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 19th May 2013  
  There was no sign of either the Dusky Thrush in Kent or the Collared Flycatcher in Yorkshire today.

It was, however, another very busy day in terms of Spring rarities and scarcities, headlined by both Lesser Grey Shrike and Rustic Bunting on Holy Island, Northumberland, and a Thrush Nightingale at Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland, where it showed very well on the putting green. The former site also held an impressive list of scarcities including two Icterine Warblers, a Common Rosefinch and at least four Red-backed Shrikes. A singing Great Reed Warbler spent the day at East Chevington NWT, Northumberland, and another Rustic Bunting was found on Fair Isle, Shetland, where the Ortolan Bunting remained. Other rarities found today included a Black Stork over Oxenbourne Down, Hampshire, single Bee-eaters over Ventnor, Isle of Wight and on Bryher and Tresco, Isles of Scilly, and Black Kites were over Hamble Common and Pennington Marshes, both Hampshire.

Other lingering rarities were just the Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 18th May 2013  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Dusky Thrush in Kent at Margate Cemetery, where it showed throughout the day and became the first Dusky Thrush to be widely twitched in Britain.

New discoveries included a male Collared Flycatcher in East Yorkshire at Easington in the evening, with, nearby, a Broad-billed Sandpiper briefly at Patrington Haven. Brief encounters included Black Stork, Black Kite and Bee-eater all in Hampshire, a Black Kite over London and a Bee-eater in West Sussex.

Lingering rarities comprised Black-winged Stilt in Cambridgeshire, Subalpine Warbler in Cornwall, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Ortolan Bunting on the Shetland Isles, Lesser Scaup in Highland and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

Scarcities included 20 Red-backed Shrikes, nine Bluethroats, eight Temminck's Stints, four Grey-headed Wagtails (all on the Shetland Isles), two each of both Red-breasted Flycatcher and Common Rosefinch, and single Marsh Warbler (Orkney Isles), Hoopoe (Somerset), Short-toed Lark and Icterine Wabler (both Shetland Isles).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 17th May 2013  
  A female Dusky Thrush was identified from photographs this evening, having been present in Margate Cemetery, Kent since Wednesday. The only twitchable Dusky Thrush in Britain was back in 1959, a first-winter male in Hartlepool, Cleveland, so there will be fairly large crowd tomorrow if it's still present.

New discoveries today included an Ortolan Bunting at Spurn, Yorkshire, both King Eider and American Golden Plover on Inishkea, County Mayo, single Bee-eaters in Lancashire and Wiltshire and single Black Kites in Dorset and Hampshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 16th May 2013  
  New discoveries today included a singing Iberian Chiffchaff and a Bonaparte's Gull in Cornwall, at St Loy and Stithians Reservoir respectively, and a female Subalpine Warbler was on Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire. A Black Kite at West Hartford, Northumberland was present for its third day.

Lingering rarities included the Collared Flycatcher on Shetland, Black-winged Stilt in Cambridgeshire, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Subalpine Warblers in Cumbria and Aberdeenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Cornwall and Lesser Scaup in Cleveland.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 15th May 2013  
  New rarities discovered today comprised a Bonaparte's Gull in Cornwall at Siblyback Lake, Subalpine Warbler in Cumbria at Rampside, Black Kite in East Sussex at Lewes, and an Alpine Swift at Ascot, Berkshire.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were both the Collared Flycatcher and Ortolan Bunting on the Shetland Isles, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Subalpine Warbler in Aberdeenshire, Black-winged Stilt in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

A notable arrival of scarce migrants occurred between the Shetland Isles and North Yorkshire with 11 Red-backed Shrikes, three Wrynecks, and two each of both Icterine Warbler and Red-spotted Bluethroat logged. Elsewhere, single Serin and Hoopoe (Dorset), Golden Oriole and Lapland Bunting (Isles of Scilly), Cattle Egret (Anglesey), and two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Temminck's Stints, 25 Long-tailed Skuas and 54 Pomarine Skuas.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 14th May 2013  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Pied-billed Grebe in County Mayo on Achill Island. Elsewhere, a Great Reed Warbler at Grimley, Worcestershire was a county first, a Western Subalpine Warbler was in Aberdeenshire at Cruden Bay, a Black Kite noted briefly in Kent, and a Black-winged Stilt arrived with three Pectoral Sandpipers at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were both the Collared Flycatcher and Ortolan Bunting on the Shetland Isles, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Bonaparte's Gulls in both Devon and County Kerry, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, White-billed Diver in Moray, and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.

Scarcities included Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck on the Shetland Isles, Marsh Warbler in Suffolk, Serin in West Sussex, Red-backed Shrike on the Orkney Isles, as well as two each of Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Cattle Egret (inlcuding one on Anglesey) and Surf Scoter (including one in Northumberland), three Golden Orioles, 19 Dotterel, 16 Long-tailed Skuas and 86 Pomarine Skuas.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 13th May 2013  
  On the Western Isles the adult male Snowy Owl reappeared once again at Sollas, North Uist. Single Red-rumped Swallows were found at Dungeness, Kent and Whitlingham Country Park, Norfolk, an adult Bonaparte's Gull was at Castlegregory, County Kerry and a drake Ferruginous Duck was at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset.

Lingering rarities included the Black-headed Wagtail and Glossy Ibis at Marloes, Pembrokeshire, Red-footed Falcon at Lakenheath, Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper at Wadebridge, Cornwall, single Lesser Scaups at St John's Loch, Highland and Saltholme RSPB, Cleveland and single Bonaparte's Gulls on the Exe Estuary, Devon and at Tacumshin, County Wexford.

Skua watching in the west produced the bulk of the rest of today's messages, with 494 Long-tailed Skuas and 724 Pomarine Skuas logged, along with 11 Leach's Petrels.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 12th May 2013  
  New discoveries today included a smart male Black-headed Wagtail at Marloes Mere, Pembrokeshire, a Red-rumped Swallow at the same site with others at Spurn, Yorkshire and Beddington, London, a Savi's Warbler which sang all day at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, an Alpine Swift at Staines Reservoir, Surrey, an Ortolan Bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland and nine Bee-eaters flew over Colne Point, Essex.

Lingering rarities included the Collared Flycatcher on Whalsay, Shetland, Spotted Sandpiper in Wadebridge, Cornwall, Red-footed Falcon at Lakenheath, Suffolk, Bonaparte's Gulls at Topsham, Devon and Tacumshin, County Wexford, Lesser Scaup at Saltholme, Cleveland and White-billed Divers on Orkney and in Aberdeenshire (five).

Scarcity highlights involved a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Hoopoe, two Red-backed Shrikes and three Serins, whilst seawatching produced 268 Long-tailed Skuas, 496 Pomarine Skuas and three Leach's Petrels.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 11th May 2013  
  Rarities today comprised the Collared Flycatcher still in Shetland on Whalsay, Spotted Sandpiper still in Cornwall, Subalpine Warbler in Scilly, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Lesser Scaup in Highland, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Red-rumped Swallows in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, and Bonaparte's Gulls in Devon and County Wexford.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 10th May 2013  
  Another male Collared Flycatcher was found today, this time on Whalsay, Shetland, but there was no sign of the Northumberland bird. A summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper was in Wadebridge, Cornwall, a Red-throated Pipit flew south over Spurn, Yorkshire and a Lesser Scaup was on St John's Pool, Highland.

Lingering rarities included the Thrush Nightingale on Shetland, Subalpine Warbler on the Isles of Scilly, Bonaparte's Gulls in Devon and County Wexford, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, White-billed Diver in Moray, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Blue-winged Teal in Clyde, Lesser Scaup in Yorkshire and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

An impressive skua passage included 30 Long-tailed Skuas (27 off Criccieth, Gwynedd) and at least 378 Pomarine Skuas. A single Leach's Petrel was also seen, off Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA