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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Monday 24th November 2008  
  The first-winter Brown Shrike was seen again today, near Malacleit, North Uist, present all day in a garden, before moving to the nearby plantation mid afternoon.

New discoveries consisted of another Spotted Sandpiper, this time in County Louth, which is a first for the county, with the Staffordshire bird remaining in-situ at Tittesworth Reservoir, and a Desert Wheatear at Girdle Ness, Aberdeenshire, which is possibly the same individual as seen nearby at Donmouth nine days ago.

Long staying rarities included the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, single Lesser Scaups in Clyde and Gloucestershire and three Cattle Egrets in Cumbria. The first-winter Red-breasted Flycatcher was still at Luton, Bedfordshire, and a Hoopoe was in County Galway.

Southern Waxwings included birds in Kent, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 23rd November 2008  
  The juvenile Spotted Sandpiper remained on show at Tittesworth Reservoir, Staffordshire, representing the third record for the county. Other lingering rarities included the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Two-barred Crossbill in Yorkshire, Long-billed Dowitcher on the Western Isles, Ferruginous Duck in Glamorgan and Lesser Scaup in Nottinghamshire with the Gloucestershire bird relocating to Frampton Sailing Lake.

The only new discovery was a White-rumped Sandpiper at Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire. The adult Night Heron was again at West Hythe, Kent, and an interesting goose, possibly resembling Grey-bellied Brant was on the Gann Estuary, Pembrokeshire.

Waxwings continued to be well represented in the north, with birds as far south as Essex, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 22nd November 2008  
  A brief Black-throated Thrush in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Spotted Sandpiper at Tittesworth Reservoir, Staffordshire and Cattle Egret at Martin Mere WWT in Lancashire were today's best new discoveries.

Lingering rarities included Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Two-barred Crossbill in North Yorkshire and Long-billed Dowitcher in Western Isles and wildfowl highlights consisted of a Ferruginous Duck in Glamorgan, Lesser Scaup in Nottinghamshire, American Wigeon in Berkshire and Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire.

Seven Rough-legged Buzzards were logged (including the three juveniles at the same site in East Yorkshire), a Night Heron was seen in West Hythe (in exactly the same spot as the recent Green Heron), and Waxwings were still abundant, especially in Scotland and Northeast England.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
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