Thursday 24th August 2006
	Bird of the day honour goes to the juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper found on the dropping tide at Port Carlisle (Cumbria) during the late afternoon. This bird represents just the second record for the county following one at Bowness-on-Solway in May 1995. In Co. Dublin an orange-billed tern species (the size of a Sandwich Tern with a white rump) flew north past Skerries but could not be relocated. In Aberdeenshire there was no sign of the adult Franklin's Gull on the Ythan Estuary and the Lancashire White Pelican did a bunk upriver and was not relocated. Some decent seawatching was had off various western headlands, while back on the wader front a new Temminck's Stint was found at Titchwell (Norfolk), two new Pectoral Sandpipers were found; at Siblyback Reservoir (Cornwall) and Belvide Reservoir (Staffs); the Long-billed Dowitcher re-appeared at the Shannon Airport Lagoon (Co. Clare) and the juvenile Kentish Plover remained at Ynyslas (Ceredigion). Otherwise it was a fairly quiet day with the best of the rest involving a total of 3 Spotted Crakes at Marazion Marsh (Cornwall) uncovered during RSPB management work, 6 new Dotterel at Reculver (Kent) and an Icterine Warbler reported from Walney Island (Cumbria).
-  Richard Moores, RBA