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
Sunday 14th September 2014  
  The record of the day was the astounding news of four Long-billed Dowitchers flying over Annesley Pit Top in Nottinghamshire. Duos have appeared in Britain on eight previous occasions, but the only group larger than this was in Ireland: a flock of five at Rahasane Turlough, County Galway in 1963. Single Little Buntings and Greenish Warblers were discovered in both Northumberland and the Isles of Scilly, with the only other rarity being a Forster's Tern at Dundalk, County Louth.

Lingering rarities were the Pallid Harrier in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire and the Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) in Northumberland.

It was a superb day for scarce migrants, mainly on the east coast, with totals of 34 Red-breasted Flycatchers, 18 Wrynecks, 16 Barred Warblers, 16 Yellow-browed Warblers, four Common Rosefinches, five Red-backed Shrikes, two Great Grey Shrikes, four Honey Buzzards, three Dotterel, two Corncrakes, two Lapland Buntings, a Marsh Warbler and a Hoopoe.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 13th September 2014  
  The second Whiskered Tern for the Isles of Scilly was seen today, on the Great Pool on Tresco. The only other record was from the same island, when one was shot in August 1851. Two Black-winged Stilts flew over Ferrybridge, Dorset, with two Bee-eaters doing the same over Brading, Isle of Wight. Further north, a Greenish Warbler was seen at Castlebay, Barra, Western Isles.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Stilt Sandpiper in County Wexford, Snowy Owl on the Aberdeenshire /Moray border, Citrine Wagtail in the Western Isles, Rustic Bunting in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham and Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 12th September 2014  
  The only new rarity reported today was a Citrine Wagtail at Grutness, Shetland, with late news from yesterday of a Lanceolated Warbler on the Isle of May, Fife.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Stilt Sandpiper in County Wexford, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Hampshire and Pembrokeshire and Bonaparte's Gull in County Durham.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 11th September 2014  
  Headline rarities included Booted Warbler on Isles of Scilly, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire and Pembrokeshire, Snowy Owl in Moray, Pallid Harrier on Fair Isle, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Bonaparte's Gull in Co Durham.

The best of the rest included 14 Pectoral Sandpipers, nine Wrynecks, seven Barred Warblers, three Red-backed Shrikes, two Common Rosefinches, two Red-breasted Flycatchers, two White-winged Black Terns, Cattle Egret and Red-necked Phalarope (Cheshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Shetland), Purple Heron (Devon), Spotted Crake (Isles of Scilly), Ortolan Bunting (Northumberland) and American Golden Plover (Co Durham).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 10th September 2014  
  Rarities today comprised the Stilt Sandpiper back in County Wexford at Lady's Island Lake, whilst lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Pallid Harrier on the Shetland Isles, Snowy Owl in Moray, Paddyfield Warbler on the Orkney Isles, Western Bonelli's Warbler in Norfolk, and Citrine Wagtail on the Western Isles. New discoveries were a Baird's Sandpiper reported in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh, and both Bonelli's warbler sp and Greenish Warbler on Cape Clear, County Cork.

Scarcities included 14 Wrynecks, 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, eight Barred Warblers, six Red-backed Shrikes, five Sabine's Gulls, three Glossy Ibises, and two each of White-winged Black Tern, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Rose-coloured Starling, Icterine Warbler, Red-necked Phalarope, Spotted Crake, Long-tailed Skua and Dotterel, and single Yellow-browed Warbler (Shetland Isles), Melodious Warbler (Somerset), Purple Heron (Devon), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Cattle Egret (Cheshire), Ortolan Bunting and Common Rosefinch (both Pembrokeshire).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 9th September 2014  
  In County Offaly, two Lesser Yellowlegs were found at Derrinlough. This is the second record of the species for the county, and is the first multi bird record since 1999 when two were at Banks Marsh, Lancashire. Another Greenish Warbler was at Whitburn Country Park, County Durham.

Lingering rarities included the Snowy Owl on Ben Macdui on the Moray /Aberdeenshire border, Pallid Harrier on Fair Isle, Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs at Normandy, Hampshire and Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) at Castle Island, Northumberland.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 8th September 2014  
  Today's new discoveries included a Pallid Harrier on Fair Isle (Shetland) and Citrine Wagtail at Lough Gash (Co Clare). The Lesser Yellowlegs (Hampshire) and Blue-winged Teal or hybrid (Northumberland) both lingered.

The best of the rest included 19 Wrynecks, 13 Barred Warblers, 11 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Rose-coloured Starlings, American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Argyll), Red-breasted Flycatcher (Lincolnshire), Woodchat Shrike (Devon), Spotted Crake (Cornwall), Icterine Warbler (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope and Cattle Egret (Cheshire), Melodious Warbler (Co Cork) and Common Rosefinch (Pembrokeshire).

An Eastern Phoebe was reported in Nanquidno Valley (Cornwall) this morning, but sadly photographs of the bird showed a Spotted Flycatcher, not a Tyrant flycatcher.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 7th September 2014  
  On the busiest day of the autumn so far, with over 500 messages sent, it is perhaps surprising that there were only three new rarities discovered today. First up was a Western Bonelli's Warbler at Kelling, Norfolk, which maintains the county's recent good run of records of this species. A Citrine Wagtail was in the Western Isles, at Borve Point on Benbecula, and a Black Kite flew over Abberton Reservoir, Essex.

Lingering rarities included the Lesser Grey Shrike and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk, Stilt Sandpiper in County Dublin, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in County Donegal and Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and the other Citrine Wagtail in the Western Isles on South Uist.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 6th September 2014  
  The highlight of the day was a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler trapped and ringed at Titchfield Haven, Hampshire, although it was not seen after release.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised a Lesser Grey Shrike new in Suffolk at Hollesley Marshes, Lesser Yellowlegs in both County Donegal and Hampshire, and a Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) in Northumberland at Castle Island. The Stilt Sandpiper remained in County Dublin, as did the Laughing Gull in County Cork.

Scarcities included 35 Wrynecks, 22 Barred Warblers, 16 Pectoral Sandpipers, nine Red-backed Shrikes, seven Common Rosefinches, four Dotterel, two each of Ortolan Bunting, Rose-coloured Starling, Temminck's Stint and Cattle Egret, and single Buff-breasted Sandpiper (County Wexford), Red-necked Phalarope (Cheshire), Marsh Warbler (Dorset), Red-breasted Flycatcher (Lincolnshire), Lapland Bunting (Western Isles), Short-toed Lark and Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles).

Significant late news concerned confirmation that the Snowy Owl was still present on 3rd September on the Moray/Aberdeenshire border at Ben Macdui, where it has been present - but suppressed - since 19th May.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 5th September 2014  
  An Aquatic Warbler at Mizen Head, County Cork is the first Irish record of the species in over 30 years. A Paddyfield Warbler was on Fair Isle, Shetland, with another lingering nearby on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and late news of another at Nanjizal, Cornwall on Sunday. Other late news concerned a Fea's Petrel yesterday from a boat off Baltimore, County Cork.

Lingering rarities included the Little Crake in Devon, Stilt Sandpiper in County Dublin and Citrine Wagtail in Fife.
-  Will Soar, RBA