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 8th September 2011  
  A Least Sandpiper at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire) was today's headline discovery, but unfortunately the bird was in an area with no general access. Elsewhere new American waders included Baird's Sandpipers on Isles of Scilly and in Co Cork, a distant dowitcher species in Co Derry and Semipalmated Sandpiper in Co Kerry. A total of 14 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and 23 Pectoral Sandpipers were logged and a Spotted Sandpiper (Devon), Baird's Sandpiper (Cornwall), American Golden Plover (Co Durham) and Semipalmated Sandpiper (Co Cork) all lingered.

A juvenile Pallid Harrier flew over Aston Upthorpe Downs (Oxfordshire) but didn't linger (on Shetland two Pallid Harriers remained on show), a Citrine Wagtail was discovered in Co Kerry and in London a Red-rumped Swallow flew over Crayford Marshes.

In addition to the aforementioned waders lingering rarities included Citrine Wagtails in Norfolk and on Fair Isle, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Arctic Warbler on Shetland, Bee-eater on Isles of Scilly (where a pelagic produced five Wilson's Petrels this evening) and Bonaparte's Gull in Co Durham.

The best of the rest included White-winged Black Tern in Oxfordshire, Spotted Crake in Cheshire, Rose-coloured Starling in Dumfries & Galloway, Hoopoe in Carmarthenshire, Melodious Warblers in Dorset and Gwynedd, Woodchat Shrike on Isles of Scilly and Cattle Egrets in Norfolk (2) and Kent.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 7th September 2011  
  A quieter day today, with new discoveries including an Arctic Warbler at Hoswick, Shetland, and a new Citrine Wagtail on North Ronaldsay, Orkney. A Citrine Wagtail was also seen at Cley NWT, Norfolk, for its second day.

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper remained at Tacumshin, County Wexford, as did the Pallid Harrier, White-rumped Sandpiper, American Golden Plover and two Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Other lingering rarities included the Bonaparte's Gull and American Golden Plover in County Durham, Citrine Wagtail in Isles of Scilly, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Cork and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.

Few scarcities were seen today apart from seabirds (except a Rose-coloured Starling, a White-winged Black Tern, two Melodious Warblers, two Woodchat Shrikes and nine Wrynecks). Seabird totals included 71 Sabine's Gulls, 52 Great Shearwaters, 40 Leach's Petrels, 36 Pomarine Skuas, 14 Long-tailed Skuas, seven Grey Phalaropes and a Red-necked Phalarope, and a few Manx Shearwaters were seen well inland.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 6th September 2011  
  Seawatching, once again, provided the highlights today, with the star being a Madeiran Petrel in Cornwall. First seen at 2.30pm, it was later seen lingering between 3.50pm and 3.55pm, before flying west. Single Wilson's Petrels flew past Brandon Point, County Kerry and Bridges of Ross, County Clare. Other seabird totals included 119 Great Shearwaters, 27 Cory's Shearwaters, 99 Sabine's Gulls, 41 Leach's Petrels and two Grey Phalaropes. In Devon, records were broken with 304 Balearic Shearwaters flying past Berry Head, Brixham, and 238 flying past Start Point.

Other new rarities were limited, with just a Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle, Shetland, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Clonakilty, County Cork.

Lingering rarities included single Pallid Harriers in County Wexford and Shetland, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, House Crow in County Cork, Bee-eater in Isles of Scilly and American Golden Plover in County Durham.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 5th September 2011  
  The highlight of the day was another sighting of a Fea's Petrel off the Irish coast; passing Mizen Head, County Cork in the afternoon. Seawatching elsewhere produced a Wilson's Petrel and a Sabine's Gull off County Clare, and cumulative totals of at least 146 Cory's Shearwaters (all off County Cork), 108 Great Shearwaters and three Long-tailed Skuas.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper was discovered in County Cork at Pilmore, a Citrine Wagtail made a brief appearance in Hampshire at Pennington Marshes, and an Ortolan Bunting was on St Martin's, Isles of Scilly. Whilst lingering rarities confirmed as still present today were the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Harrier and American Golden Plover all together in County Wexford, Baird's Sandpiper in Argyll, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Greenish Warbler in County Cork, Black Kite in Cornwall, American Golden Plover in County Durham, and Bee-eater on the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included 14 Pectoral Sandpipers, six Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Wrynecks, three Barred Warblers, two each of Woodchat Shrike and Cattle Egret, and single Melodious Warbler (Dorset), White-winged Black Tern (Oxon), Rose-coloured Starling (Dumfries and Galloway), Common Rosefinch (Pembrokeshire), Spotted Crake (Cheshire), Ring-necked Duck (Somerset) and and Lapland Bunting (Orkney Isles).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
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