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
Monday 17th July 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the rediscovery of the female Amur Falcon in Cornwall. Just 2.5 miles from where she was last seen at Polgigga, she spent the afternoon and evening at St Buryan, before flying off shortly before dusk.

Other lingering rarities seen today included the American White-winged Scoter at Murcar, Aberdeenshire, Marsh Sandpiper at Cliffe and Bonaparte's Gull at Oare, both Kent, four Bee-eaters at East Leake, Nottinghamshire, six Black-winged Stilts at Potter Heigham, Norfolk, King Eider at Ynyslas, Ceredigion, a Black Kite at Wickham Market, Suffolk and a Wilson's Petrel from the Scilly pelagic.

Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Grey-headed Wagtail, a White-winged Black Tern, a Glossy Ibis and three Honey Buzzards.
Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 16th July 2017  
  The highlight of the day was a Long-billed Dowitcher in Norfolk at Cley for much of the day. Other discoveries included a Bee-eater reported in Hampshire and a Lesser Yellowlegs that overflew Saltfleetby All Saints, Lincolnshire.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the American White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Marsh Sandpiper and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Caspian Tern in Lincolnshire, Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Wexford, King Eider in Ceredigion, four Bee-eaters still in Nottinghamshire, and breeding Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire (2), Kent (7) and Norfolk (6).

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Highland), White-winged Black Tern (Orkney Isles), Sabine's Gull (inland in North Yorkshire), Long-tailed Skua (Northumberland), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Grey-headed Wagtail (Somerset), American Night Heron (Shropshire), two each of both Surf Scoter and Pectoral Sandpiper, eight Great Shearwaters and 17 Cattle Egrets.
Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 15th July 2017  
  New discoveries included a Caspian Tern in Lincolnshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in Kent and a Wilson's Petrel from a pelagic off the Cornish coast.

The Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll), King Eider (Ceredigion), Forster's Tern and Semipalmated Sandpiper (Co Wexford), Bonaparte's Gull and Marsh Sandpiper (Kent) and Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland) all lingered. The Bee-eaters remained in Nottinghamshire and families of Black-winged Stilts were in Kent and Norfolk.

The best of the rest included American Night Heron (Shropshire), Grey-headed Wagtail (Somerset) and Pectoral Sandpiper (North Yorkshire).
Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 14th July 2017  
  Hot news from Fair Isle (Shetland) related to the retrapping of a Swinhoe's Petrel during an overnight ringing session. The bird had previously been ringed on the island in 2013 and retrapped there in 2016.

New discoveries included a Subalpine warbler species on Westray (Orkney), Black Kites in Co Durham and Kent and reports of a Gull-billed Tern in Ayrshire and Black Kite in Greater Manchester.

Lingering rarities included American White-winged Scoter (Aberdeenshire), King Eider (Ceredigion), Marsh Sandpiper and Bonaparte's Gull (Kent), Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), Black-winged Stilts (Kent [6], Norfolk [6] and Cambridgeshire [4]) and five Bee-eaters in Nottinghamshire.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 13th July 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a pratincole species in Suffolk at Aldeburgh early in the afternoon. Initially identified as a Black-winged Pratincole the identification was soon revised to Collared Pratincole before the possibility of Oriental was considered in the evening.

Rarities elsewhere included a Semipalmated Sandpiper new in County Wexford at Tacumshin, the Marsh Sandpiper still in Kent, American White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire, Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Ceredigion, Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, Wilson's Petrel off the Isles of Scilly, four Bee-eaters in Nottinghamshire, and breeding Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire (2), Kent (9) and Norfolk (6).

Scarcities included Common Rosefinch (Ceredigion), Sabine's Gull (inland in North Yorkshire), Wryneck (Essex), Grey-headed Wagtail (Somerset), Night Heron (Shropshire), two Surf Scoters (together in Aberdeenshire), two Glossy Ibises, four Cattle Egrets and five Cory's Shearwaters.
Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 12th July 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Marsh Sandpiper in Kent at Cliffe Pools where two pairs of Black-winged Stilts currently have a total of seven young.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Pied-billed Grebe still in Argyll, King Eider in Ceredigion, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, the family of six Black-winged Stilts in Norfolk and up to five Bee-eaters still in Nottinghamshire.

Scarcities included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (East Yorkshire), Red-backed Shrike (Nottinghamshire), Sabine's Gull (inland in North Yorkshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lincolnshire), Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire), Cory's Shearwater (at sea off the Isles of Scilly), Long-tailed Skua (Lothian), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), American Night Heron (Shropshire), two Ring-billed Gulls (together in County Kerry), and a total of 16 Cattle Egrets.
Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 11th July 2017  
  The first Pterodroma of the year (either a Fea's, Zino's or Desertas Petrel) flew past Berry Head, Devon late afternoon.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Long-billed Dowitcher at Boulmer, Northumberland, six Black-winged Stilts at Potter Heigham, Norfolk, four Bee-eaters at East Leake, Nottinghamshire, Bonaparte's Gull at Oare, Kent and Ferruginous Duck at Washington, County Durham.

Scarcity highlights included a White-winged Black Tern, a Purple Heron, a Night Heron, a Sabine's Gull, a Montagu's Harrier, three Roseate Terns away from breeding sites, a Leach's Petrel, three Cory's Shearwaters, six Great Shearwaters and four Balearic Shearwaters.
Will Soar, RBA
Monday 10th July 2017  
  Rarities today comprised the King Eider still in Ceredigion, Long-billed Dowitcher still in Northumberland, Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.

Significant late news for yesterday concerned a Caspian Tern at Linford, Buckinghamshire.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 9th July 2017  
  The highlight of the day was a Red-rumped Swallow on the Isles of Scilly; initially on St Agnes before relocating to St Mary's. Other new rarities today comprised brief Red-footed Falcons in both Oxfordshire and West Yorkshire, and a Bee-eater overflew Beachy Head, East Sussex.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the King Eider in Ceredigion, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Long-billed Dowitcher in Northumberland, family of six Black-winged Stilts in Norfolk and flock of seven Bee-eaters in Nottinghamshire.

Scarcities included Buff-breasted Sandpipers in both East Yorkshire and the Western Isles, Marsh Warbler (County Wexford), Golden Oriole (County Down), Hoopoe (County Durham), Glossy Ibis (Somerset), American Night Heron (Shropshire), two each of both Purple Heron and Sabine's Gull, and three Cattle Egrets.
Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 8th July 2017  
  In Kent a Bonaparte's Gull returned to Oare Marshes NR for its fifth consecutive summer, whilst a Blyth's Reed Warbler was trapped in Cornwall and Black Kites were reported in Lincolnshire and Cheshire. Lingering rarities included Long-billed Dowitcher (Northumberland), King Eiders (Ceredigion and Aberdeenshire), Black-winged Stilts (Norfolk [6] and Cambridgeshire [2]), Bee-eaters (Nottinghamshire) and Savi's Warbler (Suffolk).

The best of the rest included Purple Herons (Suffolk and Co Wicklow), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (East Yorkshire), Marsh Warbler (Co Wexford) and Sabine's Gull (North Yorkshire).
Stuart Piner, RBA