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 4th June 2017  
  New discoveries today were confined to East Anglia, with a Red-footed Falcon at Minsmere and a Black Kite at Orford Ness, both Suffolk, and another of the latter at Potter Heigham, Norfolk.

Lingering rarities included single Little Bitterns in Gloucestershire and Somerset, Black Scoter and King Eider in Aberdeenshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, single Savi's Warblers in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and single Red-footed Falcons in Cornwall and Somerset.

Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Serin, three Hoopoes, two Icterine Warblers, four Marsh Warblers, a Purple Heron, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Glossy Ibises, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, two Glaucous Gulls, four Iceland Gulls and two Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 3rd June 2017  
  New discoveries comprised Blyth's Reed Warbler (Shetland), Red-rumped Swallow and Black Kite (Kent), Black-winged Stilt (Norfolk) and a report of a Little Bittern in Suffolk.

Lingering rarities included Black Scoter and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk), Red-rumped Swallow (Devon) and Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon (Somerset).

The best of the rest included Marsh Warblers (Cleveland and West Yorkshire), Red-backed Shrike (Co Durham), Icterine Warbler and Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Serin (Norfolk), Night Heron (Shropshire) and Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 2nd June 2017  
  The highlight of the day was a Sooty Tern that flew south past Uisaed Point, Argyll. Elsewhere, an Eastern Subalpine Warbler was new on the Orkney Isles on Sanday as were Black-winged Stilts in East Sussex at Rye Harbour and The Midrips (2). Brief encounters included Red-footed Falcons in Dorset and Kent, Black Kite in Derbyshire, Bee-eater in Kent and at least one Barolo Shearwater reported at sea off Start Point, Devon.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Black Duck in Highland, Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire, Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon together in Somerset, and territorial Savi's Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk.

Rose-coloured Starling (Suffolk), Short-toed Lark (Isles of Scilly), Woodchat Shrike (Dorset), Golden Oriole (East Yorkshire), Marsh Warbler (Pembrokeshire), Red-necked Phalarope (Orkney Isles), Night Heron (Shropshire), Ring-necked Duck (Argyll), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Red-backed Shrike and Surf Scoter (both Shetland Isles), two each of Common Rosefinch, Hoopoe and Glossy Ibis, three Icterine Warblers and a total of 20 Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 1st June 2017  
  New discoveries on the first day of June included Red-footed Falcons in Cornwall (2) and Norfolk, Greenish Warbler in Dorset and Iberian Chiffchaff in Suffolk, whilst Black Scoter and King Eider (Aberdeenshire), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Savi's Warbler (Cambridgeshire and Norfolk), Iberian Chiffchaff (Cheshire), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Little Bittern (Somerset) and Red-footed Falcon (Suffolk).

The best of the rest included American Golden Plover (Anglesey), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike and Common Rosefinch (Shetland), Short-toed Lark (Orkney), Pectoral Sandpiper (Argyll), two Serins, two Hoopoes, two Rose-coloured Starlings and three Night Herons.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 31st May 2017  
  The highlight of the day was a Black Scoter identified in Aberdeenshire at Murcar; the third to be located with the gathering Common Scoters there since 2011. Discoveries elsewhere included an Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire at Kelsall, Greenish Warblers in Essex at Colne Point and the Western Isles on Eriskay, Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk at Minsmere, Red-rumped Swallow in Dorset at Portland and single Black Kites in both Kent and Norfolk.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Western Subalpine Warbler on the Shetland Isles, Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon together in Somerset, Savi's Warbler and Red-footed Falcon in Suffolk, and Savi's Warbler in Norfolk where at Welney a pair of Black-winged Stilts saw at least two chicks hatch before they were predated.

Scarcities included American Golden Plover (Pembrokeshire), Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), Golden Oriole (Dorset), Hoopoe (Gloucestershire), Ring-billed Gull (Ceredigion), Temminck's Stint (Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), Night Heron (Shropshire), three migrant Red-necked Phalaropes, and seven Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 30th May 2017  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of a Two-barred Greenish Warbler on Foula (Shetland). New discoveries included Alpine Swift (Kent), Red-footed Falcons (Norfolk and Suffolk), Western Subalpine Warbler (Shetland) and Gull-billed Tern (Somerset).

Lingering rarities included Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Great Snipe (Ceredigion), Greenish Warbler (Norfolk), Red-footed Falcons (Somerset and Isles of Scilly), Little Bittern (Somerset) and Savi's Warblers (Norfolk and Suffolk).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 29th May 2017  
  The rarest bird of the day was a Great Snipe, which was flushed from a path at Ynyslas, Ceredigion mid morning, and was seen again in a horse field there mid afternoon. This would be the fourth individual for the county, the last being one shot in 1947.

Other new discoveries included single Greenish Warblers at Blakeney, Norfolk and Calf of Man, Isle of Man, eight Bee-eaters over Birling Gap, East Sussex, a Red-footed Falcon on The Lizard, Cornwall and single Black Kites over Lydd, Kent and Westfield, East Sussex.

Lingering rarities included the Little Bittern and Red-footed Falcon in Somerset, Red-rumped Swallow in Scilly, Greenish Warbler in County Wexford, single Savi's Warblers in Norfolk and Suffolk and Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 28th May 2017  
  Seven Red-footed Falcons were found today, with four at Spurn, Yorkshire, one at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, one at Salthouse, Norfolk and one at Ham Wall RSPB, Somerset. An Alpine Swift and a Red-rumped Swallow also went through Spurn, with the Alpine Swift also being seen at Gibraltar Point, along with a Black Stork. Other new discoveries included a Greenish Warbler on Great Saltee Island, County Wexford, a Savi's Warbler at Potter Heigham Marshes, Norfolk and a Black Kite over Brading, Isle of Wight.

Lingering rarities still present included the Spotted Sandpiper in Cumbria, Little Bittern in Somerset and two Savi's Warblers in Suffolk.

Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-backed Shrike, a Marsh Warbler, a Short-toed Lark, a Shorelark, two Golden Orioles, three Common Rosefinches, an American Golden Plover, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, three Temminck's Stints, a Ring-billed Gull, a Long-tailed Skua, a Pomarine Skua, two Night Herons and seven Honey Buzzards.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 27th May 2017  
  New discoveries included Blyth's Reed Warbler (Suffolk), Red-rumped Swallows (Devon, Isles of Scilly and Suffolk), Red-footed Falcons (Dorset, East Yorkshire [2] and North Yorkshire), Bee-eaters (Oxfordshire [3], Norfolk and Kent), Black Kite (Kent) and Great Reed Warbler (Norfolk).

Lingering rarities included Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Savi's Warblers (Norfolk and Suffolk [2]), Rustic Bunting (Shetland) and Red-footed Falcon (Suffolk), whilst scarcity highlights comprised American Golden Plover (Pembrokeshire), Common Rosefinch (Aberdeenshire), Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), Golden Oriole (Norfolk), Marsh Warbler (Suffolk), two Red-backed Shrikes, two Night Herons, three Red-breasted Flycatcher and  four Bluethroats.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 26th May 2017  
  Highlight of the day was a report of a Black-browed Albatross flying east past Orcombe Point (Devon) early in the evening.

Elsewhere new discoveries included a flyover Pallid Swift at Spurn (East Yorkshire), Black Kites in Camelford (Cornwall) and Yateley Common (Hampshire), two Red-footed Falcons at King's Fleet (Suffolk), Rustic Bunting on Fair Isle (Shetland), six Bee-eaters at Willop Basin (Kent) and another Bee-eater reported at Islip (Northamptonshire).

Lingering rarities comprised Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), Spotted Sandpiper (Cumbria), Red-footed Falcon (Isles of Scilly), Red-throated Pipit (Shetland) and Little Bittern (Somerset).

The most notable scarcities came in the form of a Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), White-winged Black Tern (Leicestershire), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Bluethroat and Short-toed Lark (Shetland), Kentish Plover (West Sussex) and Marsh Warbler (Suffolk).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA