Saturday 8th July 2006
	Finally, after days of secrecy and rumours, the details of the exact location of the Pine Grosbeak in Essex were in the public domain. However, after putting in a brief early morning appearance at the site east of Chipping Ongar, it disappeared for the rest of the day, following a bizarrely similar pattern to the last Pine Grosbeak to occur in Britain; news was slow to leak out, and virtually as soon as it did, the bird vanished! The outstanding find of the day was a cracking Lesser Grey Shrike at Shingle Street, Suffolk, which showed well around tennis courts. Another class find was a Long-billed Dowitcher at Goldcliff Pools Nature Reserve, Gwent, but the bird was only on view for fifteen minutes early afternoon. In Dorset, the colour-ringed Great White Egret seen earlier in the week in neighbouring Hampshire was located at Sturminster Marshall Gravel Pits. The adult Semipalmated Sandpiper remained at Back Saltholme Pool, Cleveland and in Scotland the eclipse drake King Eider was still in Ayrshire and the Great Reed Warbler continued to sing in Angus. Yesterday evening's Black Stork however, was nowhere to be seen at dawn, but the Common Rosefinch was still at Newmachar, Aberdeenshire, and the adult Rose-coloured Starling remained on Harris, Western Isles.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA