Sunday 18th August 2024
	The highlight of the day was the return of the Hudsonian Godwit to Burton Mere Wetlands, Cheshire. Other Nearctic shorebirds today included the Baird's Sandpiper still in Lothian, Lesser Yellowlegs still in Northamptonshire, Semipalmated Sandpipers in Cornwall at Hayle Estuary and still in West Sussex, and White-rumped Sandpipers in County Kerry at Ventry, and still in both Moray and East Yorkshire. Other new rarities today included a Tawny Pipit in Kent that flew over Abbot's Cliff, and a Lesser Scaup in Staffordshire at Belvide Reservoir where it had first been glimped yesterday. Otherwise, lingering rarities confirmed as still present were the Stejneger's Scoter in Lothian, Canvasback in Essex, Lesser Grey Shrike on the Shetland Isles, Black Kite in County Wexford, Blue-winged Teal in East Yorkshire, Caspian Tern in West Yorkshire, Alpine Swift on the Western Isles, Black-winged Stilt in East Sussex, Bonaparte's Gull in Kent, and Ferruginous Duck in Buckinghamshire.
-  Chris Batty, RBA