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 23rd August 2014  
  Rarities today comprised the Laughing Gull still in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk, and at least eight Bee-eaters still together at the nest site on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included Icterine Warbler (Western Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), White Stork (Dorset), Rose-coloured Starling and Temminck's Stint (both Devon), Barred Warbler (East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire), two each of both Pectoral Sandpiper and migrant Dotterel, three Spotted Crakes, six Glossy Ibises, and twelve each of both Great White Egret and Caspian Gull.

Seabirds records included Cory's, Great and Balearic Shearwater (5), Long-tailed Skua, Grey Phalarope, two Sabine's Gulls and ten Pomarine Skuas.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 22nd August 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of the first Arctic Warbler of the year, on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Long-billed Dowitcher still in County Offaly, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk, and the nine Bee-eaters remained together on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Common Rosefinch (Shetland Isles), Wryneck (Hampshire), Grey Phalarope (Essex), Long-tailed Skua (East Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), Spotted Crake (Devon and London), Temminck's Stint (Devon and East Yorkshire), Sabine's Gull (two off East Yorkshire), three Pectoral Sandpipers, four Great Shearwaters, five Barred Warblers, eight Caspian Gulls, and 10 Great White Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 21st August 2014  
  Headline birds included a Blyth's Reed Warbler, Rustic Bunting, Common Rosefinch and Barred Warbler on Unst (Shetland), all in one garden at Baltasound, Long-billed Dowitcher in Co Offaly, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Bee-eaters on Isle of Wight, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk and Bonaparte's Gull in Co Durham.

The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starling in Devon, Grey Phalarope in Essex, Glossy Ibis in Kent, Cattle Egret in West Sussex, Temminck's Stint in East Yorkshire, Melodious Warbler in East Sussex and Surf Scoter in Aberdeenshire. An Isles of Scilly pelagic produced a Wilson's Petrel and at least 300 Great Shearwaters.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 20th August 2014  
  Rarities today comprised a new Lesser Scaup identified in Cambridgeshire at Grafham Water, with the lingering bird still in Somerset, a Ferruginous Duck was found in Suffolk at Minsmere, the Long-billed Dowitcher remained in County Offaly, as did two of the Bee-eaters on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (East Sussex), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Montagu's Harrier (Hertfordshire), Wryneck and two Barred Warblers (all on the Shetland Isles), Spotted Crake (East Yorkshire and London), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lincolnshire and the Isles of Scilly), four Glossy Ibises, eight Caspian Gulls and eleven Great White Egrets.

Seabird totaled eight Cory's, five Great and seven Balearic Shearwaters, two Sabine's Gulls (both passing East Yorkshire), seven Long-tailed and nine Pomarine Skuas, and four Grey Phalaropes.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 19th August 2014  
  Rarities today comprised the Long-billed Dowitcher still in County Offaly, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, now nine Bee-eaters - including five juveniles - on the Isle of Wight, and a further Bee-eater briefly in Somerset.

Scarcities included Common Rosefinch (Orkney Isles), Grey Phalarope (Essex), Ring-billed Gull (County Louth), two each of Barred Warbler, Spotted Crake, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Montagu's Harrier, three Surf Scoters (together in Aberdeenshire), four Glossy Ibises, seven Great White Egrets, and 13 Caspian Gulls.

Seabirds included Cory's Shearwaters passiong County Durham, East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, and a Great Shearwater tracked from East Yorkshire to Northumberland.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 18th August 2014  
  The highlight of the day was a Fea's Petrel from a pelagic off the Isles of Scilly, where it showed well and allowed the best ever photographs of this species in Britain to be taken. Seabirds elsewhere included both Great and Cory's Shearwaters passing Norfolk, Cory's Shearwater passing North Yorkshire, and single Long-tailed Skuas passing Pembrokeshire and Somerset.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a Long-billed Dowitcher new in County Offaly at Lough Boora Parklands, Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent, and the seven Bee-eaters remained on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included Grey Phalarope (Essex), Red-necked Phalarope (Gloucestershire), Spotted Crake (Norfolk), Montagu's Harrier (Kent), Glossy Ibis (Lincolnshire), Night Heron (Warwickshire), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), Pectoral Sandpiper (Isles of Scilly) and Ring-billed Gull (County Louth).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 17th August 2014  
  Lingering rarities included the Isle of Wight Bee-eaters, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Lesser Scaup in Somerset, whilst in Ireland a Fea's Petrel flew past Kilcummin Head (Co Mayo) and White-rumped Sandpiper was logged at Pilmore (Co Cork).

Scarcities included Night Heron (Warwickshire), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), Red-necked Phalarope and Barred Warbler (Orkney), Spotted Crakes (East Yorkshire and Norfolk), Glossy Ibis (Lincolnshire) and Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 16th August 2014  
  New birds discovered today included a Western Bonelli's Warbler in Dorset, trapped and ringed at Portland Bill, a Terek Sandpiper at Swalecliffe, Kent and a Fea's Petrel past the Bridges of Ross, County Clare. A Blyth's Reed Warbler trapped and ringed on Fair Isle was the second individual on the island in three days, and just the fifth August record in Britain.

The only lingering rarities seen again today were the Franklin's Gull in the evening roost at Cley, Norfolk, and at least one of the breeding Bee-eaters on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included a Melodious Warbler in Sussex, Wryneck in London, Night Heron in Warwickshire, Long-tailed Skua in Sussex and Temminck's Stint in Yorkshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 15th August 2014  
  A very quiet day rarity wise, but the successful fledging of three young Bee-eaters on the Isle of Wight was the clear highlight. The four adults also remained on site.

Back on the Mainland, the adult Franklin's Gull made another appearance in the evening roost at Cley NWT, Norfolk, with the Lesser Scaup in Somerset being the only other rarity reported.

Scarcity highlights included an Icterine Warbler (the second record for Leicestershire), five Barred Warblers, a Marsh Warbler, a Common Rosefinch, a Night Heron, a Spotted Crake, an American Golden Plover, a Temminck's Stint, a Long-tailed Skua, two Pomarine Skuas, two Sabine's Gulls, two Cory's Shearwaters, two Great Shearwaters and a Kumlien's Gull.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 14th August 2014  
  The highlight of the day was a Blyth's Reed Warbler new-in on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles. Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Stilt Sandpiper still in Northumberland, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, and four Bee-eaters remain at the nest on the Isle of Wight.

Scarcities included Night Heron (Warwickshire), Cattle Egret and Pectoral Sandpiper (both West Sussex), Glossy Ibis (Essex and Lincolnshire), Spotted Crake (Devon, London and Norfolk), five Caspian Gulls, 14 Great White Egrets and a total of 34 Spoonbills.

Seabirds included Wilson's Petrel, three Cory's and three Great Shearwaters off the Isles of Scilly, Great Shearwater passing Cornwall, three Cory's Shearwaters passing East Yorkshire, and the confiding Long-tailed Skua still in West Sussex.
-  Chris Batty, RBA