Wednesday 27th May 2009
	East Yorkshire provided the best of today's new birds, in the form of a brief Great Reed Warbler at Patrington Haven and a Bee-eater at Spurn, then later at Easington. In Kent a couple of Black Kites flew over Sandwich Bay and a Great White Egret visited Swale NNR. In Northamptonshire a Cattle Egret arrived at Summer Leys NR. In Cambridgeshire the Squacco Heron remained at Wicken Fen NT and in Devon the Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper lingered at Dawlish Warren NNR. Other lingering rarities included Pallid Swift in Merseyside, Laughing Gull, Lesser Scaup and Wood Duck in Shetland, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset and Whiskered Tern in West Yorkshire. Scarcities included a Red-necked Phalarope in Staffordshire, American Wigeon in Perth & Kinross, Spotted Crake in Dorset and Ring-necked Duck on Western Isles.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA