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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Sunday 21st August 2016  
  New discoveries included a Terek Sandpiper (Co Wexford), White-rumped Sandpiper (Northumberland) and Greenish Warbler (Shetland), whilst Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Greenish Warblers (East Yorkshire, Shetland and Orkney), Spotted Sandpiper (Lothian), Forster's Tern (Co Louth), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Co Kerry), Least Sandpiper (Co Clare) and White-rumped Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

Seabird highlights comprised Fea's or Zino's Petrels off Cape Clear (Co Cork) and Port Eynon (Glamorgan) and three Wilson's Petrels off Pendeen (Cornwall).

Scarcity sightings included White-winged Black Tern (Leicestershire), Pectoral Sandpiper (East Yorkshire), Ring-necked Duck (Orkney), Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), two Spotted Crakes, two American Golden Plovers, two Red-backed Shrikes, four Barred Warblers, five Cattle Egrets, at least six Icterine Warblers and seven Wrynecks.

Significant late news related to a Brown Booby, which had been photographed on a trawler off the Co Kerry coastline in recent days.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 20th August 2016  
  New discoveries included Little Bittern (Bedfordshire), Lesser Yellowlegs (Staffordshire) and Bonaparte's Gull (Devon). Five Greenish Warblers were recorded, whilst American White-winged Scoter and White-rumped Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire), Solitary Sandpiper (Co Clare), Semipalmated Sandpipers (Co Kerry and Western Isles), Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Lesser Yellowlegs (Co Wexford), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent) and Spotted Sandpiper (Lothian) all lingered.

Seabird highlights included a Fea's or Zino's Petrel off Co Clare and eight Wilson's Petrels (four off Co Clare and four off Isles of Scilly), whilst scarcities included Common Rosefinch (Shetland), Red-necked Phalarope (Co Wexford), Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Spotted Crake (East Yorkshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (East Yorkshire), four Barred Warblers, four Cattle Egrets, five Red-backed Shrikes, seven Icterine Warblers and eight Wrynecks.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 19th August 2016  
  Seabirds were the feature of the day in south-west England and Ireland, with the headline bird being a Black-browed Albatross past Prawle Point, Devon. Two Fea's or Zino's Petrels flew past Galley Head, County Cork, with totals of 544 Cory's Shearwaters, 461 Great Shearwaters, 132 Balearic Shearwaters, five Pomarine Skuas, two Long-tailed Skuas, a Leach's Petrel and a Grey Phalarope also logged.

Other new discoveries today included single Greenish Warblers at Sands of Forvie NNR, Aberdeenshire and on Fair Isle, Shetland, and single Lesser Yellowlegs' at Tacumshin, County Wexford and Black Rock, County Kerry.

Lingering rarities included the Least Sandpiper in County Clare, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Bee-eater in Suffolk, Greenish Warbler in Yorkshire, Semipalmated Sandpiper in the Western Isles, single Spotted Sandpipers in Lothian and Argyll and White-rumped Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire.

A small east coast fall produced a Barred Warbler, a Corncrake, two Icterine Warblers, three Wrynecks and six Red-backed Shrikes, whilst other scarcities seen today included a Ortolan Bunting, a Spotted Crake, a Pectoral Sandpiper, another Icterine Warbler, another two Wrynecks, a Honey Buzzard, three Cattle Egrets and six Glossy Ibises.
Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 18th August 2016  
  New discoveries included Greenish Warblers in Norfolk (2), Cumbria and East Yorkshire, Semipalmated Sandpiper on Western Isles and Bee-eater in Suffolk, whilst the Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Spotted Sandpipers (Lothian and Argyll), Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper (Co Clare) and American White-winged Scoter and White-rumped Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Barred Warbler, Pectoral Sandpiper, Spotted Crake, Red-backed Shrike and Icterine Warbler (all East Yorkshire), Melodious Warbler (Isles of Scilly), Temminck's Stint (Cleveland), Hoopoe (London), two Purple Herons, three Cattle Egrets, four Wrynecks and five Glossy Ibises.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 17th August 2016  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Royal Tern in County Mayo at Roonagh Lough, albeit early morning only before it flew out to sea and did not return. Elsewhere in Ireland the Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper remained together in County Clare, as did the Lesser Yellowlegs in County Cork.

The continued high pressure and easterly winds brought both Western Bonelli's Warbler and Citrine Wagtail to Bardsey, Gwynedd, Greenish Warbler and Barred Warbler to East Yorkshire, two each of both Ortolan Bunting and Wryneck, and five Icterine Warblers.

Other rarities comprised both the Dalmatian Pelican and Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, Spotted Sandpipers in both Argyll and Lothian, and White-rumped Sandpipers in Aberdeenshire and Norfolk.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Warwickshire), Temminck's Stint (Cleveland), Cattle Egret (Merseyside), Pectoral Sandpiper and Spotted Crake (both East Yorkshire), and five Glossy Ibises.
Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 16th August 2016  
  An adult Royal Tern was discovered at Roonagh Lough, County Mayo late afternoon, where it was still present late evening. Other new discoveries today included an Aquatic Warbler at Pagham Harbour, Sussex, single Greenish Warblers at Winterton, Norfolk, Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire and Flamborough, Yorkshire, a Bee-eater at Walberswick, Suffolk and a Wilson's Petrel off County Kerry.

Lingering rarities included the Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper in County Clare, American White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, single Spotted Sandpipers in Lothian and Argyll, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Cork and White-rumped Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire.
Will Soar, RBA
Monday 15th August 2016  
  A Solitary Sandpiper was discovered at Cloghaun Lough, County Clare, where a Least Sandpiper was also present for its second day. Other Nearctic waders discovered today included a Spotted Sandpiper at Dunbar, Lothian and a Lesser Yellowlegs at Ring Marsh, County Wexford.

A Ferruginous Duck was at the Cotswold Water Park, Wiltshire and a Black Kite was near Waterville, County Kerry.

Lingering rarities included the Swinhoe's Petrel on Fair Isle, Shetland, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin, White-rumped Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.
Will Soar, RBA
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