Monday 1st May 2017
	The highlight of the day was the continued presence of the Red-winged Blackbird on North Ronaldsay, Orkney Isles, whilst the territorial Pallid Harrier remained in Lancashire, as did the Eastern Subalpine Warbler in Dorset, Gull-billed Tern in County Cork, Squacco Heron in County Kerry, Little Bittern on the Isles of Scilly, Bonaparte's Gulls in Dorset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, Savi's Warblers in both Norfolk and Suffolk, Black-winged Stilts in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk (3), King Eider in Aberdeenshire and White-billed Diver on the Orkney Isles. Newly discovered rarities were in the main brief encounters with a Broad-billed Sandpiper on Anglesey at Llanfachraeth, a Subalpine Wabler on the Shetland Isles on Unst, a Red-rumped Swallow in Essex, a Black Kite in Kent and Red-footed Falcons in both East Sussex and Norfolk (2). Scarcities included Kentish Plover (Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire), American Golden Plover (Dumfries and Galloway), Purple Heron (Kent), Ring-billed Gull (County Kerry), Great Grey Shrike (Dorset), two each of Wryneck, Ring-necked Duck, Glossy Ibis and Green-winged Teal, three Lapland Buntings, four of both Night Heron and Temminck's Stint, five Hoopoes, 16 Dotterel, 22 Shorelarks and a total of 42 Cattle Egrets.
-  Chris Batty, RBA