Tuesday 21st October 2008
	Today's highlights came from the Isles of Scilly where the first Red-flanked Bluetail for the archipelago was discovered on St Mary's, a Bobolink was found on St Agnes and two White-rumped Sandpipers arrived on Tresco. Other birds recorded around the islands today included single Grey-cheeked Thrush, Blyth's Reed Warbler and Olive-backed Pipit - all on St Agnes - along with totals of ten Yellow-browed Warblers, five Grey Phalaropes, two each of Little Bunting and Red-breasted Flycatcher and single Richard's Pipit and Pectoral Sandpiper. In County Cork a Black-browed Albatross flew past Mizen Head, an American Golden Plover was recorded at Clonakilty and a Glossy Ibis was found at Pilmore. Other single Glossy Ibises were seen briefly in London at Rainham Marshes and Staffordshire at Belvide Reservoir. Elsewhere, lingering rarities comprised the Baird's Sandpiper in Somerset, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on the Shetland Isles, White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles, Lesser Scaup in Clyde, King Eider in Devon, Cattle Egret in Pembrokeshire, Great White Egret in Suffolk, Hooded Merganser in Dorset and single Ferruginous Ducks in each of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Somerset.
-  Chris Batty, RBA