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| Saturday 4th August 2018 | ||
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| In Essex a Ferruginous Duck was discovered at Abberton Reservoir.
Lingering rarities included the Sooty Tern in Aberdeenshire, Snowy Owl in Western Isles, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and a Wilson's Petrel was seen from a pelagic off County Cork. Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Wryneck, a Surf Scoter, a Ring-necked Duck, a Green-winged Teal, a Purple Heron, a Glossy Ibis, an American Golden Plover, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Grey Phalaropes, two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Glaucous Gulls, three Spotted Crakes, three Honey Buzzards, four Pomarine Skuas, a Cory's Shearwater, eight Balearic Shearwaters and 11 Great Shearwaters. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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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 3rd August 2018 | ||
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| The most significant news of the day was the re-appearance of the Sooty Tern on the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire late in the evening. The Pacific Golden Plover at Findhorn Bay in Moray also made a re-appearance. There was a female type Hooded Merganser at Errol in Perth and Kinross but it was not clear whether or not it was the same escaped bird that was in Fife earlier in the year.
Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from a pelagic off the Scillies in the evening and lingering rarities included the Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Bonaparte’s Gull in Kent and King Eider in Ceredigion. Two White Pelicans that arrived at Tacumshin in County Wexford in the afternoon were found to be ringed escapees. Spotted Crakes were in Cheshire and Norfolk (now 2 at Potter Heigham), the Red-necked Phal remained in Kent, a Pectoral Sandpiper was still in Cornwall and an American Golden Plover was briefly on the Kent Estuary in Cumbria. There was a notable early autumn influx of Pied Flycatchers along south and east coasts. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 2nd August 2018 | ||
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| There were two Alpine Swifts reported today, one at Gidea Park in London and one at Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire. A late report was of the female King Eider back again at Ynyslas in Ceredigion on Monday.
Lingering rarities included the Greenish Warbler on Unst, the Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk and the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. A Wilson's Petrel was seen from a pelagic off Scilly, there was a Long-tailed Skua on the Shetlands, a Pomarine Skua was in Highland, two Rose-coloured Starlings were still on St.Kilda, the Red-necked Phalarope remained in Kent and the Spotted Crake was still in Norfolk |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 1st August 2018 | ||
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| In Aberdeenshire the Sooty Tern was seen at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB mid morning, before being relocated 8 miles to the south-east at Peterhead in the evening. Also in Aberdeenshire, a Marsh Sandpiper was on the Ythan Estuary late morning, whilst further south the Franklin's Gull visited Hurworth Burn Reservoir, Cleveland. The first Greenish Warbler of the autumn was found at Norwick, Unst, Shetland.
Other lingering rarities included the Snowy Owl in the Western Isles, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Baltic Gull in Yorkshire and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. Scarcity highlights included a Red-backed Shrike, a Pomarine Skua, a Honey Buzzard, two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Red-necked Phalaropes, two Cory's Shearwaters, two Surf Scoters, two Purple Herons, two Cattle Egrets, three Glossy Ibises, three Pectoral Sandpipers, seven Roseate Terns, 18 Balearic Shearwaters and 29 Great Shearwaters. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 31st July 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was again a seawatching one, with a Barolo Shearwater seen flying past Bridges of Ross in County Clare. In Aberdeenshire, the Sooty Tern was again at the Ythan Estuary for a while in the afternoon. Other new rarities found were a Pacific Golden Plover at Findhorn Bay in Moray, an Alpine Swift over Titchwell and a Black-winged Stilt at Welney (both Norfolk).
Lingering rarities comprised the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk and the very long staying Eastern Subalpine Warbler was still on Fair Isle. However there was no sign of the Semipalmated Sandpiper in Norfolk, nor the Marsh Sandpiper in Kent. Scarcities included 38.Cory's Shearwaters past Irish headlands along with 50.Great Shearwaters. The Red-necked Phalarope was still in Kent along with the Glossy Ibis, with another still in Leicestershire, the Surf Scoter was still in County Durham and Cattle Egrets were in Cheshire, Somerset and Dorset. Two Rose-coloured Starlings were logged, one in Shetland and one in Argyll and the Spotted Crake was still in Norfolk. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Monday 30th July 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Sooty Tern on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire where it has now been seen intermittently for eleven days. Other seabirds included a Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel passing Carnsore Point, County Wexford, five
Wilson's Petrels at sea off the Isles of Scilly, and between County Cork and the Isle of Wight 22
Cory's and 41 Great Shearwaters were logged. Terrestrial rarities comprised a Lesser Yellowlegs new in Devon at Wrafton, Marsh Sandpiper and Bonaparte's Gull both still in Kent, and both Semipalmated Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk. Scarcities included Icterine Warbler and Marsh Warbler (together on the Shetland Isles), Purple Heron and Glossy Ibis (Leicestershire), Surf Scoter (County Durham), migrant Red-necked Phalarope (Kent), Green-winged Teal (Cleveland), Cattle Egret (Cheshire), two each of both Rose-coloured Starling and Spotted Crake and a total of four Pectoral Sandpipers. Significant late news concerned the reappearance of the Franklin's Gull in Cleveland yesterday evening. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 29th July 2018 | ||
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| Astonishing news today from seawatchers at Porthgwarra, Cornwall where a Trindade Petrel passed west in the early afternoon. A new British bird when accepted it will represent the fourteenth record for the Western Palearctic but the first away from mid Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Cape Verde that may in actuality be part of the routine range of this species. Trindade Petrel has previously been suspected in England at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire on 13th June 1982, Pendeen Watch, Cornwall on 28th September 1988 and passing Dungeness, Kent on 4th January 1998. Other seabirds included 57 (!) Wilson's Petrels at sea off Cape Clear, County Cork with two more passing The Lizard, Cornwall along with a Long-tailed Skua there and totals between County Cork and Kent of 68 Cory's and 213 Great Shearwaters. Otherwise, terrestrial rarities comprised the Semipalmated Sandpiper from East Yorkshire on Friday relocated today in Norfolk at Snettisham, the Marsh Sandpiper in London at Rainham Marshes still present early this morning before (presumably) relocating to Cliffe Pools, Kent this afternoon, the lingering Lesser Yellowlegs still in Norfolk and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent. Scarcities included Purple Heron (Leicestershire),Surf Scoter (County Durham), migrant Red-necked Phalarope (Kent), Green-winged Teal (Cleveland), two each of both Rose-coloured Starling and Glossy Ibis, three Cattle Egrets, and a total of four Pectoral Sandpipers. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 28th July 2018 | ||
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| The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Sooty Tern in Aberdeenshire on the Ythan Estuary where it showed
throughout the day. Other lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the
Marsh Sandpiper in London, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and
Baltic Gull in South Yorkshire. Seawatching produced both a Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel passing Mizen Head, County Cork, a Wilson's Petrel at sea off Cornwall and between Devon and County Cork totals of 242 Cory's and 20 Great Shearwaters. Scarcities included Icterine Warbler and Marsh Warbler (Shetland Isles), Purple Heron (Leicestershire), Surf Scoter (County Durham), Spotted Crake (Ceredigion), Green-winged Teal (Cleveland), two each of Rose-coloured Starling, Red-necked Phalarope, Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret, and a total of four Pectoral Sandpipers. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Friday 27th July 2018 | ||
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| The highlights of the day included a Marsh Sandpiper discovered in London at Rainham Marshes and a Semipalmated Sandpiper identified at Kilnsea, East Yorkshire. Elsewhere lingering rarities comprised the Franklin's Gull
still in Cleveland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk, Bonaparte's Gull
in Kent, territorial Savi's Warbler in Suffolk, Baltic Gull in South Yorkshire and
Black Kite in Cambridgeshire but the Sooty Tern could not be relocated in Aberdeenshire. Seawatching produced both a Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel and a Sabine's Gull passing Porthgwarra, Cornwall and between Devon and County Cork totals of 97 Cory's and 373 Great Shearwaters. Scarcities included Icterine Warbler (Shetland Isles), Spotted Crake (Worcestershire), Red-necked Phalarope (Highland), Surf Scoter (Western Isles), Glossy Ibis (Kent), two each of both Purple Heron and Pectoral Sandpiper, five Cattle Egrets, and a total of nine Rose-coloured Starlings. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 26th July 2018 | ||
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| The first unidentified Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrel of the year passed Ballycotton, County Cork this evening, whilst the first Marsh Sandpiper for Cornwall spent the evening at Devoran Quay.
Lingering rarities included the Sooty Tern in Aberdeenshire, Baltic Gull in Yorkshire, Franklin's Gull in Cleveland, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Lesser Yellowlegs in Norfolk. Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from the evening pelagic off Scilly. Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a White-winged Black Tern, a Green-winged Teal, a Glaucous Gull, a Glossy Ibis, a White Stork, two Purple Herons, three Pectoral Sandpipers, five Roseate Terns, six Balearic Shearwaters, 30 Cory's Shearwaters and 178 Great Shearwaters. |
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| - Will Soar, RBA | ||
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