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 11th February 2018  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Horned Lark in Surrey, Thayer's Gull in Hampshire, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Pied-billed Grebe in Shetland, Snowy Owl in Scilly, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, two Coues's Arctic Redpolls in Norfolk and one in Suffolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcity highlights included a Bluethroat, a Little Bunting, a Yellow-browed Warbler, 10 Waxwings, 30 Parrot Crossbills, 35 Shorelarks, a Temminck's Stint, a Rough-legged Buzzard, four Ring-necked Ducks, four American Wigeon, six Surf Scoters, six Green-winged Teals, seven Glossy Ibises, five Kumlien's Gulls and eight Ring-billed Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 10th February 2018  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the Snowy Owl on Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Horned Lark at Staines Reservoir, Surrey, Stilt Sandpiper at Christchurch, Dorset, Coues's Arctic Redpoll at Hazlewood Common, Suffolk, Penduline Tit at Longford, Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper at Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, Long-billed Dowitcher at Oare, Kent and Ferruginous Duck at Washington WWT, County Durham.

Scarcity highlights included a Little Bunting, a Serin, a Bluethroat, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Lapland Bunting, six Waxwings, 14 Parrot Crossbills, 23 Shorelarks, an American Wigeon, three Ring-necked Ducks, five Surf Scoters, a Rough-legged Buzzard, two Kumlien's Gulls, four Ring-billed Gulls and six Glossy Ibises.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 9th February 2018  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Horned Lark in Surrey, Thayer's Gull in Hampshire, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Black Scoter in County Kerry, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, four Coue's Arctic Redpolls in Norfolk and one in Suffolk, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire and White-billed Diver in Shetland.

Scarcities included a Bluethroat, a Little Bunting, a Temminck's Stint, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Ring-billed Gull, two Kumlien's Gulls, two Lapland Buntings, two Surf Scoters, two Ring-necked Ducks, three American Wigeon, five Glossy Ibises, 13 Shorelarks and 15 Waxwings.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 8th February 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Pied-billed Grebe and White-billed Diver both still on the Shetland Isles, Horned Lark in Surrey, Thayer's Gull and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcities included Bluethroat (East Sussex), Rose-coloured Starling (Pembrokeshire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Norfolk), Parrot Crossbill (Suffolk), three Glossy Ibises, seven Ring-billed Gulls and a total of 19 Shorelarks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 7th February 2018  
  Rarities today included a new Coues's Arctic Redpoll on the Shetland Isles on Whalsay whilst others remained in Norfolk (2) and Suffolk, the Horned Lark still in Surrey, Thayer's Gull in Hampshire, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Pacific Diver in County Galway, Black Scoter in County Kerry, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, King Eider in Ceredigion, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll.

Scarcities included Bluethroat (East Sussex), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Little Bunting (London), Rough-legged Buzzard (Norfolk), two each of both Ring-necked Duck and American Wigeon, five Ring-billed Gulls, six Surf Scoters, eight Glossy Ibises and a total of 19 Shorelarks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 6th February 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Pied-billed Grebe still on the Shetland Isles, Horned Lark still in Surrey, Thayer's Gull and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpolls in Norfolk (2) and Suffolk, King Eider in Ceredigion, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll.

Scarcities included Little Bunting (London), Richard's Pipit (Gloucestershire), Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall), two American Wigeons (Highland), three Surf Scoters (together in Cornwall), four Ring-necked Ducks and six Glossy Ibises.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 5th February 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Horned Lark still in Surrey, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, both Thayer's Gull and Ferruginous Duck in Hampshire, Pied-billed Grebe and White-billed Diver on the Shetland Isles, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, King Eider in Ceredigion and Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Little Bunting (London), Ring-billed Gull (Hampshire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Norfolk), two each of both American Wigeon and Glossy Ibis, six Ring-necked Ducks, and in England a total of 29 Parrot Crossbills between Derbyshire and Norfolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 4th February 2018  
  The highlight of the day was an American Herring Gull identified in Cornwall at Newlyn albeit it only present there briefly.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Forster's Tern still in County Galway, Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset, Pacific Divers in both County Cork and Cornwall (2), Horned Lark in Surrey, Thayer's Gull, Lesser Scaup and Ferruginous Duck together in Hampshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, King Eider in Ceredigion, and both King Eider and White-billed Diver on the Shetland Isles.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Little Bunting (London), Richard's Pipit (Gloucestershire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Norfolk), Temminck's Stint (West Sussex), two American Wigeons, three each of Ring-necked Duck, Snow Goose and Shorelark, four Lapland Buntings, seven Ring-billed Gulls, eight Surf Scoters and 10 Glossy Ibises.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 3rd February 2018  
  The first Taiga Merlin (nominate form columbarius) for Britain was photographed at Thurso, Highland today, the photograph showing the diagnostic tail pattern.

A drake Lesser Scaup was found at Blashford Lakes, Hampshire, where the Thayer's Gull also reappeared. Other lingering rarities included the Horned Lark in Surrey, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, Pacific Diver and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, King Eider and White-billed Diver in Shetland and another White-billed Diver in Orkney.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 2nd February 2018  
  In Orkney, the Northern Harrier reappeared on North Ronaldsay, before it headed towards Sanday, and the Thayer's Gull reappeared at Ibsley Water, Hampshire briefly late afternoon.

Long staying rarities seen today included the Horned Lark in Surrey, Penduline Tit in Gloucestershire, Spotted Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, Black Scoter in County Kerry, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Bonaparte's Gull in Devon.

Scarcities included the Little Bunting, Richard's Pipit, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Todd's Canada Goose, two Parrot Crossbills, five American Wigeon, eight Glossy Ibises, 11 Shorelarks and 13 Waxwings.
-  Will Soar, RBA