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 17th July 2015  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Least Sandpiper in the Isles of Scilly, Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Gull-billed Tern in Devon, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Lesser Scaup in Somerset.

Scarcity highlights were a Spotted Crake, a Purple Heron, a Surf Scoter, an American Wigeon, a Temminck's Stint, a Sabine's Gull, a Long-tailed Skua, a Great Shearwater, two Cory's Shearwaters and five Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 16th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Least Sandpiper on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. The earliest ever autumn record, only the third record for the islands, and only the sixth ever to be recorded in July in Britain.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Greater Yellowlegs still in Hampshire, Gull-billed Tern in Devon, Little Bittern in South Yorkshire, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in East Yorkshire, and a Bee-eater briefly in Dorset.

Scarcities included Purple Heron and Golden Oriole (both Suffolk), Serin (East Yorkshire), Temminck's Stint (Lincolnshire), American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), Cory's Shearwater (Isles of Scilly) and Great Shearwater (Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 15th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a White-rumped Sandpiper in South Yorkshire at Hatfield Moors in the evening. Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the Hudsonian Whimbrel still in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Gull-billed Tern in Devon, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, and Black-winged Stilt in Kent.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Suffolk), Temminck's Stint (Leicestershire), Night Heron and Ring-billed Gull (both Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 14th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Little Bittern in South Yorkshire at Old Moor. Elsewhere, lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Gull-billed Tern in Devon, Red-footed Falcon in Satffordshire, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, and both Bonaparte's Gull and Black-winged Stilt in Kent.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Suffolk), Temminck's Stint (Leicestershire), American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), Sabine's Gull (Highland), Ring-billed Gull and three Great Shearwaters (Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 13th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Gull-billed Tern in Devon, where it showed all day. Elsewhere, the Hudsonian Whimbrel remained in West Sussex, as did the Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, and Red-rumped Swallow on the Shetland Isles, whilst a Lesser Scaup was confirmed in Somerset at Blagdon Lake.

Scarcities included Surf Scoter (Argyll), Temminck's Stint (Leicestershire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Dumfries and Galloway), and Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall).

Seawatching revealed five Cory's Shearwaters off southwest England, with a total of 14 Great Shearwaters between Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and County Wexford.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 12th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the remarkable record of an adult Black-browed Albatross at Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk. Initially found loafing with Mute Swans on the small pool behind South Hide, it then flew south over the sea and was lost to view towards Sizewell late afternoon.

Two new Gull-billed Terns were found today, one briefly at Cley, Norfolk, and another lingering for a couple of hours on the River Teign in Devon.

Long staying rarities still present today included the Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Little Bittern in West Yorkshire, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 11th July 2015  
  A male Little Bittern was found at Swillington Ings, West Yorkshire.

Lingering rarities included the Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire and White-rumped Sandpiper in East Yorkshire.

Scarcities included one each of Melodious Warbler, Surf Scoter, Green-winged Teal, Pectoral Sandpiper, Cory's Shearwater and Great Shearwater.

Late news from 27th June concerned a dead Cedar Waxwing at St David's, Pembrokeshire, which is at least the fourth individual seen in the British Isles so far this year.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 10th July 2015  
  Single Black Kites were seen over Leiston, Suffolk and Upton Towans, Cornwall, whilst Bee-eaters were found at Sandwich Bay, Kent, Portland, Dorset and Alderton, Bucklesham and Minsmere (five), all Suffolk (with ten again in the latter county at Leiston early morning only).

Other lingering rarities included the Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire, Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Red-rumped Swallow in Shetland and White-rumped Sandpiper in Yorkshire.

Scarcities included a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, a Cory's Shearwater, a Balearic Shearwater, a Red-necked Phalarope, an Iceland Gull, two Ring-billed Gulls, two Glaucous Gulls, two Pectoral Sandpipers and at least three Honey Buzzards, but there was no sight or sound of the long staying Melodious Warbler in West Midlands.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 9th July 2015  
  The new rarities today were all brief encounters: a Collared Praticole in Norfolk at Welney, Red-footed Falcon in Staffordshire at Stoke-on-Trent, and Bee-eaters in Cheshire (2), Dorset and East Sussex.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Little Bittern in South Yorkshire, Red-rumped Swallow on the Shetland Isles, White-rumped Sandpiper in East Yorkshire, and the flock of 10 Bee-eaters in Suffolk.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (West Midlands), Night Heron (Somerset), Surf Scoter (Angus), American Wigeon (East Yorkshire), Red-backed Shrike (Devon), Hoopoe (Dorset), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland) and Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 8th July 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence ofa flock of 10 Bee-eaters in Suffolk, whilst other continuing rarities comprised the Hudsonian Whimbrel in West Sussex, Greater Yellowlegs in Hampshire, Little Bittern in South Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, and the White-rumped Sandpiper in East Yorkshire, with an Alpine Swift flying over the latter.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (West Midlands), Rose-coloured Starling (Western Isles), American Wigeon (South Yorkshire), and Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall).

Notable seabirds comprised single Cory's Shearwaters passing both Cornwall and County Donegal, Great Shearwaters passing Cornwall and Pembrokeshire, and a Long-tailed Skua briefly in East Yorkshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA