Thursday 30th September 2010
	Today the Shetland Isles stole the show with, on Mainland, River Warbler, American Buff-bellied Pipit, Arctic Warbler and Rustic Bunting and, on off-islands, Paddyfield Warbler, Little Bunting and Ortolan Bunting (Foula), Red-flanked Bluetail (Whalsay), American Buff-bellied Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll and Little Bunting (Fair Isle), Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll (Unst) and Little Bunting (Out Skerries), supported by 187 Lapland Buntings, 31 Yellow-browed Warblers, 10 Common Rosefinches, nine Red-breasted Flycatchers, seven Barred Warblers, five Bluethroats, four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, three Great Grey Shrike and single Short-toed Lark, Richard's Pipit, Corncrake and Greenland Redpoll. Meanwhile, on the Scilly Isles the Spotted Sandpiper remained with single Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Wryneck, Yellow-browed Warbler and Spoonbill. Elsewhere, new discoveries included Red-flanked Bluetail in Suffolk at Pakefield, Blyth's Reed Warbler in Aberdeenshire at Foveran, Long-billed Dowitcher in Cornwall at Colliford Lake, Red-footed Falcon in London over Rainham Marshes, Little Bunting in East Yorkshire at Buckton, Red-throated Pipit in County Kerry at Dunquin and, on the Orkney Isles, Blyth's Reed Warbler on North Ronaldsay, Little Bunting on Mainland and Ortolan Bunting on South Ronaldsay. Lingering rarities comprised the Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll in Northumberland, Whiskered Tern in Glamorgan, King Eider in Suffolk, Spotted Sandpiper in Devon, Wilson's Phalarope and Lesser Yellowlegs together in County Wexford, Wilson's Phalarope in Gloucestershire, Lesser Scaup in Warwickshire, White-rumped Sandpipers in both County Kerry and Kent, three Ferruginous Ducks together in Somerset, and Ross's Geese in both Lothian (2) and Dumfries and Galloway.
-  Chris Batty, RBA