Sunday 20th January 2013
	A new Forster's Tern (a first-winter) at Lady's Island Lake, County Wexford was an excellent find, but was a frustrating near miss for British birders. The last twitchable English record was back in 2002, the 11-day stayer on the Hayle Estuary, Cornwall, with one a few weeks later in Argyll for 4 days in early 2003. All of the other 18 British records occurred between 1980 and 2001, which makes the current 9-year drought all the more bewildering. A White-billed Diver in South Nesting Bay, Shetland was a more standard new discovery, whilst lingering rarities include both American Buff-bellied Pipits in Berkshire, Black-bellied Dipper in Thetford, Norfolk, Desert Wheatear at Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire, Western Subalpine Warbler in St Just, Cornwall, Northern Harrier at Tacumshin, County Wexford, Long-billed Dowitcher on the Gann Estuary and Glossy Ibis at Marloes Mere, both Pembrokeshire, another Long-billed Dowitcher at Lady's Island Lake, County Wexford, Lesser Yellowlegs near Plymouth, Devon, Bonaparte's Gull on the Ogmore Estuary, Glamorgan and single Lesser Scaups in Cornwall and Somerset.
-  Will Soar, RBA