Saturday 24th June 2006
	Although in the middle of a traditionally quiet time of year, a couple of new rarities were still to be found. Best was a Great Reed Warbler at Far Ings Nature Reserve, on the Humber Estuary, in Lincolnshire. Also, a Black Kite flew over Anton Lakes, near Andover, Hampshire at 9.30am and a Bee-eater flew south over Easington in East Yorkshire in the early evening. In Somerset, a Woodchat Shrike was found at Lucott Cross in the middle of Exmoor, and in the Western Isles two different first summer Ring-billed Gulls could be found on Lewis. The boatload of intrepid birders in the North Atlantic scored their main prize of the summering Black-browed Albatross on Sula Sgeir, some 40 miles north of the Butt of Lewis in the Western Isles, which, together with yesterdays Bridled Tern, made this long round trip well worthwhile. Elsewhere, the Scops Owl remained at Thrupp in Oxfordshire, the Lesser Yellowlegs was still at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, the Bee-eater was still on Yell, Shetlands and the Great Reed Warbler remained in Angus. Common Scoters again featured on inland waters with flocks of up to 24 reported from various sites
-  Pete Hayman, RBA