Monday 17th April 2006
	The highlights of the day were the discovery of an American Golden Plover at Cemlyn, Anglesey, a brief Laughing Gull at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset in the morning and a Bonaparte’s Gull at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire in the evening. A Blue-winged Teal that arrived at St Mary’s Island, Northumberland was presumably the bird present recently at Filey, North Yorkshire. Today the bird showed well and was seen to be bear a metal ring on it’s right leg; although – unless read - this has little bearing on the perceived provenance of this bird. Alpine Swifts remained in Berkshire, Co Cork, Co Wicklow (3), Devon (2) and Wirral with a further bird at St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Kent briefly. The Black-winged Stilt remained on The Lizard, Cornwall as did the Franklin’s Gull at Northam Burrows, Devon and the Hooded Merganser on Unst, Shetland. The popular Western Subalpine Warbler at Stanpit Marsh, Dorset continued to perform and was briefly joined by an Ashy-headed Wagtail.
-  Chris Batty, RBA