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 4th May 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery this evening of an American Buff-bellied Pipit at Cockersand, Lancashire. Despite being a much more regular Autumn vagrant in the last few years, this is the first Spring record and, by default, the first summer plumaged individual to be seen in Britain.

Other new discoveries today were a Whiskered Tern in County Cork at Lough Aderra, and Black Kites over Tresco (Isles of Scilly), Hucking (Kent) and presumably the same individual over West Runton, Winterton and Carlton Marshes SWT in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Lingering rarities included the Caspian Stonechat in Shetland, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Cornwall, at least seven White-billed Divers in the Aberdeenshire / Moray border area, a King Eider also in Aberdeenshire and Two-barred Crossbills in Norfolk (two) and Yorkshire (three).
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 3rd May 2014  
  Top discoveries today included a Red-footed Falcon over Portland Bill, Dorset, a Whiskered Tern at Walberswick, Suffolk, a Western Bonelli's Warbler at Newbiggin, Northumberland, a Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Black Kite over Kilmichael Glen, Argyll and single Little Bunting and White-billed Diver on Orkney, on North Ronaldsay and Burray respectively.

The Caspian Stonechat and Eastern Subalpine Warbler also remained on Fair Isle, but the Cretzschmar's Bunting wasn't seen. Reappearances were made by the Baikal Teal in Cambridgeshire, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Cornwall, Eastern Subalpine Warbler in Dorset and Sardinian Warbler in County Cork, with other lingerers including single Two-barred Crossbills in Yorkshire and Norfolk and at least 14 White-billed Divers and a King Eider in Aberdeenshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 2nd May 2014  
  The northern isles saw another good day today, with Shetland producing a new Eastern Subalpine Warbler on Out Skerries and an Olive-backed Pipit on Unst, whilst a Spotted Sandpiper was found on North Ronaldsay, Orkney. Fair Isle's trio remained, with the Cretzschmar's Bunting, Caspian Stonechat and Eastern Subalpine Warbler all remaining on the island.

Both the other new rarities found today were in Kent: a Black-winged Stilt at Dungeness and a Red-rumped Swallow at Lade.

The other lingering rarities were the King Eider and four White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire and a Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 1st May 2014  
  Today's new discoveries included an Eastern Subalpine Warbler at Portland Bill (Dorset), Citrine Wagtail at Virkie (Shetland), Bonaparte's Gull at Marsh Lane NR (West Midlands), Long-billed Dowitcher at Dungeness RSPB (Kent), Red-rumped Swallow at Tice's Meadow (Surrey) and flyby King Eider at Burghead (Moray).

On Shetland both the Cretzschmar's Bunting and Caspian Stonechat lingered on Fair Isle, where a Short-toed Lark, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-spotted Bluethroat, three Wrynecks and a Great Grey Shrike were also recorded.

Elsewhere a Richard's Pipit (Norfolk), White Stork (Berkshire), Spotted Crake (Oxfordshire), Ring-necked Duck (Shropshire), Serin (London) and four Glossy Ibises were also recorded today.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 30th April 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of both the Cretzschmar's Bunting and Caspian Stonechat on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles, alongside Red-spotted Bluethroat, Short-toed Lark, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Great Grey Shrike.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Collared Flycatcher still in Borders at St Abb's Head, Collared Pratincole in Devon, Blue-winged Teal in Kent, White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, and a brief Tawny Pipit on the Wirral.

Scarcities included 13 migrant Dotterel, seven Glossy Ibises, six Wrynecks, three Hoopoes, Purple Heron (Glamorgan), Serin (Dorset), Ring-necked Duck (Shropshire), Cattle Egret (Cambridgeshire), Richard's Pipit (Norfolk), and Yellow-browed Warbler (East Yorkshire, then died).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 29th April 2014  
  New rarities discovered today comprised a brief Marsh Sandpiper in East Yorkshire at Burton Pidsea, a Black-winged Stilt in West Sussex at Medmerry, a Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk at Santon Warren, a Little Bunting on Fair Isle, and a brief Black Kite over Wangford, Suffolk.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were both the Cretzschmar's Bunting and Caspian Stonechat on Fair Isle, Collared Flycatcher and Subalpine Warbler together in Borders, Pied-billed Grebe in Clyde, Collared Pratincole in Devon, Blue-winged Teal in Kent, White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, and Red-rumped Swallows in both Cornwal (2) and the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Glamorgan), Red-breasted Flycatcher (County Durham), Yellow-browed Warbler (Kent), Temminck's Stint (Suffolk), Richard's Pipit (Borders and Norfolk), Wryneck (two in Norfolk), three each of both Hoopoe and Cattle Egret, and seven each of Glossy Ibis and migrant Dotterel.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 28th April 2014  
  In Borders a Collared Flycatcher and a Subalpine Warbler were discovered at St Abb's Head.

On Fair Isle the Cretzschmar's Bunting and Caspian Stonechat lingered, where a Short-toed Lark and Red-breasted Flycatcher were also logged.

Elsewhere new rarities included a flyover Black Stork in Shropshire, Little Bunting on the Wirral and Red-rumped Swallows in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, whilst Collared Pratincole in Devon, Pied-billed Grebe in Clyde, two Black-winged Stilts in Kent, two Two-barred Crossbills in Norfolk, Franklin's Gull in Carmarthenshire and two White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire all lingered.

The best of the rest included nine Wrynecks, six Dotterel, two Hoopoes, two Red-backed Shrikes, two Ring-necked Ducks, Woodchat Shrike (Glamorgan), Yellow-browed Warbler (Lothian), Serin (West Sussex), Richard's Pipit (North Yorkshire), Golden Oriole (Cornwall), Cattle Egret (Buckinghamshire) and Grey-headed Wagtail (East Yorkshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 27th April 2014  
  Britain's fifth Cretzschmar's Bunting was discovered on Fair Isle, Shetland mid afternoon, where it was seen briefly by just a few observers. This is the third record for the island, and the county, following birds in 1967 and 1979, with the other two records coming from nearby Orkney in 2008 and 1998. Perhaps rarer still, a male Caspian Stonechat was also on Fair Isle this evening, and the Eastern Subalpine Warbler also remained on the island.

Further south, a Little Bunting was at Holme NWT, Norfolk briefly, and single Red-rumped Swallows were at Steyning, Sussex and Marazion, Cornwall. A White-billed Diver was also in Shetland, off West Burra.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Collared Pratincole in Devon, Pied-billed Grebe in Clyde, Franklin's Gull in Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan, two Black-winged Stilts and a Blue-winged Teal in Kent, King Eider in Fife and Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 26th April 2014  
  The highlight of the day was Britain's first Alpine Accentor for ten years in Norfolk, the same county as the last one on 20th April 2004 at Overstrand. Today's individual was seen on the Holme NOA reserve early morning, but it couldn't be found after the initial sightings.

Also in East Anglia a Whiskered Tern was seen at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk briefly, and a Black Kite flew over Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire.

Lingering rarities included the Collared Pratincole in Devon, Pied-billed Grebe in Clyde, Baikal Teal in Cambridgeshire, two Black-winged Stilts and a Blue-winged Teal in Kent, Lesser Scaup in Staffordshire, King Eider and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire and Franklin's Gull in Carmarthenshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 25th April 2014  
  New discoveries today included another Eastern Subalpine Warbler in Shetland, trapped and ringed on Fair Isle, a Whiskered Tern at Otmoor RSPB, Oxfordshire, a Red-throated Pipit on Bryher, Isles of Scilly and a King Eider on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire. Confirmation came for the Pied-billed Grebe in Clyde, which was still present yesterday but not today, and other late news involved a Great Spotted Cuckoo, which was on The Lizard, Cornwall yesterday but, again, not today.

Lingering rarities included the Franklin's Gull in Carmarthenshire, Blue-winged Teal in Kent, Lesser Scaup again in Staffordshire, King Eider in Fife, White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, Eastern Subalpine Warbler on Mainland Shetland, Sardinian Warbler in County Cork and Two-barred Crossbill in Shropshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA