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 23rd April 2009  
  A quiet day for rarities, with the only new bird being a Ferruginous Duck at Stewartby Lake, Bedfordshire. Two new Cattle Egrets were seen in Lancashire, which were present for their second day. Other Cattle Egrets were in Cornwall and Devon.

On Shetland, the drake Wood Duck returned to the Loch of Brow, with the male Subalpine Warbler still nearby at Scatness. Further south, the Lesser Scaup was still in Glamorgan, Great White Egret in Somerset and Hooded Merganser in Dorset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 22nd April 2009  
  The apparent Glaucous-winged Gull remained at Beddington sewage farm, London.

A Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk was only the second reported in the county, and the country, this year. Another Subalpine Warbler was discovered, this time on Shetland, whilst Black Kites were over St Margaret's at Cliffe and Westenhanger, both Kent. The presumably returning Forster's Tern was found at Tacumshin, County Wexford, whilst a drake Blue-winged Teal was on Reddan's Lough, County Tipperary.

In Essex, the Lesser Yellowlegs remained on the Blackwater Estuary, and Lesser Scaups were still in both Glamorgan and Yorkshire. Great White Egrets were in London and Essex, and a Cattle Egret was in Cornwall.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 21st April 2009  
  The highlight of the day was the identification of Britain's third Glaucous-winged Gull, at Beddington, London. Present on a landfill site (that, remarkably, also hosted Britain's first Glaucous-winged Gull, on 18th April 2007) during the afternoon, and thought to be a hybrid Glaucous Gull, the true identity was not suspected until photographs were posted on the internet during the evening. It now transpires that the same bird had earlier been present - but not identified - in Berkshire at Queen Mother Reservoir on 3rd February, 26th March and 20th April, in Buckinghamshire at Willen Lake on 8th and 9th March, in Bedfordshire at Stewartby Lake on 10th March and in London at Rainham Marshes on 12th and 16th-21st March. As, in it’s home range, Glaucous-winged Gull is prone to hybridising with other large gulls, proving that the parents of this bird were both pure Glaucous-winged Gulls may never be possible.

Other rarities included the Lesser Yellowlegs still in Essex, Taverner's Canada Goose again in Dumfries and Galloway, Cattle Egret in Devon and, in Hampshire, a Red-rumped Swallow was reported briefly near Andover.

Scarcities included a Woodchat Shrike in County Waterford, Hoopoe in West Sussex, Temminck's Stint on the Isles of Scilly, Rough-legged Buzzard and Green-winged Teal in Norfolk, Ring-necked Duck in Highland, Ring-billed Gull in County Antrim, two Lesser Snow Geese together in Aberdeenshire and Pectoral Sandpipers in Gloucesterhire, Leicestershire (2) and West Sussex.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 20th April 2009  
  A Red-rumped Swallow on Shetland, Black Kite in Kent and Alpine Swift on Isle of Wight were all new discoveries today. Lingering rarities included the White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Essex and Subalpine Warbler and Lesser Scaup in East Yorkshire.

Scarcities comprised a Short-toed Lark on Isles of Scilly, Hoopoe in Norfolk, Pectoral Sandpipers in Leicestershire (2) and Western Isles and Purple Heron in Suffolk.

Cattle Egrets remained in East Sussex, Devon and Cornwall and the Great White Egret lingered in Clyde. In Shetland the drake Wood Duck remained on Mainland.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 19th April 2009  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, Snowy Owl in Cornwall, Subalpine Warbler in East Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Essex, Lesser Scaup in East Yorkshire, two White-billed Divers together on the Western Isles and the Hooded Merganser in Dorset.

Cattle Egret reports concerned three each in both County Cork and Cornwall and singles in Devon and East Sussex.

Scarcities included two Kentish Plovers together in Cornwall, single Hoopoes in County Cork, Dorset and the Isle of Man, three each of Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, a Rough-legged Buzzard in Cambridgeshire, American Wigeon in Aberdeenshire, Wryneck on the Orkney Isles, Pectoral Sandpiper on the Western Isles and a Great Grey Shrike in Gloucestershire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 18th April 2009  
  Three new Subalpine Warblers were found today, with birds at Spurn, Yorkshire, Bardsey Island, Gwynedd and Great Saltee Island, County Wexford. Also in County Wexford, a Bonaparte's Gull was seen at Tacumshin. Two Great White Egrets were at Christchurch, Dorset, whilst another was at the Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire, and the long staying bird remained in Clyde.

In Hampshire, the White-throated Sparrow became more elusive at Old Winchester Hill. The Red-rumped Swallow in Wirral was seen at Leasowe this evening, and the Lesser Yellowlegs was seen again at Heybridge Basin, Essex. Other lingering rarities included Bonaparte's Gull in Oxfordshire, single Lesser Scaups in Forth and Glamorgan and lesser golden plover in Norfolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 17th April 2009  
  Lingering rarities included Red-rumped Swallow on the Wirral, Bonaparte's Gull in Oxfordshire, American Golden Plover in Norfolk, White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, Lesser Scaups in Glamorgan and East Yorkshire and on Shetland the drake Wood Duck was on Mainland for its second day.

In Suffolk a Red-footed Falcon was reported between Great Ashfield and Norton, a Great White Egret was seen near Allhallows, Kent, and in Cheshire the Cattle Egret remained near Frodsham.

Elsewhere a Wryneck was briefly at Blakeney, Norfolk, a Red-breasted Flycatcher was at Dungeness and a Kentish Plover visited Pegwell Bay, Kent and in Suffolk the Purple Heron was seen again near Shingle Street.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 16th April 2009  
  New rarities today included a Black Kite on the Isles of Scilly and a Great White Egret in Suffolk, with another of the latter still in Clyde.

Lingering rarities included Red-rumped Swallow in Wirral, White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Oxfordshire and lesser golden plover in Norfolk. The Lesser Scaup remained in County Down, and four Cattle Egrets were in County Cork.

A drake Wood Duck was present on Shetland this afternoon.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 15th April 2009  
  The common hirundines continued to move north today, bringing with them three Red-rumped Swallows, in Highland, Wirral and Norfolk, and a probable Crag Martin at Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire. An Alpine Swift was seen briefly in Lancashire, a Subalpine Warbler was in County Cork and single Black Kites were in East Sussex and on the Staffordshire /Derbyshire border.

Lingering rarities included the White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Oxfordshire, American Golden Plover in Norfolk, White-billed Divers in Highland and Orkney, and Lesser Scaups in East Yorkshire, Glamorgan and Forth. A probable Glaucous-winged Gull was reported from Dumfries and Galloway.

The Great White Egret remained in Clyde and Cattle Egrets were still present in Cornwall, Devon and County Cork.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 14th April 2009  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a male Lesser Scaup at Hornsea Mere, East Yorkshire. Elsewhere, brief encounters included a Whiskered Tern in Essex at Hanningfield Reservoir, a Red-rumped Swallow in Worcestershire at Lower Bittell Reservoir, a Black Kite in East Sussex over Seaford and a Great White Egret in London over Rainham Marshes.

Lingering rarities comprised the White-throated Sparrow still in Hampshire, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Bonaparte's Gull in Oxfordshire, American Golden Plover in Norfolk, two King Eiders in County Sligo, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Great White Egrets in both Ceredigion and Clyde and single Cattle Egrets in Cheshire, County Cork, Devon and Pembrokeshire.

Scarcities included three Great Grey Shrikes, two Lesser Snow Geese together in Aberdeenshire, a Kentish Plover in Norfolk, Rough-legged Buzzard in Cambridgeshire, Ring-necked Duck in Dorset, Green-winged Teal in Leicestershire and a Surf Scoter on the Orkney Isles.
-  Chris Batty, RBA