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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Saturday 1st September 2012  
  Highlight of the day was the juvenile American Black Tern in the north-west. After no sign of the bird at yesterday's site, Eccleston Mere, Merseyside, it was promptly re-found mid morning 10 miles to the east at Pennington Flash, Greater Manchester. Here it stayed until late afternoon, before relocating back to Eccleston Mere during the evening. Other new discoveries today included Arctic Warblers on Unst, Shetland and at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, a Lesser Yellowlegs also at the latter site and a Citrine Wagtail on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

In Suffolk, the male Spanish Sparrow reappeared briefly this evening, back at Landguard NR, Felixstowe. The Forster's Tern also reappeared in County Louth, with other lingering rarities including the Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham, Arctic Warbler and Citrine Wagtail in Shetland and single Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire, Pembrokeshire and County Wexford.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 31st August 2012  
  The highlight of the day was a Yelkouan Shearwater passing Whitburn, County Durham in the evening. Elsewhere, the identification of the American Black Tern suspected yesterday in Merseyside at Eccleston Mere was confirmed, a Baird's Sandpiper was a new arrival in Cornwall at Marazion, and on the Shetland Isles a Citrine Wagtail was discovered on Foula.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Arctic Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, Lesser Scaup and Ferruginous Duck together in Somerset, and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

Scarce migrants included 12 Long-tailed Skuas, seven Barred Warblers, six Pectoral Sandpipers, five Spotted Crakes, four each of both Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Wryneck, two each of Red-backed Shrike, Red-necked Phalarope and Lapland Bunting, and single Melodious Warbler (Isles of Scilly), Woodchat Shrike (Dorset) and Rose-coloured Starling (Ceredigion).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 30th August 2012  
  Mega news came from Co Mayo this morning when a Black Skimmer flew past Annagh Head - this represents the first Western Palearctic record of this American species.

Elsewhere rarities comprised Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Glossy Ibis in Cambridgeshire, Lesser Scaup and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire.

Scarcity totals included eight Pectoral Sandpipers, four Wrynecks, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Great White Egrets, two Barred Warblers, two Red-necked Phalaropes, two Spotted Crakes, Common Rosefinch (Norfolk) and Cattle Egret (Kent). Multiple Long-tailed Skuas were logged, including a count of 14 past Thorpeness (Suffolk).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 29th August 2012  
  New discoveries today included a Fea's Petrel past Galley Head, County Cork, a Forster's Tern off Soldier's Point, County Louth, an Arctic Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Red-rumped Swallow at Frodsham Marsh, Cheshire, and Wales' first mainland Greenish Warbler on Great Ormes Head.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, Lesser Scaup in Somerset and single Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire, Pembrokeshire and County Wexford.

In between the seabird news, the National channel featured a White-winged Black Tern, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Common Rosefinch, three White Storks, four Wrynecks, four Spotted Crakes, seven Pectoral Sandpipers, nine Barred Warblers and 13 Lesser Snow Geese. The aforementioned seabird tally was eight Great Shearwaters, 10 Cory's Shearwaters, 198 Balearic Shearwaters, 21 Sabine's Gulls, 11 Leach's Petrels, ten Long-tailed Skuas and ten Pomarine Skuas.

Significant late news concerned a dark morph Eleonora's Falcon in Sussex on 19th August. Found by a visiting Dutch birder familiar with the species, it didn't linger as it flew east over Boreham Street.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 28th August 2012  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of another Greenish Warbler on the English east coast; at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire. Elsewhere, Greenish Warblers remained in both Norfolk and Northumberland (2), a Lesser Scaup arrived at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, the Bonaparte's Gull was still in County Durham, as was the Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, and single Glossy Ibis in both Cambridgeshire and Carmarthenshire.

Scarcities included seven each of both Wryneck and Pectoral Sandpiper, six Spotted Crakes, five Barred Warblers, and single Surf Scoter (Conwy), Ring-billed Gull (Forth), Red-necked Phalarope (Dumfries and Galloway), Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Icterine Warbler (North Yorkshire), Rose-coloured Starling (Ceredigion), Melodious Warbler and Common Rosefinch (together in Pembrokeshire). Seawatching highlights included three Cory's Shearwaters, two Great Shearwaters and two Sabine's Gulls.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 27th August 2012  
  A Barolo Little Shearwater flew west past Bridges of Ross, County Clare mid afternoon, but gave good views to just three of the assembled crowd.

Other rarities seen today included Greenish Warblers in Norfolk and Northumberland (2), Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire and single Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire and Somerset.

Seawatching continued to entertain, with good numbers of Long-tailed Skuas and Pomarine Skuas seen, as well as smaller numbers of Sabine's Gulls, Grey Phalaropes and a single Leach's Petrel.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 26th August 2012  
  An arrival of Greenish Warblers today resulted in birds in Norfolk (Blakeney Point), Yorkshire (Kilnsea) and Northumberland (Farne Islands, Holy Island and Tynemouth).

Lingering rarities included the Thrush Nightingale in Shetland, Snowy Owl in County Donegal, Baird's Sandpiper in Pembrokeshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wicklow, Blue-winged Teals in Clyde and County Wexford and Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire, Sussex and County Wexford.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 25th August 2012  
  Neither of the top two rarities discovered today lingered for longer than half an hour. Both in Yorkshire briefly this evening: a Broad-billed Sandpiper was at Nosterfield NR and a Gull-billed Tern was at Tophill Low NR. Other new rarities included single Blue-winged Teals at Carbarns Pool, Clyde and Tacumshin, County Wexford, and a Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan.

Lingering rarities included Wilson's Phalarope in County Cork, Baird's Sandpiper in Pembrokeshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wicklow, Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, Citrine Wagtail in Shetland and single Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire, Pembrokeshire and County Wexford.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 24th August 2012  
  The highlight of the day was a Spanish Sparrow in Suffolk; photographed at Landguard mid morning, it was not relocated later in the day. Elsewhere, a Fea's Petrel passed Porthgwarra, Cornwall, a Wilson's Phalarope arrived in County Cork at Rosscarbery, a Glossy Ibis was found on the Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire, and a Thrush Nightingale was trapped on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Baird's Sandpiper in Pembrokeshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, Ortolan Bunting on the Orkney Isles, and single White-rumped Sandpipers in both County Kerry and County Wicklow.

Scarcities included eight Barred Warblers, seven Wrynecks, two each of Icterine Warbler, Hoopoe, White-winged Black Tern (together in Hampshire), Spotted Crake and Ring-billed Gull, and single Kentish Plover and Purple Heron (Kent), Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Woodchat Shrike and Cattle Egret (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (North Yorkshire).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 23rd August 2012  
  New discoveries included an Aquatic Warbler trapped in Gunwalloe (Cornwall) and a Black Kite over Rainham Marshes RSPB and Crayford Marshes (London).

Lingering rarities included Long-billed Dowitcher in Gloucestershire, American Golden Plover in Cambridgeshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in Co Wicklow, Snowy Owl in Co Donegal, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

Scarcity totals comprised nine Wrynecks, four Barred Warblers, three Great White Egrets, two Purple Herons, two Spotted Crakes, Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire) and Pectoral Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA