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 14th August 2016  
  A Swinhoe's Petrel was re-trapped on Fair Isle, Shetland in the early hours of the morning. It was first ringed on 27th July 2013, and was the first of two birds to grace the island that summer, the second of which returned multiple times that year and again in 2014.

New discoveries in daylight hours today included a Lesser Yellowlegs at Ring Marsh, County Wexford, a Spotted Sandpiper on Tiree, Argyll and a White-billed Diver off Blackdog, Aberdeenshire.

Lingering rarities included the Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin, single Spotted Sandpipers in Devon and Northumberland, White-rumped Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire and two Wilson's Petrels off County Cork.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 13th August 2016  
  In Hampshire an Aquatic Warbler was trapped and ringed at Titchfield Haven NNR, whilst in Suffolk another was reported in Lowestoft briefly early afternoon, but it could not be found later. In Co Wexford a Least Sandpiper was at Tacumshin. Lingering rarities included American White-winged Scoter and White-rumped Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire), Lesser Yellowlegs (Co Dublin), Dalmatian Pelican and Hudsonian Whimbrel (Cornwall), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent) and Spotted Sandpipers (Northumberland and Devon), whilst a couple of Wilson's Petrels were logged from a Co Cork pelagic and a pratincole species made a brief appearance at West Canvey Marsh RSPB (Essex).

The best of the rest included Night Heron (Warwickshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Norfolk) and Cattle Egret (Merseyside).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 12th August 2016  
  A Wilson's Petrel flew past Gwennap Head, Cornwall late morning, with another seen from a Scilly pelagic this evening.

Lingering rarities included the Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.

Scarcity highlights included an American Golden Plover, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Temminck's Stint, a Purple Heron, a Pomarine Skua, two Great Shearwaters and six Glossy Ibises.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 11th August 2016  
  A Lesser Yellowlegs was discovered on Broadmeadows Estuary at Swords, County Dublin this evening.

Lingering rarities included the American White-winged Scoter and White-rumped Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire, Hudsonian Whimbrel in Cornwall and Spotted Sandpiper in Devon.

Scarcity highlights included a Great Shearwater, a Long-tailed Skua, a Purple Heron, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Surf Scoter, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Honey Buzzards, two Glossy Ibises and two Cattle Egrets.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 10th August 2016  
  American waders today comprised the Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Pembrokeshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, White-rumped Sandpipers in both Aberdeenshire and County Antrim, and a Pectoral Sandpiper in Cambridgeshire.

Otherwise, scarcities included Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire), Montagu's Harrier (East Yorkshire), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), Long-tailed Skua (County Durham), two Great Shearwaters, and three each of both Red-necked Phalarope and Glossy Ibis.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 9th August 2016  
  Rarities today comprised the Dalmatian Pelican and Hudsonian Whimbrel in Cornwall, Squacco Heron in Licolnshire, Black Duck in Highland, Semipalmated Sandpipers in both County Kerry and Pembrokeshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, White-rumped Sandpiper in Lincolnshire, Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and Northamptonshire.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), Temminck's Stint (Derbyshire), White Stork (Dorset) and Cattle Egret (Merseyside), two Pectoral Sandpipers and four Glossy Ibises.

Seabirds today included Cory's Shearwater (Ceredigion), Great Shearwater (Cornwall and East Yorkshire), Long-tailed Skua and Grey Phalarope (both East Yorkshire).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 8th August 2016  
  New discoveries today included an adult Spotted Sandpiper at South Efford Marsh, Devon, and the Forster's Tern reappeared at Soldier's Point, County Louth.

Lingering rarities included the Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Pembrokeshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Somerset, White-rumped Sandpiper in Lincolnshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Purple Heron, a Cattle Egret, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Honey Buzzard, a White Stork and six Glossy Ibises. Seawatching produced 19 Cory's Shearwaters, 19 Great Shearwaters and seven Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 7th August 2016  
  Seabirds were the highlight of the day with 703 Cory's Shearwaters logged (all but one in Ireland), 56 Great Shearwaters (all but five in Ireland), a Long-tailed Skua passing County Clare, and two Wilson's Petrels off the Isles of Scilly.

Rarities comprised both the Dalmatian Pelican and Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpipers in both County Kerry and Pembrokeshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Somerset, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, and White-rumped Sandpipers in County Antrim and briefly on the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Temminck's Stint (East Yorkshire), White Stork (West Sussex), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), two each of both Pectoral Sandpiper and Surf Scoter, and a total of seven Glossy Ibises.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 6th August 2016  
  American waders remained in focus today with two Semipalmated Sandpipers - new in County Kerry at Reenroe, and lingering in Pembrokeshire - Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, Spotted Sandpiper in Somerset, White-rumped Sandpipers in each of County Antrim, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, and single Pectoral Sandpipers in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk.

Other rarities comprised the Dalmatian Pelican still in Cornwall, American White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire, and Squacco Heron in Lincolnshire, but unfortunately the Western Purple Swamphen could not be located in Suffolk. 

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler (Kent), Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire), Ring-billed Gull (County Galway), White Stork (London and West Sussex), and three each of Pectoral Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret. Seabirds included Long-tailed Skua (Norfolk), 10 Great Shearwaters (Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and County Waterford) and 16 Cory's Shearwaters (County Cork and Cornwall).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 5th August 2016  
  Rarity highlights included the Western Purple Swamphen (Suffolk), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Pembrokeshire), Spotted Sandpiper (Somerset/Dorset), Squacco Heron (Lincolnshire), White-rumped Sandpipers (Co Antrim, Lincolnshire and Angus) and Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall).

The best of the rest included Melodious Warbler (Pembrokeshire), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), White-winged Black Tern (Aberdeenshire), two Pectoral Sandpipers and two Glossy Ibises.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA