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 30th August 2017  
  Highlight of the day was a Yelkouan Shearwater which lingered off Porthgwarra, Cornwall early morning. Other new discoveries included a Bonelli's Warbler sp on Skomer, Pembrokeshire, a second Greenish Warbler at Bempton, Yorkshire and a White-rumped Sandpiper at Tetney, Lincolnshire.

Lingering rarities included the Pacific Diver in County Dublin and the Long-billed Dowitcher and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent.

Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-backed Shrike, a Wryneck, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Lapland Bunting, an American Wigeon, a Purple Heron, an American Golden Plover, a Dotterel, a Temminck's Stint, three Red-necked Phalaropes, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and 14 Pectoral Sandpipers.

Seawatching produced seven Great Shearwaters, seven Cory's Shearwaters, 11 Leach's Petrels, 19 Sabine's Gulls, seven Long-tailed Skuas, 22 Pomarine Skuas and a Grey Phalarope.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Tuesday 29th August 2017  
  A Greenish Warbler was at Bempton Cliffs RSPB, Yorkshire, a Spotted Sandpiper was at Kilshannig, County Kerry and a Wilson's Petrel flew past Melmore Point, County Donegal.

Lingering rarities included the Long-billed Dowitcher and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent and two Wilson's Petrels from the Scilly pelagic.

Scarcity highlights included an Icterine Warbler, a Woodchat Shrike, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Purple Heron, a Night Heron, an American Wigeon, a Temminck's Stint, two Glossy Ibises, an American Golden Plover, two Dotterel, two Red-necked Phalaropes, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 16 Pectoral Sandpipers, three Common Rosefinches, five Wrynecks, seven Honey Buzzards, a Cory's Shearwater, seven Great Shearwaters, two Grey Phalaropes, 11 Sabine's Gulls, 12 Pomarine Skuas and 16 Leach's Petrels.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 28th August 2017  
  New discoveries today included a White-rumped Sandpiper at Clonakilty, County Cork, seven Bee-eaters over New Romeny, Kent and a Wilson's Petrel off Puffin Island, County Kerry.

Lingering rarities included the Pacific Diver in both County Dublin and County Meath, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, Bonaparte's Gull in Dorset and a Wilson's Petrel from the Scillonian III.

Scarcity highlights included a Woodchat Shrike, a Red-backed Shrike, an Ortolan Bunting, a Melodious Warbler, a Barred Warbler, a Purple Heron, a Night Heron, two Red-necked Phalaropes, two Dotterels, two Common Rosefinches, two Rose-coloured Starlings, three Wrynecks, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Glossy Ibises and 12 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 27th August 2017  
  New discoveries included a Pacific Diver (Co Dublin), King Eider (Gwynedd) and Red-footed Falcons (London and Wiltshire), whilst lingering rarities comprised White-rumped Sandpiper (Co Cork), Long-billed Dowitcher (Kent) and Black Duck (Highland).

Wilson's Petrels were logged off Co Clare (2) and Isles of Scilly (2), whilst the best of the rest included Melodious Warbler and Barred Warbler (Cornwall), Common Rosefinch (Shetland), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (Leicestershire), Purple Heron (Lancashire), Spotted Crake (Kent), Woodchat Shrike (Glamorgan), White-winged Black Tern (Pembrokeshire), two each of Red-backed Shrike, Dotterel, Red-necked Phalarope and Wryneck, three Night Herons, three Glossy Ibises and at least 10 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 26th August 2017  
  New discoveries included Arctic Warbler on Shetland, Pacific Golden Plover on Orkney, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Cornwall and Lesser Yellowlegs and White-rumped Sandpiper on Cape Clear (Co Cork).

Lingering rarities comprised Ferruginous Duck (Co Durham), Forster's Tern (Co Louth), Snowy Owl (Co Mayo), Bonaparte's Gull (Dorset), Long-billed Dowitcher (Kent) and Greenish Warbler (Orkney).

The best of the rest included Grey-headed Wagtail (Ayrshire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Co Wexford), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Woodchat Shrike (Glamorgan), Purple Heron (Lancashire), Night Heron (Isles of Scilly), Common Rosefinch and Short-toed Lark (Shetland), Temminck's Stint (Northamptonshire), two each of Red-backed Shrike, Red-necked Phalarope, Hoopoe, Barred Warbler, Marsh Warbler and Dotterel, four Wrynecks and 16 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Friday 25th August 2017  
  A Blyth's Reed Warbler was a new discovery on North Ronaldsay, Orkney and the Greenish Warbler was also still present on the island. A Melodious Warbler was nearby on Papa Westray, whilst Shetland produced Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, two Wrynecks, two Barred Warblers and a Common Rosefinch all on Fair Isle, and other single Red-backed Shrikes at Skaw, Unst and Grutness, Mainland.

Lingering rarities included the Pied-billed Grebe in Argyll, Caspian Tern in Norfolk, Long-billed Dowitcher, two Black-winged Stilts and Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, Bonaparte's Gull in Dorset, Greenish Warbler in Cornwall and Wilson's Petrels in County Kerry (four) and Scilly.

Other scarcity highlights included an Ortolan Bunting, a Bluethroat, a Sabine's Gull, a White-winged Black Tern, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a Purple Heron, a Spotted Crake, a Surf Scoter, two Dotterels, two Red-necked Phalaropes, two Temminck's Stints, two Melodious Warblers, two Hoopoes, three Red-backed Shrikes, three Wrynecks, seven Pectoral Sandpipers and nine Glossy Ibises.

Seawatching and pelagic trips produced ten Sabine's Gulls, nine Pomarine Skuas, eight Cory's Shearwaters, seven Great Shearwaters and a Leach's Petrel.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 24th August 2017  
  Rarity highlights included Caspian Tern in Norfolk, Greenish Warblers in Cornwall and Orkney, Spotted Sandpiper in Co Dublin, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent and Wilson's Petrel off an Isles of Scilly pelagic.

Scarcities came in the form of Common Rosefinch (Fair Isle), Purple Heron (Lancashire), Buff-breasted Sandpiper and American Golden Plover (Co Wexford), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Hoopoe (East Sussex), Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), Night Heron (Buckinghamshire), Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), two each of Melodious Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Dotterel, Temminck's Stint, Red-necked Phalarope, Wryneck and Montagu's Harrier, five Barred Warblers and 11 Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 23rd August 2017  
  New discoveries included a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper in Co Dublin, Greenish Warbler in Cornwall and Black-winged Stilt in Kent. Seawatching at Bridges of Ross produced a Fea's/Desertas Petrel, whilst lingering rarities elsewhere comprised Caspian Tern (Norfolk), Bonaparte's Gull, Long-billed Dowitcher and three Black-winged Stilts (Kent), Bonaparte's Gull (Dorset) and Ferruginous Duck (Co Durham).

The quintessential mix of early autumn scarcities included Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), Rose-coloured Starling (East Yorkshire), Purple Heron (Lancashire), Grey-headed Wagtail (Norfolk), Night Heron (Buckinghamshire), Dotterel (Kent), Barred Warbler (Orkney), Temminck's Stint (Northamptonshire), Common Rosefinch (Shetland), two Spotted Crakes, two Ortolan Buntings, three Red-necked Phalaropes, four Wrynecks and at least five Pectoral Sandpipers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Tuesday 22nd August 2017  
  In Co Cork the Yellow Warbler remained at Mizen Head, but unfortunately the Portland (Dorset) Yellow Warbler had departed overnight. Elsewhere rarity highlights included Caspian Tern (Norfolk), Long-billed Dowitcher (Kent), Laughing Gull (Co Sligo), three Wilson's Petrels (Co Cork) and White-rumped Sandpiper (Lincolnshire).

The best of the rest included Bluethroat (Suffolk), Red-backed Shrike (London), Purple Heron (Lancashire), Melodious Warbler (Cornwall), Dotterel (Conwy), Night Heron (Buckinghamshire), two Temminck's Stints, two Rose-coloured Starlings and five Pectoral Sandpipers. An Ortolan Bunting was sound-recorded over Portland Bill overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Monday 21st August 2017  
  The highlight of the day was the arrival of two separate Yellow Warblers in the wake of Hurricane Gert. The first to be found was in County Cork at Mizen Head - the fifth record for Ireland and the second at that site following one in August 2008 - whilst the second was discovered at Portland, Dorset - the sixth for Britain and the first for England. Both remained into the evening and represented the earliest ever autumn arrival of a Nearctic landbird in Britain and Ireland.

Rarities elsewhere comprised the Laughing Gull still in County Sligo, Caspian Tern in Norfolk, two Wilson's Petrels off the Isles of Scilly, and in Kent the Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull and two Black-winged Stilts all remain. An Aquatic Warbler was reported in Hampshire at Farlington Marshes and on the Isle of Man an astonishingly early Olive-backed Pipit was seen briefly on the Calf of Man.

Scarcities included Rose-coloured Starling and Red-necked Phalarope (together in East Yorkshire), White-winged Black Tern and Hoopoe (together in Devon), Purple Heron (Lancashire), two each of both Spotted Crake and Temminck's Stint, six Pectoral Sandpipers, nine Glossy Ibises, 11 Great Shearwaters, 13 Cattle Egrets and 20 Cory's Shearwaters.
-  Chris Batty, RBA