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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Tuesday 18th August 2009  
  In Norfolk, the first-summer male Red-footed Falcon was seen at Hickling Broad NWT until early afternoon only. Three Wilson's Petrels were seen off the Isles of Scilly and another was off the Bridges of Ross, County Clare.

Other lingering rarities included Greenish Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs' in Lothian and on the Isles of Scilly, two Great White Egrets in Cambridgeshire, with others in Somerset and Kent, and late news concerned a possible Yelkouan's Shearwater off Gwennap Head, Cornwall, yesterday.

Scarce species recorded today included Spotted Crake, two Melodious Warblers, Icterine Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Red-backed Shrike, Ring-necked Duck, Ring-billed Gull and, once again, good numbers of quality seabirds.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 17th August 2009  
  New rarities discovered today included a Greenish Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Red-footed Falcon at Hickling, Norfolk and two more Wilson's Petrels at Bridges of Ross, County Clare.

Longer staying rarities reported today included single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Lothian and on the Isles of Scilly, single Ferruginous Ducks in Somerset and Fife and single Great White Egrets in Kent, Somerset and Cambridgeshire.

Scarcities seen included Red-backed Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Barred Warbler, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, two Ring-billed Gulls and a Ring-necked Duck.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 16th August 2009  
  Two Wilson's Petrels were seen today, with single birds off the Isles of Scilly and off Annagh Head, County Mayo. Also in County Mayo, the adult female Snowy Owl was seen on Termon Hill, whilst in County Cork a Black Kite lingered near Lissagriffin Lake for two hours yesterday.

Great White Egrets continued their stay in Kent, Somerset and Cambridgeshire (2), and the Lesser Yellowlegs and Ferruginous Duck remained on the Isles of Scilly and in Somerset respectively. Scarcities included Spotted Crake, Melodious Warbler (2), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper (2), Red-backed Shrike, Common Rosefinch, Barred Warbler (2), Night Heron, Ring-necked Duck and good numbers of seabirds.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 15th August 2009  
  Eight Wilson's Petrels were logged from pelagics in Southwest England today - six off Isles of Scilly and two off Cornwall. The Lesser Yellowlegs also remained on Scilly, where a Melodious Warbler was also seen.

Four Great White Egrets (including two in Cambridgeshire), the Snowy Owl in Co Mayo, a Red-backed Shrike in Wiltshire (for its second day), Wryneck on Shetland, Bluethroat in Dorset, Spotted Crake in Worcestershire and Pectoral Sandpiper on Orkney were all recorded. The Lesser Yellowlegs remained in Lothian and Ferruginous Ducks lingered in Somerset and Fife.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 14th August 2009  
  In Kent, the adult White-rumped Sandpiper was still at Elmley Marshes RSPB early morning only, and a Cattle Egret flew over this evening. Further west, five Wilson's Petrels were seen from pelagics off the Isles of Scilly, and the Lesser Yellowlegs remained on St Mary's, with the other adult still in Lothian.

Single Ferruginous Ducks were still present in Somerset and Fife, with two Ring-necked Ducks also in the latter county. The Great White Egret also remained in Somerset. Scarcities recorded today included Red-backed Shrike in Kent, Spoonbill in Oxfordshire, single Pectoral Sandpipers in Cornwall and Orkney and a Sabine's Gull in Essex.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 13th August 2009  
  The highlight of the day was Britain's sixth Audouin's Gull seen briefly over St Mary's, Isles of Scilly during the afternoon. Elsewhere, new discoveries included a White-rumped Sandpiper at Elmley Marshes, Kent and a Great White Egret at Chard Reservoir, Somerset.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Snowy Owl in County Mayo, Great White Egret in Suffolk, single Lesser Yellowlegs in both the Isles of Scilly and Lothian and Ferruginous Ducks in Fife and Somerset.

Notable scarcities included a Red-backed Shrike in Kent, a Ring-necked Duck in Fife, the Ring-billed Gull back for the winter in Essex and Balearic Shearwaters in Anglesey, Argyll, Ayrshire, County Clare, Cornwall (3) and Northumberland.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 12th August 2009  
  A Lesser Yellowlegs arrived on Porth Hellick Pool, St Mary's (Isles of Scilly), hot on the heels of the Marsh Sandpiper that frequented the same pool last week.

Elsewhere the Baird's Sandpiper remained in Norfolk, the Ferruginous Duck was still in Fife and Great White Egrets were logged in Kent and Somerset.

Yesterday's Icterine Warbler on Isles of Scilly was reidentified as a Melodious Warbler and in North Yorkshire a Red-backed Shrike arrived in Scarborough.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 11th August 2009  
  A Collared Pratincole discovered at Tubney Fen, Cambridgeshire this evening is presumably the bird last seen in Lincolnshire on 9th.

Elsewhere rarities included Baird's Sandpiper in Norfolk, Wilson's Petrel off Isles of Scilly, Great White Egrets in Dorset, Somerset and Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian, Snowy Owl in Co Mayo, Ferruginous Duck in Fife and Cattle Egret in Somerset.

On Isles of Scilly an Icterine Warbler arrived on St Mary's and in Lincolnshire the Pectoral Sandpiper remained at Frampton Marsh RSPB.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 10th August 2009  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of a Baird's Sandpiper at Hickling Broad, Norfolk. Elsewhere, the Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Aberlady Bay, Lothian as did the Ferruginous Duck, and accompanying Ring-necked Duck, at Lochgelly Loch, Fife.

Scarcities included an Icterine Warbler in Kent at Dungeness, Spotted Crake in Hampshire at Farlington Marshes and single Pectoral Sandpipers at both Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire and Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 9th August 2009  
  An adult Pacific Golden Plover was seen briefly at Pagham Harbour LNR, Sussex mid morning, but wasn't seen again. Both Baird's Sandpipers were seen again, in County Wexford and Norfolk, and the Collared Pratincole remained at Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire.

Other lingering rarities included the Snowy Owl in County Mayo, Ferruginous Duck in Fife, Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian and single Great White Egrets in Somerset, Suffolk and County Tipperary.

Scarcities seen today included Spotted Crake, Common Rosefinch, Barred Warbler (2), Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Kentish Plover and several Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Will Soar, RBA