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 18th April 2015  
  New discoveries today included two Black-winged Stilts at Middleton Lakes RSPB, Staffordshire, a Red-rumped Swallow at Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex, a Black Kite over the Hayle Estuary, Cornwall and a White-billed Diver off Thorntonloch, Lothian.

Lingering rarities included the Great Blue Heron in the Isles of Scilly, ten White-billed Divers and a King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Black-winged Stilts in Sussex and Kent (two).
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 17th April 2015  
  New discoveries today included two Red-rumped Swallows at Heaton Park, Greater Manchester, a Black Kite over Lower Test Marshes, Hampshire and two Black-winged Stilts at Dungeness RSPB, Kent.

The Great Blue Heron remained on Bryher, Scilly all day, whilst other lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck in Highland, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Glamorgan, Subalpine Warbler in County Waterford, Black Duck in the Isles of Scilly, Black-winged Stilts in Sussex, Essex (two) and Kent (two), single White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire, Orkney and the Western Isles, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Lesser Scaup in the Western Isles.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 16th April 2015  
  The Great Blue Heron was relocated on Bryher, Isles of Scilly this evening, but flew off shortly before the boats from St Mary's arrived.

New discoveries today included a Red-rumped Swallow near Leighton Moss, Lancashire, a Snowy Owl at Ballyvaughan, County Clare, a Black Kite over Wyke Regis, Dorset, Black-winged Stilts at Northward Hill, Kent (two) and Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire (three) and three White-billed Divers off Skigersta, Lewis, Western Isles.

Other lingering rarities included the Great Spotted Cuckoo in Glamorgan, Subalpine Warblers in Cornwall and County Waterford, Black-winged Stilts in Kent (three), Sussex and Essex (two), Laughing Gull in Merseyside and Black Duck in the Isles of Scilly.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 15th April 2015  
  On Scilly, the Great Blue Heron was found again on St. Mary's in the morning but proved difficult to catch up with for those that visited from the mainland, being last seen in a field at Holy Vale in the early afternoon.

Elsewhere a Great Spotted Cuckoo was found inland in the hills of Glamorgan this afternoon, whilst the other new rarities found were a Red-rumped Swallow briefly at Minsmere in Suffolk, a Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, a new total of eight Black-winged Stilts at Higham Marshes in Kent and a new White-billed Diver near Ullapool in Highland.

Lingering rarities included a White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, Subalpine Warblers in Cornwall (2) and County Waterford, Black-winged Stilts in Essex (2) and Sussex, Laughing Gull on Merseyside and Lesser Scaups in Ayrshire and the Western Isles.
-  Pete Hayman, RBA
Tuesday 14th April 2015  
  The highlight of the day - and the year so far - was the discovery of Britain's second Great Blue Heron: in the same place as the first, at Lower Moors, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly; and found by the same birder! It remained in Old Town Bay until dark.

New rarities elsewhere comprised Gull-billed Tern, Red-rumped Swallow and now two Subalpine Warblers in Cornwall, an Alpine Swift in Leicestershire at Rutland Water, and Black-winged Stilts in both Kent (7) and Essex (2).

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Harlequin Duck, King Eider and two White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire, Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, Subalpine Warbler in County Waterford, Laughing Gulls in both County Cork and Merseyside, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin, and Lesser Scaup on the Western Isles.

Scarcities included 27 Hoopoes, 7 migrant Dotterel, three Wrynecks, Woodchat Shrike (Devon), Night Heron (Cornwall), Serin (Kent) and Purple Heron (Northumberland).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 13th April 2015  
  New discoveries included Western Subalpine Warbler in Cornwall, Black Kite in Norfolk and Black-winged Stilt in West Sussex, whilst Harlequin Duck (Aberdeenshire), Subalpine Warbler (Co Waterford), Black Duck (Isles of Scilly), Lesser Scaup (Western Isles and Ayrshire), Laughing Gull (Merseyside) and Blue-winged Teal (Lincolnshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included White-spotted Bluethroat (Hertfordshire), Woodchat Shrike (Co Cork), Glossy Ibis (Cambridgeshire), two Wrynecks (Pembrokeshire and Lancashire), two Cattle Egrets (Kent), two Night Herons (Isles of Scilly), ten Dotterel (Norfolk) and at least 16 Hoopoes.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 12th April 2015  
  New discoveries included Alpine Swift (Dorset), Blue-winged Teal (Lincolnshire), Lesser Scaup (Western Isles) and Bee-eater (South Yorkshire), whilst Harlequin Duck (Aberdeenshire), Subalpine Warbler (Co Waterford), Blue-winged Teal (Orkney), Laughing Gull (Wirral/Merseyside), Black Duck (Isles of Scilly) and White-billed Diver (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included two Night Herons (Isles of Scilly), Serin (East Yorkshire), Glossy Ibises (Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire), Wryneck (Co Cork) and at least 23 Hoopoes.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 11th April 2015  
  Today's headline finds comprised a Scops Owl in Co Wexford and Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire. Elsewhere new discoveries included Alpine Swift (East Yorkshire), Subalpine Warbler (Co Waterford), Black Kite (Kent) and a Bee-eater was reported in Cleveland. The Harlequin Ducks in Aberdeenshire and Highland, Laughing Gull in Merseyside/Wirral, White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire and American Herring Gull in Cornwall all lingered.

Today's Hoopoe records included at least 11 in Co Cork, up to nine on Isles of Scilly, five in Cornwall, three in both Co Waterford and Co Wexford and singles in Pembrokeshire and Western Isles. The best of the rest included Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), Night Heron (Isles of Scilly), Serin (Norfolk) and Wryneck (Pembrokeshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 10th April 2015  
  Apart from a reported Black Kite in Somerset, there were no new rarities seen today. Scarce migrants continued to arrive in force, however, with 32 Hoopoes, six Wrynecks and three Great Grey Shrikes topping the list.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Harlequin Ducks in both Aberdeenshire and Highland, American Herring Gull in Cornwall, Laughing Gull in Merseyside, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan, Black-winged Stilt in Dorset and White-billed Diver in Orkney.

At least 250 migrant Ring Ouzels were seen, as well as 44 Redstarts, 37 Garganey, 20 Ospreys, five Pied Flycatchers, four Black Terns, two Whinchats and a Wood Sandpiper.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 9th April 2015  
  The highlight of the day was an arrival of Mediterranean species, with a Black Kite in Lincolnshire at Donna Nook, Red-rumped Swallow in County Cork at Mizen Head, a total of 23 Hoopoes (6 in County Cork, 2 in County Wexford, 2 in Pembrokeshire, 7 on the Isles of Scilly, 5 in Cornwall, and 1 in Kent), seven Wrynecks, the Black-winged Stilt still in Dorset. and a Night Heron still on the Isles of Scilly.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Harlequin Duck and two White-billed Divers still in Aberdeenshire, the American Herring Gull still iin Cornwall, Laughing Gull in Merseyside/Wirral, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan, Lesser Scaup in County Sligo, and single White-billed Divers in both Moray and on the Western Isles.

Migrants included a total of 118 Ring Ouzels, 40 Garganey, 23 over-flying Ospreys, four new Great Grey Shrikes, and a single Dotterel (Isles of Scilly).
-  Chris Batty, RBA