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 8th April 2020  
  Rarities today comprised the Lesser Kestrel still on the Isles of Scilly, the West Siberian Stonechat still in Cheshire, a White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles, and single Black Kites seen briefly in Hampshire, Kent and Norfolk.

Scarcities included seven Hoopoes (Ayrshire, Cornwall (3), Norfolk. East Sussex and County Waterford), Shorelark (East Yorkshire), Purple Heron and Glossy Ibis (Lancashire), two Surf Scoters (London), two Glaucous Gulls, and three Iceland Gulls.

Incoming spring migrants included 33 Ring Ouzels, three Garganey, two Wood Warbler, Swift (Gwent), and Whinchat (Dorset).
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Tuesday 7th April 2020  
 

A Laughing Gull was found at an undisclosed site on the Dorset/Devon boundary. The Lesser Kestrel in Scilly, White-winged Scoter in Lothian and West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire all remained.

Scarcities included two Purple Herons, two Rough-legged Buzzards, Dotterel and Surf Scoter.

Spring migrants included four Cuckoos and a continued arrival of Pied Flycatchers, Nightingales, Redstarts, Yellow Wagtails, Ospreys, Garganey, Tree Pipits, Ring Ouzels, Reed, Sedge, Garden and Grasshopper Warblers.
-  David Campbell, RBA
Monday 6th April 2020  
  New discoveries today included a Red-rumped Swallow south past Scarborough, Filey and Spurn, all Yorkshire, an Alpine Swift at Howth Head, County Dublin and a Blue-winged Teal at Exminster Marshes RSPB, Devon.

The Lesser Kestrel lingered in Scilly, as did a White-billed Diver in Orkney.

Scarcity highlights included a Wryneck, two Serins, three Lapland Buntings, four Hoopoes, four Shorelarks, 38 Waxwings, a Glossy Ibis, a Ring-necked Duck, a Surf Scoter, a Black Brant, three Iceland Gulls and four Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Sunday 5th April 2020  
  Discoveries today included an Alpine Swift in Dorset at Leigh, Red-rumped Swallow in Hampshire at Titchfield Haven, and a Red-footed Falcon reported in Cornwall at Sancreed. Rarities elsewhere comprised the Lesser Kestrel still on the Isles of Scilly and the West Siberian Stonechat still in Cheshire.

Scarcities included three Hoopoes (Cornwall, Devon, and Scilly), two each of both Rough-legged Buzzard (Buckinghamshire and Essex) and Shorelark (Norfolk), American Wigeon and Lapland Bunting (Suffolk), Spotted Crake (Merseyside), Ring-necked Duck (Bedfordshire), Dotterel (County Kerry), Surf Scoter (Lothian), and Grey Phalarope (Lincolnshire).

Incoming spring migrants included Garden Warbler (Oxfordshire), Grasshopper Warbler (Scilly), Nightingale (Suffolk), two each of Redstart, Cuckoo and Hobby, three Swift, four each of Garganey and Tree Pipit, six Little Terns, 10 Yellow Wagtails, 12 White Wagtails, and 42 Ring Ouzels.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Saturday 4th April 2020  
 

The Lesser Kestrel was still in Scilly and the West Siberian Stonechat remained in Cheshire. A White-billed Diver was off Papa Westray in Orkney.

Scarcities included three Hoopoes, two Serins, two Green-winged Teal, Great Grey Shrike (Bedfordshire), Ring-necked Duck, Surf Scoter, two Glossy Ibises (Western Isles).

Spring migrants included two Tree Pipits, two Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, a few Yellow Wagtails and a good number of Ring Ouzels and Ospreys.
-  David Campbell, RBA
Friday 3rd April 2020  
  Significant news from yesterday concerned a Short-toed Treecreeper at Dungeness, Kent.

Lingering rarities still present today included the Lesser Kestrel in Scilly, American Herring Gull in Cornwall and Ferruginous Duck in West Midlands.

Scarcity highlights included a Ring-necked Duck, four Iceland Gulls and 67 Waxwings.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Thursday 2nd April 2020  
  New rarities discovered today comprised an American Herring Gull in Cornwall at Penzance, and an Iberian Chiffchaff singing in Dorset at Christchurch.

Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Lesser Kestrel on the Isles of Scilly and the Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire.

Scarcities included Ring-necked Duck (Bedfordshire), White-tailed Eagle (Cambridgeshire), Lapland Bunting (Highland), Glaucous Gull (Argyll), and Iceland Gull (Highland and Northumberland).

Incoming spring migrants included three Garganey, four Ring Ouzels, and a total of 24 Ospreys recorded on passage.
-  Chris Batty, RBA
Wednesday 1st April 2020  
 

Continuing rarities included Lesser Kestrel in Scilly, West Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire and Ferruginous Duck in West Midlands.

Among the scarcities were two Black Brants (East Yorkshire), Ring-necked Duck (Bedfordshire), six Shorelarks (East Yorkshire) and five Waxwings.

Summer migrants included three Sedge Warblers.
-  David Campbell, RBA
Tuesday 31st March 2020  
  Lingering rarities seen today included the Lesser Kestrel in Scilly, Black-throated Thrush in Lincolnshire and Siberian Stonechat in Cheshire.

Scarcity highlights included four Shorelarks, a Purple Heron, a Surf Scoter, a Green-winged Teal, a Ring-necked Duck, a Black Brant, four Iceland Gulls and five Glaucous Gulls.
-  Will Soar, RBA
Monday 30th March 2020  
  The highlight of the day was the arrival of a male Bufflehead in West Yorkshire at Swillington Ings, whilst on Anglesey a male Blue-winged Teal was discovered.

On the Isles of Scilly the Lesser Kestrel remained with a Hoopoe also noted there whilst scarcities elsewhere comprised Purple Heron (Norfolk), Surf Scoter and Lapland Bunting (Highland), Green-winged Teal and Glaucous Gull (Western Isles), two Iceland Gulls, and three Shorelarks (all together in East Yorkshire).

Reports of incoming spring migrants included nine Ospreys, five Garganey, three each of Ring Ouzel, Sedge Warbler and Swallow, two of White Wagtail and Willow Warbler, Redstart and Cuckoo (Hampshire), and Yellow Wagtail (Dorset).
-  Chris Batty, RBA