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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Friday 10th January 2014  
  Lingering rarities today comprised the American Coot in Highland, Short-billed Dowitcher on Orkney, Thayer's Gull in Glamorgan, Marsh Sandpiper on the Western Isles, two Hume's Yellow-browed Warblers in Kent, Ivory Gull in County Wexford, White-billed Diver and Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire and single King Eiders in Shetland and County Mayo. Two-barred Crossbills were in Yorkshire (six), Shropshire (three) and Gloucestershire (five).

Scarcity highlights included a Sabine's Gull, a Grey Phalarope, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Richard's Pipit, two Yellow-browed Warblers, three Rough-legged Buzzards, three Kumlien's Gulls, five Great Grey Shrikes and 19 Parrot Crossbills.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 9th January 2014  
  In Highland the American Coot lingered at Loch Flemington whilst in Cheshire the American Buff-bellied Pipit reappeared at Burton Marsh. Elsewhere lingering rarities included Marsh Sandpiper and Lesser Scaup on Western Isles, Lesser Scaup in Cornwall, Ivory Gull in Co Wexford, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, at least five Two-barred Crossbills in South Yorkshire, a single Two-barred Crossbill in Gloucestershire, King Eider in Lothian and Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire. In Kent the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler lingered in Ramsgate and a White-billed Diver was reported in Cornwall.

The best of the rest included at least 17 Parrot Crossbills, at least 16 Glossy Ibises, nine Great White Egrets, three Yellow-browed Warblers, two Cattle Egrets, Rose-coloured Starling (Isles of Scilly) and Richard's Pipit (Pembrokeshire).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 8th January 2014  
  The highlight of the day was a juvenile Ivory Gull in County Wexford at Tacumshin: the first in Ireland this winter, following nine sightings in Britain since 30th November 2013.

Other rarities today comprised both the American Coot and Lesser Scaup still in Highland, Thayer's Gull and Lesser Scaup again in Glamorgan, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Kent, Two-barred Crossbill in Berkshire (heard only) and Shropshire (3), Bonaparte's Gull and White-billed Diver still in Devon, and Lesser Scaup in both Cornwall and Western Isles.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Isles of Scilly), American Wigeon (Orkney Isles), two each of Ring-necked Duck, Surf Scoter, Rough-legged Buzzard and Cattle Egret, three each of both Yellow-browed Warbler and Great Grey Shrike, five Green-winged Teals, 12 each of Shorelark and Great White Egret, 13 Glossy Ibises and 25 Parrot Crossbills. Notable gulls included 19 Glaucous, 17 Iceland, 17 Caspian and two Ring-billed.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 7th January 2014  
  Lingering rarities confirmed as still present today were both American Coot and Lesser Scaup in Highland, Short-billed Dowitcher on the Orkney Isles, Bonaparte's Gull and White-billed Diver in Devon, and 10 Two-barred Crossbills together on South Yorkshire.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling (Isles of Scilly), Yellow-browed Warbler (Devon), Ring-necked Duck (Leicestershire), American Wigeon (Aberdeenshire), Grey Phalarope (East Sussex), Richard's Pipit and Rough-legged Buzzard (both Norfolk), two Cattle Egrets, three Surf Scoters, four Lapland Buntings, nine Parrot Crossbills, and 14 of both Glossy Ibis and Great White Egret.

Totals of notable gulls included 20 Glaucous, 17 Iceland, four Ring-billed and two Kumlien's.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 6th January 2014  
  In Highland the American Coot lingered at Loch Flemington whilst in Glamorgan the Thayer's Gull and American Herring Gull both remained at Burry Holms. Elsewhere lingering rarities included Lesser Scaup in Highland, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, White-billed Diver and Bonaparte's Gull in Devon and Two-barred Crossbills in South Yorkshire (6) and Shropshire.

The best of the scarcities included Richard's Pipit (Norfolk), Rose-coloured Starling and Serin (Isles of Scilly), Cattle Egret (Buckinghamshire), two Yellow-browed Warblers, 14 Glossy Ibises and at least 31 Parrot Crossbills.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Sunday 5th January 2014  
  An American Coot is present for its second day on Loch Flemington, Highland, where it showed very well until late afternoon at least. This is the first record for Britain for nearly nine years, after a good run of records from the first, in 1996, to the Shetland individual last seen in 2005.

In Glamorgan, both the Thayer's Gull and the now confirmed American Herring Gull remained on Burry Holms. A first-winter Bonaparte's Gull was found at Lochgilphead, Argyll, but there was no sign of the Ross's Gull in County Galway.

Lingering rarities included the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Kent, White-billed Diver and Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, King Eider in Lothian, Lesser Scaup in Highland and Red-breasted Goose in Dumfries and Galloway. Two-barred Crossbills were in Norfolk, Yorkshire (five) and Shropshire (three).
-  Will Soar, RBA
Saturday 4th January 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a juvenile Thayer's Gull in Glamorgan at Burry Holms, with a probable first-winter American Herring Gull recorded at the same site. Elsewhere, in County Galway a Ross's Gull was discovered at Salthill, the Bonaparte's Gull remained in Devon, the Kumlien's Gull showed again in South Yorkshire, an Ivory Gull was seen briefly in Cleveland at Hartlepool, and in Buckinghamshire a Sabine's Gull was reported. Otherwise, totals included five Ring-billed, 16 Caspian, 17 Iceland and 19 Glaucous Gulls.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Marsh Sandpiper on the Western Isles, Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire, White-billed Diver in Devon, and Two-barred Crossbills in Gloucestershire (2), Shropshire (3) and South Yorkshire (12).

Scarcities included Serin and Yellow-browed Warbler (Isle of Scilly), Rough-legged Buzzard (Norfolk), American Wigeon (County Donegal), Ring-necked Duck (County Down), two each of both Richard's Pipit and Lapland Bunting, three Cattle Egrets, four Green-winged Teals, five each of Surf Scoter, Great Grey Shrike and Black Brant, 19 Glossy Ibises, 20 Great White Egrets and 23 Parrot Crossbills.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 3rd January 2014  
  Lingering rarities today included the Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler at Dungeness, Kent, White-billed Diver at Brixham and Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish, both Devon, Lesser Yellowlegs at Lepe, Hampshire, King Eider at Gullane, Lothian, Lesser Scaup at Dozmary Pool, Cornwall and Red-breasted Goose at Southerness, Dumfries and Galloway. Seven Two-barred Crossbills were at Broomhead Reservoir, Yorkshire, and one was still at Postensplain, Shropshire.

Scarcity highlights included a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Leach's Petrel, a Little Auk, a Surf Scoter, two Kumlien's Gulls, two Ring-necked Ducks, a Rough-legged Buzzard, six Grey Phalaropes, 24 Parrot Crossbills and six Great Grey Shrikes.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 2nd January 2014  
  A Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was discovered in Kent, in the trapping area at Dungeness Bird Observatory, whilst a Penduline Tit was in the same county at Stodmarsh NNR. Further north a white Gyr was seen at Stromness, Orkney.

Lingering rarities were headlined by the White-billed Diver at Brixham, Devon, Marsh Sandpiper and Pied-billed Grebe on North Uist, Western Isles, Lesser Yellowlegs at Lepe, Hampshire, Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish, Devon, two female King Eiders near Gullane, Lothian and single Lesser Scaups at Dozmary Pool, Cornwall and Loch Watten, Highland. Two-barred Crossbills were in Shropshire, Gloucestershire (two) and Yorkshire (seven).

The Cornish Hooded Merganser was confirmed as an escape, and late news from yesterday concerned a male American Kestrel near Bridge of Allan, Forth.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 1st January 2014  
  Lingering rarities included Pied-billed Grebe and Marsh Sandpiper on Western Isles, King Eider in Lothian, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan and Highland, White-billed Diver in Devon, Two-barred Crossbills in South Yorkshire (7) and Shropshire (3) and Lesser Yellowlegs in Hampshire.

The best of the rest included 22 Parrot Crossbills, 13 Glossy Ibises, two Yellow-browed Warblers (Isles of Scilly and Kent), two American Wigeons (Northumberland and Orkney), two Cattle Egrets (Buckinghamhshire and Co Waterford) and Rose-coloured Starling (Isles of Scilly).
-  Stuart Piner, RBA