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 26th September 2014  
  Birders on Shetland today produced a new Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll at Veensgarth, Mainland and a new Little Bunting at Baltasound, Unst (with another of the latter still lingering on the Out Skerries), along with three Red-breasted Flycatchers, a Wryneck, three Yellow-browed Warblers and three Barred Warblers.

New discoveries elsewhere included a King Eider at Burghead, Moray and a Baird's Sandpiper at Louisburgh, County Mayo, whilst lingerers included the Masked Shrike in Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire and Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) in Northumberland.

Scarcities away from Shetland included a Melodious Warbler, a Bluethroat, a Red-backed Shrike, a Spotted Crake, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Surf Scoter, a Ring-necked Duck, a Long-tailed Skua, two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Dotterel, two Leach's Petrels, three Sabine's Gulls, four Red-breasted Flycatchers, four Pectoral Sandpipers, five Wrynecks and six Yellow-browed Warblers.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 25th September 2014  
  A brief Red-eyed Vireo at Sumburgh Hotel, Shetland became the third record for the archipelago, with all three occurring in the last three years. Elsewhere in Shetland the Great Snipe remained on Foula, the Pechora Pipit, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Rustic Bunting all remained at Baltasound, Unst and the Little Bunting was still on the Out Skerries.

Further south, the Masked Shrike saw out its 6th day at Kilnsea, Yorkshire, whilst other lingering rarities included the Snowy Owl in Moray, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) in Northumberland.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 24th September 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Great Snipe on Foula. Elsewhere on the Shetland Isles both the Pechora Pipit and Eastern Subalpine Warbler both remained on Unst, as did the Red-throated Pipit on Fair Isle, and Little Bunting on Out Skerries, whilst scarcities around the archipelago included Short-toed Lark, Marsh Warbler, Bluethroat, Richard's Pipit, Great Grey Shrike, Temminck's Stint and Greenland Redpoll, two each of both Rose-coloured Starling and Red-breasted Flycatcher, three Barred Warblers, five Common Rosefinches, and eight Yellow-browed Warblers. Meanwhile, on the Isles of Scilly White-spotted Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Barred Warbler, Wryneck and Yellow-browed Warbler were all noted.

Other rarities today comprised the Masked Shrike still in East Yorkshire at Kilnsea, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Blue-winged Teal in Northumberland and a Black Kite briefly in Kent.

Seabirds on the move were headlined by a Cory's Shearwater passing Norfolk, whilst national totals of six Sabine's Gulls, 16 Long-tailed Skuas, 22 Pomarine Skuas and 95 Balearic Shearwaters were logged.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 23rd September 2014  
  A flyover Red-throated Pipit at Landguard NR (Suffolk) was the only new rarity reported today, but lingering birds included the Masked Shrike in East Yorkshire, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and four Little Buntings on Shetland, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Forster's Tern in Co Louth and Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan.

Scarcities included Hoopoe and Golden Oriole (Shetland), Richard's Pipit (Hampshire), Spotted Crake (Cornwall), Cattle Egret (Lancashire), American Wigeon (Perth & Kinross), Montagu's Harrier (Essex), two Glossy Ibises, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, two Bluethroats, three Short-toed Larks, three Melodious Warblers, four Pectoral Sandpipers, four Rose-coloured Starlings, six Red-backed Shrikes, seven Barred Warblers, eight Red-breasted Flycatchers and eight Wrynecks.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 22nd September 2014  
  On Shetland a Lanceolated Warbler (Fair Isle) and Pechora Pipit (Unst) were discovered, whilst two Subalpine Warblers, Rustic Bunting, two Arctic Warblers, Red-throated Pipit, Blyth's Reed Warbler, two Bluethroats, Olive-backed Pipit and three Little Bunting were spread around the archipelago.

In East Yorkshire the Masked Shrike remained at Spurn, whilst elsewhere lingering rarities comprised Arctic Warbler (Co Cork), Forster's Tern (Co Louth), Greenish Warbler and Olive-backed Pipit (Norfolk), Siberian Stonechat (Northumberland) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Hampshire), whilst a Pallid Harrier was reported at Sculthorpe Moor (Norfolk) and a Wilson's Petrel was seen from a survey vessel off Co Kerry.

Scarcity reports included Spotted Crake (Cornwall), Surf Scoter (Co Kerry), Golden Oriole (Western Isles), Ortolan Bunting (Kent), Richard's Pipit (Hampshire), five Rose-coloured Starlings, 18 Barred Warblers, three Melodious Warblers, 11 Wryneck, 15 Red-breasted Flycatchers, at least 26 Yellow-browed Warblers, eight Pectoral Sandpipers, five Red-backed Shrikes and five Honey Buzzards.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 21st September 2014  
  Despite the continued presence of the Masked Shrike at Spurn, the bird of the day must surely be Fea's Petrel. One was found off Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire at 8.15am, and was tracked north along the coast through North Yorkshire, Cleveland, County Durham and Northumberland, being logged at at least 15 sites up to Holy Island at 6.15pm. At 4.45pm a second Fea's Petrel went north past Whitburn, County Durham.

A Barolo Shearwater was seen from a research vessel off County Kerry, whilst other new discoveries included single Arctic Warblers at Lissagriffin, County Cork and Norby, Shetland, an Olive-backed Pipit on Fair Isle, a lingering Black Kite over Sculthorpe, Norfolk and a White-rumped Sandpiper at Blanket Nook, County Donegal.

Other lingering rarity highlights seen today included single Olive-backed Pipits in Norfolk and Yorkshire, Red-throated Pipit, Pallid Harrier, Rustic Bunting and four Little Buntings in Shetland, Siberian Stonechat in Northumberland, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk, Snowy Owl in Moray, Forster's Tern in County Louth and Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 20th September 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the early morning discovery of Britain's third Masked Shrike at Kilnsea, East Yorkshire, where it remained until dusk, with an Olive-backed Pipit nearby. Elsewhere, a Semipalmated Sandpiper was identified in Hampshire at Keyhaven Lagoon, a Snowy Owl was discovered in Highland at Inchnadamph, and a Franklin's Gull was reported at St John's Point, County Down, whilst brief encounters included Red-throated Pipit (Lincolnshire), Little Bunting (East Yorkshire) and Black Kite (Cambridgeshire).

On the Shetland Isles a Pallid Harrier remained (Loch of Spiggie), with Red-throated Pipit (Fair Isle), Great Reed Warbler (Bressay), and Arctic Warbler (Hoswick) all new, supported by Rose-coloured Starling, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, two Bluethroats, three each of both Little Bunting and Barred Warbler, four Red-breasted Flycatchers, five Common Rosefinches and 15 Yellow-browed Warblers. Meanwhile, on the Isles of Scilly the Booted Warbler remained with a Common Rosefinch and Wryneck.

Lingering rarities elsewhere comprised the Daurian Shrike (Orkney Isles), Snowy Owl (Moray), Siberian Stonechat (Northumberland), Bonelli's warbler (Cornwall), Lesser Yellowlegs (Hampshire), White-rumped Sandpiper (County Antrim), Lesser Scaup (Glamorgan), and three Olive-backed Pipits (in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Orkney).

Away from Shetland and Scilly, scarcities included White-winged Black Tern (Cambridgeshire), Cattle Egret and Red-necked Phalarope (Cheshire) and Temminck's Stint (Worcestershire), Marsh Warbler and Great Grey Shrike (both East Yorkshire), two each of Melodious Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Richard's Pipit and Sabine's Gull, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Red-backed Shrikes, nine each of Wryneck and Pectoral Sandpiper, 16 Barred Warblers, 27 Red-breasted Flycatchers and 47 Yellow-browed Warblers.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 19th September 2014  
  New discoveries today included the autumn's first Red-flanked Bluetail at Sumburgh Head, Shetland, a Booted Warbler at Peninnis Head, Isles of Scilly, a Pallid Harrier at Eastside, Orkney, an Olive-backed Pipit at Wells, Norfolk and a Siberian Stonechat on Holy Island, Northumberland. A Greenish Warbler was on Whalsay, Shetland, and new Little Buntings included two at Sumburgh and one at Fladdabister, both Shetland, two on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and two also on the Farne Islands, Northumberland. An unidentified Bonelli's warbler species was in Kenidjack Valley, Cornwall, an Arctic Redpoll was reported from St Martin's, Isles of Scilly and a Wilson's Petrel was off County Kerry.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Daurian Shrike and Olive-backed Pipit on Orkney (with another of the latter in Lincolnshire), Rustic Bunting and Greenish Warbler in Northumberland (with another of the latter in Norfolk), Snowy Owl in Moray, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Hampshire and County Donegal and the White-rumped Sandpiper in County Antrim.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 18th September 2014  
  New discoveries comprised Pallid Harriers on Mainland Shetland and Blakeney Point (Norfolk), Olive-backed Pipits at Gibraltar Point (Lincolnshire) and North Ronaldsay (Orkney), Greenish Warbler on Barra (Western Isles), Red-throated Pipit at Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire) and Little Buntings at Filey (North Yorkshire) and Bempton Cliffs (East Yorkshire). A Wilson's Petrel was seen at sea c196 miles west of Co Galway.

Lingering rarities included Rustic Buntings in North Yorkshire and Northumberland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Forster's Tern in Co Louth, Greenish Warblers in Norfolk and Northumberland, White-rumped Sandpiper in Co Antrim, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Little Buntings on Shetland (3), Orkney and Northumberland.

The best of the rest included Melodious Warbler in Argyll, Rose-coloured Starling in Cornwall, Buff-breasted Sandpiper on Lewis (Western Isles), Ortolan Buntings on Isles of Scilly and Devon, American Golden Plover in Co Kerry, Purple Heron in Somerset, Cattle Egret in Cheshire, Temminck's Stint in Worcestershire, Short-toed Lark on Shetland and Glossy Ibis in Kent in addition to multiple Red-breasted Flycatchers, Barred Warblers, Red-backed Shrikes, Yellow-browed Warblers and Common Rosefinches.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 17th September 2014  
  Once again, the products of the continued easterly winds were evident, with the Dauran Shrike still on the Orkney Isles, Pallid Harrier on the Shetland Isles, Rustic Buntings in North Yorkshire (new at Filey) and Northumberland, and Greenish Warblers in Norfolk (new at Winterton) and Northumberland. Associated scarcities included 38 Yellow-browed Warblers, 28 Red-breasted Flycatchers, 16 Barred Warblers, seven Lapland Buntings, six each of Little Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck, three Ortolan Buntings, two each of Rose-coloured Starling and Richard's Pipit, and single Short-toed Lark (Orkney Islands), Golden Oriole (Northumberland), Marsh Warbler (Shetland Islands) and Great Grey Shrike (East Yorkshire).

Otherwise, the Snowy Owl continued (Moray), as did the Forster's Tern (County Louth), White-rumped Sandpiper (County Antrim), Lesser Yellowlegs (both Hampshire and Pembrokeshire), with Night Heron (Lancashire), Red-necked Phalarope and Cattle Egret (Cheshire), Temminck's Stint (Worcestershire), two Ring-billed Gulls, three Dotterel, four Long-tailed Skuas and Glossy Ibises, six Sabine's Gulls and 11 Pectoral Sandpipers.

Significant late news from Cornwall concerned a Western Bonelli's Warbler at Nanjizal on 15th September, with an Aquatic Warbler there on 9th September.
-  Chris Batty, RBA