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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Friday 29th August 2014  
  Rare warblers dominated today with a Western Bonelli's Warbler discovered on the Isles of Scilly, Arctic Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Subalpine and Greenish Warbler in Suffolk, with further Greenish Warblers in Norfolk (2) and North Yorkshire. Elsewhere, the Marsh Sandpiper remained in Gloucestershire, a Lesser Yellowlegs was new in Cornwall at Croft Pascoe Pool, and a Black Kite was reported briefly in County Meath.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler and Red-necked Phalarope (both Kent), Ortolan Bunting (North Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (Warwickshire), Temminck's Stint (Cambridgeshire), Barred Warbler (Shetland Isles), two Spotted Crakes, three each of Red-backed Shrike and Pectoral Sandpiper, five Common Rosefinches, seven Dotterel and 16 Wrynecks.

Seawatch totals comprised 59 Balearic, 50 Great, and 13 Cory's Shearwaters, 58 Sabine's Gulls, six Pomarine Skuas, four Leach's Petrels and a Grey Phalarope.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 28th August 2014  
  Seawatching in Ireland produced the biggest surprise of the day - a Swinhoe's Petrel seen flying past Kerry Head in County Kerry at 3.15pm along with some big counts of large shearwaters later in the day, eg 488 Cory's Shearwaters and 351 Great Shearwaters past Galley Head in County Cork.

The pick of the other new rarities found was a Marsh Sandpiper at Frampton-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, which represented a long awaited county first.

Two Citrine Wagtails were found in east Scotland - at Barns Ness in Lothian and Nigg Bay in Aberdeenshire. The flush of birds along the east coast continued today with new Greenish Warblers at Blakeney Point in Norfolk and Scarborough in North Yorkshire along with remaining birds at Stiffkey and East Hills (both Norfolk). Scarce migrants along the east coast included an Ortolan Bunting in Kent, about 18 Wrynecks, 3 to 4 Icterine Warblers, 7 Barred Warblers, 2 Red-backed Shrikes and 3.Common Rosefinches on the northern Isles.

Elsewhere, a Black Kite was in County Wicklow, the Lesser Scaup remained in Somerset, but there were just 2 Bee-eaters seen in the Isle of Wight. A Melodious Warbler was at Dungeness, Spotted Crakes remained in Leicestershire and Devon, 7 Dotterel were in Hertfordshire and there were Temminck's Stints in Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and Devon.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA
Wednesday 27th August 2014  
  Five of the six new rarities reported today were Greenish Warblers, all of which were on the north Norfolk coast. First up was one trapped and ringed at Weybourne during the morning, whilst the afternoon produced single birds at Wells Woods, East Hills, Stiffkey and Northrepps. Further north, a Citrine Wagtail was discovered on the Farne Islands, Northumberland.

Lingering rarities included the Greenish Warbler at Whitburn, County Durham, Ferruginous Duck at Minsmere, Suffolk and all twelve Bee-eaters at Niton, Isle of Wight, but yesterday's Blue-winged Teal in Worcestershire was re-identified as a hybrid Shoveler.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 26th August 2014  
  The highlight of the day was an arrival of drift migrants on the east coast and Northern Isles, with single Greenish Warblers in County Durham and East Yorkshire, four each of both Icterine and Barred Warbler, five Common Rosefinches and nine Wrynecks.

Seawatch totals comprised 36 Long-tailed Skuas, 15 Pomarine Skua, 12 Balearic, four Great and one Cory's Shearwater, and two Sabine's Gulls.

Lingering rarities comprised the Ferruginous Duck still in Suffolk at Minsmere, the Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid), in Worcestershire, and the Broad-billed Sandpiper briefly in West Sussex.

The best of the rest were Red-necked Phalarope (Kent), Temminck's Stint and Montagu's Harrier (Devon), Hoopoe (Orkney Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibis (cleveland), four each of both Spotted Crake and Caspian Gull, and five Great White Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 25th August 2014  
  A Swinhoe's Petrel flew past the Bridges of Ross, County Clare this evening. This would be the third record for Ireland, and the second for the site, following the first ever for the British Isles was seen there on 15th August 1985. In Britain, the first Blue-winged Teal to be seen in Worcestershire for 25 years was found at Grimley, and a Blyth's Reed Warbler was on Foula, Shetland.

Lingering rarities included the Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 24th August 2014  
  On the busiest day for over three months (the first day since 19th May to break 300 messages), it was uncommon migrants, mainly Whinchats and Redstarts, which provided the bulk of the news. Nevertheless, one of the first messages this morning contained news of two Fea's Petrels from a pelagic off Baltimore, County Cork, seen within 20 minutes of setting sail.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Long-billed Dowitcher in County Offaly, 12 Bee-eaters on the Isle of Wight, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.

Scarcities included an Icterine Warbler, a Common Rosefinch, two Red-backed Shrikes, four Barred Warblers, four Spotted Crakes, a Pectoral Sandpiper and a Temminck's Stint, whilst other seabirds included two Sabine's Gulls, seven Cory's Shearwaters, 20 Great Shearwaters, two Long-tailed Skuas and four Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
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