Thursday 19th October 2006
	Ireland proved the place to be yet again today when news of Britain and Ireland's 9th Hermit Thrush on Cape Clear broke mid-afternoon. The last occurred as long ago as 1998 when one was on Galley Head. The bird joins the Baltimore Oriole, 2 Red-backed Shrikes and 2 Ring-billed Gulls on the island, making something of an all-star cast. Elsewhere in Ireland the Mizen Head and Crookhaven area scored well with an impressive 4 Red-breasted Flycatchers and 5 Yellow-browed Warblers and the Daurian Shrike was rediscovered at the Old Head of Kinsale. Elsewhere the theme of the day appeared to be a fairly large clear out. However, the Roller, Red-breasted Geese, Whiskered Tern, and Red-flanked Bluetail remained, but the Two-barred Greenish Warbler and most of the scarce migrants seemed to have moved on. New birds in general seemed thin on the ground with only two Pallas's Warblers (in Scilly and Kent), a Green-winged Teal in Northumberland and an Arctic Redpoll on Shetland discovered along with a handful of Yellow-browed Warblers. Scilly continues a reasonable run of form with an Aquatic Warbler and Siberian Stonechat discovered today and the Red-eyed Vireo, American Robin and Radde's Warbler remained, whilst the Booted or Sykes Warbler continued cause headaches.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA