted Sandpiper in Forth, two King Eiders in Aberdeenshire and Lesser Yellowlegs in Angus.

A Hoopoe remained near Alton, Hampshire, the Short-toed Lark continued its stay in Northumberland and in Suffolk the Pallas's Warbler was still in Gunton.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 26th December 2007  
  Boxing Day produced several lingering rarities, including the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Lesser Scaup in Warwickshire, Desert Wheatear in North Yorkshire, Wilson's Snipe on Isles of Scilly, Great White Egrets in Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, Red-breasted Geese in West Sussex and Dumfries and Galloway, Spotted Sandpipers in Forth and Glamorgan and a couple of King Eiders in Aberdeenshire.

Cattle Egrets were still abundant - although the majority remained in Cornwall, singles arrived in St Neots, Cambridgeshire and East Lavant, West Sussex and the Dumfries and Galloway individual remained at Gatehouse of Fleet.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 25th December 2007  
  The highlight of the day was confirmation of a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler at Cot Valley, Cornwall; this bird had been present for four days and initially believed to be a Yellow-browed Warbler. In Somerset a Great White Egret was discovered at Catcott Lows and in Cornwall a Pacific Diver was reported again at St Austell Bay.

Elsewhere, two Wilson's Snipes were seen together on the Isles of Scilly with other lingering rarities including the Desert Wheatear in North Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Aberdeenshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Angus, Spotted Sandpipers in both Forth and Glamorgan, Lesser Scaups in both County Down and Wiltshire and single Great White Egrets in Cambridgeshire, County Londonderry and the Western Isles.

The thirty four Cattle Egrets seen today comprised singles in both Dumfries and Galloway and Gloucestershire with the remainder in Cornwall (fourteen near Helston, nine near St Ives, seven near Sancreed and singles at both Polgigga and St Buryan).
-  Chris Batty, RBA