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 12th December 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a juvenile Ivory Gull in Aberdeenshire at Cairnbulg. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Bufflehead still in County Cork, Black Scoter still in County Kerry, Spotted Sandpiper in County Wexford, White-rumped Sandpiper in West Sussex, Red-rumped Swallow in Cornwall, and on Anglesey the Lesser Scaup remained but the American Royal Tern could not be found.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Derbyshire), Richard's Pipit (County Durham), Temminck's Stint (Cornwall), Ring-necked Duck (Northamptonshire), Ring-billed Gull (County Limerick), Great Grey Shrike (Cambridgeshire), Lapland Bunting (East Yorkshire), three American Wigeons, four Rough-legged Buzzards, 35 Shorelarks, 88 Cattle Egrets, and a total of 479 Waxwings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 11th December 2018  
  A Lesser Yellowlegs was discovered at Steart WWT, Somerset.

In Anglesey, the American Royal Tern remained in the Amlwch area all day, with other lingering rarities including Dusky Warbler in Dorset, Red-rumped Swallow in Cornwall, White-rumped Sandpiper in Sussex, Spotted Sandpiper in County Wexford, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup in Anglesey.

Scarcity highlights included a Little Bunting, a Richard's Pipit, a Rose-coloured Starling, two Lapland Buntings, three Great Grey Shrikes, 19 Shorelarks, approximately 228 Waxwings, three Rough-legged Buzzards, a Temminck's Stint, a Surf Scoter, two American Wigeon, five Ring-necked Ducks, a Black Brant, nine Tundra Bean Geese, 11 Taiga Bean Geese, a Kumlien's Gull, an Iceland Gull, two Ring-billed Gulls and three Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 10th December 2018  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of an American Royal Tern on Anglesey; initially at Traeth Dulas before relocating to Traeth Lligwy. It represents the seventh record of Royal Tern for Britain and the fourth individual to be found here bearing a metal ring indicating the USA as its natal country. Royal Tern is the fifteenth species of tern to be recorded on the island of Anglesey.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a Spotted Sandpiper in Wexford, County Wexford (where it was first seen yesterday), the Hume's Warbler still in Kent, Dusky Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk, single Red-rumped Swallows in Cornwall and Suffolk, Coues's Arctic Redpoll in Northumberland, King Eider in Ceredigion and Lesser Scaup in Somerset.

Scarcities included Little Bunting (Dorset), Rose-coloured Starling (Derbyshire), Glossy Ibis (Devon), two each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Great Grey Shrike, Surf Scoter, American Wigeon and Ring-necked Duck, 15 Shorelarks, 86 Cattle Egrets, and a total of 124 Waxwings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
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