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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Wednesday 11th July 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Pacific Golden Plover in County Wicklow at Poulaphouca Reservoir. Interestingly, this distinctive adult male appears to be the same individual as that present in Cornwall at Gwithian and the Hayle Estuary between 29th June and 1st July; a relocation north northwest of 211 miles.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a Snowy Owl still on the Western Isles, territorial Little Bittern in Shropshire, Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent, King Eider in Aberdeenshire and Black-winged Stilts in both Kent (4) and Norfolk.

Scarcities included Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Pectoral Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire), Cory's Shearwater (at sea off Dorset), two Cattle Egrets and four Rose-coloured Starlings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 10th July 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the territorial Little Bittern still in Shropshire and the Bonaparte's Gull and family of four Black-winged Stilts still together in Kent.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Aberdeenshire, County Sligo and the Western Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Temminck's Stint (Norfolk) and Cattle Egret (Merseyside, Norfolk and Somerset).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 9th July 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the territorial Little Bittern still in Shropshire, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, and Bonaparte's Gull and a family of Black-winged Stilts still together in Kent.

Scarcities included Little Bunting (Western Isles), Purple Heron (Warwickshire), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Temminck's Stint (Norfolk), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Surf Scoter (Aberdeenshire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, and three Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 8th July 2018  
  In Wiltshire an Alpine Swift flew over Tidworth, whilst Little Bittern (Shropshire), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk), Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Shetland), Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts (Kent), Forster's Tern (Co Wexford), Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll) and King Eider (Aberdeenshire) all lingered, but the Sooty Tern failed to make an appearance on Farne Islands (Northumberland).

The best of the rest included Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Glossy Ibis (Norfolk), two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Red-necked Phalaropes and ten Cattle Egrets.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 7th July 2018  
  The bird of the day was discovered during the evening on Brownsman, Farne Islands, Northumberland, in the form of a Sooty Tern. The first in Britain since the widely twitched long staying bird of 2005, this is the second for the county and the archipelago, when the roaming 1966 individual visited Inner Farne on 21st June.

In Anglesey the Snowy Owl reappeared at South Stack RSPB late morning, whilst another was found near Carinish, North Uist, Western Isles. A singing Iberian Chiffchaff was heard at Marazion Marsh RSPB, Cornwall and a female Red-footed Falcon flew over Witcham, Cambridgeshire.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Little Bittern at Chelmarsh Reservoir, Shropshire, and the Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts at Oare Marshes, Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Serin, a Red-backed Shrike, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Lapland Bunting, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Long-tailed Skua, a Pomarine Skua, a Balearic Shearwater, a Roseate Tern, a Surf Scoter, a Glossy Ibis, a Cattle Egret, two Iceland Gulls, two White Storks and three Honey Buzzards.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 6th July 2018  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of a singing male Little Bittern at Chelmarsh Reservoir (Shropshire). Elsewhere an Alpine Swift flew over Trimley St Martin (Suffolk) and Pied-billed Grebe (Argyll) and family of Black-winged Stilts and Bonaparte's Gull (Kent) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland) and Red-backed Shrike (Surrey).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 5th July 2018  
  Highlights of the day included the confirmation of breeding Black-winged Stilts in Kent - a family of four were at Oare Marshes KWT, where the Bonaparte's Gull also lingered. Elsewhere four Bee-eaters flew over Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk), a Wilson's Petrel and Long-tailed Skua were logged from a Scilly pelagic and the Iberian Chiffchaff (Wirral), Black-winged Stilt (Norfolk), Ferruginous Duck (Co Durham) and King Eider (Aberdeenshire) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland) and Rose-coloured Starlings (Cornwall and Western Isles).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 4th July 2018  
  Rarity highlights comprised lingering Bonaparte's Gulls in London and Kent and four flyover Bee-eaters in Lincolnshire, whilst late news from yesterday concerned a Squacco Heron in Pembrokshire and the long-staying Iberian Chiffchaff on the Wirral.

The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Cattle Egret (Merseyside) and Red-backed Shrike (Surrey).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 3rd July 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent and the King Eider still in Aberdeenshire whilst in East Yorkshire three Bee-eaters visited Buckton briefly.

In Kent a Cattle Egret visited Stodmarsh and the total for the summer influx of Rose-coloured Starlings to Britain and Ireland reached 144 since 9th May.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 2nd July 2018  
  The highlight of the day was a Rustic Bunting new in on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles. Rarities elsewhere comprised the King Eider still in Aberdeenshire and Bonaparte's Gulls in both Kent and London.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Aberdeenshire) and Cattle Egret (Cambridgeshire).

Significant late news from yesterday concerned a Franklin's Gull seen in Cornwall at the Hayle Estuary and a Lesser Scaup identified in Highland at St John's Pool.
-  Chris Batty, RBA