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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Sunday 20th September 2009  
  Two Mega-rarities were reported this afternoon - an Eleonora's Falcon over Rainham Marshes RSPB, London and Yellow-breasted Bunting on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, but neither were on view for very long.

Elsewhere new rarities comprised Arctic Warbler on Unst (Shetland), American Golden Plovers on St Agnes (Isles of Scilly), Mainland Shetland, Lewis (Western Isles) and Tiree (Argyll) and Ferruginous Duck at Belvide Reservoir (Staffordshire). Lingering rarities included King Eider in Lincolnshire, Baird's Sandpipers in Cornwall and Co Kerry, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Norfolk, American Golden Plovers in Co Dublin and Co Waterford, Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian, Snowy Owls in Co Donegal and Co Mayo, White-rumped Sandpiper in Co Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in Co Dublin and Arctic Warbler and Citrine Wagtail on Shetland. Glossy Ibis reports involved six in Cambridgeshire, two in Suffolk and one in Norfolk and four Great White Egrets and three Cattle Egrets were logged.

The best of the rest included fifteen Pectoral Sandpipers, twelve Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Common Rosefinches, Red-backed Shrikes and Richard's Pipits, three Ortolan Buntings and Barred Warblers, two Woodchat Shrikes, two Rose-coloured Starlings and single Red-breasted Flycatcher, Tawny Pipit, Great Grey Shrike, Marsh Warbler and Red-necked Phalarope.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 19th September 2009  
  New arrivals today included a Thrush Nightingale trapped at Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire, a Long-billed Dowitcher near Fleetwood, Lancashire, a Citrine Wagtail on Unst, Shetland, a Red-throated Pipit at Northam Burrows, Devon, an American Golden Plover in County Waterford, a White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wexford, a Baird's Sandpiper in Argyll and a Ferruginous Duck in Perth and Kinross.

Glossy Ibises continued to attract attention, with at least one very mobile group of six in Devon, Dorset and Hampshire, a further six in Cambridgeshire, one in Essex, two in Suffolk, three in Norfolk, one in County Wexford and one in Kent. Other lingerers included Arctic Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Snowy Owl and Spotted Sandpiper.

Good numbers of scarce drift migrants continued to arrive on the east coast, with multiple Barred Warblers, Yellow-browed Warblers, Wrynecks, Red-backed Shrikes and Red-breasted Flycatchers.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 18th September 2009  
  New eastern vagrants today included another Arctic Warbler on Shetland, on Whalsay, and a Rustic Bunting at Spurn, Yorkshire. Other new arrivals included a Bee-eater over Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, at least one Glossy Ibis in Norfolk (with a roaming flock of nine or ten in South Wales, six in Cambridgeshire and one in each of Suffolk and County Wexford) and single Great White Egrets in Dorset and Kent.

Lingering rarities included Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, Spotted Sandpiper in County Kerry, Blue-winged Teal in County Dublin, Snowy Owl in County Mayo, Greenish Warbler in Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs' in Aberdeenshire and Lothian, White-rumped Sandpiper in Essex and King Eider in Lincolnshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 17th September 2009  
  A Blyth's Reed Warbler on Blakeney Point (Norfolk) and Paddyfield Warbler on Bardsey Island (Gwynedd) were today's star discoveries. Elsewhere new rarities comprised twelve Glossy Ibises on the Alaw Estuary (Anglesey), Greenish Warblers in Suffolk, North Yorkshire and Co Cork, Spotted Sandpiper in Co Kerry and Terek Sandpiper in Co Limerick.

Lingering rarities included Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian and Aberdeenshire, Baird's Sandpipers in Cornwall (2) and Anglesey, Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, White-rumped Sandpiper in Essex, Arctic Warbler on Shetland, Greenish Warblers in North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and King Eider in Lincolnshire. Great White Egrets were noted in Lancashire and Suffolk.

Scarcities came in the form of nine Pectoral Sandpipers, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, four Wrynecks and Barred Warblers, two each of Spotted Crake, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Rose-coloured Starling, Richard's Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and single Red-necked Phalarope, Melodious Warbler and Common Rosefinch.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 16th September 2009  
  An astounding reward for a dedicated patch worker came in the form of a first for Britain, and second for the Western Palearctic, today. An adult summer Tufted Puffin was found off Oare Marshes KWT, Kent, as it swam west along The Swale at 10.55am. It stayed on the water for fifteen minutes, allowing just six other birders to connect, before it flew west upriver, not to be seen again.

The best of the rest was the Arctic Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, whilst other new arrivals included a drake Black Duck at Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS, Cornwall, Red-throated Pipit at Spurn, Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs at the Loch of Strathbeg RSPB, Aberdeenshire and a Blue-winged Teal at Titchfield Haven NNR, Hampshire.

Lingering rarities included Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, Glossy Ibises in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, Citrine Wagtail and American Golden Plover on the Western Isles, White-rumped Sandpiper in Essex, Baird's Sandpipers in Cornwall and on Anglesey, Blue-winged Teal in County Dublin, Lesser Scaup on Shetland and King Eider in Lincolnshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 15th September 2009  
  Rarities reported today comprised the Snowy Owl still in County Mayo, probable Black-headed Bunting in County Cork, Caspian Tern in County Louth, Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, American Golden Plover in County Londonderry, Greenish Warbler and King Eider in Lincolnshire, Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire (7), Kent, Pembrokeshire, Suffolk, County Wexford (4), Baird's Sandpipers in Anglesey, Cornwall (2) and County Kerry, White-rumped Sandpipers in both County Dublin and Essex, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Hooded Merganser in Cleveland, Cattle Egret in Gloucestershire and single Great White Egrets in Lancashire, Oxfordshire and Somerset.

Scarcities included 10 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, five Red-breasted Flycatchers, four each of Barred Warbler and Spotted Crake, three each of Pectoral Sandpiper and Lapland Bunting, two of Melodious Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-browed Warbler and single Woodchat Shrike (Cornwall), Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Oxfordshire), Ring-necked Duck (County Mayo), Common Rosefinch (Northumberland), Icterine Warbler (County Cork), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Golden Oriole (Shetland Isles) and Wryneck (London).

Seawatchers in the North Sea logged four Great, three Cory's and five Balearic Shearwaters, seven Long-tailed and 31 Pomarine Skuas and five Leach's Petrels.

Significant late news concerned the female Blackburnian Warbler still present on St Kilda, Western Isles yesterday, and a Red-billed Tropicbird seen from a boat fifteen miles off Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork on 8th September.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 14th September 2009  
  The highlights of a busy day were the arrival of a Black-headed Bunting in Northumberland on the Farne Islands, a Lesser Grey Shrike in Suffolk at Trimley Marshes and a party of three Blue-winged Teals on South Uist, Western Isles. Other discoveries included a Long-billed Dowitcher in County Londonderry at Lough Beg, an American Golden Plover in Argyll on Tiree, a White-rumped Sandpiper in County Dublin at Merrion Gates and single Great White Egrets in Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

Lingering rarities comprised the Booted Warbler still in East Yorkshire, Terek Sandpiper in County Kerry, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Citrine Wagtail on the Isles of Scilly, probable Black-headed Bunting in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, Baird's Sandpipers in Cornwall (2) and County Kerry, Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire (7), County Wexford (5) and Suffolk, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Hooded Merganser in Cleveland, Cattle Egret in Hampshire and Great White Egrets in both Lancashire and Somerset.

Scarcities were represented by 13 Pectoral Sandpipers, 12 Barred Warblers, 10 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, five Spotted Crakes, three each of Bluethroat and Icterine Warbler, two each of Red-breasted Flycatcher, Common Rosefinch, Red-necked Phalarope, Red-backed Shrike and Yellow-browed Warbler and single Little Bunting (Shetland Isles), Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Oxfordshire), Ring-necked Duck (Staffordshire) Rose-coloured Starling (Staffordshire), Golden Oriole (County Cork) and Wryneck (Cornwall).

North Sea seawatchers logged 14 Sabine's Gulls, 10 Long-tailed Skuas, 10 Balearic Shearwaters, eight Leach's Petrels, four each of both Great Shearwater and Cory's Shearwater and a Little Auk.

Significant late news concerned a female Blackburnian Warbler - the third British record - present in the Western Isles on Hirta, St Kilda from Saturday until early Sunday morning but not since, although a Citrine Wagtail and what was probably a Northern Harrier were also present on the island.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 13th September 2009  
  New discoveries came in the form of Red-rumped Swallow on Isles of Scilly, Laughing Gull on Western Isles, Greenish Warblers in Lincolnshire and Co Cork and a Long-billed Dowitcher was reported in Fife. In Cornwall a Black Kite flew over Helston and in Co Mayo a Citrine Wagtail arrived a Corragaun Lough.

Glossy Ibis reports comprised seven in Cambridgeshire and singles in Kent, Pembrokeshire/Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Suffolk.

Lingering rarities included White-rumped Sandpiper in Essex, Greenish Warbler in North Yorkshire, Booted Warbler in East Yorkshire, two Baird's Sandpipers in Cornwall, King Eider in Lincolnshire, Hooded Merganser in Cleveland, American Golden Plover on Western Isles, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Cattle Egret in Hampshire and Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian.

In Ireland the Black-headed or Red-headed Bunting remained in Co Cork, the Terek Sandpiper was still in Co Kerry, as was the Snowy Owl in Co Donegal and American Golden Plover in Co Derry.

Scarcities highlights included Rose-coloured Starlings in Staffordshire and Cornwall, Tawny Pipits in Cornwall and Orkney, Icterine Warbler in Norfolk, Barred Warblers in Lothian, Isles of Scilly and Shetland (2), Wryneck in Pembrokeshire, Richard's Pipit in East Yorkshire, Red-breasted Flycatchers in Western Isles and Lincolnshire, Melodious Warbler in Cornwall and American Wigeon in Oxfordshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 12th September 2009  
  New arrivals today were headlined by a Hudsonian Whimbrel on South Uist, Western Isles, joining a Long-billed Dowitcher, American Golden Plover, Baird's Sandpiper and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the same island, with a male Snowy Owl nearby on Lewis. Another Snowy Owl was seen on Tory Island, County Donegal, whilst passerine rarities in the east included a Booted Warbler at Spurn, East Yorkshire (with another remaining on Shetland), and a Greenish Warbler in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

A White-rumped Sandpiper was present at Abberton Reservoir, Essex, and a Gyr Falcon was seen in Cleveland. Lingering rarities included 15 Glossy Ibises, a King Eider, a Lesser Yellowlegs, a Ferruginous Duck and a Black Kite, with a good scattering of scarce migrants, mainly on the east coast.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 11th September 2009  
  The first Booted Warblers of the year arrived today, with single birds at Channerwick, Shetland and on Blakeney Point, Norfolk. A Greenish Warbler was at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, and Glossy Ibises were in Cambridgeshire (7), County Wexford (5), at least one in Kent, one in each of Suffolk and Somerset and another was reported in Hertfordshire. A Black Kite flew over Dawlish Warren, Devon, with another still lingering in west Cornwall. The presumed returning female Blue-winged Teal was seen at North Bull Island, County Dublin. A bunting species, either a Black-headed or Red-headed Bunting was seen at Galley Head, County Cork.

Lingering rarities included the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in County Cork, King Eider in Lincolnshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Lothian and Citrine Wagtail on the Isles of Scilly. Scarcities included two Spotted Crakes, four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, two Pectoral Sandpipers, five Wrynecks, two Barred Warblers, Marsh Warbler, two Icterine Warblers, four Red-breasted Flycatchers, two Rose-coloured Starlings, Common Rosefinch and two Ortolan Buntings.
-  Will Soar, RBA