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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Saturday 29th September 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Blue-winged Teal in County Galway on Inishmore. Rarities elsewhere included the American White-winged Scoter still in Lothian, Pallid Harriers in both Hertfordshire and Norfolk, Baird's Sandpiper in County Londonderry, Lesser Yellowlegs in both Cornwall and Dorset, King Eider in Moray and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk.

On the Shetland Isles the White-throated Sparrow remained on Foula with around island totals of Icterine Warbler, Lapland Bunting, Sabine's Gull and three each of both Barred Warbler and Common Rosefinch. Meanwhile, on the Isles of Scilly Tawny Pipit, Ortolan Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Pectoral Sandpiper and Yellow-browed Warbler were all logged.

Scarcities elsewhere comprised Buff-breasted Sandpiper (East Sussex), Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), Common Rosefinch (County Cork), Red-backed Shrike (Argyll), Purple Heron (Cambridgeshire), Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Dotterel (Cornwall), Corncrake (Gwynedd), Sabine's Gull (Aberdeenshire), Long-tailed Skua (Lothian), two each of Richard's Pipit, Spotted Crake, Glossy Ibis and Great Shearwater, three of Rose-coloured Starling, Hoopoe and Wryneck, five Lapland Buntings, 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and 14 Yellow-browed Warblers.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 28th September 2018  
  The Shetland Isles hosted White-throated Sparrow, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ortolan Bunting, American Golden Plover, three Barred Warblers and ten Common Rosefinches, whilst Isles of Scilly produced two Tawny Pipits and Ortolan Buntings, Pectoral Sandpiper and Wryneck.

Elsewhere lingering rarities comprised American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), Pallid Harrier (Norfolk), Baird's and White-rumped Sandpipers (Co Derry), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Sligo), Lesser Yellowlegs (Cornwall and Dorset), Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire) and Ferruginous Duck (Suffolk). In Norfolk a Fea's-type Petrel flew past Blakeney Point, but sadly it was not reported until well after the event.

Away from Scilly and Shetland, the best of the scarcities included Short-toed Lark (Somerset), Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), Barred Warbler (Western Isles), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Aberdeenshire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Common Rosefinches, three Yellow-browed Warblers and 11 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 27th September 2018  
  Today's best new discoveries concerned Nearctic waders - a Stilt Sandpiper in Co Donegal, Baird's Sandpiper in Co Derry, a White-rumped Sandpiper in Lincolnshire and Lesser Yellowlegs on Western Isles.

Lingering rarities included Hooded Merganser (Co Galway), Black Duck (Highland), Ferruginous Duck (Suffolk), American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), Pallid Harriers (Norfolk and Hertfordshire), Lesser Yellowlegs (Dorset and Cornwall) and King Eider (Ceredigion).

Isles of Scilly hosted two Tawny Pipits, Ortolan Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Wryneck and Yellow-browed Warbler, whilst the Shetland Isles produced White-throated Sparrow, Ortolan Bunting, Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, Golden Oriole, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and eight Common Rosefinches.

The best of the rest included Common Rosefinch (Pembrokeshire), Dotterel (Cornwall), Icterine Warbler (Co Cork), Rose-coloured Starling and Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), American Golden Plover (Norfolk), Red-backed Shrike (Orkney), two Spotted Crakes, three Wrynecks and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, five Yellow-browed Warblers and Glossy Ibises and eleven Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 26th September 2018  
  New discoveries included at least one Tawny Pipit on Isles of Scilly and Red-rumped Swallow in Dorset, whilst Hooded Merganser (Co Galway), Snowy Owl (Western Isles), Ferruginous Duck (Suffolk), White-throated Sparrow (Shetland), Pallid Harriers (Norfolk and Hertfordshire), King Eider (Moray), American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Dorset) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), Icterine Warbler (Co Cork), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), two Ortolan Buntings, Spotted Crakes, Wrynecks, Barred Warblers and Golden Orioles, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Rose-coloured Starlings, American Golden Plovers and Red-backed Shrikes, four Yellow-browed Warblers, nine Common Rosefinches and 12 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 25th September 2018  
  New rarities today were all ducks with a Hooded Merganser found in Streamstown Bay, County Galway, a King Eider in Findhorn Bay, Moray and a Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk at Minsmere.

On the Shetland Isles the White-throated Sparrow remained on Foula whilst other scarcities around the islands today comprised Golden Oriole, Bluethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Lapland Bunting and five Common Rosefinches. Meanwhile on the Isles of Scilly Ortolan Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Wryneck, Pectoral Sandpiper and two Yellow-browed Warblers were all logged.

Lingering rarities elsewhere comprised the American White-winged Scoter still in Lothian, Pallid Harriers in both Hertfordshire and Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset and King Eider in Gwynedd. Whilst scarcities included Richard's Pipit (East Sussex), Common Rosefinch (East Yorkshire), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Yellow-browed Warbler (Kent), Cory's Shearwater (Aberdeenshire), two each of Woodchat Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling, Wryneck, American Golden Plover and Glossy Ibis, three of Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Spotted Crake, and a total of ten Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 24th September 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the White-throated Sparrow on Foula whilst around the Shetland Isles totals comprised a Booted Warbler new on Mainland at Quendale, single Bluethroat, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Richard's Pipit, two each of both Barred Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler, three Lapland Buntings and four Common Rosefinches. Meanwhile on the Isles of Scilly two Common Rosefinches, Wryneck, Pectoral Sandpiper and six Great Shearwaters were logged.

Rarities elsewhere were the American White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Pallid Harriers in both Hertfordshire and Norfolk, Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire, White-rumped Sandpiper in County Londonderry, King Eider in Ceredigion, and in Cornwall Tawny Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow were both seen briefly.

Other scarcities included Barred Warbler (Norfolk), Red-backed Shrike (Argyll), Great Shearwater (County Durham) and Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), two eack of Woodchat Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling, Wryneck, Long-tailed Skua and Ring-billed Gull, three of Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Crake and Glossy Ibis, four of Ortolan Bunting and Sabine's Gull, five of American Golden Plover and Common Rosefinch, seven of Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Lapland Bunting, and a total of 11 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 23rd September 2018  
  A Sooty or Bridled Tern flew past Whitburn Coastal Park early morning.

On the Shetland Isles the Yellow-breasted Bunting remained on Whalsay, whilst the White-throated Sparrow lingered on Foula.

New discoveries included Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset and Citrine Wagtail in Co Donegal. The Pallid Harriers (Hertfordshire and Norfolk), Citrine Wagtail (Isles of Scilly), American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Sligo), Forster's Tern (Co Louth), White-rumped Sandpiper (Co Derry) and a Wilson's Petrel flew past Cley (Norfolk).

The best of the rest included Ortolan Bunting and Bluethroat (Shetland), White-winged Black Tern (Lothian), Rose-coloured Starling and Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), two Yellow-browed Warblers, three Spotted Crakes, four American Golden Plovers and Barred Warblers, seven Wrynecks and Common Rosefinches, eight Buff-breasted Sandpiper and 18 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 22nd September 2018  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of a Yellow-breasted Bunting on Whalsay, Shetland, which spent from late morning in ditches at Vatshoull. The only other new rarities discovered today were two White-rumped Sandpipers in County Derry, at Myroe Levels and Barmouth.

Lingering rarities included the White-throated Sparrow and Citrine Wagtail in Shetland, American White-winged Scoter in Lothian, single Pallid Harriers in Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Cheshire, Snowy Owl in Western Isles, Citrine Wagtail in Scilly, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire and Ferruginous Duck in Essex.

An inland influx of Grey Phalaropes produced 39 in 21 counties, with a further 28 seen at coastal locations. Other scarities included a Richard's Pipit, a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-backed Shrike, two Wrynecks, three Lapland Buntings, six Common Rosefinches, four Spotted Crakes, two Glossy Ibises, an American Golden Plover, 13 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 13 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Ring-necked Duck, a White-winged Black Tern, 11 Roseate Terns, a Ring-billed Gull, an Iceland Gull, two Long-tailed Skuas, ten Pomarine Skuas, six Sabine's Gulls, 19 Leach's Petrels, two Cory's Shearwaters and 120 Great Shearwaters.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 21st September 2018  
  New discoveries included a Laughing Gull (Isles of Scilly), subalpine warbler species (Co Cork), two Baird's Sandpipers (Co Wexford), Citrine Wagtail (Shetland) and a Fea's Petrel off Pendeen Watch (Cornwall).

The Pallid Harriers (Hertfordshire and Norfolk), Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire), Citrine Wagtail (Isles of Scilly) and White-throated Sparrow (Shetland) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Woodchat Shrike (Lothian), Wryneck (Surrey), Hoopoe (Highland), Little Bunting and Icterine Warbler (Shetland), American Golden Plover (Co Wexford), two Red-backed Shrikes, Barred Warblers and Ring-necked Ducks, three Spotted Crakes and Rose-coloured Starlings, six Common Rosefinches and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 13 Pectoral Sandpipers and a widespread arrival of Grey Phalaropes at inshore and inland waters.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 20th September 2018  
  Seawatching was the go-to activity today - a Barolo Shearwater off Heysham and Fleetwood (Lancashire) and a probable Madeiran Petrel off Porthgwarra (Cornwall) were the rarest sightings, but the excellent counts of Great Shearwaters off southwest England were also notable, which included a minimum of 2,506 off Porthgwarra (Cornwall), 2,400 off St Agnes (Isles of Scilly) and 658 off Lizard Point (Cornwall).

England's first American landbird of the autumn arrived in the form of a Red-eyed Vireo in Cornwall, whilst a Pacific Golden Plover in Suffolk appears to be the same bird reported as an American Golden Plover at the same site back in August. White-rumped Sandpipers were discovered in Co Mayo and Co Galway. Lingering rarities comprised Pallid Harriers (Hertfordshire and Norfolk), Lesser Yellowlegs (Cornwall), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Sligo), Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire), American White-winged Scoter (Lothian), Citrine Wagtail (Isles of Scilly) and subalpine warbler species (Shetland).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA