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
Saturday 8th September 2018  
  New discoveries today included a Blyth's Reed Warbler and Pallid Harrier in Shetland, at Rerwick and on Fair Isle respectively, and three Wilson's Petrels off Porthgwarra, Cornwall.

Lingering rarities included the White-throated Sparrow on Foula, Shetland, single Arctic Warblers at Hauxley, Northumberland and on Fair Isle, Greenish Warbler at Blakeney, Norfolk, Pallid Harrier at Neston, Cheshire, Long-billed Dowitcher at Frampton, Lincolnshire and Ferruginous Duck at Abberton, Essex.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Red-backed Shrike, a Rose-coloured Starling, a Melodious Warbler, an Icterine Warbler, two Marsh Warblers, two Hoopoes, three Lapland Buntings, nine Wrynecks, ten Common Rosefinches, ten Yellow-browed Warblers, 11 Barred Warblers, five Spotted Crakes, a Honey Buzzard, two American Golden Plovers, three Pectoral Sandpipers, four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, four Leach's Petrels, six Pomarine Skuas, 26 Great Shearwaters, two Glossy Ibises and 77 Cattle Egrets.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 7th September 2018  
  A White-throated Sparrow arrived on Foula, Shetland this afternoon, with other new discoveries including another Arctic Warbler on Fair Isle (joining two already present), Arctic Warbler and Greenish Warbler on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, Greenish Warbler in Norfolk and Black Kite in Bedfordshire.

Lingering rarities included the Booted Warbler in Suffolk, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Shetland, Snowy Owl in Western Isles and Ferruginous Duck in Essex.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, an Ortolan Bunting, a Melodious Warbler, two Icterine Warblers, three Red-backed Shrikes, five Yellow-browed Warblers, nine Common Rosefinches, ten Barred Warblers, 13 Wrynecks, a Dotterel, a Temminck's Stint, a Pectoral Sandpiper, three American Golden Plovers, three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a Corncrake, three Spotted Crakes, a Montagu's Harrier, three Honey Buzzards, three White Storks, a Long-tailed Skua, five Pomarine Skuas, two Leach's Petrels and a Glaucous Gull.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 6th September 2018  
  New discoveries included a Booted Warbler in Suffolk, Greenish and Arctic Warblers in East Yorkshire and two Blyth's Reed Warblers and two Arctic Warblers in Shetland. The Pallid Harrier (Cheshire), Ferruginous Duck (Essex) and Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire) all lingered.

Scarcity highlights included Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Suffolk), Marsh Warbler (Shetland), Red-breasted Flycatcher (Essex), Dotterel (Norfolk), Rose-coloured Starling (Devon), two Red-backed Shrikes, Ortolan Buntings, Red-necked Phalaropes and Temminck's Stints, three Yellow-browed Warblers, four Spotted Crakes, five Common Rosefinches and Barred Warblers and eleven Wrynecks.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Wednesday 5th September 2018  
  Rare warblers proved to be the highlight of the day with both Lanceolated and Arctic located on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles, another Arctic Warbler in East Yorkshire at Flamborough Head and in Norfolk Greenish Warblers at both Blakeney Point and Burnham Overy Dunes.

The best of the rest comprised Pallid Harrier (Cheshire), Melodious Warbler (Pembrokeshire), White-winged Black Tern (Essex), Red-necked Phalarope (East Yorkshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lothian), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Sabine's Gull (Lincolnshire), Ring-necked Duck (Aberdeenshire), American Golden Plover and Rose-coloured Starling (both Argyll), two each of Ortolan Bunting, Red-backed Shrike and Cory's Shearwater, three each of Icterine Warbler, Long-tailed Skua, Spotted Crake and Dotterel, four each of both Barred Warbler and Common Rosefinch, and five each of Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Great Shearwater, 11 Wrynecks and a total of 97 Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 4th September 2018  
  The highlights of the day were a Pallid Harrier new in Cheshire at Parkgate Marsh and a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Long-billed Dowitcher still in Lincolnshire, a King Eider in Highland, Ferruginous Duck in Essex and single Citrine Wagtails in each of Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.

Scarcities included Red-breasted Flycatcher (Cornwall), Golden Oriole (Devon), Temminck's Stint (Hampshire), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lothian), Icterine Warbler and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (both Orkney Isles), two each of Rose-coloured Starling, Red-backed Shrike, Great Shearwater and Sabine's Gulls, three each of Ortolan Bunting and Red-necked Phalarope, four Long-tailed Skuas, five Spotted Crakes, six Common Rosefinches, seven Wrynecks, nine Barred Warblers and a total of 25 Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Monday 3rd September 2018  
  The highlight of day was a Pallid Harrier in Suffolk briefly at Wherstead whilst lingering rarities included Snowy Owl still on the Western Isles, Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher together in Lincolnshire, Ferruginous Duck in Essex and Marbled Duck in Worcestershire.

On the Isles of Scilly Tawny Pipit, Citrine Wagtail and Hoopoe were all logged on St Mary's whilst on the Shetland Isles around island totals were Hooded Merganser, both Melodious and Icterine Warbler, two each of Arctic and Barred Warbler and eight Common Rosefinches.

Elsewhere scarcities included Common Rosefinch (Fife), Red-backed Shrike (London), Purple Heron (Suffolk), Dotterel (Cornwall), two each of Temminck's Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper and Glossy Ibis, three of Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ortolan Bunting, Rose-coloured Starling, Red-necked Phalarope, Great Shearwater and Sabine's Gull, and five of Barred Warbler, Wryneck and Spotted Crake.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Sunday 2nd September 2018  
  Two Citrine Wagtails were discovered today, in Norfolk and Isles of Scilly, whilst the Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire), Hooded Merganser, Greenish Warbler and Arctic Warbler (Shetland), Snowy Owl (Western Isles), Greenish Warbler (Northumberland), Ferruginous Duck (Essex) and Forster's Tern (Co Louth) all lingered.

The best of the rest included American Golden Plover (Argyll), Pectoral Sandpiper (Lothian), Purple Heron (Essex), Dotterel (Kent), Hoopoe (Glamorgan), Corncrake (Cornwall), Rose-coloured Starling (Devon), two Temminck's Stints, Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Red-backed Shrikes, three Melodious Warblers and Red-necked Phalaropes, five Barred Warblers, six Spotted Crakes and Common Rosefinches, eight Ortolan Buntings and 13 Wrynecks.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Saturday 1st September 2018  
  New discoveries today included a Greenish Warbler at East Chevington, Northumberland, a Red-rumped Swallow at Church Stretton, Shropshire and a Wilson's Petrel at sea off County Cork from a pelagic trip.

Lingering rarities included the Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire, Arctic Warbler and Greenish Warbler in Shetland and Ferruginous Duck in Essex.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Marsh Warbler, a Golden Oriole, a Hoopoe, a Lapland Bunting, three Rose-coloured Starlings, four Ortolan Buntings, four Red-backed Shrikes, five Barred Warblers, six Common Rosefinches, nine Wrynecks, a Dotterel, a Temminck's Stint, an American Golden Plover, two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Red-necked Phalaropes, two Glaucous Gulls, two Ring-necked Ducks, a Montagu's Harrier, four Honey Buzzards, four Spotted Crakes, a White Stork, two Purple Herons, three Glossy Ibises and 18 Cattle Egrets. Seawatching and pelagic trips also produced 6 Great Shearwaters, 15 Balearic Shearwaters, two Pomarine Skuas and nine Leach's Petrels.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Friday 31st August 2018  
  New discoveries included Booted, Arctic and Greenish Warblers and a Citrine Wagtail on Shetland, Franklin's Gull on Western Isles, Red-rumped Swallow on Isles of Scilly, Citrine Wagtail and a flyby dowitcher species in East Yorkshire, Tawny Pipit in Devon and a flyover Terek Sandpiper in Kent.

Lingering rarities comprised Bonaparte's Gull (Co Sligo), Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher (Lincolnshire) and Hooded Merganser (Shetland).

Scarcity sightings included two Temminck's Stints, Dotterel and Red-backed Shrikes, three Purple Herons, Red-necked Phalaropes and Spotted Crakes, four Icterine Warblers, at least four Ortolan Buntings, six Common Rosefinches, 13 Wrynecks and 15 Barred Warblers.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA
Thursday 30th August 2018  
  A Booted or Sykes's Warbler was discovered at Porthgwarra, Cornwall, as was a Tawny Pipit at Landguard, Suffolk and a Bonaparte's Gull at Dunmoran, County Sligo.

Lingering rarities included the Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire, American Black Tern in Kent, Hooded Merganser in Shetland and Black Duck in Highland.

Scarcity highlights included a Red-backed Shrike, a Rose-coloured Starling, three Icterine Warblers, five Barred Warblers, four Common Rosefinches, eight Wrynecks, three Spotted Crakes, a Red-necked Phalarope, three Glossy Ibises, a Dotterel, a Honey Buzzard, a Glaucous Gull, a Ring-necked Duck, two Surf Scoters and 42 Cattle Egrets. Seawatching and pelagic trips produced a Cory's Shearwater, three Great Shearwaters, two Sabine's Gulls and three Pomarine Skuas.
-  Will Soar, RBA