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.

Choose a starting date
Sunday 3rd January 2016  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the Glaucous-winged Gull at Castletownbere, County Cork, Mourning Dove at Lerwick, Shetland, Ross's Gull on The Lizard, Hudsonian Whimbrel at Marazion, Pacific Diver at Newlyn and Lesser Scaup at Dozmary Pool, all Cornwall, Pallid Harrier at Flitcham, Norfolk, three Penduline Tits at Titchfield Haven and Ferruginous Duck at Blashford Lakes, both Hampshire, Dusky Warbler at Ham Wall, Somerset and Bonaparte's Gull at Exmouth, Devon.

Scarcity totals were singles of Pallas's Warbler, Hoopoe, Rose-coloured Starling and American Wigeon, two each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Glossy Ibis, Surf Scoter and Black Brant, three each of Richard's Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler, Great Grey Shrike and Grey Phalarope, four Ring-billed Gulls, five Cattle Egrets, five Ring-necked Ducks, six Green-winged Teals, seven Shorelarks, seven Waxwings, 11 Iceland Gulls and 12 Glaucous Gulls.

Seawatching produced excellent numbers of Little Auks, with the highest totals coming from Girdle Ness (1,163), Newtonhill (844) and Collieston (230), all Aberdeenshire, Brora (900) and Chanonry Point (150), both Highland, Kinghorn, Fife (536), Hound Point, Lothian (270), and Fishtown of Usan (209), Mains of Usan (171) and Arbroath (122), all Angus.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 2nd January 2016  
  An exciting day was headlined by the discovery of an adult Glaucous-winged Gull in County Cork at Castletownbere; the first record for Ireland. Elsewhere in County Cork the Spotted Sandpiper remained at Pilmore, and at Owenahincha a dead Brown Booby was found on the tideline.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a Ross's Gull new in Cornwall on The Lizard, with Hudsonian Whimbrel and Pacific Diver remaining nearby. The Mourning Dove was still on the Shetland Isles, as was the Gyr on the Western Isles, Penduline Tit in Hampshire, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, and single Ferruginous Ducks in both County Durham and Hampshire.

Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Wirral), Richard's Pipit (East Yorkshire and Kent), Grey Phalarope (Gloucestershire), American Wigeon (two together in County Donegal), Kumlien's Gull (County Antrim and Norfolk), Cattle Egret and Lapland Bunting (Suffolk), five Ring-billed Gulls, six Ring-necked Ducks and a total of 30 Glossy Ibises (including 19 together in County Waterford).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 1st January 2016  
  In Cornwall, the Hudsonian Whimbrel was once again present in Mount's Bay at Marazion, having first been refound yesterday.

Other lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, White-billed Diver in Orkney, King Eider in Fife and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), a Hoopoe (Staffordshire), an American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), a Balearic Shearwater (Cornwall), two Richard's Pipits (Yorkshire), two Pomarine Skuas (Highland), two Great Grey Shrikes, two Cattle Egrets, three Waxwings, three Black Brants, four each of Surf Scoter, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Rough-legged Buzzard, Lapland Bunting and Glossy Ibis, five Ring-billed Gulls, six Grey Phalaropes, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, eight Iceland Gulls, eight Glaucous Gulls and nine Shorelarks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 31st December 2015  
  Scotland's fourth (and December's 1st) Little Swift was discovered at Thorntonloch, Lothian today. It was only present for around an hour, and wasn't relocated by late afternoon. Another Pacific Diver was found in Cornwall at Maenporth, with the other remaining in Mount's Bay, whilst the White-billed Diver returned to St Margaret's Hope Bay, Orkney.

Other lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser Yellowlegs and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk, Gyr in the Western Isles, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Penduline Tit and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire and single Lesser Scaups in Cornwall and Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 30th December 2015  
  Rarity highlights included Red-rumped Swallow and Pallid Harrier (Norfolk), Penduline Tit (Hampshire), Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Greater Yellowlegs (Isle of Wight), Pacific Diver and Lesser Scaup (Cornwall) and Richardson's Cackling Goose (Co Sligo).

The best of the rest included Hoopoe (West Midlands/ Staffordshire), two Cattle Egrets, two Yellow-browed Warblers, three Shorelarks, five Ring-necked Ducks and seven Glossy Ibises.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 29th December 2015  
  Long-staying rarities confirmed as still present today were the Mourning Dove on the Shetland Isles, Pacific Diver, American Herring Gull and Lesser Scaup all in Cornwall, Pallid Harrier and Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Greater Yellowlegs on the Isle of Wight, three Penduline Tits together and a Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, King Eider in Fife, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, and Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo.

Scarcities included Hoopoe (West Midlands), Sabine's Gull (County Galway), American Wigeon (Highland), Snow Goose (Cumbria), three each of Richard's Pipit, Shorelark and Surf Scoter, four of Cattle Egret, Ring-billed Gull, Great Grey Shrike and Waxwing, five each of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Rough-legged Buzzard, and six of Glossy Ibis and Ring-necked Duck.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 28th December 2015  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Mourning Dove on the Shetland Isles, Pacific Diver, American Herring Gull and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, both Pallid Harrier and Red-rumped Swallow in Norfolk, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, and Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland.

Scarcities included Night Heron (Perth and Kinross), Hoopoe (West Midlands), Lapland Bunting (Essex), Waxwing (Merseyside), two each of Richard's Pipit, Cattle Egret, Surf Scoter, American Wigeon and Ring-billed Gull, three of Rough-legged Buzzard and Great Grey Shrike, four Ring-necked Ducks, five Glossy Ibises, six Tundra Bean Geese, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, and 10 Shorelarks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 27th December 2015  
  A female King Eider was found off Ruddon's Point, Fife today.

Lingering rarities included the Mourning Dove in Shetland, Pacific Diver in Cornwall, Forster's Tern in County Galway, Gyr in the Western Isles, Dusky Warbler in Somerset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo, King Eider in Highland, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, two Great Grey Shrikes, three Richard's Pipits, three Rough-legged Buzzards, four Green-winged Teals, five Ring-necked Ducks, five Surf Scoters, five Grey Phalaropes, five Lapland Buntings, six Yellow-browed Warblers, six Waxwings and 12 Little Auks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
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