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.

Choose a starting date
Saturday 17th August 2013  
  On Fair Isle (Shetland) the Swinhoe's Petrel was again trapped overnight during a Storm Petrel ringing session.

Seawatchers logged Fea's Petrels off Bridges of Ross (Co Clare) (2), Berry Head (Devon) and Galley Head (Co Cork).

On Orkney a Blue-winged Teal arrived on North Ronaldsay and on Shetland a second Citrine Wagtail joined the bird already present on Fair Isle. Elsewhere lingering rarities included Bonaparte's Gull in Lancashire, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Snowy Owl in Co Donegal, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire and at least five Two-barred Crossbills in South Yorkshire.

Scarcities included Pectoral Sandpipers in Kent, Orkney and Co Wexford, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Co Wexford, Night Heron in South Yorkshire, Woodchat Shrike in Lincolnshire and Temminck's Stint in Kent.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 16th August 2013  
  The highlight of the day was a pale morph Booted Eagle that flew south over Donington on Bain, Lincolnshire. Later in the day, belated news was received of a pale morph Booted Eagle arriving in off the sea at Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex on 9th August. Since a pale morph Booted Eagle toured Ireland then Britain between at least 5th March 1999 and 22nd June 2000 (but was not accepted as a wild bird), an escaped dark morph Booted Eagle was taken into care in Glamorgan on 16th November 2008, and single Booted Eagles have been suspected in at least Devon (August 2001), Kent (December 2002 and September 2007), Cornwall (October 2005), Essex (May 2010), Suffolk (May and June 2010), Hampshire (June 2010), Lincolnshire (April 2011), Shetland Isles (April 2012), and Norfolk (July 2013).

In Highland a Wilson's Phalarope was new on the Isle of Syke. Lingering rarities comprised Swinhoe's Petrel and Citrine Wagtail on the Shetland Isles, Bridled Tern in Northumberland, seven Two-barred Crossbills together in West Yorkshire, Blue-winged Teal in Cambridgeshire, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.

A Fea's Petrel passing Bridges of Ross, County Clare headlined the seawatching, with Cory's Shearwaters in County Clare, off County Kerry (2) and the Isles of Scilly, and Great Shearwaters in County Clare (94), County Kerry (109) and the Isles of Scilly.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 15th August 2013  
  The wandering Bridled Tern briefly returned to its favoured location today - the Inner Farne jetty, Northumberland. It was seen briefly early afternoon, but not again.

A further three Two-barred Crossbills were found at Broomhill Reservoir, South Yorkshire, making a total (so far) of nine. A stunning adult male appeared today, which was seen with two adult females and six juveniles. There are just two flocks larger than this one recorded recently, both on Shetland in the last influx year of 2008. A flock of 20 is accepted from Bedfordshire in 1890, as is a flock of nine in Cumbria in 1846.

The fourth Wilson's Petrel was recorded for the Scilly pelagic season, whilst lingering rarities present today included the Swinhoe's Petrel on Fair Isle, Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Bonaparte's Gull at Oare, Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Short-toed Lark, Dotterel, Temminck's Stint, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Pectoral Sandpipers, three Sabine's Gulls, seven Pomarine Skuas, two Cory's Shearwaters and 12 Great Shearwaters.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 14th August 2013  
  The third or fourth record of Fea's Petrel of the year for Porthgwarra, Cornwall flew past Gwennap Head at 4.50pm. A Bee-eater over Fleetwood, Lancashire was also a surprise, whilst the Two-barred Crossbill flock at Broomhill Reservoir, South Yorkshire rose to six. A new adult Bonaparte's Gull was discovered in Northumberland, being seen at Cresswell Pond briefly mid afternoon before heading south.

Lingering rarities included the Swinhoe's Petrel, Citrine Wagtail and Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, Snowy Owl in County Donegal, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 13th August 2013  
  A further four Two-barred Crossbills joined yesterday's juvenile at Broomhead Reservoir, South Yorkshire.

The Swinhoe's Petrel was re-trapped twice on Fair Isle last night, with the Citrine Wagtail and Western Subalpine Warbler also still on the island, whilst other lingering rarities included the Roller in Norfolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Carmarthenshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gulls in County Durham and Kent and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
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