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.

Choose a starting date
Thursday 23rd December 2021  
 

The new rarity for the day was a Richardsons Cackling Goose in County Clare at Caherlean.

Lingering rarities still present included the Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire, Pacific Diver still in Glamorgan, four Lesser Scaup with two in Devon, one in County Cork and another on the Isle of Lewis, Ferruginous Duck still in Surrey, Penduline Tit in Somerset at Weston-super-Mare, Spotted Sandpiper on Scilly, Dusky Warblers still present in Kent and London, Hume’s Warbler still in Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Green-winged Teal, an American Wigeon, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 39 Glossy Ibises, 5 Shorelark, 5 Taiga Bean Geese, 10 Tundra Bean Geese, 2 Surf Scoter, 2 Glaucous Gulls, 12 Iceland Gulls, 3 Little Buntings, a Yellow-browed Warbler and Ring-billed Gull
Toby Carter, RBA
Wednesday 22nd December 2021  
 

New rarities from the day included a Hume's Warbler in Kent at Cliffe and now 3 Penduline Tits in Somerset at Weston-super-Mare.

Lingering rarities still present included the Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire, Snowy Owl still in Aberdeenshire, Pacific Diver still in Glamorgan, Dusky Warblers still present in Kent and London, Ferruginous Duck still in Surrey, 2 Lesser Scaups still in Devon.

Scarcity highlights included a Green-winged Teal, an American Wigeon, 6 Ring-necked Ducks, 43 Glossy Ibises, 6 Shorelarks, a Lapland Bunting, 2 Glaucous Gulls, 7 Iceland Gulls, 4 Surf Scoters, 2 Little Buntings, a Pomarine Skua and 5 Taiga Bean Geese.
Toby Carter, RBA
Tuesday 21st December 2021  
  Discoveries today included a Baikal Teal in Staffordshire at Aqualate Mere, and a Penduline Tit in Somerset at Weston-super-Mare.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire, Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Spotted Sandpiper on the Isles of Scilly, Lesser Yellowlegs on the Orkney Isles, Dusky Warbler in London, White-billed Diver on the Shetland Isles, and Lesser Scaups in both County Cork and Devon (2).

Scarities included Little Bunting (London), Ring-billed Gull and Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Yellow-browed Warbler (Cambridgeshire), Waxwing (Lincolnshire), Lapland Bunting (Suffolk), Black Brant (Kent), three each of both Surf Scoter and Green-winged Teal, six Shorelarks, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, and a total of 58 Glossy Ibises.
Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 20th December 2021  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire by the River Darwen at Roach Bridge where it had earlier been seen on 6th December.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Snowy Owl still in Aberdeenshire, Pacific Divers in both County Cork and Glamorgan, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Cackling Goose on the Western Isles, Dusky Warblers in both Kent and London, Lesser Scaups in Devon and the Western Isles, and Ferruginous Ducks in both Hampshire and Staffordshire.

Scarcities included Little Bunting (London), Rose-coloured Starling (Lothian), Great Shearwater (Norfolk), American Wigeon (Derbyshire), Ring-billed Gull (Cornwall), Shorelark (East Sussex), Green-winged Teal (Western Isles), Snow Goose (County Sligo), three Surf Scoters, five Lapland Buntings, 15 Ring-necked Ducks, and a total of 30 Glossy Ibises.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 19th December 2021  
  A Lesser Yellowlegs was discovered on Sanday, Orkney today.

Lingering rarities still present included the Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Lesser Scaups in Western Isles (two) and Scilly, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Wexford and Dusky Warblers in Kent, London and Cornwall.

Scarcity highlights included a Great Grey Shrike, a Little Bunting, three Lapland Buntings, two Rose-coloured Starlings, six Shorelarks, 26 Glossy Ibises, two Surf Scoters, ten Ring-necked Ducks, a Todd's Canada Goose, a Black Brant, two Tundra Bean Geese, five Taiga Bean Geese, four Snow Geese, a Pomarine Skua, three Ring-billed Gulls, five Glaucous Gulls and nine Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 18th December 2021  
  Lingering rarities still present today included the Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Lesser Scaups in Devon and County Cavan, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, Richardson's Cackling Goose in County Sligo, Spotted Sandpiper in Scilly and single Dusky Warblers in Cornwall, Kent and London.

Scarcity highlights included a Rose-coloured Starling, a Little Bunting, two Lapland Buntings, two Great Grey Shrikes, six Shorelarks, a Grey Phalarope, 26 Glossy Ibises, two American Wigeon, three Surf Scoters, four Green-winged Teal, ten Ring-necked Ducks, two Black Brants, four Snow Geese, a Tundra Bean Goose, 62 Taiga Bean Geese, a Kumlien's Gull, two Glaucous Gulls, three Ring-billed Gulls and six Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Friday 17th December 2021  
  A Snowy Owl was reported from Connemara, County Galway, but no exact location was given.

Lingering rarities still present included the Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire, Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, Ross's Goose in Ayrshire, Richardson's Cackling Geese in Lancashire and County Mayo, Black Scoters in Moray and Northumberland and Dusky Warbler in Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Little Bunting, a Lapland Bunting, two Waxwings, six Shorelarks, a Grey Phalarope, a Little Auk, an American Wigeon, a Green-winged Teal, two Surf Scoters, 13 Ring-necked Ducks, a Snow Goose, a Black Brant, three Todd's Canada Geese, five Taiga Bean Geese, 14 Glossy Ibises, two Ring-billed Gulls, three Glaucous Gulls and four Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 16th December 2021  
  New discoveries today included a Lesser Yellowlegs at Goxhill Haven, Lincolnshire and a Dusky Warbler at St Erth, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities still present included the White-tailed Lapwing in Yorkshire, Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, White-winged Scoter in Lothian, Black Scoter in Northumberland, Lesser Scaup in Scilly, Richardson's Cackling Goose in Lancashire and Dusky Warblers in London and Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Great Grey Shrike, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Lapland Bunting, two Little Buntings, ten Shorelarks, a Grey Phalarope, an American Wigeon, three Ring-necked Ducks, three Green-winged Teal, four Surf Scoters, five Taiga Bean Geese, 11 Glossy Ibises, a Ring-billed Gull and two Iceland Gulls.
Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 15th December 2021  
  There was belated news from yesterday of the Belted Kingfisher again in Lancashire, this time being seen along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Withnell Fold, but there was no sign of it there today.

Other lingering rarities comprised Lesser Scaups in Western Ilses (2), Devon, Scilly, County Cork and County Armagh, Pacific Diver in Glamorgan, the White-tailed Lapwing in Yorkshire, Dusky Warber in London, Black Scoter in Northumberland and Richardson's Canada Goose in Argyll.

There were 15 Ring-necked Ducks, including eight still together on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. Glossy Ibises also featured with a total of 13, with seven together in Orkney, plus a further bird on Fair Isle, four in Devon and a single in Gloucestershire. The Little Bunting remained in London, as did the Serin in County Durham, Great Grey Shrikes in Norfolk and Denbighs/Conwy, Yellow-browed Warblers in Pembrokes and Merseyside and the five Shorelarks in Norfolk.
Pete Hayman, RBA
Tuesday 14th December 2021  
  The highlight of the day was news of a White-throated Sparrow at Southampton, Hampshire, where it has been present around the docks since August.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the White-tailed Lapwing still in East Yorkshire, Pacific Diver still in Glamorgan, Ferruginous Duck in Surrey, Richardson's Cackling Goose and Snow Goose together in County Slio, Lesser Scaups in both County Armagh and County Cork, and Dusky Warblers in Kent and London.

Scarcities included Serin (County Durham), Ring-billed Gull and Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Surf Scoter (County Louth), Green-winged Teal (Lancashire), two each of Little Bunting and American Wigeon, five Glossy Ibises, six Shorelarks, and a total of 10 Ring-necked Ducks.
Chris Batty, RBA