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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Monday 10th August 2020  
  A Scopoli's Shearwater was present in the Firth of Forth between Dalgety Bay, Fife and South Queensferry, Lothian, for its second day, although its identity only became apparent late evening from photographs. A Collared Flycatcher was trapped and ringed at Spurn, Yorkshire early morning, where it remained all day.

Other new discoveries today included two Wilson's Petrels from a pelagic off Shetland, single Greenish Warblers at Spurn and Flamborough, both Yorkshire and a Black Kite at Skewjack, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities included the Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, Pacific Golden Plover in Northumberland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Yorkshire, single Spotted Sandpipers in Cornwall and County Down, two Black-winged Stilts in Somerset, White-billed Diver in Shetland, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Lammergeier in Derbyshire.

Scarcity highlights included two Melodious Warblers, five Barred Warblers, seven Icterine Warblers, three Rose-coloured Starlings, four Red-backed Shrikes, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Temminck's Stint, a White-winged Black Tern, two Glossy Ibises, nine Cory's Shearwaters, a Long-tailed Skua, ten Pomarine Skuas and a Ring-billed Gull.
Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 9th August 2020  
  New discoveries today included a Caspian Tern at Hickling Broad, Norfolk and a White-billed Diver at South Nesting, Shetland, whilst a Pacific Golden Plover was present for a second day at Boulmer, Northumberland.

Lingering rarities included the Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, single Spotted Sandpipers in Cornwall and County Down, two Black-winged Stilts in Somerset, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and Lammergeier in Derbyshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, two Icterine Warblers, two Purple Herons, two Glossy Ibises, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Temminck's Stint, five Honey Buzzards, three Cory's and four Great Shearwaters, a Long-tailed Skua and a Surf Scoter.
Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 8th August 2020  
  New discoveries today included a Citrine Wagtail at Hook-with-Warsash, Hampshire, a Red-rumped Swallow over Nailsworth and a Caspian Tern at Cotswold Water Park, both Gloucestershire and a Spotted Sandpiper at Drift Reservoir, Cornwall. The Forster's Tern returned to Soldier's Point, County Louth.

Lingering rarities included the Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper in County Down, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Black Duck in Highland and the Lammergeier in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. A Wilson's Petrel was seen from the Scilly pelagic.

Scarcity highlights included a Melodious Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Hoopoe, a Pectoral Sandpiper, five Dotterel, a Purple Heron, a Night Heron, a Glossy Ibis, five Honey Buzzards, a Pomarine Skua, a Balearic Shearwater, a Sabine's Gull and an Iceland Gull.
Will Soar, RBA
Friday 7th August 2020  
  Rarity highlights comprised Lammergeier in Derbyshire, Pacific Golden Plover and Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, Long-billed Dowitchers in Cumbria and Lancashire, Spotted Sandpiper in Co Down, Bee-eater in Orkney, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, family of Black-winged Stilts in Somerset and six Wilson's Petrels from an Isles of Scilly pelagic.

The best of the rest included Rose-coloured Starlings (Orkney, Shetland and Wiltshire), Purple Heron and Hoopoe (Somerset), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lancashire), Spotted Crake (Kent), Wryneck (Dorset), Red-backed Shrike and Icterine Warbler (Cornwall), Sabine's Gull (Gwynedd) and Glossy Ibis (Gwent).
Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 6th August 2020  
 

Still present were the Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, White-rumped Sandpiper in Northumberland and Bonaparte's Gull in Argyll, as well as the Black-winged Stilt family in Somerset and the male in Kent. This evening's pelagic in Scilly waters produced at least six Wilson's Petrels. The Lammergeier was still in Derbyshire.

Other highlights included Purple Heron (Somerset), Night Heron (Suffolk), three Rose-coloured Starlings, nine Cory's Shearwaters and 18 Great Shearwaters.
David Campbell, RBA
Wednesday 5th August 2020  
  The highlight of the day was a Fea's or Desertas Petrel in County Cork that flew past Galley Head, with other seawatching highlights including a Sabine's Gull seen from County Waterford, and totals of 23 Cory's and 22 Great Shearwaters logged between County Cork and Cornwall.

Rarities elsewhere comprised a White-rumped Sandpiper new in Northumberland at Druridge Pools, the Lammergeier still in Derbyshire, Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk, and Bonaparte's Gull still in Kent.

Scarcities included Melodious Warbler in Dorset, and Rose-coloured Starling in Wiltshire.
Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 4th August 2020  
 

The Gull-billed Tern in Suffolk reappeared at Alton Water late in the day, while the Caspian Tern still in Co.Kerry early morning arrived at the Gann Estuary in Pembrokeshire by the evening. Still present were the Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, the Black-winged Stilt family in Somerset and the Lammergeier in Derbyshire.

Among other highlights were two Melodious Warblers (Cornwall and Dorset), Purple Heron (East Yorkshire), two Rose-coloured Starlings, 15 Cory's Shearwaters and six Great Shearwaters.
David Campbell, RBA
Monday 3rd August 2020  
  New rarities discovered today were a Gull-billed Tern in Norfolk at Snettisham, Caspian Tern in County Kerry at Inny Strand, and in Aberdeenshire a Bee-eater at Rattray Head.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Lammergeier in Derbyshire, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lancashire, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, and Black-winged Stilts in both Kent and Somerset (3).

Scarcities included Icterine Warbler (Devon), Marsh Warbler (Kent), Rose-coloured Starling (Gwynedd), Pectoral Sandpiper (Northumberland), Spotted Crake (Gloucestershire), Long-tailed Skua (Shetland Isles), Sabine's Gull (Gwynedd), and Cory's Shearwater (East Yorkshire and Norfolk).
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 2nd August 2020  
 

Two Brown Boobies were reported past St.Levan in Cornwall in the early evening. A Gull-billed Tern made a brief appearance at Seaton Sands in Cleveland and two Black Kites flew over Wheldrake Ings in North Yorkshire.

Still present were the Long-billed Dowitcher in Lancashire, Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Black-winged Stilts in Kent and Somerset and the Lammergeier in Derbyshire.

Scarcities included Icterine Warbler (Devon), Melodious Warbler (Dorset), Hoopoe (Norfolk), Temminck's Stint (North Yorkshire), Ring-billed Gull (Co.Galway) and Long-tailed Skua (Shetland).
David Campbell, RBA
Saturday 1st August 2020  
  Shorebird highlights included Lesser Yellowlegs in North Yorkshire, at least one Pacific Golden Plover in Co Donegal, Black-winged Stilts in Somerset (2) and Kent and Red-necked Phalarope in East Yorkshire.

Elsewhere a Rose-coloured Starling remained in Gwynedd, the Glossy Ibis continued its residence in Gwent, and Honey Buzzards were logged in Nottinghamshire (3) and East Yorkshire.
Stuart Piner, RBA