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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Friday 21st November 2008  
  Today's star discovery was a brief juvenile Ivory Gull in Lerwick, Mainland Shetland. Elsewhere lingering rarities included the Sardinian Warbler in Devon, Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire and Forster's Tern in Co Galway.

A Surf Scoter and Common Crane in Devon, Yellow-browed Warbler on Isles of Scilly, Pectoral Sandpiper in Co Down, Serin in London and five Rough-legged Buzzards (including the group on three in East Yorkshire) were all notable, as was the continued presence of large Waxwing flocks, mainly in Scotland.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 20th November 2008  
  A Snowy Owl on North Uist, Western Isles and an American Golden Plover at North Duffield Carrs, North Yorkshire were today's main new discoveries.

Lingering rarities included the Lincolnshire Steppe Grey Shrike, North Yorkshire Two-barred Crossbill, Devon Sardinian Warbler, Cumbria Cattle Egret, Hampshire Red-breasted Goose and Ferruginous Ducks in Glamorgan and Essex. A Common Rosefinch was discovered in Whitburn, Co Durham and at least five Rough-legged Buzzards were logged, including an exceptional record of three together at Millington Pastures, East Yorkshire.

Significant late news related to the reidentification of the shrike present on North Uist on Tuesday as a Brown Shrike.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 19th November 2008  
  The only new discovery today was an American Golden Plover at Cockersand, Lancashire. Late news from Saturday involved a drake Blue-winged Teal at Drakelow Wildfowl Reserve, Derbyshire.

The Dark-eyed Junco wasn't seen all day, but longer staying rarities consisted of the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Sardinian Warbler in Devon, Two-barred Crossbill in Yorkshire, Cattle Egret in Cumbria, Ferruginous Duck in Glamorgan, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, single Great White Egrets in Greater Manchester and Hampshire and Lesser Scaup in County Down.

Todays Waxwing tally was at  least 1,629 birds, still mostly in the north of the country.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 18th November 2008  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Turkestan Shrike on the Western Isles near Vallay Strand on North Uist. Nearby a Richardson's Canada Goose was fond on Berneray.

Lingering rarities comprised the Dark-eyed Junco in Somerset, Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Sardinian Warbler in Devon, Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire, Pied Wheatear in East Yorkshire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Long-billed Dowitcher on the Western Isles, Hooded Merganser in Dorset, Lesser Scaups in both Clyde and County Down, Ferruginous Ducks in both Glamorgan and Hertfordshire, Cattle Egrets in Cumbria, Kent and Somerset (2) and Great White Egrets in both Greater Manchester and Hampshire.

Waxwing reports totalled around 1,676 birds in 25 counties including maximums of 440 in Clyde, 174 in Forth, 167 in Aberdeenshire, 122 in Ayrshire and 120 in Angus.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 17th November 2008  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a brief American Black Tern on South Uist, Western Isles – only the second British record.

Lingering rarities comprised the Dark-eyed Junco in Somerset, Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Sardinian Warbler and King Eider in Devon, Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire, Cattle Egret in Cumbria, Great White Egret in County Galway, Hooded Merganser in Dorset, single Lesser Scaups in both Cornwall and Gloucestershire and Ferruginous Ducks in Glamorgan and Leicestershire.

The Waxwing tally for the day reached a minimum of 1,153 birds in eighteen counties including 289 in Ayrshire, 160 in Cleveland, 137 in Clyde, 120 in Lothian, 114 in Highland and 107 in Dumfries and Galloway.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 16th November 2008  
  Find of the day was a male Dark-eyed Junco in an East Coker garden, Somerset - the bird showed on and off up until dusk.

Lingering rarities included the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire, American Golden Plover in Cambridgeshire (a new bird was also discovered in Essex), Sardinian Warbler in Devon, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire and in Yorkshire the Pied Wheatear was re-found a couple of miles along the coast from its previous location, at Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Waxwings were still extremely abundant and an unconfirmed report of a Nutcracker in a Wimborne Minster garden, Dorset will set pulses racing if the record is confirmed tomorrow.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 15th November 2008  
  The Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Pied Wheatear and Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire and Sardinian Warbler in Devon all remained on show today. New discoveries included a Desert Wheatear at Donmouth, Aberdeenshire, Cattle Egret at Back Saltholme Pool, Cleveland (joining the drake Blue-winged Teal that remained at the same site) and a Ferruginous Duck was discovered at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Glamorgan.

In Co Down the adult drake Barrow's Goldeneye returned to the Quoile Pondage for its fourth winter and nearby a Lesser Scaup also returned to Clea Lakes. Other wildfowl highlights included Lesser Scaups in Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire and the King Eider remained in Devon.

A Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was still on St Mary's Island, Northumberland, the Greater Manchester Great White Egret relocated to Elton Reservoir and in Hampshire the adult Red-breasted Goose was still at Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 14th November 2008  
  New arrivals today included a drake Blue-winged Teal at Back Saltholme Pool, Cleveland, a drake Ferruginous Duck at Groby Pool, Leicestershire, American Golden Plovers in County Clare and Cambridgeshire and Great White Egrets in Norfolk, Essex and Kent.

In Lincolnshire, the Steppe Grey Shrike remained at Grainthorpe Haven all day, with the female Desert Wheatear nearby at Saltfleet. Further north, the male Two-barred Crossbill was again on the feeders at Garfitts Farm, North Yorkshire, with the first-winter female Pied Wheatear still at Filey. The Red-flanked Bluetail was still on Holy Island, and the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was still on St Mary's Island, both Northumberland, with other lingering rarities including Long-billed Dowitcher at Dundalk Docks, County Louth, Cattle Egret at Ulverston, Cumbria, Glossy Ibis at Marshside RSPB, Merseyside and single Lesser Scaups in Clyde and Gloucestershire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 13th November 2008  
  Very little change today, with the only 'new' rarity being a Cattle Egret, which flew north-west past Sunk Island, East Yorkshire mid morning. The North-east rarities all remained present, with both Steppe Grey Shrike and Desert Wheatear in Lincolnshire, Two-barred Crossbill and Pied Wheatear in North Yorkshire and Red-flanked Bluetail in Northumberland.

In the south, the Snowy Owl was still on the Isles of Scilly, on St Mary's, with both King Eider and Lesser Scaup still nearby, in Devon and Cornwall respectively. The American Golden Plover was again located in the ever-growing Golden Plover flock at East Harling, Norfolk, and another Cattle Egret was at Ulverston, Cumbria.

A very impressive count of seven Serins at Rainham Marshes RSPB must be one of the largest recorded in Britain in November. Other scarcities included Ring-necked Duck in Norfolk, Grey Phalaropes in Bedfordshire and Ayrshire, Rose-coloured Starling in Cornwall and still rapidly increasing numbers of Waxwings in the north.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 12th November 2008  
  New finds today included a female Sardinian Warbler in Devon, at Berry Head, Brixham, with a Barred Warbler at the same site. Nearby, a male Desert Wheatear was found at Instow, with others in Kent, Northumberland and Lincolnshire.

The East Coast continued to hold its eastern rarities. The Steppe Grey Shrike was still at Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire, the Pied Wheatear was at Filey, North Yorkshire and the Two-barred Crossbill remained in the same county, at Stokesley. The Red-flanked Bluetail showed well on Holy Island, the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was still on St Mary's Island, both Northumberland, and a King Eider was seen off Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland.

The first-winter male Snowy Owl reappeared on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly this evening, and other lingering rarities included Ferruginous Duck in Buckinghamshire, Black-bellied Dipper again in Norfolk and Lesser Scaups in Clyde and Cornwall.
-  Will Soar, RBA