Tuesday 1st May 2007
	The continuing easterly winds no doubt contributed to a an exceptional number of new rarities today. Two Gull-billed Terns were seen at Landguard, Suffolk, where a Red-rumped Swallow also flew through later in the day. Other new spring overshoots included two new Black Kites in Cornwall and North Yorkshire a Bee-eater in Dorset and at least six different Hoopoes. American vagrants were also in on the act, with an excellent 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull found at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire and a Lesser Yellowlegs discovered near Braintree Essex, both fantastic inland finds. The now expected White-billed Divers numbers off the Northern and Western Isles were added to when two birds were seen off Lewis, Outer Hebrides and another was seen from Kirkabister, Shetland Mainland. Rarities still available from previous days included two remaining White-billed Divers on Shetland, the Iberian Chiffchaff in Norfolk, the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Lesser Yellowlegs in Herefordshire and Glossy Ibises at various locations. Local patch workers were well rewarded today too, with exceptional numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits across the region resulting in birds being were found at a host of inland sites. Coastal numbers were highest however, with 650 at Breydon Water, Norfolk and 3,000 past Dungeness, Kent being the best. Significant numbers of Arctic Terns were also seen in Lancashire, with over 2,000 flying past Heysham during the day.
-  Simon Mitchell, RBA