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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Tuesday 12th May 2015  
  New discoveries included Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk, Alpine Swift in Co Mayo, Bonaparte's Gull in Glamorgan and a report of a Subalpine Warbler species in Ceredigion, whilst Black-winged Stilt (Kent), Lesser Yellowlegs (Northumberland), Red-throated Pipit (Cleveland), Harlequin Duck, White-billed Diver and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Bonaparte's Gull (Hampshire), Squacco Heron (Devon) and Lesser Scaup (West Yorkshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Roseate Tern (Hertfordshire), Purple Heron (Dorset), Honey Buzzard (Kent), at least two Wrynecks, three Woodchat Shrikes and three Night Herons, up to four Hoopoes, four Temminck's Stints, 17 Golden Orioles, 35 Dotterel and 1,419+ Long-tailed Skuas (including 1,307 past Aird an Runair, North Uist).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 11th May 2015  
  The first Moltoni's Subalpine Warbler for Mainland Britain, and the first widely twitchable individual anywhere, was discovered on Blakeney Point, Norfolk mid morning. This singing and calling male joined a female subalpine warbler species found earlier in the morning. The first accepted Moltoni's Subalpine Warbler was shot on St Kilda in 1894, with two more recent records in Shetland in 2009. Both these birds stayed for at least a week, but only one was identified to (at the time) race whilst the bird was still present, late on in its stay.

Nearby, the male Citril Finch remained at Burnham Overy Dunes until 6.20am, but not since.

Further north, the fifth Slate-coloured Junco for Shetland was found at Toab, Mainland. All five records in the archipelago have occurred in the first 11 days of May. Other new discoveries included a Lesser Yellowlegs at Low Newton, Northumberland, a Black-winged Stilt at Grove Ferry, Kent and a Red-rumped Swallow over Spurn, Yorkshire.

Lingering rarities included the Harlequin Duck and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Squacco Heron in Devon, Red-throated Pipit in Cleveland, Red-rumped Swallow in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire and Lesser Scaup in Yorkshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 10th May 2015  
  Britain's second Citril Finch was discovered in Norfolk this morning, and spent the rest of the day in and out of the dunes at Burnham Overy, where it often showed well to the assembled crowd.

A Red-throated Pipit spent the afternoon on Seaton Common, Cleveland, single Red-rumped Swallows were at Ferry Meadows, Cambridgeshire and Catsford Common, Somerset and Bee-eaters were at Winterton, Norfolk, Corton, Suffolk and St Leonards on Sea, Sussex (two).

Lingering rarities seen again today included the Harlequin Duck, King Eider and White-billed Diver in Aberdeenshire, single Squacco Herons in Devon and Cornwall, Tawny Pipit in Dorset, single Bonaparte's Gulls in Hampshire and Devon and Lesser Scaup in Yorkshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 9th May 2015  
  New arrivals today included a Squacco Heron at Prawle Point and a Bonaparte's Gull at Topsham, both Devon, a Tawny Pipit on Portland, Dorset, an Alpine Swift at Pugneys Country Park, West Yorkshire, a Red-rumped Swallow at Porthcurno, Cornwall and a Black Kite over Grove Ferry NNR, Kent.

Lingering rarities present again today included the Greater Yellowlegs and Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire, King Eider and seven White-billed Divers in Aberdeenshire (with another of the latter still in Orkney) and the Lesser Scaup in Yorkshire.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 8th May 2015  
  An Alpine Swift was seen over Ilkley town centre, Yorkshire this evening.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Harlequin Duck and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Squacco Heron in Cornwall, Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire, White-billed Diver in Moray and Lesser Scaup in Yorkshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Kentish Plover, a Short-toed Lark, a Wryneck, two Woodchat Shrikes, three Hoopoes, five Night Herons, six Golden Orioles (including a flock of five in the Isles of Scilly), seven Temminck's Stints and 33 Dotterels.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 7th May 2015  
  New discoveries included Alpine Swift in East Yorkshire, Red-rumped Swallows in Lincolnshire and West Sussex and Snowy Owl in Co Fermanagh, whilst Lesser Scaup (West Yorkshire), Harlequin Duck, White-billed Diver and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Red-rumped Swallow (East Yorkshire), Bonaparte's Gull (Hampshire) and Squacco Heron (Cornwall) all lingered. The Great Blue Heron was also reportedly still present on Isles of Scilly.

The best of the rest included White Stork (North Yorkshire), Woodchat Shrike (Co Cork), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), Kentish Plover (Highland), Red-backed Shrike (Highland), Hoopoe (Warwickshire), two Golden Orioles, three Serins, three Grey-headed Wagtails, five Temminck's Stints and 30 Dotterel.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 6th May 2015  
  The highlight of the day was a Squacco Heron in Cornwall, at Polgigga, where it present for it's second day. In County Dublin a Gull-billed Tern was present on Swords Estuary in the evening.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present comprised the Great Blue Heron on the Isles of Scilly, Harlequin Duck and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire, Red-rumped Swallow in East Yorkshire, and the Lesser Scaup in West Yorkshire.

Scarcities included Surf Scoter (Lothian), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), Honey Buzzard (Dumfries and Galloway), two each of both Golden Oriole and Temminck's Stint, three Lapland Buntings, four Night Herons, and 16 migrant Dotterel.

Pomarine Skuas were on the move with 181 recorded, including 42 off Gwynedd, 20 off Ayrshire, 18 passing Gloucestershire, 13 from Scillonian III, and one inland; at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 5th May 2015  
  New discoveries included a brief Western Bonelli's Warbler in Dorset and a Black-winged Stilt at an undisclosed site in Lincolnshire, whilst Great Blue Heron (Isles of Scilly), Lesser Scaup (West Yorkshire), Tawny Pipit (Shetland), Harlequin Duck (Aberdeenshire), Red-rumped Swallow (East Yorkshire), Bonaparte's Gull (Hampshire) and King Eider (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Spotted Crake (Lancashire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Norfolk), Long-tailed Skua (Dorset), Wryneck (Shetland), Golden Oriole (Isles of Scilly), Woodchat Shrike (Co Cork), Temminck's Stint (Cleveland), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), two Green-winged Teals and 15 Dotterels.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 4th May 2015  
  New discoveries included Tawny Pipit (Fair Isle), Red-rumped Swallows (East Sussex and East Yorkshire), Black Kite (Oxfordshire) and Lesser Scaup (West Yorkshire), whilst Great Blue Heron (Isles of Scilly), Pied-billed Grebe (Lancashire), Red-throated Pipit (Derbyshire/ Greater Manchester), Pacific Diver (Cornwall), Red-rumped Swallow (East Sussex, briefly joined by the second bird referred to above), Bonaparte's Gull (Hampshire), two Black-winged Stilts (Kent) and King Eider and two White-billed Divers (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Cattle Egret (Kent), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Honey Buzzard (Kent), Glossy Ibis (Nottinghamshire), Shorelark (Cleveland), Woodchat Shrike and Golden Oriole (Cornwall), two Rough-legged Buzzards, two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Wrynecks and 29 migrant Dotterel.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 3rd May 2015  
  New discoveries included a Red-throated Pipit on the Derbyshire/ Greater Manchester border and Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire, whilst the Hudsonian Godwit (Somerset), Great Blue Heron (Isles of Scilly), Pied-billed Grebe (Lancashire), White-rumped Sandpiper and White-billed Diver (Orkney), Lesser Scaup (Glamorgan), American Herring Gull and Pacific Diver (Cornwall) and Harlequin Duck and White-billed Diver (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Kentish Plover (Somerset), Pectoral Sandpipers (Norfolk and Essex), Purple Heron and two Night Herons (Isles of Scilly), Hoopoe (Isles of Wight), Shorelark (Cleveland), Wrynecks (Fair Isle and Isles of Scilly) and American Wigeon (Northumberland).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA