Daily News Summaries
This page gives you access to all of RBA's daily news summaries (since April 13, 2006), 10 days at a time. The most recent are shown, or you can select a specific date to show (along with the previous 10 days). Prior to April 13, 2006 you can find weekly reviews, located in articles.
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Friday 1st January 2010  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance of the wintering Brown Shrike at Staines Moor, Surrey. Present from 11th October until 17th December, it was widely presumed to have disappeared as a result of the onset of the harsh winter weather, but in fact it remained unseen on site, or at least nearby.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Forster's Tern still in County Galway, Black Duck on the Isles of Scilly, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian, Spotted Sandpipers in both Devon and Essex, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, two Richardson's Canada Geese in County Sligo, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire and single Ferruginous Ducks in each of County Armagh, Norfolk, Somerset, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire.

Scarcities included eight each of Shorelark and Lapland Bunting, seven each of Ring-necked Duck, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and Iceland Gull, five Black Brants, three each of Ring-billed Gull and Green-winged Teal, two each of Rough-legged Buzzard, Great Grey Shrike and Caspian Gull and single Little Bunting (Highland), Serin (London), Surf Scoter (Devon), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Kumlien's Gull (Lincolnshire), Glaucous Gull (Derbyshire) and Greater Snow Goose and Waxwing (Norfolk).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 30th December 2009  
  Lingering rarities comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, single Ferruginous Ducks in both Staffordshire and West Yorkshire, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire, single Cattle Egrets in both Devon and Somerset and Great White Egrets in Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

Scarcities included 20 Lapland Buntings together in Lincolnshire, eight Iceland Gulls, seven each of Ring-necked Duck and Tundra Bean Goose, six Caspian Gulls, five Glaucous Gulls, two Black Brants and single Little Bunting (Highland), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Ring-billed Gull (Essex) and Great Grey Shrike (Hampshire) whilst in Cornwall Richard's Pipit, Shorelark and Yellow-browed Warbler were all seen.

Significant late news concerned a Nutcracker reported briefly in a garden at Hadley, Worcestershire on 28th December but not seen since. However, despite reports of this species on an almost annual basis, the last acceptable Nutcracker in Britain was in 1998.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 26th December 2009  
  The highlight of the day was the reappearance - albeit brief - of the elusive Killdeer in County Wicklow. Lingering rarities recorded elsewhere comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly, Red-breasted Goose in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian, Spotted Sandpiper in Essex, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, King Eider in Moray, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, Ferruginous Ducks in both Norfolk and West Yorkshire, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire, Cattle Egrets in County Cork (3) and Devon and single Great White Egrets in both Hampshire and Kent.

Scarcities included eight Ring-billed Gulls, three each of Ring-necked Duck, Iceland Gull and Caspian Gull, two Great Grey Shrikes and single Little Bunting (Highland), Surf Scoter (Devon), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Rough-legged Buzzard (Cambridgeshire), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Green-winged Teal (Greater Manchester), Yellow-browed Warbler (Somerset) and Lapland Bunting (Lincolnshire).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 25th December 2009  
  The highlight of the day was a Killdeer present at Greystones, County Wicklow briefly before flying off north. Elsewhere in Ireland, an American Herring Gull was discovered at Portrush, County Antrim.

Other rarities comprised the Snowy Owl still on the Western Isles, Red-breasted Goose and Cattle Egret still in Devon, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cumbria, single Ferruginous Ducks in East Sussex, Somerset and West Yorkshire, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire and single Great White Egrets in both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire.

Scarcities were represented by a Little Bunting (Highland), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Yellow-browed Warbler (Somerset), Greater Snow Goose (Norfolk), Ring-necked Duck (West Yorkshire), Green-winged Teal (Greater Manchester) and two Lapland Buntings (together in East Yorkshire) whilst scarce gull totals included three each of both Ring-billed and Iceland and two Caspian.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Thursday 24th December 2009  
  The highlight of the day was the sighting, albeit brief, of a Greater Yellowlegs at Kinneil Lagoon, Forth. With the last easily twitchable Greater Yellowlegs on the British mainland being in Cumbria in 1994, the current bird will prove most popular if relocated.

Elsewhere, rarities comprised the Black Duck still on the Isles of Scilly, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Siberian Stonechat in Nottinghamshire, Spotted Sandpiper in Essex, Glossy Ibis in Worcestershire, Ferruginous Ducks in both Norfolk and West Yorkshire, Great White Egret in Warwickshire and single Cattle Egrets in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

Scarcities included 13 Lapland Buntings across three counties, 10 Waxwings in Merseyside, five Caspian Gulls, three each of both Ring-billed Gull and Iceland Gull, two each of Richard's Pipit and Ring-necked Duck, and single Little Bunting (Highland), Rough-legged Buzzard (Cambridgeshire), Great Grey Shrike (Hampshire) and Shorelark (Suffolk).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
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