Wednesday 18th May 2022
	The highlight of the day was a Masked Wagtail found at Easington, East Yorkshire in the evening; the second British record of this Central Asian subpsecies of White Wagtail. Rarities discovered elsewhere comprised a Pallid Swift briefly in Northumberland at Boulmer, a Gull-billed Tern in Lothian at Gosford Bay, a pair of Black-winged Stilts in Dorset at Abbotsbury Swannery, on the Shetland Isles a Pallid Harrier on Foula and a Blyth's Reed Warbler on Fair Isle, whilst other brief encounters were a Caspian Tern in Kent, Red-rumped Swallow in Northumberland, Bee-eater in East Yorkshire, and Black Kites in both Somerset and County Wicklow. Lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Black-browed Albatross in East Yorkshire, American Black Tern in Northumberland, Gull-billed Tern in County Cork, Great Reed Warbler in Norfolk, Subalpine Warbler species in Pembrokeshire, Bonaparte's Gull in Devon, Iberian Chiffchaff in London, Ferruginous Duck in North Yorkshire, and Black-winged Stilts in Norfolk (4) and South Yorkshire (2). Scarcities included Woodchat Shrike (Pembrokeshire), Icterine Warbler (Orkney Isles), Common Rosefinch (Norfolk), American Wigeon (County Londonderry), Montagu's Harrier (Cornwall), Red-necked Phalarope (Northumberland), Black Brant (East Yorkshire), Grey-headed Wagtail and Kumlien's Gull (Western Isles), two each of both Red-breasted Flycatcher and Green-winged Teal, three Pectoral Sandpipers, five of Bluethroat and Red-backed Shrike, eight Temminck's Stints, 10 Glossy Ibises, and a total of 11 Golden Orioles. Significant late news concerned a flock of around 12 Bee-eaters present yesterday in Leicestershire at Loughborough, and on Monday a Baikal Teal at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA