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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Thursday 2nd October 2014  
  Rarities on Shetland included Rustic and Little Buntings, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and King Eider. Elsewhere the Masked Shrike (East Yorkshire), Little Bunting (Scilly), Blue-winged Teal or hybrid (Northumberland) and Lesser Scaup (Glamorgan) all lingered, whilst a Lesser Yellowlegs was discovered in Co Cork.

The best of the rest included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Western Isles), Wryneck, Richard's Pipit and Marsh Warbler (Shetland), American Wigeon (Orkney), Hoopoe (Gwynedd), Purple Heron (Norfolk), Cattle Egret (Kent), two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Surf Scoters, two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Red-backed Shrikes, four Bluethroats, four Red-breasted Flycatchers and eight Barred Warblers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 1st October 2014  
  The highlights of the day came from the Shetland Isles where both the White's Thrush and Myrtle Warbler remained on South Mainland, a Pallid Harrier was new at Gott, as was an Olive-backed Pipit on Whalsay, whilst Rustic Bunting, Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Barred Warbler, Temminck's Stint and Spotted Crake remained on Unst, with King Eider, Bluethroat, Lapland Bunting, two each of Little Bunting and Red-breasted Flycatcher, and 34 Yellow-browed Warblers around the archipelago. On the Scilly Isles Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Wryneck and Yellow-browed Warbler were logged.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Masked Shrike still in East Yorkshire, a Lesser Yellowlegs new in County Dublin at Rogerstown Estuary, an Olive-backed Pipit on the Orkney Islands at Deerness, although the Eyebrowed Thrush had gone from North Ronaldsay.

Otherwise, scarcities included Purple Heron (Norfolk), Surf Scoter (Highland), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), two each of Hoopoe, Barred Warbler, Wryneck and Cattle Egret, four Lapland Buntings, seven Red-backed Shrikes, nine Yellow-browed Warblers and a total of 106 Pomarine Skuas.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 30th September 2014  
  A stunning male Eyebrowed Thrush on North Ronaldsay, Orkney vied for the top spot in today's rarity highlights, but the Myrtle Warbler and White's Thrush double in south Mainland Shetland may just beat it after so many people enjoyed them both. Both the latter birds showed exceptionally well all day, the former relocating to Grutness after yesterdays brief visit to Virkie, and the latter remaining at Durigarth just four miles to the north. A Pechora Pipit also visited North Ronaldsay briefly, whilst Shetland gained a Red-throated Pipit (Boddam) and three Little Buntings (Eswick, Out Skerries and Fair Isle).

Elsewhere, an Arctic Warbler was on The Lizard, Cornwall and a Red-throated Pipit flew over Pelistry, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

Rarities lingering on Shetland included the Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Rustic Bunting on Unst and King Eider on Yell, with the Masked Shrike still in Yorkshire and Little Bunting still in the Isles of Scilly.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 29th September 2014  
  A Myrtle Warbler was on South Mainland Shetland at dawn, but the bird soon departed the area. Elsewhere on Shetland a White's Thrush was discovered at Durigarth (Mainland), a Black-headed Bunting arrived on Out Skerries, whilst Rustic Bunting and Eastern Subalpine Warbler were both logged on Unst.

Away from Shetland new discoveries included Pallid Harrier on Orkney, a brief Dusky Warbler in Norfolk, Blue-winged Teal in Co Clare and Little Buntings on Isles of Scilly and East Yorkshire, whilst the Masked Shrike (East Yorkshire), Red-eyed Vireo (Co Cork), Lesser Yellowlegs (Hampshire), Snowy Owl (Moray/Aberdeenshire) and Lesser Scaup (Glamorgan) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Temminck's Stint and Bluethroat (Shetland), Melodious Warbler (Western Isles), Purple Heron (Somerset), Serin (Norfok), Cattle Egret (West Sussex), Hoopoe (Gwynedd), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (West Yorkshire), Great Grey Shrike (London), Ortolan Bunting and Short-toed Lark (Cornwall) and Rose-coloured Starlings on Isles of Scilly and in Co Cork.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 28th September 2014  
  A Swainson's Thrush at Norwick, Unst, Shetland performed well today, after it was found early afternoon, but there was no sign of the Ovenbird in County Cork. Another Red-eyed Vireo was found, at Firkeel, County Cork, whilst back in Shetland a Greenish Warbler was at Lower Voe, Mainland.

Lingering rarities included the Masked Shrike in Yorkshire, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Little Bunting in Shetland, Forster's Tern in County Louth, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire and Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 27th September 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of an Ovenbird at Mizen Head, County Cork. It was only seen by the finder late afternoon, and wasn't seen by others before dusk. The second Red-eyed Vireo of the autumn was found on Loop Head, County Clare, and a Baird's Sandpiper was at Lenadoon Point, County Sligo.

Significant late news concerned a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler at Sea Palling, Norfolk on 19th September.

Lingering rarities included the Masked Shrike in Yorkshire, Great Snipe, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll, two Little Buntings and a King Eider in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Baird's Sandpiper in County Mayo, Laughing Gull in County Cork, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) in Northumberland.
-  Will Soar, RBA
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