Thursday 22nd October 2009
	Britain's first Eastern Crowned Warbler was discovered at Trow Quarry in South Shields (Co Durham) this afternoon. The bird was initially misidentified as a Yellow-browed Warbler and its true identity only came to light after Whitburn birder Mark Newsome noticed photos that had been posted on the internet. Eastern Crowned Warbler has long been predicted to make an autumn appearance in Britain - there have been four previous Western Palearctic records, most recently in The Netherlands in 2007. Elsewhere new rarities included Radde's Warblers in Suffolk, Angus and Northumberland, Dusky Warbler in Co Cork and Penduline Tit in Norfolk. Lingering rarities comprised Brown Shrike in Surrey, Lesser Scaup in Warwickshire, two Long-billed Dowitchers in Lancashire and four Glossy Ibises, four Cattle Egrets and eight Great White Egrets were logged. Five Pallas's Warblers arrived were located along the east coast.
-  Stuart Piner, RBA