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 9th December 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of further Red-rumped Swallows with new birds in Cornwall at Torpoint and Norfolk at Gorleston whilst the individual at Cley, Norfolk remained for a fifth day.

Lingering rarities elsewhere comprised the Bufflehead still in County Cork, Hume's Warbler in Kent, Dusky Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk, Coues's Arctic Redpolls in Northumberland (2) and South Yorkshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Wexford, White-rumped Sandpiper in West Sussex, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup on Anglesey.

Scarcities included Little Bunting (Dorset), Rose-coloured Starling (Derbyshire), Temminck's Stint (Cornwall), two each of Ring-billed Gull, Great Grey Shrike, Lapland Bunting and Glossy Ibis, three Richard's Pipits, four American Wigeons, five Surf Scoters, six Rough-legged Buzzards, 15 Ring-necked Ducks, 29 Shorelarks, 141 Cattle Egrets, and a total of 187 Waxwings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 8th December 2018  
  A White-rumped Sandpiper was discovered at Pulborough Brooks RSPB, Sussex today, and a White-billed Diver was in Druridge Bay, Northumberland.

Lingering rarities included the Red-rumped Swallow and Dusky Warbler in Norfolk, another Dusky Warbler in Suffolk, Bufflehead in County Cork, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll, King Eider in Ceredigion and White-billed Diver in Western Isles.

Scarcity highlights included a Little Bunting, a Lapland Bunting, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Great Grey Shrike, 18 Shorelarks, approximately 115 Waxwings, a Little Auk, two Rough-legged Buzzards, two Glossy Ibises, a Todd's Canada Goose, a Black Brant, 12 Tundra Bean Geese, 17 Taiga Bean Geese, three American Wigeon, six Surf Scoters, 13 Ring-necked Ducks, four Pomarine Skuas, three Glaucous Gulls and four Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 7th December 2018  
  Lingering rarities present today included the Bufflehead at Ballinacarriga Lough, County Cork, Red-rumped Swallow at Cley and Dusky Warbler at Stiffkey, both Norfolk, and single Lesser Scaups at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset and Llyn Llygeirian, Anglesey.

Scarcity highlights included a Richard's Pipit, two Great Grey Shrikes, two Rose-coloured Starlings, approximately 80 Waxwings, two Glossy Ibises, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Black Brant, a Tundra Bean Goose, six Taiga Bean Geese, a Surf Scoter, an American Wigeon, a Balearic Shearwater, a Pomarine Skua and two Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 6th December 2018  
  Lingering rarities present today included the Hume's Warbler at Lade, Kent, Dusky Warbler at Kessingland, Suffolk, Red-rumped Swallow at Cley, Norfolk, White-billed Diver at Bamburgh, Northumberland and Azorean Yellow-legged Gull at Kildavin, County Carlow.

Scarcity highlights included a Serin, three Shorelarks, four Great Grey Shrikes, approximately 131 Waxwings, a Temminck's Stint, a Rough-legged Buzzard, two Glossy Ibises, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal, a Ring-necked Duck, a Todd's Canada Goose, a Black Brant, three Tundra Bean Geese, six Taiga Bean Geese, an Iceland Gull and two Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 5th December 2018  
  A Dusky Thrush was discovered on the golf course at Skaw, Whalsay, Shetland today, the fourth record for the archipelago (although the most recent record in 1975 may prove to have been a hybrid Naumann's x Dusky Thrush).

A Red-rumped Swallow spent the afternoon at Cley, Norfolk.

Lingering rarities included the Hume's Warbler in Kent and Lesser Scaup in Anglesey.

Scarcity highlights included five Shorelarks, approximately 230 Waxwings, a Grey Phalarope, a Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, nine Ring-necked Ducks (including a group of eight in County Cork), a Black Brant, four Tundra Bean Geese, an Iceland Gull and two Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 4th December 2018  
  Rarities today comprised the Bufflehead still in County Cork, Hume's Warbler in Kent, Dusky Warbler in Suffolk, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Ferruginous Duck in Powys and White-billed Diver on the Western Isles. On the Shetland Isles the Eastern Yellow Wagtail was still on Mainland at West Voe of Sumburgh before being killed by a Sparrowhawk.

Scarcities included Red-backed Shrike (Northumberland), Temminck's Stint (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Worcestershire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, three each of both Rough-legged Buzzard and Great Grey Shrike, five Lapland Buntings, eight Shorelarks, 11 Ring-necked Ducks, 91 Cattle Egrets and a total of 189 Waxwings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 3rd December 2018  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of an American Herring Gull at Cape Cornwall (Cornwall). An Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Shetland), Lesser Scaup (Somerset), Dusky Warbler (Suffolk), Snowy Owl (Western Isles), Bonaparte's Gull (Northumberland) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Dorset) all lingered.

The best of the rest included Red-backed Shrike (Northumberland), Serin (Isles of Scilly), two American Wigeons, three Rough-legged Buzzards and four Shorelarks.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 2nd December 2018  
  Discoveries today included a Hume's Warbler in Kent at Lade, a Dusky Warbler in Suffolk at Kessingland and a White-billed Diver joined the lingering Bonaparte's Gull at Bamburgh, Northumberland.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Eastern Yellow Wagtail showing again on the Shetland Isles, Bufflehead still in County Cork, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire and Lesser Yellowlegs in Dorset.

Scarcities included Glossy Ibis (County Wexford), two each of Rose-coloured Starling, American Wigeon, Ring-billed Gull and Lapland Bunting, three Surf Scoters, five of both Ring-necked Duck and Rough-legged Buzzard, 25 Shorelarks, 67 Waxwings and a total of 68 Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 1st December 2018  
  A Snowy Owl was discovered on Cairngorm, Highland today, whilst lingering rarities included the Bufflehead in County Cork, Black Scoter and Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, King Eider in Ceredigion and White-billed Diver in Western Isles.

Scarcity highlights were a Pallas's Warbler, two Shorelarks, three Great Grey Shrikes, approximately 453 Waxwings, a Temminck's Stint, a Grey Phalarope, a Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, three American Wigeons, three Ring-necked Ducks, a Black Brant, 12 Taiga Bean Geese, 41 Tundra Bean Geese, a Sabine's Gull, two Iceland Gulls, a Pomarine Skua and two Rough-legged Buzzards.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 30th November 2018  
  Today's rarity highlights comprised Bufflehead in Co Cork, Bonaparte's Gull in Northumberland, Lesser Scaup in Somerset, Dusky Warbler in Dorset and White-billed Diver in Devon.

Scarcity sightings included Pallas's Warbler (Norfolk), Richard's Pipit (Devon), Todd's Canada Goose (Cumbria), Canada Goose (Western Isles), American Wigeon (Lancashire), Green-winged Teal (Gloucestershire), Surf Scoter (Co Clare), Grey Phalarope (Dumfries & Galloway), Balearic Shearwater (Cornwall), two Ring-necked Ducks and Great Grey Shrikes, at least four Lapland Buntings, six Rough-legged Buzzards, a reported flock of 35 Shorelarks (Norfolk) and approximately 260 Waxwings.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA