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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Thursday 2nd June 2016  
  A Broad-billed Sandpiper was discovered at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire, as was a Red-throated Pipit at Galley Head, County Cork and a Black Kite at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, whilst the Laughing Gull returned to Dungeness, Kent briefly.

Lingering rarities included the Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Little Bittern in London, Iberian Chiffchaff and Alpine Swift in the Isles of Scilly, Greenish Warbler in Suffolk, Savi's Warbler in Gwent, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland and single King Eiders in Highland and Aberdeenshire.
Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 1st June 2016  
  New discoveries today included an Alpine Swift on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly and a Greenish Warbler at Kingsgate, Kent.

Lingering rarities included the Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Little Bittern in London, Greenish Warbler in Suffolk, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland and King Eider in Aberdeenshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Kentish Plover, a Purple Heron, an Icterine Warbler, a Common Rosefinch, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Surf Scoter, a Ring-necked Duck, a Montagu's Harrier, two Red-backed Shrikes, two Iceland Gulls, three Glaucous Gulls and four Glossy Ibises.
Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 31st May 2016  
  A singing male White-crowned Sparrow was discovered in a garden at South Dell, Lewis, Western Isles, where it was still showing well this evening. It is likely that it has been present in the area for a while, as a possible White-crowned Sparrow was reported less than four miles away in Port Nis in early May.

Other new discoveries today included a Broad-billed Sandpiper at Druridge Pools, Northumberland, a Greenish Warbler at Gunton, Suffolk, a Red-rumped Swallow at Murlough, County Down and a Bee-eater in Torbay, Devon.

Lingering rarities included the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in Shetland, Black-billed Cuckoo in the Western Isles, Dalmatian Pelican and Black Kite in Cornwall, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Little Bittern in London, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Savi's Warbler in Gwent, Subalpine warbler sp in Fife, two Black-winged Stilts in Essex, Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland and King Eider in Aberdeenshire.
Will Soar, RBA
Monday 30th May 2016  
  Rarities today comprised the Black-billed Cuckoo and White-billed Diver in the Western Isles, Dalmatian Pelican still in Cornwall, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in Shetland, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Laughing Gull in Suffolk, Little Bittern in London, Iberian Chiffchaff in Scilly, Great Reed Warbler and Red-footed Falcon in Cambridgeshire, Savi's Warbler in Gwent, Subalpine Warbler species in Fife, Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland, two Black-winged Stilts together in Essex, and Red-footed Falcon in Wiltshire.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 29th May 2016  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler on Mainland Shetland, whilst a Squacco Heron in Glamorgan, Little Bittern in London, Savi's Warbler in Gwent, Bee-eater in Somerset and White-billed Diver in Western Isles were also new today.

Lingering rarities included Black-billed Cuckoo (Western Isles), Bonaparte's Gull (Northumberland), Gull-billed Tern (Lothian), Greenish Warbler (Bardsey Island), subalpine warbler sp (Fife), Red-footed Falcon (Essex), Black-winged Stilts (Essex), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Dorset), Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Great Reed Warbler (Cambridgeshire) and, once again, the Lammergeier was claimed on Dartmoor (Devon).

The best of the rest included Purple Heron (Suffolk), Icterine Warbler (Highland), Ring-necked Duck (Argyll), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Western Isles), Shorelark (Shetland), Wryneck (Oxfordshire), two Red-necked Phalaropes, three Red-breasted Flycatchers, four Red-backed Shrikes and four Glossy Ibises.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 28th May 2016  
  A Black-browed Albatross spent a few hours on Fair Isle, Shetland this morning, mostly in flight around the east side of the island, and a female Black-eared Wheatear was seen at Happisburgh, Norfolk very briefly. The Black-billed Cuckoo remained at Bayhead, Western Isles, the Lammergeier was reported again from Dartmoor, Devon (having been seen in Somerset mid afternoon yesterday) and the Dalmatian Pelican spent much of the day at Drift Reservoir, Cornwall.

Other new discoveries today included a Snowy Owl in County Clare, Gull-billed Tern in Lothian, Forster's Tern in County Galway, two Greenish Warblers in Gwynedd, two Bee-eaters in both Kent and Cornwall and White-billed Diver in Shetland.

Other lingering rarities included the Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Savi's Warbler in Yorkshire, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Subalpine warbler in Fife, single Red-footed Falcons in Essex and Wiltshire, two Black-winged Stilts in Essex and Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland.
Will Soar, RBA
Friday 27th May 2016  
  A Rustic Bunting on Fair Isle, Shetland and a Subalpine Warbler on the Isle of May, Fife were new discoveries today, whilst lingering rarities included the Black-billed Cuckoo in the Western Isles, Lammergeier in Devon, Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, single Savi's Warblers in Suffolk, Yorkshire and County Wicklow, Red-footed Falcon and two Black-winged Stilts in Essex, other Red-footed Falcons in Suffolk and Wiltshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland.

Scarcity highlights included a Bluethroat, a Marsh Warbler, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Honey Buzzard, two Red-breasted Flycatchers, two Hoopoes, two Serins, two Common Rosefinches, two Corncrakes, five Icterine Warblers and seven Red-backed Shrikes.
Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 26th May 2016  
  Yesterday's Laughing Gull at Hastings (East Sussex) relocated to Dungeness (Kent). Elsewhere lingering rarities included Black-billed Cuckoo (Western Isles), Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Black Kite (Cornwall), Great Reed Warbler (Cambridgeshire), Red-footed Falcons (Essex, Suffolk and Wiltshire), Savi's Warblers (Suffolk and Co Wicklow) and Black-winged Stilts (Essex).

The best of the rest included Woodchat Shrike (Pembrokeshire), White-winged Black Tern (Pembrokeshire), Common Rosefinch (Northumberland), Pectoral Sandpiper (Co Durham), Grey-headed Wagtail (Co Durham), three Bluethroats, three Glossy Ibises, five Red-backed Shrikes and nine Icterine Warblers.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 25th May 2016  
  New discoveries included Laughing Gulls in East Sussex and South Yorkshire, subalpine warbler sp in Northumberland and up to six Black Kites in Cornwall, which coincided with an influx of Red Kites into the county.

Lingering rarities included Black-billed Cuckoo (Western Isles), Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Red-footed Falcons (Wiltshire and Suffolk), Bonaparte's Gull (Northumberland), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Dorset), Savi's Warblers (Suffolk and Co Wicklow), Black-winged Stilts (Essex) and Great Reed Warbler (Cambridgeshire).

The best of the rest included Red-spotted Bluethroat (Fife), Kenitsh Plover (Co Wicklow), Woodchat Shrike (Co Cork), Hoopoe (Highland), Pectoral Sandpiper (Co Durham), Common Rosefinch (Northumberland), two Purple Herons, two Temminck's Stints, three Red-backed Shrikes and four Glossy Ibises.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 24th May 2016  
  New rarities breaking today comprised a Black-headed Bunting in Pembrokeshire on Skomer, a Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland at Castle Island, a Savi's Warbler in East Yorkshire at Blacktoft Sands, and two Bee-eaters briefly at Sandwich Bay, Kent.

Continuing rarities were the Black-billed Cuckoo still on the Western Isles, the elusive Lammergeier and the Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Great Spotted Cuckoo in Dorset, Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire, Savi's Warblers in both Suffolk and County Wicklow, two Black-winged Stilts together in Essex, and single Red-footed Falcons in Essex, Suffolk and Wiltshire.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler and Ortolan Bunting on the Isles of Scilly, Woodchat Shrike, Bluethroat, Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Surf Scoter on the Shetland Isles, Red-breasted Flycatcher on the Orkney Isles, Pectoral Sandpiper in County Durham and a Ring-billed Gull in Merseyside.
Chris Batty, RBA