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 17th May 2020  
  Rarities today comprised the Tawny Pipit still in Cornwall at Kelynack, territorial Iberian Chiffchaff still in London at Ponders End, a Caspian Tern briefly in Suffolk, a Lesser Yellowlegs reported in Norfolk, two Bee-eaters together in Cornwall at St Buryan, Black Kites briefly in both Kent and Norfolk, and Red-footed Falcons in Kent, Northamptonshire, Somerset and South Yorkshire (2).

Scarcities included Golden Oriole (Northumberland), Montagu's Harrier (Norfolk), Wryneck and Glaucous Gull (Shetland Isles), two each of Hoopoe, Temminck's Stint and Lapland Bunting, and three each of Purple Heron, Iceland Gull and migrant Dotterel.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 16th May 2020  
 

Late news emerged of a Brown Booby on a trawler off the Isle of Wight on 9th May. The bird remained on the vessel as it travelled into French waters.

Red-footed Falcons were at Ringstead GPs in Northamptonshire, near Ilchester in Somerset and still at Thorne Moors in South Yorkshire. Black Kites were seen over Winchester in Hampshire, Hankley Common in Surrey and Oare Marshes in Kent. 13 Bee-eaters, presumably the flock recently in North Wales, were seen over Budleigh Salterton in Devon, while another flew over Long Nanny in Northumberland. A Red-rumped Swallow was at Kilnsea in East Yorkshire. The Iberian Chiffchaff remained  in London and the Tawny Pipit was still in Cornwall.

Other news included Purple Heron (Scilly), four Golden Orioles, Serin (Sussex), two Hoopoes, five Temminck's Stints, Red-necked Phalarope, three Dotterel and two migrant Honey Buzzards.
-  David Campbell, RBA
Friday 15th May 2020  
  A singing male Eastern White-crowned Sparrow was found in a garden on Fetlar, Shetland.

Other new discoveries included a Tawny Pipit near St Just, Cornwall, a Red-footed Falcon at Thorne Moors and a Red-rumped Swallow at Easington, both Yorkshire, a Black Kite at Saddle Bow, Norfolk and a White-billed Diver in Dunnet Bay, Highland. Thirteen Bee-eaters were in Exmouth, Devon, with two over Weybourne, Kelling and Cley, Norfolk, one at North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, one at Hatfield Moors, Yorkshire and one over Fairlight, Sussex.

Lingering rarities included the Little Bittern in Devon, single Iberian Chiffchaffs in London and Lincolnshire and the Red-footed Falcon on the Oxfordshire /Buckinghamshire border.

Scarcity highlights included a Golden Oriole, two Short-toed Larks, three Hoopoes, a Red-necked Phalarope, three Temminck's Stints, five Dotterel, two Long-tailed Skuas, two Pomarine Skuas, a Glaucous Gull and two Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 14th May 2020  
  Rarities on show today included a Little Bittern in Devon at Plymstock, a Red-footed Falcon on the Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire border at Ludgershall, the territorial Iberian Chiffchaff still in London at Ponders End, and single White-billed Divers on both the Shetland Isles and the Western Isles, whilst brief encounters included a Black Kite in Norfolk at Choseley, two Black-winged Stilts together in Kent at Oare Marshes, and Bee-eaters in both Norfolk (3) and Nottinghamshire.

Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Devon), Golden Oriole (Isles of Scilly), Red-necked Phalarope (Norfolk), Glossy Ibis (Hampshire), Green-winged Teal (Lincolnshire), Hoopoe (Gwynedd and the Shetland Isles), Glaucous Gull (Shetland), two Iceland Gulls, three Montagu's Harriers, four Temminck's Stints and five migrant Dotterel.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 13th May 2020  
 

A female Brown Shrike at Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire was Britain's third spring record, following a singing male in the same county almost exactly a year ago. An Iberian Chiffchaff was in song for its 12th day at Ponders End Lake in Enfield, London. Meanwhile, the Little Bittern was still on the Isle of Man and the female King Eider remained in Highland. Black Kite sightings came from Capel Fleet and Faversham, both Kent.

Other highlights from the day's birding included Woodchat Shrike in Devon, two Golden Orioles, Purple Heron (Gloucestershire), Green-winged Teal (Lincolnshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Merseyside), four Temminck's Stints and 13 Dotterel.
-  David Campbell, RBA
Tuesday 12th May 2020  
  A Red-rumped Swallow was found at Wyke Regis, Dorset.

Lingering rarities included the Iberian Chiffchaff at Croft, Lincolsnhire and the 13 Bee-eaters north of Rhiw, Gwynedd.

Scarcity highlights included six Dotterel, at least two White-winged Black Terns, a Montagu's Harrier, a Honey Buzzard, two Glaucous Gulls and three Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 11th May 2020  
  Rarities today comprised the Red-rumped Swallow still in County Dublin at Swords Estuary, and a Bee-eater briefly in Hampshire at Havant.

Scarcities included White-winged Black Tern (Nottinghamshire), Woodchat Shrike (Isle of Wight), American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (together in County Mayo), Purple Heron (Norfolk), Hoopoe, Green-winged Teal and Lapland Bunting (Shetland Isles), Montagu's Harrier (Northamptonshire), Little Auk (Aberdeenshire), and a total of nine migrant Dotterel.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 10th May 2020  
 

A Rustic Bunting was a good find on Lundy in Devon. The Little Bittern remained on the Isle of Man. Bee-eaters flew over North Baddesley in Hampshire and Porthlevenin Cornwall. Black Kites were seen over two sites in both Hampshire and Kent, while others were in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. A Red-rumped Swallow was found at Swords in Co.Dublin. There was late news of a Great Reed Warbler in Suffolk yesterday and a Black-throated Thrush in Northumberland on Friday.

Scarcities included a Cory's Shearwater (Kent), four Golden Orioles, eight Dotterel (trip in Conwy), Montagu's Harrier (Cornwall) and Green-winged Teal (Shetland).
-  David Campbell, RBA
Saturday 9th May 2020  
  New discoveries today included a male Little Bittern at Clypse Reservoir, Isle of Man, a Great Reed Warbler at Cley NWT, Norfolk and a Black-winged Stilt at Sidlesham, Sussex. Eastern Subalpine Warblers were found at Boddam, Shetland and on Skokholm, Pembrokeshire, whilst the Western Subalpine Warbler was confirmed and still present on St Mary's, Scilly. Thirteen Bee-eaters were at Mynydd Rhiw, Gwynedd, two were on Sherkin Island, County Cork, and singles were at Kilnsea/Spurn, Yorkshire and Beachy Head, Sussex. Black Kites flew over Cannop Ponds and Barnwood (both Gloucestershire), Hastings Country Park (Sussex), Dungeness (Kent), Kilnsea/Spurn (Yorkshire) and Wivenhoe (Essex).

Both the Red-rumped Swallow and two Bee-eaters lingered in Scilly.

Scarcity highlights included an Icterine Warbler, a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-backed Shrike, a Wryneck, a Grey-headed Wagtail, three Serins, six Golden Orioles, a Corncrake, eight Dotterel, four White-winged Black Terns, four Roseate Terns, a Montagu's Harrier, three Honey Buzzards, two Pomarine Skuas, a Green-winged Teal and an Iceland Gull.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 8th May 2020  
  The highlight of the day was the identification of a Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Wexford at Tacumshin where it has first been found on 7th April.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a Rustic Bunting new on the Shetland Isles on Fair Isle, the Citrine Wagtail still on the Orkney Isles, Western Subalpine Warbler new in Pembrokeshire on Skokholm, two Black Storks flew over Ambaston, Derbyshire, Red-rumped Swallow on the Isles of Scilly, Bee-eater in Cleveland, East Yorkshire and the Isles of Scilly (3), and single Black Kites logged in County Durham, Cornwall, East Sussex, and Norfolk.

Scarcities included Short-toed Lark (Northumberland), Ortolan Bunting (County Louth), American Golden Plover (County Mayo), Wryneck (Kent), Temminck's Stint and Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), Shorelark (Orkney Isles), two each of both Golden Oriole and Iceland Gull, and three of Hoopoe and migrant Dotterel.
-  Chris Batty, RBA