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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Wednesday 11th August 2010  
  A quieter day today, with rarity highlights including Greenish Warbler at Sumburgh, Shetland, Lesser Yellowlegs on St Agnes, Scilly, Pacific Golden Plover on South Uist, Western Isles, American Herring Gull at Blennerville, County Kerry and Glossy Ibis at Tacumshin, County Wexford.

Scarcities recorded today included Spotted Crake in Kent, Dotterel in Yorkshire, Icterine Warbler on Shetland, Pectoral Sandpipers in Northumberland and Norfolk and Ring-necked Duck in Fife.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 10th August 2010  
  Early autumn rarities continued to arrive today, with a Greenish Warbler at Sumburgh, Shetland, and another for its second day at Finstown, Orkney. An Icterine Warbler was on Yell, Shetland, a Spotted Crake was at Grove Ferry, Kent and a Dotterel was near Aldbrough, Yorkshire.

Two Wilson's Petrels were seen from a pelagic off County Kerry, and late news concerned a report of a King Eider north of Winterton, Norfolk yesterday. Lingering rarities included Baird's Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Lesser Yellowlegs on the Isles of Scilly, White-rumped Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern in Cleveland and Ferruginous Duck in Somerset.

Scarce seabirds included 14 Great Shearwaters, four Cory's Shearwaters, three Long-tailed Skuas, a Pomarine Skua and a Sabine's Gull.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 9th August 2010  
  All today's new rarities were Nearctic waders - a White-rumped Sandpiper at South Gare (Cleveland), Lesser Yellowlegs on St Agnes (Isles of Scilly) and a possible Semipalmated Sandpiper at Blacktoft Sands RSPB (East Yorkshire). In Nottinghamshire the Baird's Sandpiper lingered at Lound.

Elsewhere, lingering rarities included Whiskered Tern in Cleveland, American Herring Gull in Co Kerry, Pacific Golden Plover on Western Isles and a probable Greenish Warbler was on Mainland Orkney.

A Wilson's Petrel was logged from an Isles of Scilly pelagic, a juvenile Kentish Plover joined a high tide wader roost at Seasalter (Kent), Melodious Warblers were on Farne Islands (Northumberland) and Portland (Dorset), two Purple Herons and a Great White Egret lingered at Dungeness (Kent) and Great White Egrets were also seen in Somerset (2) and Cornwall. A Spotted Crake was briefly at Dorman's Pool (Cleveland).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 8th August 2010  
  New discoveries today included a White-rumped Sandpiper at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, another at Tacumshin, County Wexford and a Wilson's Petrel past Bridges of Ross, County Clare.

Lingering rarities still present included Baird's Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire, Pacific Golden Plover on the Western Isles, Glossy Ibis in County Wexford, American Herring Gull in County Kerry, Whiskered Tern in Cleveland and single Ferruginous Ducks in Suffolk and Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 7th August 2010  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Baird's Sandpiper in Nottinghamshire. Elsewhere, lingering rarities included the Whiskered Tern in Cleveland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cheshire, Alpine Swift on the Orkney Isles, Glossy Ibis in County Wexford and Ferruginous Duck in Suffolk. An American Golden Plover was seen briefly along the Norfolk/Lincolnshire border at the mouth of the River Nene.

Scarcities today comprised two each of both Great White Egret and Ring-billed Gull, Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire, Kentish Plover, White-spotted Bluethroat and Pectoral Sandpiper in Norfolk, Serin in London, Purple Heron and Cattle Egret together in Kent and a Ring-necked Duck in Fife, whilst at least 34 Balearic Shearwaters were recorded from coastal watchpoints in eight counties between Cornwall, County Durham and County Mayo.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 6th August 2010  
  On Shetland, a Paddyfield Warbler on Unst was just the fourth August record, with September being by far the best month for records of this species. A Baird's Sandpiper at the Idle Valley NR, Nottinghamshire, was the second for both county and site whilst a Lesser Yellowlegs in County Dublin was more expected, being the seventh for the county.

Lingering rarities included Whiskered Tern in Cleveland and Alpine Swift on Orkney, whilst a Wilson's Petrel was seen again from a Scilly pelagic and two probable Yelkouan Shearwaters flew past Porthgwarra, Cornwall.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 5th August 2010  
  The highlight of the day was the confirmation of both the identity and the continued presence of two Semipalmated Sandpipers in England: one at Port Carlisle, Cumbria present since 28th July and one at Lodmoor, Dorset present since 3rd August.

Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the House Finch still in Devon, American Herring Gull in County Kerry, Whiskered Tern in Cleveland, Little Bittern in Somerset, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cheshire, Alpine Swift on the Orkney Isles and Glossy Ibis in County Wexford.

Scarcities included a Surf Scoter on the Shetland Isles and, at Dungeness, Kent, two Purple Herons, a Cattle Egret and a Great White Egret.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 4th August 2010  
  A Pacific Golden Plover was discovered on South Uist (Western Isles) and in Kent a Black Stork flew over Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve. Lingering rarities included Lesser Yellowlegs (Cheshire), Laughing Gull (Co Antrim), House Finch (Devon), Whiskered Tern (Cleveland) and Alpine Swift (Orkney).

Elsewhere at Cattle Egret remained in Leicestershire, two Purple Herons (an adult and a juvenile) and a Great White Egret were still at Dungeness RSPB (Kent) and in Nottinghamshire a Common Crane visited Hoveringham Gravel Pits.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 3rd August 2010  
  Rarities recorded today comprised the House Finch still in Devon, the Whiskered Tern in Cleveland, an Alpine Swift briefly in the Orkney Isles and the debated Semipalmated Sandpiper still in Cumbria: although it may be a Little Stint.

Scarcities included two Icterine Warblers (together in the Shetland Isles), two Cattle Egrets (Kent and Leicestershire), Purple Heron and Great White Egret (together in Kent), Ring-necked Duck (Fife), a Great Shearwater (Cornwall) and five scattered Caspian Gulls.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 2nd August 2010  
  A brief Long-billed Dowitcher at Caerlaverock WWT (Dumfries & Galloway), Buff-breasted Sandpiper near Collieston (Aberdeenshire) and a Black Stork over Burrator Reservoir (Devon) were today's headline finds.

Lingering rarities included House Finch in Devon, Whiskered Tern in Cleveland, White-rumped Sandpiper and Glossy Ibis in Wexford, Laughing Gull in Co Antrim and Lesser Yellowlegs in Cheshire.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA