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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Wednesday 31st December 2008  
  The Snowy Owl in Cornwall and a couple of Penduline Tits in London were the star attractions on New Years Eve. Elsewhere Red-breasted Goose in Hampshire, Lesser Scaups in Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire, Clyde and Co Fermanagh, King Eider in Fife and Forster's Tern in Galway were all recorded. Eleven Cattle Egrets were logged, six in Co Cork, four in Co Waterford and a lone bird in Oxfordshire.

In East Sussex a Great White Egret flew over Lewes Brooks, whilst the long staying bird remained in Hampshire at Blashford Lakes HWT. The Night Heron was still in Kent, the Hooded Merganser was ever present at Radipole Lakes RSPB and Rough-legged Buzzards lingered in Kent and Cambridgeshire.

The most significant Waxwing counts included 93 at Chasewater, Staffordshire, 91 in Aberdeen, 90 in Edinburgh, Lothian, 60 in Newcastle, Northumberland and 50 in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 30th December 2008  
  The highlights of the day were the continued presence of both the Snowy Owl at Zennor, Cornwall and the Gyr on Tresco, Isles of Scilly.

Other lingering rarities included two Penduline Tits in London, the American Herring Gull in County Galway, King Eider in Fife, Red-breasted Goose and Great White Egret in Hampshire, Lesser Scaups in both Clyde and Glamorgan, Cackling Canada Goose in Dumfries and Gallway, Ross's Goose in Norfolk and Hooded Merganser in Dorset. Seventeen Cattle Egrets comprised five in County Cork, four in Cornwall, three in both County Waterford and the Isles of Scilly and singles in Oxfordshire and Pembrokeshire.

Popular scarcities on show were the Night Heron and Rough-legged Buzzard in Kent, single American Wigeons in both Berkshire and Dumfries and Galloway and confiding Ring-billed Gulls in Angus, Cornwall (2), Glamorgan and Hampshire.

Waxwing reports totaled 962 birds in 32 counties with maximums of 240 in County Antrim, 90 in Staffordshire, 81 in Northumberland and 60 each in County Donegal, Essex and Nottinghamshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 29th December 2008  
  On Scilly the white morph Gyr made a welcome re-appearance, whilst on mainland Cornwall the Snowy Owl near Zennor continued to be admired by many.

Today also saw a notable arrival of Cattle Egrets in the west, with 5 or 6 new birds on Scilly, 4 at Stradbally in County Waterford and singles in Hampshire and Cornwall. With at least 3 still in Pembrokeshire, does this mean we could have large numbers wintering in the west again as we did last winter?

A Ferruginous Duck was a new find at Westbere in Kent, and in Ireland, the Black Duck was found again at Ventry in County Kerry. The King Eider remained in Fife as did the Ross's Goose in east Norfolk. A surprise report was of a Great Shearwater which spent a while off Filey Brigg.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA
Sunday 28th December 2008  
  The Snowy Owl continued to attract admirers at Zennor in Cornwall today, but the Gyr Falcon was not seen on the Scillies. The Desert Wheatear remained at Durness in Highland and the drake King Eider was still to be found off Earlsferry in Fife, with a drake Surf Scoter still in nearby Largo Bay. Five Lesser Scaups were noted today, in Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire, Clyde, County Fermanagh and County Down, and, also in Ireland, the Forster's Tern was seen again at Nimmo's Pier in County Galway.

In Norfolk the Ross's Goose was again with Pinkfeet near Acle, and in Berkshire the American Wigeon was still near Newbury. Both Cackling and Taverner's Canada Geese were seen at Caerlaverock in Dumfries and Galloway and in Lothian a lone Richardson's Canada Goose was at Aberlady Bay.The Night Heron remained near Hythe in Kent.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA
Saturday 27th December 2008  
  Northern species in the south continued to entertain today, with the Snowy Owl still near Zennor, Cornwall, and the white morph Gyr reappeared on Isles of Scilly, ranging between St Martin's and Tresco.

In Scotland, the highlight was the Desert Wheatear at Durness, Highland, together with the King Eider at Elie, Fife and Lesser Scaup at Hogganfield Loch, Clyde. Other Lesser Scaups were present at Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, Cosmeston lakes Country Park, Glamorgan, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh and Lough Arrow, County Sligo. The Great White Egret was still at Blashford Lakes HWT, Hampshire, and the Cackling Canada Goose was relocated again at Redkirk Point, Dumfries and Galloway.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 26th December 2008  
  The headline news related to a male Desert Wheatear at Balnakeil in Highland, present on the beach there for its third day. The King Eider along remained in Scotland, off the Fife coastline. In Glamorgan a Lesser Scaup was discovered at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park and a Lesser Scaup also remained in Nottinghamshire, whilst at least two were at Lough Arrow in Sligo and another was discovered in Co Fermanagh.

In Cornwall the Snowy Owl continued sit by the trig point at Sperris Quoit, a Ross's Goose was seen again in East Norfolk, seven Cattle Egrets remained in Pembrokeshire and the Hooded Merganser was still present in Dorset.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 25th December 2008  
  A King Eider was today's headline discovery; a drake was found off the Fife coastline between Earlsferry and West Vow, just to the west of Elie.

Elsewhere the Snowy Owl remained in Cornwall, Lesser Scaups were still in Nottinghamshire, Clyde and Sligo and Cattle Egret reports included seven in Pembrokeshire, two in Co Cork and one in Lancashire. In Ayrshire the Lesser Snow Goose was still at Martnaham Loch, the Night Heron remained in Kent and excellent numbers of Waxwings lingered, including flocks of 81 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, 55 near Clackmannan, Forth, 30 in Hessle, East Yorkshire, 25 in Rendlesham, Suffolk, 25 in north Glasgow, Clyde and 24 near Belvide Reservoir, Staffordshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 24th December 2008  
  The Snowy Owl in Cornwall remained on show today near Zennor. Elsewhere rarities came in the form of an adult American Herring Gull in Galway and Lesser Scaups in Sligo and in Clyde. Cattle Egrets were seen in Somerset (6), Pembrokeshire (4+) and Cornwall. In Kent the Night Heron remained in West Hythe, a Richard's Pipit put in another appearance in Parkgate, Cheshire and a Lesser Snow Goose was still in Ayrshire.

Waxwings were still abundant, with flocks of 100 in Derry City, Co Derry, 70 in Ayr, Ayrshire, 70 in Leeds and 40 in Hunslet, West Yorkshire and 40 in Bray, Co Wicklow being the most notable counts.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 23rd December 2008  
  Once again, the lingering Snowy Owl at Zennor, Cornwall proved to be the highlight of the day. In Pembrokeshire seven Cattle Egrets were located, whilst the Ross's Goose reappeared in Norfolk and the Lesser Scaup remained in Nottinghamshire, as did the Great White Egret in Hampshire.

Scarcities recorded today included Night Heron in Kent, Rough-legged Buzzard in East Yorkshire, Ring-necked Duck in Buckinghamshire, Snow Geese in Ayrshire, Highland and Moray and Great Grey Shrikes in Hampshire and Surrey.

Waxwing reports totaled 452 birds in 26 counties including maximums of 59 in Suffolk, 52 in Nottinghamshire, 41 in Ayrshire, 40 in County Antrim and 28 in Lothian.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 22nd December 2008  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Snowy Owl in west Cornwall near Zennor. Elsewhere, the Lesser Scaup returned to Torr Reservoir, Somerset, the American Herring Gull showed again in Galway, County Galway, as did the Lesser Yellowlegs at Southwold, Suffolk.

The Great White Egret remained in Hampshire, and popular scarcities included a Serin again in London, Surf Scoter in Devon, Rough-legged Buzzard in East Yorkshire, American Wigeon in Berkshire, Ring-necked Duck in Buckinghamshire and single Great Grey Shrikes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Wrexham.

Waxwing reports totaled 713 birds in 26 counties with maximums of 250 in Clyde, 160 in West Yorkshire, 61 in East Yorkshire, and 34 in both Derbyshire and Lothian.
-  Chris Batty, RBA