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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Wednesday 25th November 2015  
  A Western Rufous Turtle Dove was discovered in a garden at Scalloway, Shetland today. There are three previous records confirmed to have been of the form meena, with the Orkney individual of 2002 being the only one which has been easily twitchable.

In County Cork an American Bittern was found at the lake below Castlefreke House, Owenahincha. The last Irish record was in 1990, when one was killed by a dog in County Wexford, and you have to go back to 1875 for all three of the previous County Cork records, one of which was also found (and shot) on this date.

A Lesser Scaup was new at Loch Leven, Porth and Kinross, with lingering rarities including the Pallid Harrier at Snettisham, Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell, Northumberland, Spotted Sandpiper at Pilmore, County Cork, Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish, Devon and Lesser Scaup at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 24th November 2015  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the two Penduline Tits at Longham Lakes, Dorset, Pallid Harrier at Snettisham, Norfolk, Spotted Sandpiper at Pilmore, County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell, Northumberland and Bonaparte's Gull on the Exe Estuary, Devon.

Scarcity highlights included a Rough-legged Buzzard, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal, two Great Grey Shrikes, two Yellow-browed Warblers, two Rough-legged Buzzards, two Surf Scoters, four Ring-necked Ducks, six Shorelarks, seven Grey Phalaropes, 15 Waxwings and 18 Little Auks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 23rd November 2015  
  New discoveries included Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland and Lesser Scaup in Co Kerry, whilst the Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Hampshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Co Cork, Penduline Tits in Dorset, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Ferruginous Duck in London and Bonaparte's Gull in Devon all lingered.

The best of the rest included Rough-legged Buzzard (Essex), Rose-coloured Starling (Co Dublin), Little Bunting (Cornwall), Richard's Pipit (Norfolk), Surf Scoter (Somerset), two Glossy Ibises, two Ring-necked Ducks, two Yellow-browed Warblers, two Cattle Egrets at at least five Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 22nd November 2015  
  The highlight of the day was a Spotted Sandpiper discovered in County Cork at Pilmore. Elsewhere, new rarities comprised a Ferruginous Duck in London at Dagenham Chase, and two Penduline Tits together in Dorset; initially at Lytchett Bay before relocating to Longham Lakes.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Northern Harrier on the Orkney Isles, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, and Lesser Scaup in Somerset and the Shetland Isles.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (County Dublin), American Wigeon (Argyll), Glossy Ibis (Devon), two each of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Ring-necked Duck, three of Surf Scoter and Shorelark, and five of Cattle Egret and Waxwing.

Seawatching along the east coast was again productive with Little Auks scattered between Aberdeenshire and Kent, Pomarine Skuas south from the Borders, and Leach's Petrel and Grey Phalarope both recorded from three counties.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 21st November 2015  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Greater Yellowlegs at Whippingham, Isle of Wight, Forster's Tern at Mutton Island, County Galway, Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish, Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell, Northumberland and Ferruginous Duck at Blashford, Hampshire.

Scarcity highlights were a Hoopoe, a Serin, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Rough-legged Buzzard, an American Wigeon, a Todd's Canada Goose, two Snow Geese, two Waxwings, two Yellow-browed Warblers, two Ring-necked Ducks, two Green-winged Teals, four Surf Scoters and five Great Grey Shrikes.

Seawatching was the highlight of the day, with totals of 3,601 Little Auks counted, along with 245 Pomarine Skuas, 40 Leach's Petrels, 19 Grey Phalaropes, eight Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Cory's Shearwater and Long-tailed Skua.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 20th November 2015  
  Lingering rarities present today included the Pallid Harrier at Snettisham RSPB, Norfolk, Dusky Warbler at Dungeness RSPB, Kent, Gull-billed Tern at Tralee, County Kerry and Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell, Northumberland.

Scarcity totals included one each of Serin, Yellow-browed Warbler, Waxwing, Rose-coloured Starling, Lapland Bunting, Kumlien's Gull, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal and Black Brant, two each of Hoopoe, Surf Scoter, Snow Goose, Grey Phalarope and Ring-billed Gull, three Glossy Ibises, four Rough-legged Buzzards, five Great Grey Shrikes, seven Pomarine Skuas, at least 14 Leach's Petrels and 62 Little Auks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 19th November 2015  
  New discoveries included an American Herring Gull in Co Kerry, Arctic Redpoll in Co Longford and Azorean Yellow-legged Gull in Shropshire whilst the Crag Martin (Derbyshire), Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Desert Wheatear (Cumbria), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Gloucestershire) and Gull-billed Tern (Co Kerry) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (Norfolk), Rose-coloured Starling (Co Dublin) Yellow-browed Warbler (West Midlands), two Surf Scoters, three Shorelarks and seven Glossy Ibises.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 18th November 2015  
  Lingering rarities included the Crag Martin in Derbyshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Ferruginous Duck in Co Durham and Northern Harrier on Orkney.

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (Norfolk), Surf Scoter (Somerset), American Wigeon (Argyll), Rose-coloured Starling (Co Dublin), Shorelark (North Yorkshire), two Yellow-browed Warblers, three Glossy Ibises and three Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 17th November 2015  
  The highlight of the day was the presence of potentially two Pallid Harriers in Norfolk; the lingering bird still roosting at Warham Greens and it or another at Snettisham.

Elsewhere, other lingering rarities comprosed the Crag Martin still in Derbyshire, Desert Wheatear in Cumbria, Dusky Warbler in Kent, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland and Northern Harrier on the Orkney Isles.

Scarities included Hoopoe (Norfolk), Rose-coloured Starling (County Dublin), Yellow-browed Warbler (West Midlands), Ring-billed Gull (Hampshire), Ring-necked Duck (County Down), Cattle Egret and Long-tailed Skua (both Devon), two each of American Wigeon, Surf Scoter, Rough-legged Buzzard and Glossy Ibis, three of Lapland Bunting and Leach's Petrel, and four Great Grey Shrikes.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 16th November 2015  
  New discoveries included a Desert Wheatear in Cumbria, Lesser Scaup in Argyll and Dusky Warbler in Kent, whilst the Crag Martin (Derbyshire), Pallid Harrier (Norfolk), Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Lesser Scaup (Isles of Scilly and Somerset) and American Herring Gull (Cornwall) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (Norfok), Cattle Egret (Cornwall) two Yellow-browed Warblers, two Surf Scoters, two Rough-legged Buzzards and two Glossy Ibises.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA