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 30th November 2010  
  The highlight of the day was confirmation of the presence of a white morph Gyr in County Sligo at Drumcliff Bay. First suspected nearby on 28th November, it is perhaps the same individual that was present in that general area between 5th December 2009 and 17th January 2010.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Green Heron in Cornwall, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, Glossy Ibis in Glamorgan and a Richardson's Canada Goose in Argyll.

Scarcities included seven each of both Rough-legged Buzzard and Shorelark, three each of Yellow-browed Warbler and Glaucous Gull, two each of Iceland Gull and Caspian Gull, and single Pallas's Warbler (Isles of Scilly), Common Rosefinch (Gwynedd), Surf Scoter (Devon), Ring-necked Duck (Buckinghamshire), Ring-billed Gull (West Yorkshire), Great White Egret (Northamptonshire) and Great Grey Shrike (Dorset). Waxwings were reported from 42 counties.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 29th November 2010  
  Two Glossy Ibises were discovered today, one in Glamorgan and one in Dorset.

Lingering rarities included Northern Harrier in Norfolk and Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset.

The best of the rest included Hoopoes in Dorset and Co Durham, Great White Egrets in Northamptonshire and Dorset, Yellow-browed Warbler in Cornwall, Richard's Pipit in Gloucestershire and Waxwings were still widespread.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 28th November 2010  
  Four of the five new rarities today were wildfowl, and included two Ferruginous Ducks, a female in Burgess Park, London and another at Cheddar Reservoir, Somerset, a Black Duck in Bangor, County Down and a Ross's Goose at Holkham, Norfolk. A Coues's Arctic Redpoll was seen in Cley, Norfolk twice before it flew west.

Lingering rarities included an American Coot in County Mayo, a Blue-winged Teal in Dumfries and Galloway, a Northern Harrier in Norfolk, a Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, a Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire and a Forster's Tern in County Galway.

Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a  Surf Scoter, a Grey Phalarope, a Yellow-browed Warbler, two Common Rosefinches, two Great White Egrets, two Cattle Egrets,  three Ring-billed Gulls and six Great Grey Shrike.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 27th November 2010  
  In Dumfries and Galloway, a drake Blue-winged Teal was present for its second day at Threave Castle, near Castle Douglas. Further south, both Northern Harriers remained in situ, in Norfolk and County Wexford, as did the American Coot in County Mayo, House Crow and American Golden Plover in County Cork, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire, Ferruginous Duck in County Down and Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Cambridgeshire.

News of a first-winter drake Baikal Teal at Cambourne, Cambridgeshire was quickly corrected, when photos were released which clearly showed a hybrid.

Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch in Glamorgan, a Hoopoe in Dorset, a Cattle Egret and Surf Scoter in Devon, two Rough-legged Buzzards, two Great Grey Shrikes, three Yellow-browed Warblers, four Grey Phalaropes and six Great White Egrets.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 26th November 2010  
  In Norfolk, a Penduline Tit was seen briefly at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB, whilst in the same county the juvenile male Northern Harrier remained in the Thornham area. Other long staying rarities seen today included Green Heron in Cornwall, American Coot in County Mayo, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset and Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire.

Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe in Dorset, a Richard's Pipit in Glamorgan, a Rough-legged Buzzard in Lincolnshire, a Cattle Egret in Devon, two Yellow-browed Warblers, two Grey Phalaropes, two Surf Scoters, three Great Grey Shrikes, three Great White Egrets and three Ring-necked Ducks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 25th November 2010  
  The highlight of the day was confirmation of the identity of the Northern Harrier in Norfolk. Present along the North Norfolk coast since October, it showed again today between Thornham and Titchwell.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Green Heron still in Cornwall, Northern Harrier and Glossy Ibis together in County Wexford, House Crow in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire, Blue-winged Teal in County Tipperary, two Glossy Ibises together in Devon and a Northern Long-tailed Tit discovered at Wishaw, Clyde.

Scarcities comprised four Rough-legged Buzzards, three Great White Egrets, two Ring-billed Gulls and single Surf Scoter, Serin and Cattle Egret (all Devon), Hoopoe (Dorset), Ring-necked Duck (County Cork), Black Brant (West Sussex), Yellow-browed Warbler (Cornwall), Green-winged Teal (County Antrim), Dotterel (Dumfries and Galloway) and Greenland Redpoll (Isles of Scilly). Waxwings were noted in 34 counties.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 24th November 2010  
  Lingering rarities included the Green Heron in Cornwall, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset and Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire. In Lincolnshire an American Golden Plover was discovered at Donna Nook.

In Ireland the American Coot lingered in Co Mayo, Blue-winged Teals were in Co Clare and Co Tipperary and the House Crow remained in Co Cork.

In Norfolk the probable Northern Harrier lingered in the north coast and Waxwings were again widespread in Britain.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 23rd November 2010  
  The highlight of the day was confirmation of the identification of a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler at Holme Dunes, Norfolk, having first been noted there yesterday.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Green Heron in Cornwall, Northern Harrier in County Wexford, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, Red-breasted Goose in Merseyside, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Glossy Ibises in Devon (3), County Wexford and Wiltshire.

Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Kent), Common Rosefinch and Surf Scoter (Pembrokeshire), Ring-billed Gull (Essex) and Great Grey Shrike (Dorset), two each of Cattle Egret and Green-winged Teal, three Black Brants, four each of both Rough-legged Buzzard and Yellow-browed Warbler and five Great White Egrets. Waxwings were reported from 35 counties.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 22nd November 2010  
  For the second consecutive day a Rustic Bunting was the best new discovery, this time at Rye Harbour NR (East Sussex).

Lingering rarities included Green Heron in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, and Glossy Ibis in Devon, but in Greater Manchester the Pied-billed Grebe could not be found at Hollingworth Lake.

In Ireland, the American Coot was still in Co Mayo, whilst Northern Harrier (Co Wexford), Forster's Tern (Co Galway) and Ferruginous Duck (Co Down) also lingered.

Waxwing flocks were still widespread, Pallas's Warblers were still in East Yorkshire and Dorset, a Richard's Pipit flew over in Hampshire and Yellow-browed Warblers lingered on Isles of Scilly and in Cornwall.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 21st November 2010  
  A Rustic Bunting near Whitstable (Kent) was today's headline discovery. Elsewhere at least one Coues's Arctic Redpoll arrived on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) and an American Golden Plover was identified on North Uist (Western Isles).

Lingering Mega Rarities came in the form of Pied-billed Grebe in Greater Manchester, Green Heron in Cornwall and American Coot in Co Mayo. The Lesser Yellowlegs in Leicestershire, American Golden Plover in Norfolk, Glossy Ibises in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Dorset, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Cambridgeshire, King Eider in Moray, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset all remained on show.

In Co Wexford the Northern Harrier was still present at Tacumshin, whilst in East Anglia the probable Northern Harrier lingered on the North Norfolk coast.

In addition to the aforementioned rarities in Ireland,  the Semipalmated Sandpiper and House Crow were still in Co Cork and the Forster's Tern lingered in Co Galway.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA