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 4th September 2011  
  The fifth Fea's Petrel of the autumn was seen at Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork today, but it was a slightly quieter day elsewhere for seawatching, with 249 Great Shearwaters, a single Cory's Shearwater, two Long-tailed Skuas, ten Pomarine Skuas, three Leach's Petrels, two Grey Phalaropes and six Sabine's Gulls being the cumulative totals.

An Arctic Warbler was found on Fetlar, Shetland, whilst the Pallid Harrier and Greenish Warbler also remained on the islands, with another of the latter in County Cork. Single American Golden Plovers were in County Durham and County Kerry, with a White-rumped Sandpiper also in the latter county. Five Glossy Ibises flew over Atwick, Yorkshire, a Baird's Sandpiper was in Argyll and an Ortolan Bunting and a couple of Citrine Wagtails were on the Isles of Scilly. A Marbled Duck was present at Freckleton, Lancashire this evening.

Lingering rarities today included Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, American Golden Plover and White-rumped Sandpiper all at Tacumshin, County Wexford (together with a White-winged Black Tern, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, two Pectoral Sandpipers and a Montagu's Harrier), Black Scoter in Highland, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Black Kite and Baird's Sandpiper in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 3rd September 2011  
  The highlight of what was a good day for seawatching was a Fea's Petrel passing the Bridges of Ross, County Clare during the afternoon. Cumulative day totals included six Cory's Shearwaters (all off County Mayo), seven Sabine's Gulls (all off County Clare), 11 Long-tailed Skuas, and a remarkable 2,249 Great Shearwaters logged between County Donegal and Cornwall (where 2,003 passed Porthgwarra alone).

Elsewhere, new discoveries concerned a brief American Black Tern and a Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Kerry, Spotted Sandpiper and Aquatic Warbler in Devon, Greeninsh Warbler in County Cork, King Eider on the Shetland Isles, and a Black Kite briefly in Surrey.

Lingering rarities comprised the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Great Snipe still together on the Shetland Isles, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, two American Golden Plovers and a White-rumped Sandpiper together in County Wexford, Black Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Citrine Wagtail in Merseyside, Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham, Black Duck in County Kerry, two Black Kites in Cornwall, Bee-eater on the Isles of Scilly, and both the Ferruginous Duck and Ring-necked Duck in Somerset.

Scarcities included 13 Pectoral Sandpipers, nine Common Rosefinches, seven Wrynecks, five Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three each of Spotted Crake, Cattle Egret and Great White Egret, two Surf Scoters (in Aberdeenshire) and a Barred Warbler (Lincolnshire).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 2nd September 2011  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler on Fair Isle - the fifth to be recorded on the Shetland Isles in a decade. Other new rarities were a Greenish Warbler on the Shetland Isles at Sandwick, a brief Whiskered Tern in London at Barnes, Citrine Wagtails in Merseyside at Seaforth, the Orkney Isles on North Ronaldsay, with two together in County Wexford at Tacumshin, single Ortolan Buntings in Cornwall at Nanquidno and Lancashire at Fleetwood, and American Golden Plovers on the Western Isles at Uig, and in County Wexford at both Rosslare Back Strand and Tacumshin.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier, Semipalmated Sandpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper all together in County Wexford, Great Snipe and a second Greenish Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Baird's Sandpiper and Black Kite in Cornwall, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Kerry, Bee-eater on the Isles of Scilly and Ferruginous Duck - with a Ring-necked Duck - in Somerset.

Scarcities included 14 Wrynecks, nine Common Rosefinches, five each of Barred Warbler and Pectoral Sandpiper, three each of Red-backed Shrike and Great White Egret, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, White-winged Black Tern (Staffordshire), Woodchat Shrike (Isles of Scilly), Spotted Crake (Cheshire), Temminck's Stint (East Yorkshire), Ring-billed Gull (Forth) and a Cattle Egret (Kent). Seawatching totals comprised 223 Great Shearwaters, six Long-tailed Skuas, three Cory's Shearwaters (County Mayo) and three Sabine's Gulls (County Clare).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 1st September 2011  
  Seabird sightings today were topped by a Black-browed Albatross south past Kilnsea, Yorkshire at 6pm, and a Fea's Petrel past North Ronaldsay, Orkney at 8am, whilst an early White-billed Diver flew past Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire early afternoon. Also in Wales, a Western Bonelli's Warbler was on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, and a Bee-eater flew over Mold, Flintshire. An Ortolan Bunting was at Hengistbury Head, Dorset.

Tacumshin in County Wexford continued to host a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, with another Pallid Harrier still on Unst, Shetland. A Great Snipe and a Greenish Warbler also remained in Shetland, with other lingering rarities including two Black Kites and a Baird's Sandpiper in Cornwall and an Ortolan Bunting and a Bee-eater in Isles of Scilly.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 31st August 2011  
  The highlight of the day was a Fea's Petrel watched passing Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire during the morning: the second to be recorded in the British Isles this week, and the eleventh to be logged at Flamborough Head since 1991. Elsewhere, a Citrine Wagtail and two Ortolan Buntings were found on the Isles of Scilly, whilst a White-rumped Sandpiper on the Wirral at Hoylake, and a Black Kite in Buckinghamshire at Whaddon were only brief encounters.

Lingering rarities were headlined by Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper all together at Tacumshin, County Wexford, whilst in Britain the Baird's Sandpiper remained in Cornwall, the Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham, and the Bee-eater on the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included six Wrynecks, Woodchat Shrike (Scilly Isles), Marsh Warbler (Orkney Isles), Barred Warbler (Orkney Isles and Shetland Isles (3), Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire and Shetland Isles (3), Night Heron (East Sussex), Spotted Crake (Somerset), Pectoral Sandpiper (Norfolk and Somerset), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Cattle Egret (Kent and West Sussex) and Great White Egret (Cornwall, Kent and Somerset). Seawatching highlights included Cory's Shearwater passing Dorset, Great Shearwater off Cornwall and at least 11 Long-tailed Skuas between Suffolk and Northumberland.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 30th August 2011  
  In Co Wexford Tacumshin continued its phenomenal run of rarities with the discovery of juvenile Pallid Harrier. In recent weeks Tacumshin has produced Sharp-tailed, at least two White-rumped, Baird's, two Semipalmated and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Pacific Golden Plover and now Pallid Harrier. The Sharp-tailed, two Semipalmated, two White-rumped and Buff-breasted Sandpipers all remained on show today.

In Northumberland the Black Scoter reappeared off Bamburgh, juvenile Baird's Sandpipers were discovered on the Hayle Estuary RSPB (Cornwall) and West Burra (Shetland) and juvenile Pallid Harriers remained on St Mary's (Isles of Scilly) and Unst (Shetland). A Bee-eater lingered on Isles of Scilly and a Bonaparte's Gull was again at Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon).

Scarcity totals included five Wrynecks, two Melodious Warblers, two Pectoral Sandpipers and single Serin (Dorset), Barred Warbler (Shetland), Night Heron (East Sussex), White Stork (Hampshire), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Spotted Crake (Somerset), Great White Egret and Cattle Egret (Kent).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 29th August 2011  
  A Yelkouan Shearwater past Cley (Norfolk), Pallid Harrier on St Mary's (Isles of Scilly) and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Tacumshin (Co Wexford) were today's star discoveries.

The Black Kite in Cornwall, Bee-eater on Isles of Scilly, Western Bonelli's Warbler in Norfolk and Blue-winged Teal in Cleveland all lingered, whilst in Ireland the House Crow (Co Cork), three Semipalmated Sandpipers (two in Co Wexford and one in Co Derry) and three White-rumped Sandpipers (two in Co Wexford and one in Co Kerry) all remained on show.

The best of the rest comprised Spotted Crake in Somerset, Woodchat Shrike on Isles of Scilly, Hoopoe in Pembrokeshire, Red-backed Shrike in Norfolk, Barred Warbler in Gwynedd, Cattle Egrets in Kent and West Sussex and eleven Wrynecks were reported.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 28th August 2011  
  New rarities identified today were a Booted Warbler on Unst, Shetland Isles (where it has been present, unidentified, for six days), a Citrine Wagtail in Merseyside at Seaforth, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Bann Estuary, County Londonderry: the fifth record of this species in Ireland this week.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in County Clare, Pallid Harrier on the Shetland Isles, Western Bonelli's Warbler in Norfolk, two Semipalmated Sandpipers and a White-rumped Sandpiper together in County Wexford, Black Scoter with two Surf Scoters in Aberdeenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham, Blue-winged Teal in Cleveland, Black Kite in Cornwall, and the Bee-eater on the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included seven Wrynecks, four Common Rosefinches (all on the Shetland Isles), two each of Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Temminck's Stint, and single Woodchat Shrike (Isle of Scilly), Icterine Warbler (Gwynedd), Serin (Kent), Hoopoe (Pembrokeshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (County Wexford), Spotted Crake (Somerset), Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), and Pectoral Sandpiper (Staffordshire). Seawatching highlights were eight Long-tailed Skuas, three Cory's Shearwaters and a Sabine's Gull (off Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 27th August 2011  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in County Clare, where a Semipalmated Sandpiper was also seen again. In County Wexford a Pacific Golden Plover, two Semipalmated Sandpipers, four White-rumped Sandpipers and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper were all noted, whilst scarce waders in England included Red-necked Phalarope in Norfolk, Pectoral Sandpiper in Staffordshire and three Temminck's Stints (Nottinghamshire, Somerset and West Sussex).

Other rarities comprised Western Bonelli's Warbler and Greenish Warbler still together in Norfolk, Black Scoter with five Surf Scoters in Aberdeenshire, Black Duck in County Mayo, Blue-winged Teal in Cleveland and Black Kite in Cornwall, whilst scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Isles of Scilly), Serin (Kent), Barred Warbler (Fife), Hoopoe (Somerset and Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (two in Norfolk), Wryneck (Hampshire, London, Norfolk, Surrey and West Sussex), Spotted Crake (Somerset) and Cattle Egret (Kent and West Sussex).

Seawatching highlights included 11 Long-tailed Skuas, four Sabine's Gulls, four Great Shearwaters, two Cory's Shearwaters and 74 Balearic Shearwaters.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 26th August 2011  
  A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Shannon Airport Lagoon (Co Clare) was today's headline discovery. Elsewhere in Ireland a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Doonbeg (Co Clare) was new, the two Semipalmated and single Baird's, White-rumped and Buff-breasted Sandpipers all remained at Tacumshin (Co Wexford) and the Wilson's Phalarope lingered in Co Antrim.

In Norfolk a Western Bonelli's Warbler was found in Cromer, where it co-inhabited Warren Wood with a singing Greenish Warbler. In London both Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns flew along the River Thames past Rainham Marshes RSPB.

On Shetland Booted Warblers were on Fair Isle and Mainland, a Pallid Harrier visited Bressay and two Greenish Warblers were on Mainland. A Bonaparte's Gull was reported on North Uist (Western Isles) and Greenish Warblers lingered in Aberdeenshire and East Yorkshire.

Scarcity totals included twelve Wrynecks, eight Barred Warblers, three Melodious Warblers, two Red-necked Phalaropes, Icterine Warblers, Woodchat and Red-backed Shrikes and single Hoopoe (Argyll), Ring-necked Duck (North Yorkshire), Spotted Crake (Somerset) and Great White Egret (Hampshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA