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 June 2013  
  The rarest bird seen today was a Crested Lark in Kent, which was at Bockhill Farm briefly early morning, before it flew north and wasn't seen again. A female Red-footed Falcon was at Ouse Fen, Cambridgeshire, a Greenish Warbler was at Quendale, Shetland and single Black Kites flew over Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire and Termon Hill, County Mayo.

Lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck at Balranald, Western Isles, Savi's Warbler at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk, Thrush Nightingale at Easington, Yorkshire, Blue-winged Teal at Kirkintilloch, Clyde and Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes KWT, Kent.

Scarcity totals included a White-spotted Bluethroat, two Icterine Warblers, five Marsh Warblers, two Woodchat Shrikes, ten Red-backed Shrikes, a Serin, a Golden Oriole, a Common Rosefinch, a Red-necked Phalarope and two Long-tailed Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 31st May 2013  
  The first ever May Wilson's Petrel was recorded off the Isles of Scilly this evening, from a pelagic south-west of Bishop Rock. Rare warblers discovered today included a Paddyfield Warbler at Shorne Marshes RSPB, Kent, Great Reed Warblers on the Out Skerries, Shetland and in Dover, Kent and a Greenish Warbler at Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire. A Thrush Nightingale was singing at Easington, Yorkshire.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Savi's Warbler at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk, Blyth's Reed Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, Snowy Owl on Arranmore Island, County Donegal, Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes KWT, Kent and King Eider on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 30th May 2013  
  Shetland hosted a Thrush Nightingale, two Blyth's Reed Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, three Marsh Warblers and seven Red-backed Shrikes.

Away from Shetland new discoveries comprised a Black-headed Bunting in Northumberland, Black Kite in London and Savi's Warbler in Devon.

Elsewhere lingering rarities included Savi's Warblers in Suffolk (2), Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Subalpine Warbler and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire and probable Black-headed Wagtail in Cheshire.

Scarcity totals away from Shetland included Pectoral Sandpiper (Cambridgeshire), Purple Heron (Cornwall), Marsh Warbler (Hampshire), Icterine Warbler (Fife), two Red-necked Phalaropes, three Common Rosefinches and twelve Red-backed Shrikes.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 29th May 2013  
  Shetland hosted a fine selection of rare and scarce birds today, including two Thrush Nightingales on Fair Isle, Rustic Bunting on Foula, Blyth's Reed Warblers on Fair Isle and Fetlar and Red-rumped Swallow on Mainland. The archipelago also held Red-spotted Bluethroat, two Short-toed Larks, three Common Rosefinches, three Icterine Warblers, five Marsh Warblers and at least 11 Red-backed Shrikes.

Elsewhere headline birds included White-throated Sparrow and Greenish Warbler in Lincolnshire, Subalpine Warbler and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire, Bee-eaters in Orkney and Kent, White-billed Diver on Western Isles, Savi's Warbler (2) and Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk and Snowy Owl in Co Donegal.

The best of the rest included Purple Heron in Cornwall, Bluethroat in Fife, Icterine Warbler in Norfolk, Marsh Warbler in Hampshire, two Common Rosefinches, three Pectoral Sandpipers, three Wrynecks and at least 12 Red-backed Shrikes were logged away from Shetland.

A white-rumped swift photographed in Suffolk this afternoon could possibly be a Pacific Swift.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 28th May 2013  
  A White-throated Sparrow was found in a garden in Spalding, Lincolnshire. Other new rarities found today included a Black-headed Wagtail at Filey and a Greenish Warbler at Scarborough, both Yorkshire, and a Rustic Bunting, Little Bunting and Subalpine Warbler on Shetland, on Foula, Unst and Mainland respectively.

Lingering rarities included the Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk, Blyth's Reed Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, King Eider on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire and Glossy Ibis at Marloes Mere, Pembrokeshire.

Scarcity totals included two Red-breasted Flycatchers, two Woodchat Shrikes, 22 Red-backed Shrikes, a Bluethroat, a Wryneck, a Short-toed Lark, a Golden Oriole, three Common Rosefinches, four Icterine Warblers, four Marsh Warblers, four Grey-headed Wagtails, a Red-necked Phalarope and three Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 27th May 2013  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Blyth's Reed Warbler on the Shetland Isles, on Fair Isle alongside two Red-spotted Bluethroats and a Marsh Warbler.

Rarities elsewhere included the Harlequin Duck on the Western Isles, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Lesser Scaup in Highland, Red-footed Falcon and Savi's Warbler together in Suffolk, and a Black Kite briefly in Northumberland.

Scarcities included seven Red-backed Shrikes, three each of both Pectoral Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint, two Ring-necked Ducks (together in Devon), and single Common Rosefinch (Lincolnshire), Hoopoe (Derbyshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Gloucestershire), Short-toed Lark (Shetland Isles) and Lapland Bunting (Western Isles).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 26th May 2013  
  New arrivals today included a Balearic Woodchat Shrike on Westray, Orkney, a summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper at Belvide Reservoir, Staffordshire, a Subalpine Warbler at Copeland Bird Observatory, County Down, a Bee-eater over Salthouse, Norfolk and a Glossy Ibis on Mull, Argyll. The Roller in Hampshire was present until 9.10am, when it flew off north. It was later relocated a few miles away on Thursley Common, Surrey, but it flew off again shortly after and wasn't relocated again.

Lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck on the Western Isles, Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and King Eider in Aberdeenshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-breasted Flycatcher, an Icterine Warbler, a Night Heron, a White-winged Black Tern, two Short-toed Larks, two Bluethroats, two Marsh Warblers, two Red-necked Phalaropes, three Common Rosefinches and 13 Red-backed Shrikes.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 25th May 2013  
  Some good quality rarities were found today, although the highlight, a Roller at Broxhead Common, Hampshire has, in fact, been present three days. A Terek Sandpiper was at Rye Harbour NR, Sussex from late afternoon onwards and a singing Savi's Warbler at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk showed quite well on occasions. Less twitchable rarities found today included a Black Stork over Cinder Hill, Sussex, an Eastern Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Tawny Pipit on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and a Bee-eater at Grain, Kent.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Harlequin Duck on the Western Isles, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, single Red-rumped Swallows in London and Kent, Forster's Tern in County Wexford, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 24th May 2013  
  Surprise of the day was the reappearance of the drake Harlequin Duck at Balranald RSPB, Western Isles, after an absence of 28 days. Typical Spring rarities found today included an Alpine Swift at Spurn, Yorkshire, two Bee-eaters in Kent at Dungeness and Folkestone, and Red-rumped Swallows at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex, Beddington sewage farm, London and Dungeness RSPB, Kent.

Lingering rarities included the Paddyfield Warbler on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, Red-footed Falcon at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk, Forster's Tern at Tacumshin, County Wexford and Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes NR, Kent.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 23rd May 2013  
  A Bee-eater north over Dungeness RSPB, Kent was the only new rarity reported today.

Lingering rarities comprised the Red-footed Falcon at Lakenheath RSPB, Suffolk, Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes KWT, Kent, Snowy Owl at Sollas, North Uist, Western Isles and White-billed Diver off Inishbofin, County Galway.

Seawatching produced at least 1,728 Long-tailed Skuas, including a very impressive 834 inland over The Corran, Highland, late afternoon, with a further 250 just south-west of there mid evening. 150 Pomarine Skuas were also seen, along with a single Little Auk. Other scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, three Red-backed Shrikes, two Golden Orioles, a Hoopoe, three Red-necked Phalaropes, two Montagu's Harriers, a Purple Heron, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, three Temminck's Stints, three Ring-billed Gulls, two Glaucous Gulls, a Sabine's Gull, a Caspian Gull, a Surf Scoter, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal and two Ring-necked Ducks.
-  Will Soar, RBA