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
Wednesday 28th September 2016  
  The highlight of the day was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo discovered on the Western Isles, on Lewis at South Dell. Elsewhere, major rarities included the Brunnich's Guillemot still in Fife, two Red-eyed Vireos together on the Isles of Scilly, the Western Purple Swamphen still in Lincolnshire, and the Dalmatian Pelican remained in Cornwall.

On the Shetland Isles the Brown Shrike remained on Out Skerries, with, nearby, Paddyfield Warbler (Fair Isle), Arctic Warbler (Mainland at Frakkafield), Dusky Warbler (Unst), Short-toed Lark, Rose-coloured Starling, Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Corncrake, two each of Blyth's Reed Warbler, Bluethroat and Hoopoe, three Common Rosefinches, four Barred Warblers, five Red-breasted Flycatchers, and six Little Buntings.

Notable waders comprised the Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpiper in County Kerry, two each of Baird's Sandpiper, American Golden Plover and Dotterel, five Lesser Yellowlegs, and six Pectoral Sandpipers.

The best of the rest were Purple Heron (Oxfordshire), Serin (Cornwall), Hoopoe (Norfolk), Spotted Crake (Cheshire), two Melodious Warblers, and a further four Rose-coloured Starlings.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 27th September 2016  
  A Brown Shrike was found on Out Skerries, Shetland today, along with a Great Snipe. On Unst, both a Paddyfield Warbler and a Radde's Warbler were discovered, at Skaw and Norwick respectively, whilst a Subalpine warbler species was down south in Nanquidno Valley, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities seen today included the Brunnich's Guillemot in Fife, two Red-eyed Vireos and Lesser Yellowlegs in the Isles of Scilly, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Dalmatian Pelican and Baird's Sandpiper in Cornwall, another Great Snipe, a Pallid Harrier, an Arctic Warbler and a Blyth's Reed Warbler in Shetland, four Semipalmated Sandpipers and a White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wexford, other Lesser Yellowlegs' in Essex, Dorset and Devon and a Ferruginous Duck in London.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 26th September 2016  
  New discoveries today included a second Red-eyed Vireo on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, Lanceolated Warbler and Great Snipe both on Fair Isle, Shetland, two Arctic Warblers and a Greenish Warbler elsewhere in Shetland and a Citrine Wagtail on Benbecula, Western Isles.

Lingering rarities included the Brunnich's Guillemot in Fife, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Western Purple Swamphen in Lincolnshire, three Semipalmated Sandpipers in County Wexford, Baird's Sandpiper in Cornwall, White-rumped Sandpiper in Hampshire, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Essex and Dorset, two Blyth's Reed Warblers in Shetland and Ferruginous Duck in London.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 25th September 2016  
  The highlight of the day was the discovery of a Brunnich's Guillemot in Fife at Anstruther, where it remained on show into the evening. Otherwise, a Baird's Sandpiper was new in Cornwall on The Gannel, and a Pallid Harrier moved through Kent.

On the Isles of Scilly a Red-eyed Vireo was a notable arrival on St Agnes alongside the Lesser Yellowlegs, as was a Western Bonelli's Warbler on St Mary's, with Grey Phalarope, two Red-breasted Flycatchers, five Wrynecks and five Yellow-browed Warblers around the archipelago.

Meanwhile, on the Shetland Isles Pallid Harrier, Arctic Warbler, Olive-backed Pipit, Rose-coloured Starling, Icterine Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Richard's Pipit, Sabine's Gull, two each of Blyth's Reed Warbler, Little Bunting and Short-toed Lark, three Bluethroats, five Red-breasted Flycatchers, 39 Lapland Buntings and 54 Yellow-browed Warblers all logged.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Swainson's Thrush on the Western Isles, Lesser Grey Shrike in Devon, Western Purple Swamphen in Lincolnshire, both Dalmatian Pelican and Hudsonian Whimbrel Cornwall, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire and County Wexford (3), White-rumped Sandpiper in County Wexford, Ferruginous Duck in London, Azorean Yellow-legged Gull in Cambridgeshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in County Cork, Devon, Dorset and Essex.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 24th September 2016  
  New discoveries today included an Olive-backed Pipit at Hoswick, Shetland and a Pallid Harrier over Pett Level, East Sussex.

Lingering rarities included the Swainson's Thrush in the Western Isles, Western Purple Swamphen in Lincolnshire, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Lesser Grey Shrike in Devon, Arctic Warbler and Pallid Harrier in Shetland, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Essex, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, single Semipalmated Sandpipers in Aberdeenshire and County Wexford, White-rumped Sandpiper in Hampshire, Baird's Sandpiper in County Antrim and Ferruginous Duck in London.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 23rd September 2016  
  New discoveries today included an Olive-backed Pipit on Fair Isle, Shetland, a Greenish Warbler at Walmer, Kent and a Baird's Sandpiper at Belfast Lough RSPB, County Antrim. Tacumshin, County Wexford now plays host to five Semipalmated Sandpipers, which is one short of the previous record high count, which was also at Tacumshin.

Lingering rarities included both the Swainson's Thrushes, in Argyll and the Western Isles, Lesser Grey Shrike in Devon, Western Purple Swamphen in Lincolnshire, Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, Arctic Warbler, two Blyth's Reed Warblers and Pallid Harrier in Shetland, single Lesser Yellowlegs' in Essex, Dorset, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, Semipalmated Sandpiper in Aberdeenshire, single Baird's Sandpipers in County Galway and County Derry and White-rumped Sandpiper at Tacumshin, County Wexford.

Scarcity totals included a Melodious Warbler, a Hoopoe, a Spotted Crake, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Surf Scoter, a Taiga Bean Goose, a Long-tailed Skua, two Red-backed Shrikes, two Bluethroats, two Short-toed Larks, two Purple Herons, two Temminck's Stints, two Honey Buzzards, two Sabine's Gulls, two Pomarine Skuas, three Common Rosefinches, three Grey Phalaropes, four Barred Warblers, five Little Buntings, five Rose-coloured Starlings, five Pectoral Sandpipers, six Red-breasted Flycatchers, six Wrynecks and at least 120 Yellow-browed Warblers.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 22nd September 2016  
  Highlight of the day was the discovery of two Swainson's Thrushes in western Scotland - one on Tiree (Argyll) and another on South Uist (Western Isles).

On Shetland Great Reed Warbler, two Blyth's Reed Warblers, Arctic Warbler, Pallid Harrier and Isabelline Shrike were all logged, whilst elsewhere the Lesser Grey Shrike (Devon), Bonaparte's Gull (Co Clare), King Eider (Co Donegal), Forster's Tern (Co Louth), Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Blyth's Reed Warbler (East Yorkshire), Black Duck (Highland) and Western Purple Swamphen (Lincolnshire) all lingered.

Rare and scarce shorebirds comprised Long-billed Dowitcher (Co Waterford), American Golden Plover (Cornwall), White-rumped Sandpiper (Hampshire), three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Baird's Sandpipers, four Lesser Yellowlegs and five Semipalmated Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 21st September 2016  
  The highlight of the day was a Lanceolated Warbler on Fair Isle, whilst nearby on the Shetland Isles an Arctic Warbler was new at Hoswick, Mainland, the Pallid Harrier showed again at Hillwell, and the Isabelline Shrike remained on Foula. Elsewhere, a Red-throated Pipit was found in Devon on Lundy, a Tawny Pipit in Cornwall at Nanjizal, the Lesser Grey Shrike remained in Devon, as did the Arctic Warbler in Suffolk, the Dalmatian Pelican in Cornwall, and the Ferruginous Duck in London, and in East Yorkshire the Blyth's Reed Warbler reappeared at Kilnsea.

Nearctic waders comprised the Hudsonian Whimbrel still in Cornwall, single Semipalmated Sandpipers in both Aberdeenshire and County Kerry, Baird's Sandpipers in County Londonderry and County Waterford, Lesser Yellowlegs in Essex and the Isles of Scilly, and a White-rumped Sandpiper in Hampshire.

Scarce landbirds comprised Woodchat Shrike (Isles of Scilly), Short-toed Lark (County Cork), Bluethroat (East Yorkshire), two each of both Red-breasted Flycatcher and Richard's Pipit, three of Rose-coloured Starling, Common Rosefinch and Red-backed Shrike, four of Little Bunting and Barred Warbler, 10 Wrynecks, 35 Lapland Buntings, and a total of 284 Yellow-browed Warblers, of which 205 were on the Yorkshire coast including an unprecedented 96 at Flamborough Head, 34 at Filey and 17 around Scarborough.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 20th September 2016  
  New discoveries comprised Arctic Warbler (Suffolk), Tawny Pipit (Devon), Greenish Warblers (Norfolk and Kent), Ferruginous Duck (London), Blyth's Reed Warbler (Shetland), Black Kite (Co Wicklow), Semipalmated Sandpipers (Co Wexford [3]), White-rumped Sandpiper (Co Wexford) and Bonaparte's Gull (Co Clare). The Semipalmated Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire), Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dalmatian Pelican (Cornwall), Baird's Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher (Co Galway), Baird's Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher (Co Waterford), Lesser Grey Shrike and Lesser Yellowlegs (Devon), White-rumped Sandpiper (Hampshire), Lesser Yellowlegs (Isles of Scilly) and Isabelline Shrike (Shetland) all lingered.

Significant late news related to a probable Belted Kingfisher videoed in Co Fermanagh last week.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 19th September 2016  
  In Devon a Lesser Grey Shrike was discovered near Plymouth. Elsewhere the Franklin's Gull (Northumberland) and Western Purple Swamphen (Lincolnshire) lingered, whilst rare and scarce shorebirds comprised Hudsonian Whimbrel (Cornwall), White-rumped Sandpiper (Hampshire), two Baird's Sandpipers, two Buff-breasted Sandpiper, three Semipalmated Sandpipers and four Lesser Yellowlegs.

The best of the rest included Ortolan Bunting and Richard's Pipit (East Yorkshire), Melodious Warbler (Co Donegal), Woodchat Shrike (Isles of Scilly), Icterine Warbler (Pembrokeshire), Bluethroat (Shetland), two Rose-coloured Starlings, two Red-breasted Flycatchers, two Little Buntings, four Common Rosefinches and five Barred Warblers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA