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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Tuesday 20th May 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Terek Sandpiper in Lincolnshire at Covenham Reservoir, where it showed well all day.

Elsewhere, rarities included pairs of Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire, Kent and West Sussex, a Two-barred Crossbill in Norfolk, and single Western Subalpine Warblers at both Spurn and Fair Isle, whilst the Caspian Stonechat remained at the latter.

Brief encounters included a Black Stork in Conwy, Red-throated Pipit in Northumberland, Red-rumped Swallows in Argyll and the Shetland Isles, Black Kites in Devon and Norfolk, and five Bee-eaters together in East Sussex.

Scarcities included Red-spotted Bluethroat (Northumberland), Hoopoe (West Sussex), Red-backed Shrike (Orkney Isles), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), Pectoral Sandpiper (Worcestershire), two migrant Dotterel, three each of both White-winged Black Tern and Golden Oriole, and a total of 17 Temminck's Stints.

Significant late news concerned a Blyth's Reed Warbler present yesterday on the Shetland Isles at Quendale.
Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 18th May 2014  
  The arrival of European rarities was again notable today with a Great Reed Warbler in Cambridgeshire at Nene Washes, Tawny Pipit in Devon at Northam Burrows, Red-rumped Swallows in Cambridgeshire, County Down and the Shetland Isles, Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire (2), Kent (3), Northamptonshire (2) and West Sussex (2), Black Kites in Cornwall, Hampshire, Kent and Surrey, and Bee-eaters in Hampshire, Norfolk (2), Isles of Scilly and West Sussex (2).

Other rarities today included a Spotted Sandpiper new in South Yorkshire at Potteric Carr, Two-barred Crossbill still in Norfolk, and King Eider in Aberdeenshire.

Scarcities were headlined by Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Orkney Isles), Short-toed Lark and Golden Oriole (together in Devon), Woodchat Shrike and Golden Oriole (together on the Isles of Scilly), Hoopoe (East Sussex), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), two Pectoral Sandpipers, three Temminck's Stints and five migrant Dotterel.
Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 17th May 2014  
  High pressure today produced sightings of several mobile rarities, with brief encounters with Red-footed Falcon in Essex, Suffolk and the Isles of Scilly, Bee-eaters in Kent, Pembrokeshire (3) and Suffolk, Red-rumped Swallow in Cornwall and Leicestershire, and Black Kite in Cornwall, Hampshire and Suffolk.

Rarities elsewhere comprised two Black-winged Stilts together in West Sussex at Bracklesham, a Lesser Yellowlegs on the Western Isles on South Uist, Two-barred Crossbill still in Norfolk, King Eider in Aberdeenshire, and both Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle.

Scarcities included nine Temminck's Stints, six migrant Dotterel, four Glossy Ibises, two each of White-winged Black Tern (together in Greater Manchester), Golden Oriole, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and Cattle Egret, and single Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), Wryneck (Shetland Isles), Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper (both Orkney Isles).
Chris Batty, RBA
Friday 16th May 2014  
  New rarities today were headlined by a Terek Sandpiper at Amble Marshes in Cornwall and a Broad-billed Sandpiper briefly at Alkborough Flats in north Lincolnshire. A Great Reed Warbler was heard singing in the morning at Walberswick in Suffolk and a Little Bunting was found at Boddam on Mainland Shetland. There was an Eastern Subalpine Warbler on Bardsey Island in Gwynedd and another Subalpine Warbler was found on Bryher in the Isles of Scilly.

On Fair Isle (Shetland) the Hermit Thrush was seen again along with the Caspian Stonechat, a Subalpine Warbler and the island's first Glossy Ibis.

A group of nine Bee-eaters were seen on St.Martins on the Isles of Scilly, with various other sightings of presumably the same birds around the islands during the day. A single Bee-eater also flew over Polgigga in Cornwall, an area which also hosted up to four Black Kites, 71 Red Kites, two Honey Buzzards, a Common Crane and a Great White Egret. In an amazing day for the species, other Black Kite records were as follows: Sennen, Kelynack and Pendeen (Cornwall); Tresco, St.Martin's and St.Agnes (Isles of Scilly); Skomer Island and Martins Haven (Pembrokeshire) and Winchester (Hampshire).

The other species to feature prominently was Black-winged Stilt, with records as follows: two at Elmley in Kent; two near Spalding in Lincolnshire and two at Fen Drayton, and later at Ouse Fen, (Cambridgeshire) along with the ringed escaped bird. The Spotted Sandpiper was still on Unst in the Shetland Isles.
Pete Hayman, RBA
Thursday 15th May 2014  
  Multiple Black-winged Stilts were found in Lincolnshire and Kent today, with two at Willow Tree Fen reserve in the former and four at Cliffe Pools RSPB in the latter. Three Black Kites were in the St Buryan /Polgigga area of Cornwall, a Subalpine Warbler was on Skokholm, Pembrokeshire and a Spotted Sandpiper on Unst, Shetland rounded of the day's new rarities.

Lingering rarities included just the Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler on Fair Isle and the King Eider on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire.
Will Soar, RBA
Wednesday 14th May 2014  
  The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Hermit Thrush on Fair Isle, Sheltand Isles, where it showed alongside both Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler. Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the Sardinian Warbler still in County Cork, Great Reed Warbler in Gloucestershire, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall, and a pair of Black-winged Stilts in Kent.

New discoveries included two Subalpine Warblers together off the Isle of Man on the Calf of Man, a Bonaparte's Gull in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh, and in Hampshire a brief Black Kite near Petersfield.

Highlights amongst the scarcities were Golden Oriole (Dorset), Serin (Lincolnshire), Purple Heron (Isle of Scilly), Cattle Egret (Somerset), five Temminck's Stints, seven each of both migrant Dotterel and Glossy Ibis, and a total of fifteen Long-tailed Skuas.
Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 13th May 2014  
  Fair Isle's run of top quality birds continued today, with the discovery this evening of the island's third Hermit Thrush. This is also the third Spring record of the species in Britain, with just one out of the previous three records in Shetland occuring in Autumn. The Caspian Stonechat and Western Subalpine Warbler both remained on Fair Isle.

Further south, a singing Great Reed Warbler spent the day at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, and a Red-rumped Swallow flew west at Reculver, Kent.

Lingering rarities included the Whiskered Tern in County Cork, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall and Bonaparte's Gull in County Wexford.
Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 11th May 2014  
  Bird of the day could have been the Gull-billed Tern in Gwynedd, seen late afternoon off Aberdyfi, but news didn't emerge until late this evening. Elsewhere, a Citrine Wagtail spent a minute or so on the patio of Portland Bird Observatory, Dorset, a Red-throated Pipit flew over Berry Head, Devon, a Lesser Yellowlegs was on Loch Fada, Western Isles and a Red-rumped Swallow spent three hours at Thamesmead, London. Other new discoveries included a second Bonaparte's Gull at Tacumshin, County Wexford and two Black Kites in Kent.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Caspian Stonechat in Shetland, Sardinian Warbler and Whiskered Tern in County Cork, Snowy Owl in the Western Isles, Black-winged Stilt in Kent, Lesser Yellowlegs in Cornwall and Spotted Sandpiper in Oxfordshire.
Will Soar, RBA
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