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 12th December 2021  
  The highlight of the day was an unidentified albatross species that flew past Ballycotton, County Cork. Discoveries elsewhere in Ireland included Lesser Scaups new in County Armagh on Lough Neagh, and at Ballinascarty, County Cork.

Lingering rarities comprised the Pacific Diver still in Glamorgan, White-tailed Lapwing in East Yorkshire, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Lancashire, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, Lesser Scaup in both Argyll (4) and County Cavan, and the Black Scoter returned to Northumberland.

Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Ayrshire), Serin (County Durham), Barred Warbler and Great Grey Shrike (Norfolk), American Golden Plover and Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Lapland Bunting (East Yorkshire), Black Brant (Kent), Kumlien's Gull (Cambridgeshire), two each of American Wigeon and Yellow-browed Warbler, three of Ring-billed Gull and Grey Phalarope, four of Surf Scoter and Glossy Ibis, six Green-winged Teals, nine Shorelarks, and a total of 14 Ring-necked Ducks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 11th December 2021  
  The second Pacific Diver for Wales was discovered late afternoon at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir in Glamorgan.

Lingering rarities seen today were the White-tailed Lapwing in Yorkshire, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Lesser Scaup in Argyll (four) and Western Isles, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire and Richardson's Cackling Goose in Lancashire.

Scarcity highlights included a Little Bunting, a Serin, a Hoopoe, a Barred Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler, two Great Grey Shrikes, six Shorelarks, three Grey Phalaropes, six Little Auks, two Glossy Ibises, an American Wigeon, two Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, eight Ring-necked Ducks, a Tundra Bean Goose, a Black Brant, a Ring-billed Gull, a Kumlien's Gull, three Glaucous Gulls and eight Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 10th December 2021  
  Lingering rarities still present were the White-tailed Lapwing in Yorkshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Scilly, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Richardson's Cackling Geese in Merseyside and Argyll, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, two Lesser Scaup in Devon and White-billed Diver in Shetland.

Scarcity highlights included a Common Rosefinch, a Lapland Bunting, two Great Grey Shrikes, 12 Shorelarks, an American Wigeon, two Green-winged Teal, two Ring-necked Ducks, three Surf Scoters, 13 Taiga Bean Geese, two Grey Phalaropes, three Glossy Ibises, a Kumlien's Gull, two Ring-billed Gulls, three Glaucous Gulls, seven Iceland Gulls and 22 Little Auks.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 9th December 2021  
  The highlight of the day was a the discovery of a Richardson's Cackling Goose in Merseyside with Pink-footed Geese on Crossens Out Marsh.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the White-tailed Lapwing still in East Yorkshire, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Pacific Diver in County Cork, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, and in Lincolnshire a White-billed Diver briefly at Gibraltar Point.

Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Dorset), Barred Warbler (Norfolk), Common Rosefinch (Orkney Isles), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Snow Goose (County Sligo), Dotterel (Oxfordshire), Grey Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Black Brant (Kent), two each of both Ring-billed Gull and Surf Scoter, three Great Grey Shrikes, four Green-winged Teals, six Ring-necked Ducks, nine Glossy Ibises, and a total of 11 Shorelarks.

Significant late news concerned a report of the Belted Kingfisher still in Lancashire on 6th December when it was seen on the River Darwen at Higher Walton; two miles from its original location.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 8th December 2021  
  Rarities today comprised the Ross's Goose still in Ayrshire, Spotted Sandpiper still on the Isles of Scilly, Lesser Scaup on the Western Isles, and Ferruginous Duck in Surrey.

Scarcities included Hoopoe (Perth and Kinross), Barred Warbler and Black Brant (Norfolk), Dotterel (Oxfordshire), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall), Green-winged Teal (County Kerry), Kumlien's Gull (Cambridgeshire), two each of both Glossy Ibis and Leach's Petrel, five Grey Phalaropes, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, and a total of 11 Shorelarks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 7th December 2021  
  Rarities today comprised the Ross's Goose still in Ayrshire, the Ferruginous Duck still in Surrey, and on the Shetland Isles a King Eider remains.

Scarcities included Barred Warbler (Norfolk), Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Green-winged Teal (Somerset), Lapland Bunting (Lincolnshire), Grey Phalarope (Lincolnshire), Black Brant (Kent), three each of both Surf Scoter and Ring-necked Duck, five Shorelarks, and 12 Waxwings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 6th December 2021  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Spotted Sandpiper in Scilly, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey and Lesser Scaup in County Cavan.

Scarcity highlights included a Barred Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Lapland Bunting, two Great Grey Shrikes, 11 Shorelarks, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, five Ring-necked Ducks, five Taiga Bean Geese, a Glossy Ibis, two Grey Phalaropes, nine Little Auks, a Ring-billed Gull, six Iceland Gulls and seven Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 5th December 2021  
  Rarities today comprised the White-winged Scoter still in Lothian, Northern Harrier in County Offaly, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Spotted Sandpiper on the Isles of Scilly, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, Lesser Scaups in both County Cavan and Devon, and Cackling Geese in County Sligo and the Western Isles.

Scarcities included Serin (County Durham), Barred Warbler (Norfolk), Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Ring-billed Gull (County Galway), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Kumlien's Gull (Cambridgeshire), two each of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Green-winged Teal, three Snow Geese, four of Great Grey Shrike, Glossy Ibis, Grey Phalarope, and Surf Scoter, 11 Shorelarks, and a total of 19 Ring-necked Ducks.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 4th December 2021  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Cackling Goose and Snowy Owl in Western Isles, Ferruguinous Ducks in Surrey and Hampshire and two Lesser Scaup in Devon.

Scarcity highlights included a Barred Warbler, a Serin, a Great Grey Shrike, a Yellow-browed Warbler, three Waxwings, three Lapland Buntings, 11 Shorelarks, an American Wigeon, two Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, 19 Ring-necked Ducks (including a flock of ten at Dozmary Pool, Cornwall), three Glossy Ibises, a Snow Goose, a Todd's Canada Goose, two Black Brants, 138 Taiga Bean Geese (including five back at Buckenham Marshes, Norfolk), a Leach's Petrel, two Grey Phalaropes, two Pomarine Skuas, eight Little Auks, a Ring-billed Gull, a Kumlien's Gull, four Glaucous Gulls and seven Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 3rd December 2021  
  New discoveries today were two King Eiders off Uyeasound, Unst, Shetland and a White-billed Diver north along the coast between Whitburn, County Durham and Boulmer, Northumberland.

Lingering rarities still present included the Desert Wheatear in Devon, Lesser Scaup in Scilly, Ferruginous Ducks in Surrey and Hampshire, King Eider in Lothian and a further two in Shetland and a Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo.

Scarcity highlights included a Serin, a Richard's Pipit, a Lapland Bunting, two Great Grey Shrikes, six Shorelarks, a Glossy Ibis, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal, four Surf Scoters, ten Ring-necked Ducks, a Snow Goose, a Black Brant, two Todd's Canada Geese, two Grey Phalaropes, six Little Auks, a Pomarine Skua, two Glaucous Gulls and four Iceland Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA