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 26th December 2015  
  The first Mourning Dove for Shetland was discovered this morning, and was still present in gardens in Lerwick this afternoon.

Further south, a Bonaparte's Gull was at Lower Farm GPs, Berkshire, an Azorean Yellow-legged Gull was at Kilvington, Nottinghamshire and a Lesser Yellowlegs was at Greencastle, County Down.

Lingering rarities included the Northern Harrier in Orkney, Red-rumped Swallow and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland and Dusky Warbler in Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 25th December 2015  
  A Dusky Warbler was discovered in a roadside hedge at Holkham, Norfolk today, but wasn't seen after the initial sighting. The Red-rumped Swallow remained in the vicinity, with the Pallid Harrier still in the county at Flitcham.

Other lingering rarities included the Dusky Warbler at Ham Wall RSPB, Somerset, King Eider at Nairn, Highland, and single Lesser Scaups at Dozmary Pool, Cornwall and Chew Valley Lake, Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 24th December 2015  
  Rarities lingering today were the Red-rumped Swallow and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Gyr in the Western Isles, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcity highlights were a Hoopoe, a Pomarine Skua, an American Wigeon, two Great Grey Shrikes, two Surf Scoters, two Ring-billed Gulls, two Cattle Egrets, three Grey Phalaropes, three Glossy Ibises, three Shorelarks, four Rough-legged Buzzards, six Yellow-browed Warblers, six Iceland Gulls, six Green-winged Teals, seven Ring-necked Ducks, seven Glaucous Gulls and nine Waxwings.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 23rd December 2015  
  Lingering rarities included Pallid Harrier, Lesser Yellowlegs and Red-rumped Swallow (Norfolk), Dusky Warbler (Somerset), Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Ferruginous Duck (Hampshire), Gyr (Western Isles) and Richardson's Cackling Goose (Co Sligo).

The best of the rest included Cattle Egret (Norfolk), Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), six Shorelarks, eight Yellow-browed Warblers and 10 Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 22nd December 2015  
  Rarity highlights included Gyr (Western Isles), Azorean Yellow-legged Gull (Co Kerry), Red-rumped Swallow (Norfolk), Dusky Warbler (Somerset), Ferruginous Duck (Hampshire), Black-bellied Dipper (Cornwall) and Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland).

The best of the rest included Surf Scoter (Cleveland), Ring-necked Duck (Dumfries & Galloway), Cattle Egret (Norfolk), Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), Yellow-browed Warbler (Hampshire), two American Wigeons, three Shorelarks and 16 Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 21st December 2015  
  Today's rarities included Gyr on Western Isles, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Lesser Scaup in Co Kerry and Spotted Sandpiper in Co Cork.

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), American Golden Plover (Cambridgeshire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), two American Wigeons, two Cattle Egrets, two Surf Scoters, three Ring-necked Ducks, three Yellow-browed Warblers and ten Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 20th December 2015  
  Rarities today comprised the Pacific Diver, American Herring Gull and Lesser Scaup all still in Cornwall, both Pallid Harrier and Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland and Ferruginous Duck in County Durham.

Scarcities included Hoopoe (West Midlands), Richard's Pipit (Kent) and Snow Goose (Cumbria), two each of Surf Scoter, American Wigeon, Cattle Egret and Great Grey Shrike, four Rough-legged Buzzards, five Glossy Ibises, six of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Waxwing, seven of Ring-necked Duck and Lapland Bunting, and nine Shorelarks. Totals of notable gull were five Ring-billed, eight Glaucous, 14 Iceland and 14 Caspian.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 19th December 2015  
  Lingering rarities today included the Red-rumped Swallow and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Spotted Sandpiper in County Cork, Bonaparte's Gull in Orkney and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcities included a Hoopoe, an American Golden Plover, a Dotterel, a Kumlien's Gull, two Great Grey Shrikes, two American Wigeon, two Ring-billed Gulls, two Cattle Egrets, three Glaucous Gulls, three Surf Scoters, four Ring-necked Ducks, four Yellow-browed Warblers, four Rough-legged Buzzards, four Little Auks, five Glossy Ibises, five Green-winged Teals, seven Waxwings, nine Shorelarks and 10 Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 18th December 2015  
  Rarity highlights included the lingering Western Rufous Turtle Dove in Shetland, Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, a Great Grey Shrike, an American Wigeon, two Rough-legged Buzzards, two Surf Scoters, three Lapland Buntings, three Glossy Ibises, four Green-winged Teals, four Ring-necked Ducks, four Glaucous Gulls, five Iceland Gulls, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, seven Waxwings and nine Shorelarks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 17th December 2015  
  The highlight of the day was a brief Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk at Cley: although not so unusual in November, a December occurrence is exceptional.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Western Rufous Turtle Dove still on the Shetland Isles, the Pacific Diver still in Cornwall where the regular wintering Lesser Scaup has returned, Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Lesser Scaup in Somerset and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire.

Scarcities included Hoopoe (West Midlands), Little Bunting (Cornwall), two each of Snow Goose, Glossy Ibis, Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal, three of Shorelark, Yellow-browed Warbler, Rough-legged Buzzard and Cattle Egret, four Surf Scoters, and seven each of Lapland Bunting and Waxwing. Scarce gulls comprised two Ring-billed, four Glaucous, seven Iceland and 15 Caspian.
-  Chris Batty, RBA