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 1st December 2008  
  Breaking news concerned discoveries in County Cork of a Bonaparte's Gull at Rosscarbery and a Cattle Egret at nearby Inchydoney. News was released of a Gyr taken into care recently in County Kerry, hopefully it will be fit to be released soon.

Lingering rarities comprised the Spotted Sandpiper and Cattle Egret in Staffordshire, Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret in Lancashire, Lesser Scaup in Clyde and Cattle Egret in Buckinghamshire.

Waxwing reports totaled 792 birds in seventeen counties including 232 in Lothian, 150 in Clyde, 100 in County Down and 83 in Lancashire.

Sad late news concerned an American Bittern found dead in Pembrokeshire at St David's Airfield on Sunday.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 30th November 2008  
  Lingering rarities included the Spotted Sandpiper in Staffordshire, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Desert Wheatear in Aberdeenshire and Lesser Scaups in Gloucestershire, Co Down, Nottinghamshire and Cornwall. A Cattle Egret was discovered near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire and elsewhere Cattle Egrets remained in Staffordshire and Kent whilst another left the egret roost at Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, early morning. The probable Grey-bellied Brant remained in Pembrokeshire.

In Suffolk a juvenile Long-tailed Skua lingered off Landguard NR. Four Ring-billed Gulls were logged (with a further two in Ireland), five Great Grey Shrikes, three Black Brants and a Yellow-browed Warbler and Rose-coloured Starling were all reported.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 29th November 2008  
  Highlights included the Penduline Tit at Attenborough NR, Nottinghamshire, Desert Wheatear at Girdle Ness, Aberdeenshire, Spotted Sandpiper at Tittesworth Reservoir, Staffordshire and Long-billed Dowitcher in Dundalk Docks, Co Louth. New discoveries included Staffordshire's second Cattle Egret at Barton-under-Needwood; two more Cattle Egrets remained in Cumbria.

Lesser Scaups were logged in Nottinghamshire, Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Co Down, the Red-breasted Goose remained in Hampshire, a Great White Egret was still in Greater Manchester, the Red-breasted Flycatcher was again noted in Bedfordshire and large numbers of Waxwings continued to attract plenty of attention.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 28th November 2008  
  A male Penduline Tit was a good find at Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire, representing the second for both site and county. A female King Eider was found on Shetland, in Bluemull Sound this morning. Nearby, the White-billed Diver was seen again on Orkney, in Water Sound, with a drake Green-winged Teal on Loch of Tankerness, Mainland.

Further south, lingering rarities included the Spotted Sandpiper at Tittesworth Reservoir, Staffordshire, Red-breasted Goose at Pennington Marshes, Hampshire, Great White Egret in Greater Manchester, two Cattle Egrets in Cumbria, single Lesser Scaups in Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Clyde and the adult Glossy Ibis was again present on Warton Marsh, Lancashire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 27th November 2008  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as present today included Spotted Sandpiper in Staffordshire, three Cattle Egrets in Cumbria, Hooded Merganser in Dorset and single Lesser Scaups in both Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire.

Scarcities included a Serin in London, Red-breasted Flycatcher in Bedfordshire, Hoopoe in County Galway, Rose-coloured Starling in Cornwall and an American Wigeon in Berkshire.

Waxwing reports totalled 1,516 birds in 21 counties including 615 in Clyde, 324 in Lothian and 126 in Cumbria.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 26th November 2008  
  Lingering rarities included the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Spotted Sandpipers in Staffordshire and Co Louth, Desert Wheatear in Aberdeenshire, Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire and Lesser Scaups in Nottinghamshire, Cornwall and Clyde.

A Little Bunting was trapped and ringed in Knott End, Lancashire, the Red-breasted Flycatcher remained in Luton, Bedfordshire, a Richard's Pipit was discovered in Cmn Nash, Glamorgan and five Rough-legged Buzzards included the group of three in East Yorkshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 25th November 2008  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Steppe Grey Shrike in Lincolnshire, Desert Wheatear in Aberdeenshire, Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Spotted Sandpipers in County Louth and Staffordshire, Cackling Canada Goose in Dumfries and Galloway, single Lesser Scaups in both Cornwall and Nottinghamshire, three Cattle Egrets in Cumbria, a Richardson's Canada Goose in Argyll and the Hooded Merganser in Dorset.

Notable scarcities included Red-breasted Flycatcher in Bedfordshire, Common Rosefinch in County Durham, Barred Warbler in County Wexford, Richard's Pipit on the Orkney Isles, Hoopoe in County Galway, Pectoral Sandpiper in County Down and Rough-legged Buzzards in East Yorkshire (3) and Hertfordshire.

Waxwing reports totaled 912 birds in 23 counties with maximums of 198 in Clyde, 119 in Lothian and 118 in Cumbria.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
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