[Jane Turner]

For my local patch on Merseyside this is easy, there are three candidates.

1. In the late 60's John Raines (no mean birder since he was on the BBRC a few years later) found a large greeny/grey flycatcher with two wing bars and no eye ring. He got very good views of it but was the only observer. I believe, though some of this may be mythology, that the BBRC were on the edge of accepting it as Eastern Wood Pewee but decided that it was not possible to rule out Western WP, as would be required for a 1st for Britain and in any case it was likely to be a ship assist. Of course the area has subsequently acquired quite a heritage of American passerine/near passerine records. Ovenbird (wing) Nighthawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Dark-eyed Junco, and all the stuff at Seaforth!

2. In October 1992, the day after I was released from hospital, and complete with 24 stables in my abdomen, I was taken out for a recouperative birding (sat in the car). Driving back up the road a largish greeny passerine with yellow highlighter pen underpart flew right in front of the car, with dashing undulating flight. My first though was a Northern Oriole. I lurched out of the car...holding my stiches and got one view of the bird.... looking vaguely like a big lanky greenfinch (minus the wind and tail markings) with a long pale bill, before it flicked off into the rear garden of Collins, the publishers house. Over the next 4 days, three different birders got good enough views to confirm that it was a Tanager, but not enough to say which one for absolute sure....it looked like a Scarlet to me! We didn't submit it.


3. And finally, when I was a kid, a plover with white underparts and a wing pattern like a sabines gull came in off the sea and flew over my (and 5 other more experienced birder's) heads. We saw enough to say it was shaped like a lanky lapwing, had no markings on the underside or tail, but none of us could say it had trailing legs. This was because it was flying away gaining height and into the sun by the time any serious optics were brought to into action. We were contacted by a member of the rarities committee to congratulate us on getting a first for britain, since he had just voted to accept it and it ws now 8-0 in favour. Unfortunately the last two disagreed, saying the legs needed to be seen and in any case a flight view only of a UK first was not really on). Of course if it had waited two years, White-tailed plover would be on the British list and it would have been easier.

[Brian Stone]

The one that seems to be eluding our local patch in Peterborough is Ring-billed Gull. There have been three near misses to my knowledge. I didn't see any of them. One was ambiguous (essentially a Common Gull with a pale iris - more details here http://pbc.codehog.co.uk/news/crowla...wland_gull.htm), one wasn't submitted and one was almost certainly OK but the description didn't satisfy the county RC.

We also have no Bee-eater records, although there are some tales. We do have one accepted Blue-cheeked Bee-eater record 'though!

There is a contentious Lesser Grey Shrike record that needs to be examined but the photos have not yet surfaced.

[cjay]

Great Black headed Gull (Adult Summer) on my old patch at Benacre Broad Suffolk Summer 1987. Flew over Broad circled once & flew out never to be seen again.

The Warden saw it as well & we both exclaimed Great Black headed Gull?

CJ

[Jane Turner]

Ouch!