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 25th July 2018  
  In Cleveland, a Marsh Sandpiper was present at Scaling Dam Reservoir briefly, with the lingering Franklin's Gull also still on site. A Black Kite was reported from Great Fen, Cambridgeshire.

Other lingering rarities included the Sooty Tern on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Baltic Gull in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowegs at Titchwell, Norfolk, Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes, Kent and Ferruginous Duck at Skinflats Lagoons, Forth.

Scacrcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Spotted Crake, a Purple Heron, a Glossy Ibis, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Grey Phalarope, a Honey Buzzard, two Glaucous Gulls, three Pectoral Sandpipers, four Roseate Terns, 11 Balearic Shearwaters and 20 Great Shearwaters.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 24th July 2018  
  The bird of the day was the lingering Sooty Tern, which was available for most of the daylight period on the Ythan Estuary (Aberdeenshire). Elsewhere the Franklin's Gull reappeared on the Cleveland/North Yorkshire border, whilst the Black Duck (Highland), Ferruginous Duck (Forth), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent), Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk) and Snowy Owl (Western Isles) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Purple Heron (Somerset), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), two Rose-coloured Starlings and three Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 23rd July 2018  
  The Sooty Tern returned to the Ythan Estuary this evening, where it lingered from 5.10pm until dusk. Elsewhere the Snowy Owl (Western Isles), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk), Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk), Bonaparte's Gull (Kent) and Ferruginous Duck (Forth) all lingered, and a Wilson's Petrel was logged from an Isles of Scilly pelagic.

The best of the rest included Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Purple Heron (Somerset), Pectoral Sandpipers (Kent, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Shetland), Rose-coloured Starlings (Argyll [2] and East Yorkshire) and American Golden Plover (Argyll).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 22nd July 2018  
  Lingering rarities comprised Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Ferruginous Duck in Forth and Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, whilst a Wilson's Petrel flew past Porthgwarra and a Bonaparte's Gull was reported in Mousehole (Cornwall).

The best of the rest included Pectoral Sandpipers (Kent and Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibises (Devon and Leicestershire), Temminck's Stints (Kent and Norfolk), Purple Herons (Leicestershire, Suffolk and Somerset), Golden Oriole (Isles of Scilly) and Red-backed Shrike (Surrey).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 21st July 2018  
  In Cleveland, an adult Franklin's Gull spent just over 45 minutes at Scaling Dam Reservoir late afternoon, a White-rumped Sandpiper was in Kent at Oare Marshes KWT (joining the summering Bonaparte's Gull), and a Wilson's Petrel was in County Cork, seen from a pelagic off Baltimore.

Lingering rarities included the Lesser Yellowlegs at Titchwell, Norfolk and the two Savi's Warblers at Minsmere, Suffolk.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-backed Shrike, a Purple Heron, an Iceland Gull, a Pectoral Sandpiper, two Temminck's Stints, two White-winged Black Terns, two Glossy Ibises, two Honey Buzzards, two Pomarine Skuas, four Balearic Shearwaters and 40 Great Shearwaters.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 20th July 2018  
  The highlight of the day came late on, when the Sooty Tern was relocated on the Ythan Estuary (Aberdeenshire) at dusk. Elsewhere in Scotland a Ferruginous Duck in Forth and three Two-barred Crossbills on Orkney were logged, whilst English rarities comprised Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk), Savi's Warbler (Suffolk) and Bonaparte's Gull (Kent).

The best of the rest included Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Temminck's Stints (Norfolk [2] and Kent), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Purple Herons (Dorset and Kent), White-winged Black Tern (East Yorkshire), Pectoral Sandpipers (Lincolnshire and Kent), Great Shearwater (Cornwall) and a report of a Golden Oriole (East Yorkshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 19th July 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Sooty Tern in Northumberland where - after being missing for eleven days - it was again seen on the Farne Islands briefly at Inner Farne before being relocated on the mainland at Long Nanny in the evening but once again it soon flew off.

New rarities today comprised a Black Stork in Devon at Avon Dam, a Bonaparte's Gull in Gwynedd at Porthmadog and on the Orkney Isles now two Two-barred Crossbills on Westray. Rarities elsewhere comprised Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk), Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts (together in Kent) and two Wilson's Petrels (at sea off the Isles of Scilly).

Scarcities included American Golden Plover (Argyll), Rose-coloured Starling (Shetland Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Purple Heron (Dorset), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Temminck's Stint (Kent), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Great Shearwater (Isles of Scilly), two Glossy Ibises, three Pectoral Sandpipers and six Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 18th July 2018  
  Lingering rarities comprised Lesser Yellowlegs (Norfolk) and Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts (Kent). The best of the rest included American Golden Plover (Argyll), two Rose-coloured Starlings (Western Isles), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Temminck's Stint and Pectoral Sandpiper (Kent), Purple Heron (Dorset), Serin (Cornwall) and Glossy Ibis (Devon).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 17th July 2018  
  The highlight of the dway was a Black Stork in Leicestershire at Anstey briefly; perhaps the same individual as seen flying over Thorngumbald, East Yorkshire on Sunday.

Rarities elsewhere comrpised the Lesser Yellowlegs and Black-winged Stilt both still in Norfolk, and in Kent Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts together at Oare Marshes.

Scarcities included White-winged Black Tern (Nottinghamshire), Purple Heron (Dorset), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Temminck's Stint (Kent), two each of both Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret, and three each of Rose-coloured Starling and Pectoral Sandpiper.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 16th July 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Lesser Yellowlegs again in Norfolk at Titchwell, Wilson's Petrel at sea off the Isles of Scilly and in Kent Bonaparte's Gull and four Black-winged Stilts together at Oare Marshes.

Scarcities included Purple Heron (Dorset), Red-backed Shrike (Surrey), Red-necked Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Warwickshire), Glossy Ibis (Leicestershire) and Cattle Egrets (Merseyside, Norfolk and Somerset).
-  Chris Batty, RBA