Tuesday 16th May 2006
	Another (or the same?) Scops Owl on Shetland today; trapped on Fair Isle in the afternoon but not seen after release. Supporting cast on Fair Isle included Red-throated Pipit, Short-toed Lark, Bluethroat and Red-backed Shrike. In Co Durham a Black Stork - perhaps the bird seen recently in Scotland - flew over South Shields and nearby Whitburn early in the afternoon but was not relocated. In Suffolk a male Great Reed Warbler was discovered at Gunton, Suffolk where, atypically, it sang from a hawthorn bush. At Seaforth, Merseyside a female Baikal Teal was present for its third day. As ever, it is difficult to know how to treat a record of this species, and in this instance the true identity of the bird caused some debate.
-  Richard Moores, RBA