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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Monday 12th August 2013  
  New arrivals today included a Citrine Wagtail on Fair Isle, Shetland, and a Two-barred Crossbill at Broomhead Reservoir, South Yorkshire.

Also on Fair Isle, the Swinhoe's Petrel was trapped once again, this time triggering the booking of several charter planes for this evening. Since the second Swinhoe's Petrel was first trapped on 7th, it has been re-trapped every time the ringing team have been out. Other lingering rarities included the Roller in Norfolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Bonaparte's Gulls in Lancashire and Kent, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.

Scarcity highlights included a Short-toed Lark, Red-necked Phalarope, two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a Ring-necked Duck, three Cory's Shearwaters, four Great Shearwaters, five Sabine's Gulls and 12 Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 11th August 2013  
  The second of the two recent Swinhoe's Petrels on Fair Isle was retrapped again during the early hours. A Wilson's Petrel was seen off a Scilly pelagic.

Other lingering rarities included the Roller in Norfolk, Snowy Owl in County Donegal, Gull-billed Tern and White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-necked Phalarope, a White-ringed Black Tern, a Night Heron, a Short-toed Lark, a Rose-coloured Starling, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Temminck's Stints, a Grey Phalarope, a Cory's Shearwater and 13 Great Shearwaters.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 10th August 2013  
  An adult Bonaparte's Gull at Whitburn Steel and, later, Boldon Flats NR, County Durham was the only rarity discovered today. It is presumably the individual which was first seen at Whitburn in 2010.

Lingering rarities included the Roller in Norfolk, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Gull-billed Tern in County Wexford, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.

Scarcity highlights included a Night Heron, a Red-backed Shrike, a Red-necked Phalarope, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a White-winged Black Tern, three Temminck's Stints, a Sabine's Gull, a Long-tailed Skua, seven Pomarine Skuas, 13 Great Shearwaters and six Cory's Shearwaters (five of which were at Spurn, Yorkshire).
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 9th August 2013  
  Seabirds once again took the headlines today, the highlight being a Fea's Petrel off this evening's pelagic out of the Isles of Scilly. Perhaps surprisingly, this is the first Fea's Petrel seen in Scilly waters since 2004. A Barolo Shearwater was also seen at sea, around 85 miles west of Dursey Island, County Cork.

Other new rarities included two Black Storks in Wiltshire, together at Stoke Farthing, and a drake Ferruginous Duck in Somerset at Chew Valley Lake.

Lingering rarities included the Roller in Norfolk, Gull-billed Tern in County Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Black Duck in County Cork and Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 8th August 2013  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Bridled Tern; today on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire. After lingering in Northumberland between 1st-24th July - although visiting Cleveland on 6th and East Yorkshire on 10th - it visited the Isle of May, Fife on 26th July, before being relocated 80 miles further north today.

Other rarities included the Swinhoe's Petrel retrapped from the previous night on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles, the Roller still in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher again in Hampshire, and Western Subalpine Warbler on the Shetland Isles.

Scarcities included Night Heron (both Leicestershire and South Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (Kent), Ring-billed Gull (Carmarthenshire), Ring-necked Duck (North Yorkshire), Cory's and Great Shearwater (both County Cork).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 7th August 2013  
  The highlight of the day was a Swinhoe's Petrel trapped and ringed on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles during the early hours. Following a Swinhoe's Petrel heard there on 22nd July 2013, and one trapped and ringed there on 27th July, todays bird was the seventh to be ringed out of the ten individuals encountered in Britain and Ireland since the first passed Bridges of Ross, County Clare on 15th August 1985. Of the 18 'contacts' with Swinhoe's Petrel, an incredible nine were with just one bird; at Tynemouth, Northumberland on dates in July in each year between 1990 and 1994.

Other rarities included the Roller still in Norfolk, Black Duck in County Kerry, Gull-billed Tern and White-rumped Sandpiper together in County Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire, a Wilson's Petrel off County Kerry, and a fly-over Two-barred Crossbill in Cambridgeshire.

Scarcities included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire and Cambridgeshire), Marsh Warbler (Devon), Surf Scoter (Angus), Ring-necked Duck (County Londonderry), Cattle Egret (Kent), Night Heron (Leicestershire and South Yorkshire), with seabirds including Cory's Shearwater (2 off County Cork), Great Shearwater (2 off County Cork), and Sabine's Gull (North Yorkshire, and 2 off County Kerry).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 6th August 2013  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of another Two-barred Crossbill, this time in Moray at Roseisle Forest. Elsewhere, a White-rumped Sandpiper arrived at Tacumshin, County Wexford, whlist two Bee-eaters flew over Whitburn, County Durham.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Roller in Norfolk, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and Lancashire, and the Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

Scarcities included Night Heron (Leicestershire), Cory's Shearwater (Devon), Spotted Crake (Herefordshire), Ring-necked Duck (County Londonderry), and Pectoral Sandpiper (Berkshire, Lincolnshire and West Sussex).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 5th August 2013  
  The highlight of the day was a Roller at Horsey, Norfolk, that showed throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Elsewhere, in Kent a Caspian Tern flew past St Margaret's at Cliffe, and a Black Kite flew over Margate, whilst at Spurn, East Yorkshire, an American Golden Plover passed by in the morning, and an Alpine Swift moved through in the evening.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Black Duck in County Kerry, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, and Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire.

Scarcities included Night Heron (Leicestershire), Cattle Egret (Kent), Spotted Crake (Herefordshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Kent and County Wexford (2)), and Pectoral Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire, Berkshire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire). Seawatch highlights included Great Shearwater (three passing Devon), and Cory's Shearwater (Cornwall, Devon (3), and County Kerry).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 4th August 2013  
  A very good day to be sea-watching in the south-west. The first Mega came mid morning, when a Fea's Petrel flew west past Gwennap Head, Porthgwarra, Cornwall. This site logged 47 Great Shearwaters and 16 Cory's Shearwaters by 6pm. The second Mega species seen was a Yelkouan Shearwater, which flew past Start Point, Devon, late morning. The same observer at the same site then scored a Barolo Shearwater early evening, as well as a single Cory's Shearwater, two Great Shearwaters and an impressive 255 Balearic Shearwaters.

Other new rarities discovered today included a Red-footed Falcon over Langdale End, North Yorkshire, a Gull-billed Tern at Lady's Island Lake and a White-rumped Sandpiper at The Cull, both County Wexford, and a Black Kite over Carbis Bay, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities included seven Two-barred Crossbills and Western Subalpine Warbler on Shetland, another Two-barred Crossbill in Lancashire, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Black Duck in County Kerry, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 3rd August 2013  
  A juvenile Two-barred Crossbill at Browsholme Hall, Lancashire today is, perhaps surprisingly, a first for the county. A Blue-winged Teal was seen on the Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire, and a Black-winged Stilt was at Cley NWT, Norfolk very briefly mid afternoon. An Alpine Swift flew over Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire and a Black Kite flew over Bastreet Downs, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities included the Western Subalpine Warbler and four Two-barred Crossbills on Fair Isle, Shetland, a single Two-barred Crossbill on Orkney, three Little Bitterns (including a juvenile) in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Black Duck in County Kerry, single Bonaparte's Gulls in Kent and Lancashire and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA