Sunday 31st August 2008
	Newly discovered waders proved to be the highlight of the day, with a brief Pacific Golden Plover in East Yorkshire at Spurn, a Marsh Sandpiper in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh and a suspected Red-necked Stint in Cornwall; found on the Camel Estuary before being relocated at Davidstow Airfield. However, it is not clear if variant Little Stint was fully eliminated when the bird was initially identified. Lingering rarities comprised the Semipalmated Sandpiper in Devon, Baird's Sandpiper in Cambridgeshire, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles and the Great White Egret in Shropshire. Single White-winged Black Terns were discovered at both Dungeness, Kent and Seaforth, Merseyside - their arrival associated with the continued presence of at least 200 Black Terns in 22 counties across England and Wales. Scarce migrant passerines included ten Wrynecks (including one inland in Hampshire), four Red-backed Shrikes, four Ortolan Buntings (including, notably, one in Cumbria), single Rose-coloured Starlings in both Cornwall and Dorset, two Melodious Warblers in Cornwall and an Icterine Warbler in Norfolk.
-  Chris Batty, RBA