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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Tuesday 3rd March 2020  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today comprised the Tengmalm's Owl on the Shetland Isles, both Steller's Eider and White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles, Pacific Diver in County Cork, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, two Penduline Tits in Dorset, Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, and Ferruginous Duck in the West Midlands.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Anglesey), Richard's Pipit (East Yorkshire), Rough-legged Buzzard (Moray), Ring-billed Gull (County Wicklow), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Surf Scoter (Lothian), Black Brant (Suffolk), Snow Goose (Western Isles), Yellow-browed Warbler (Wiltshire) and Glossy Ibis (Gwent), three each of both Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal, five Shorelarks, seven Lapland Buntings, and a total of nine Great Grey Shrikes.
Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 2nd March 2020  
  The highlight of the day was confirmation that the Tengmalm's Owl is still on the Shetland Isles where it was relocated on Mainland at Lea Gardens, Tresta. Last month this bird was trapped and ringed and determined to be a  first-winter so it is not the individual that was present in the same garden last winter.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the White-winged Scoter still in Lothian, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Penduline Tit in Dorset, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Ferruginous Duck in West Midlands, and both Blue-winged Teal and Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Anglesey), Yellow-browed Warbler (London), Black-bellied Dipper (Northamptonshire), two each of American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and Kumlien's Gull, three of Ring-necked Duck and Lapland Bunting, four of Ring-billed Gull and Shorelark, five Green-winged Teals, and a total of nine Great Grey Shrikes.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 1st March 2020  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Norfolk, Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Blue-winged Teal in Devon, Ferruginous Ducks in West Midlands and Hampshire, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, Long-billed Dowitchers in Devon and County Wexford, Lesser Yellowlegs in Yorkshire and Pacific Diver in County Cork.

Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Black-bellied Dipper, two Yellow-browed Warblers, four Lapland Buntings, five Shorelarks, ten Great Grey Shrikes, a Surf Scoter, two American Wigeon, four Green-winged Teals, seven Ring-necked Ducks, a Glossy Ibis, a Todd's Canada Goose, a Black Brant, seven Tundra Bean Geese, two Pomarine Skuas, a Kumlien's Gull, five Ring-billed Gulls, 23 Glaucous Gulls and 27 Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 29th February 2020  
 

The day's continuing rarities were the Blue-winged Teal and Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall and Dumfries and Galloway.

Other news included Rose-coloured Starling (Anglesey), Black-bellied Dipper (Northamptonshire), six Great Grey Shrikes, five Shorelarks (Norfolk), Black Brant (Suffolk), Snow Goose (Cumbria), American Wigeon (Northumberland), Green-winged Teal (Gwynedd), Glossy Ibis (Gwent), seven Ring-necked Ducks, Surf Scoter in Lothian, four Ring-billed Gulls, two Kumlien's Gulls and two Little Auks.
David Campbell, RBA
Friday 28th February 2020  
  Lingering rarities comprised Black-throated Thrush (Lincolnshire), American Herring Gulls (Co Cork and Co Sligo), West Siberian Stonechat (Cheshire), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Wexford), Long-billed Dowitcher (Devon), Penduline Tit (Dorset), Lesser Yellowlegs (North Yorkshire) and Ferruginous Duck (West Midlands).

The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starling (Anglesey), Yellow-browed Warbler (London), Lapland Bunting (Cleveland), Glossy Ibis (Co Kildare), Pomarine Skua (Cornwall), two American Wigeons, Surf Scoters and Tundra Bean Geese, four Great Grey Shrikes and Ring-necked Ducks and six Shorelarks.
Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 27th February 2020  
  New rarities discovered today were an American Herring Gull in County Sligo at Sligo, a White-billed Diver in Cornwall on the sea at Cape Cornwall, and a Ferruginous Duck at Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, Pacific Diver and American Herring Gull in County Cork, Blue-headed Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Norfolk, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lancashire, Blue-winged Teal in Devon and Lesser Scaup in Cornwall.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Anglesey), Rough-legged Buzzard (Northumberland), Surf Scoter (Lothian), Yellow-browed Warbler (London), two each of American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and Kumlien's Gull, three Ring-billed Gulls, four Great Grey Shrikes, six each of both Shorelark and Lapland Bunting, and a total of eight Ring-necked Ducks.
Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 26th February 2020  
  A female Two-barred Crossbill was at Lough Gay Bog, County Limerick, a county first.

Lingering rarities included the Eastern Yellow Wagtails in Norfolk and Northumberland, Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Blue-winged Teal in Devon, Lesser Scaup in County Antrim, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll, Lesser Yellowlegs in Yorkshire and Long-billed Dowitcher in Lancashire.

Scarcity highlights included a Hoopoe, a Shorelark, a Yellow-browed Warbler, three Great Grey Shrikes, a Grey Phalarope, two Glossy Ibises, a Rough-legged Buzzard, two Green-winged Teal, two American Wigeon, two Surf Scoters, five Ring-necked Ducks, a Black Brant, six Tundra Bean Geese, a Pomarine Skua, a Ring-billed Gull, nine Glaucous Gulls and 11 Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 25th February 2020  
 

A Bonaparte's Gull was reported off Landguard NR in Suffolk and the regular Snowy Owl in Shetland was back at Ronas Hill. Still around were the Steller's Eider in Orkney, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Norfolk, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Lesser Yellowlegs in Co.Derry, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Argyll, Blue-winged Teal in Devon and Long-billed Dowitchers in Cheshire/Flintshire and Co.Wexford,

Other news included Hoopoe (Hampshire), six Great Grey Shrikes, three Ring-billed Gulls, two Rough-legged Buzzards, Balearic Shearwater (Lincolnshire), Glossy Ibis (Devon), American Wigeon (Co.Wicklow), five Green-winged Teal, eight Ring-necked Ducks and two Surf Scoters (Lothian).
David Campbell, RBA
Monday 24th February 2020  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Long-billed Dowitcher in Cheshire at Burton Mere Wetlands.

Other rarities comprised the West Siberian Stonechat still in Cheshire, both Blue-winged Teal and Long-billed Dowitcher in Devon, and Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, but the Tengmalm's Owl could not be found on the Shetland Isles at Kergord, Mainland.

Scarcities included Hoopoe (Hampshire), American Wigeon (County Wicklow), Snow Goose (Western Isles), Glossy Ibis (Devon), Great Grey Shrike (Norfolk), Kumlien's Gull (Glamorgan), and three each of both Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal.

Late news concerned a Bonaparte's Gull seen yesterday in County Longford at Lough Gowna.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 23rd February 2020  
 

A Bonaparte's Gull was at Lough Gowna in Co.Longford. Rarities still on offer today involved the Tengmalm's Owl in Shetland, Steller's Eider in Orkney, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, American Buff-bellied Pipit in Cornwall, Black-throated Thrushes in Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire, Blue-winged Teal in Devon, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire, Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Norfolk, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall and Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire and Long-billed Dowitchers in Lancashire, Co.Wexford and Devon.

The supporting cast included two Hoopoes (Hampshire and Argyll), four Great Grey Shrikes, two Surf Scoters, Kumlien's Gull (Glamorgan), three Glossy Ibises, three Ring-billed Gulls, Black Brant (Suffolk), American Wigeon (Co.Wicklow), two Green-winged Teal and nine Ring-necked Ducks.
David Campbell, RBA