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 10th January 2012  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Spanish Sparrow at Calshot, Hampshire. The bird showed throughout the day and has been confirmed as having been visiting feeders at this site since at least 3rd December 2011. Nearby the Dark-eyed Junco remained in the New Forest at Hawkhill Inclosure.

Elsewhere, lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Northern Waterthrush and Blue-winged Teal on the Isles of Scilly, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and Ross's Goose in Norfolk, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorset, Red-breasted Goose in Essex, Spotted Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Lesser Scaup in Gloucestershire, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Glossy Ibises in Cheshire, Essex and Lancashire (2).

New rarities discovered today were a King Eider passing Chanonry Point, Highland, a White-billed Diver on the Shetland Isles, in Bluemull Sound, and a party of three Northern Long-tailed Tits in Luddenden, West Yorkshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 9th January 2012  
  Having produced the final Mega-rarity of 2011 (Dark-eyed Junco), Hampshire again created the headlines this evening with 2012's first Mega Alert - a Spanish Sparrow in the small village of Calshot, which will hopefully prove to be the first twitchable individual since the long-staying bird in Cumbria in 1996.

Elsewhere lingering rarities included Western Sandpiper, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and Lesser White-fronted Goose in Norfolk, Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorset, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Dusky Warbler on Isles of Scilly, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon and Desert Wheatear in Northumberland. Two Blue-winged Teals, two Ferruginous Ducks, three Lesser Scaup and four Glossy Ibises were also logged.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 8th January 2012  
  New rarities discovered today were a Lesser Scaup in Aberdeenshire at Loch of Skene, a White-billed Diver on the Shetland Isles at Kirkabister, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Norfolk at Kelling, and a Glossy Ibis at Adcliffe, Lancashire.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Northern Waterthrush on the Isles of Scilly, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and three Ross's Geese in Norfolk, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Desert Wheatear in East Yorkshire, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorset, Red-breasted Goose in Essex, Bonaparte's Gull in County Antrim, Spotted Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Carmarthenshire, Lesser Scaup in Gloucestershire, Ferruginous Ducks in both Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, Glossy Ibises in Cheshire, Devon, Essex, Kent (2) and Lancashire, and four Richardson's Canada Geese in Argyll.

Impressive counts of scarce gulls were again logged with 187 Iceland, 90 Glaucous, 13 Ring-billed and nine Kumlien's Gulls, including five of the latter together at Killybegs, County Donegal.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 7th January 2012  
  New discoveries today included a Glossy Ibis at Sandbach Flashes, Cheshire and a Ferruginous Duck at Paxton Pits, Cambridgeshire. Long staying rarities rediscovered today after a significant absence included the Northern Waterthrush at Lower Moors, Isles of Scilly, and the Long-billed Dowitcher at Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway.

Other lingering rarities included the Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and three Ross's Geese in Norfolk, House Crow in County Cork, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorset, Desert Wheatear in Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, single Blue-winged Teals in Dorset, Isles of Scilly and County Dublin, Bonaparte's Gull in County Antrim and Long-billed Dowitcher in County Wexford.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 6th January 2012  
  Long staying rarities seen today included the Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and two Ross's Geese in Norfolk, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler and Blue-winged Teal in Dorset (with others of the latter still in County Dublin and the Isles of Scilly), Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Glossy Ibises in Kent (2) and Devon, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, single Lesser Scaups in Northumberland and Gloucestershire, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire and Bonaparte's Gull in County Antrim.

Gull counts remained impressive, with 120 Iceland, 48 Glaucous, 9 Caspian, 8 Ring-billed, 6 Kumlien's and a Little Gull logged.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 5th January 2012  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Coues's Arctic Redpoll and Ross's Goose in Norfolk, Pallid Harrier in County Galway, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue-winged Teal and two Long-billed Dowitchers in Dorset, Bonaparte's Gull in County Antrim, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Lesser Scaup in Northumberland, Glossy Ibis on the Isles of Scilly, and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire.

Scarcities included Bluethroat (County Waterford), Richard's Pipit (Dorset), Yellow-browed Warbler (Devon), Temminck's Stint (Cambridgeshire), Surf Scoter (Devon), Ring-necked Duck (Cleveland), American Wigeon (Dumfries and Galloway and Western Isles), and Snow Goose (Cumbria and Perth and Kinross).

Continuing strong winds brought large numbers of Northern and American gulls, with 117 Iceland, 44 Glaucous, eight Kumlien's and seven Ring-billed Gulls logged around the British Isles, with the majority being noted in Scotland and Ireland.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 4th January 2012  
  Lingering rarities comprised Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Norfolk, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Northumberland and Gloucestershire, Glossy Ibises in Lancashire, Isles of Scilly and Devon, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Spotted Sandpipers in Somerset and Devon, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue-winged Teal and two Long-billed Dowitchers in Dorset, Desert Wheatear in East Yorkshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Co Antrim.

The best of the rest included a Yellow-browed Warblers in Somerset and Cornwall, Richard's Pipit in Dorset, Bluethroat in Co Waterford and Temminck's Stint in Cambridgeshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 3rd January 2012  
  Lingering rarities included Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Western Sandpiper in Norfolk, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Desert Wheatear and Lesser Scaup in Northumberland, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler and two Long-billed Dowitchers in Dorset, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Blue-winged Teal on Isles of Scilly, Long-billed Dowitcher in Carmarthenshire, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Bonaparte's Gull in Co Antrim and Glossy Ibises in Devon, Isles of Scilly, Lancashire and Essex.

The best of the rest comprised Richard's Pipit in Dorset, Bluethroat in Co Waterford and Yellow-browed Warblers in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 2nd January 2012  
  In Dorset two Long-billed Dowitchers were discovered at Lodmoor RSPB this afternoon.

Lingering rarities included the Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorset, Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Norfolk, Blue-winged Teals in Dorset and Isles of Scilly, Ross's Goose in Cumbria, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Glossy Ibises in Devon, Isles of Scilly, Essex and Lancashire, Spotted Sandpiper in Dorset, Somerset and Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Carmarthenshire, Red-breasted Geese in Essex and Devon, Greater Yellowlegs in Highland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Northumberland and Desert Wheatears in East Yorkshire and Northumberland.

In Ireland a Forster's Tern (Co Galway), Long-billed Dowitcher (Co Wexford), Lesser Scaup (Co Kerry), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Antrim) and Bluethroat (Co Waterford) were all logged.

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (Suffolk), Richard's Pipits (Dorset and Co Down) and Pectoral Sandpiper (Ayrshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 1st January 2012  
  Rarities recorded around England today were the Western Sandpiper, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Norfolk, Bufflehead in Cornwall, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler and Blue-winged Teal in Dorset, Red-breasted Goose and Glossy Ibis in Devon, Red-breasted Goose and Glossy Ibis in Essex, Spotted Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs in Somerset, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Blue-winged Teal, Dusky Warbler and Glossy Ibis on the Isles of Scilly, Desert Wheatear and Lesser Scaup in Northumberland, Desert Wheatear in East Yorkshire, Lesser Scaup in Gloucestershire, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, two Glossy Ibises together in Kent and a Glossy Ibis in Lancashire.

Elsewhere, in Scotland the Greater Yellowlegs remained in Highland, in Wales the Long-billed Dowitcher showed in Carmarthenshire, as did the Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, and in Ireland a Long-billed Dowitcher was found in County Wexford, the Bonaparte's Gull remained in County Antrim, and the Blue-winged Teal was seen again in County Dublin.
-  Chris Batty, RBA