Tuesday 15th September 2009
	Rarities reported today comprised the Snowy Owl still in County Mayo, probable Black-headed Bunting in County Cork, Caspian Tern in County Louth, Long-billed Dowitcher in Fife, American Golden Plover in County Londonderry, Greenish Warbler and King Eider in Lincolnshire, Glossy Ibises in Cambridgeshire (7), Kent, Pembrokeshire, Suffolk, County Wexford (4), Baird's Sandpipers in Anglesey, Cornwall (2) and County Kerry, White-rumped Sandpipers in both County Dublin and Essex, Ferruginous Duck in Somerset, Hooded Merganser in Cleveland, Cattle Egret in Gloucestershire and single Great White Egrets in Lancashire, Oxfordshire and Somerset. Scarcities included 10 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, five Red-breasted Flycatchers, four each of Barred Warbler and Spotted Crake, three each of Pectoral Sandpiper and Lapland Bunting, two of Melodious Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-browed Warbler and single Woodchat Shrike (Cornwall), Ortolan Bunting (Cornwall), American Wigeon (Oxfordshire), Ring-necked Duck (County Mayo), Common Rosefinch (Northumberland), Icterine Warbler (County Cork), Richard's Pipit (Cornwall), Golden Oriole (Shetland Isles) and Wryneck (London). Seawatchers in the North Sea logged four Great, three Cory's and five Balearic Shearwaters, seven Long-tailed and 31 Pomarine Skuas and five Leach's Petrels. Significant late news concerned the female Blackburnian Warbler still present on St Kilda, Western Isles yesterday, and a Red-billed Tropicbird seen from a boat fifteen miles off Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork on 8th September.
-  Chris Batty, RBA