Monday 30th October 2017
	Orkney provided the highlights today with a juvenile Ivory Gull and four White-billed Divers recorded at Mull Head, Papa Westray, and two unidentified Fea's/Desertas/Zino's Petrels passing North Ronaldsay. Discoveries elsewhere included a Radde's Warbler in County Clare at Loop Head and a Bee-eater at Whitburn, County Durham. Other rarities comprised the Rock Thrush still in Gwent, Pallid Harrier still in County Cork, Olive-backed Pipit on the Isles of Scilly, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll on the Shetland Isles, Lesser Scaup in Hampshire, Lesser Yellowlegs in both Dorset and County Wexford, Long-billed Dowitcher in Lincolnshire and County Wexford (2), and single White-rumped Sandpipers in East Yorkshire, County Cork, Cornwall and County Wexford. Scarcities included Pallas's Warbler (Norfolk), Serin and Rose-coloured Starling (Cornwall), Short-toed Lark and Wryneck (County Cork), American Wigeon (Worcestershire), Black-bellied Dipper (East Yorkshire), two each of Red-breasted Flycatcher, Richard's Pipit and Lesser Snow Goose, three of both Surf Scoter and Ring-necked Duck and a total of five American Golden Plovers.
-  Chris Batty, RBA