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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Friday 29th December 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Killdeer on Isles of Scilly. Initially present in a chicken field near the airport on St Mary's, the plover was later seen at Porth Minack, before it flew north over Old Town late in the day. Elsewhere. lingering rarities included Coues's Arctic Redpoll (Suffolk), Desert Wheatear (North Yorkshire), Penduline Tit (Gloucestershire) and Lesser Scaup (Cornwall).

The best of the rest included a Little Bunting (Cornwall), Waxwing (Cleveland), Rough-legged Buzzards (Cambridgeshire and North Yorkshire), Glossy Ibises (Co Galway and Co Cork [5]) and Temminck's Stint (West Sussex).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 28th December 2017  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the Desert Wheatear in Yorkshire, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Pied-billed Grebe in Shetland, Black Scoter and King Eider in County Kerry, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Waxwing, three Great Grey Shrikes, eight Shorelarks, 12 Lapland Buntings, 28 Parrot Crossbills, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, two Ring-necked Ducks, three American Wigeon, two Tundra Bean Geese, eight Glossy Ibises, a Kumlien's Gull, six Ring-billed Gulls, nine Glaucous Gulls, and 14 Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 27th December 2017  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Desert Wheatear at Whitby, Yorkshire, Penduline Tit at Longford, Gloucestershire and Lesser Scaup at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset.

Scarcity highlights included a Lapland Bunting, two Great Grey Shrikes, two Shorelarks, two Waxwings, 22 Parrot Crossbills, a Tundra Bean Goose, three American Wigeon, four Surf Scoters, four Ring-necked Ducks, seven Glossy Ibises, a Little Auk, a Pomarine Skua, a Kumlien's Gull, five Ring-billed Gulls, 12 Glaucous Gulls and 17 Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 26th December 2017  
  Rarities today comprised the Desert Wheatear still in North Yorkshire, Penduline Tit still in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup in Somerset.

Scarcities included Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), Rough-legged Buzzard (Essex), two each of Ring-billed Gull, Glossy Ibis, Ring-necked Duck, three American Wigeons, seven Surf Scoters, and in England a total of 45 Parrot Crossbills located between Berkshire, Derbyshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 25th December 2017  
  Rarities today comprised the Desert Wheatear still in North Yorkshire, Penduline Tit still in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset, a White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles and a Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll discovered on Unst, Shetland Isles

Scarcities included American Wigeon (Devon), Surf Scoter (County Clare), Ring-necked Duck (County Kerry), Ring-billed Gull and three Glossy Ibises (all in County Cork), and in England nine Parrot Crossbills between Berkshire, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 24th December 2017  
  Rarities today comprised the Desert Wheatear still in North Yorkshire, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset and Lesser Scaup in Somerset.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Ring-billed Gull (Hampshire), two each of both American Wigeon and Snow Goose, six Glossy Ibises, and in England a total of 31 Parrot Crossbills between Berkshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 23rd December 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery in North Yorkshire of the second Desert Wheatear of the autumn at Whitby where it had first been seen - but not identified - six days ago.

Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the Penduline Tit still in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset and Long-billed Dowitcher in Suffolk.

Scarcities included Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), Ring-necked Duck (County Wexford), two each of Surf Scoter (together in Conwy), American Wigeon, Ring-billed Gull and Glossy Ibis, and in England a total of 37 Parrot Crossbills between Berkshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 22nd December 2017  
  Rarities today comprised the Forster's Tern still in County Galway, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk and Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset.

Scarcities included Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), Ring-necked Duck (Essex), American Wigeon (Highland), Ring-billed Gull (County Dublin), Glossy Ibis (Argyll), two each of both Richard's Pipit and Surf Scoter, and in England a total of 36 Parrot Crossbills between Berkshire, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 21st December 2017  
  Lingering rarities comprised Penduline Tit (Gloucestershire), Coues's Arctic Redpoll (Suffolk) and Lesser Scaups (Cornwall and Somerset). A Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), Glossy Ibis (Argyll), two Lesser Snow Geese (Aberdeenshire) and Parrot Crossbills in Derbyshire (10+) and Hertfordshire (3) made up the best of the rest.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 20th December 2017  
  Penduline Tits in Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire, a Snowy Owl on Orkney and the Lesser Scaup in Cornwall all featured in today's rarity news.

Scarcity highlights comprised Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Todd's Canada Goose (Highland), Barred Warbler (Hampshire), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Snow Goose (Aberdeenshire) and Parrot Crossbills in Derbyshire (12+), Hertfordshire (3) and Suffolk.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA