The rarest bird fortunately stayed behind - a juvenile Wood Sandpiper and the area's second record. It remained till mid-afternoon at least and showed well for long periods at the southern-end of Eakring Flash.

Other birds through today included Common Buzzard south and two Yellow Wagtails.

Also there were numerous warblers including a Reed Warbler (still a difficult species to catch up with here) single Spotted Flycatcher along the old hedge, four Yellow Wagtails flew south and south-east with two Tree Pipits south-west and a Hobby was hunting hirundines over Eakring village again.

In the Red Hill area, a Whinchat was the year's first and the year list stands at 125 after this morning - a total which already surpasses that achieved last year.

Two Swift flew north, a Tree Pipit went south and four Yellow Wagtails were over different sites around the area. A Lapwing flock at Eakring Field Farm totalled 102 birds, with 14 Tree Sparrows at Eakring Meadows.

Any Skua species was always likely here at some time. The fact that Arctic Skua represented not only a new species for the area, but finally ended a 13 year wait to add the species to my Nottinghamshire list - made the sighting even more special. The bird was low throughout its brief fly-over of Eakring Flash, initially coming in from the south-west over Eakring village, then slowly continuing to fly north-east. It's timing coincided nicely with the imminent clearance of overnight cloud.

Two Hobby were hunting a swift (one of three this morning) high over Eakring Flash, a Common Buzzard was in the Hare Hill Wood/Parkhill Plantation area and for a time in the company of a female Marsh Harrier.

Representing the second record for August and the third since late July, the Marsh Harrier spent much of it's time quartering fields in the Eakring Field Farm area, before eventually drifting off high north.

Three Redstarts were in the Hawthorns and along the hedge which runs the length of The Beck at Penny Pasture Common, Eakring Meadows and four Egyptian Geese went south-east through Eakring Flash.

Two Hobby were also at Eakring Meadows briefly, with three Common Buzzards over nearby Park Farm and Hare Hill Wood. A total of six Yellow Wagtail at sites around the area and a single Turtle Dove through south-west.

A record count of 34 Mistle Thrush were in the Eakring Flash area this morning, with a flock of Linnets in the Eakring Field Farm/Parkhill Plantation area numbering at least 250.

Other birds in the area today included a record single count of Turtle Dove (10 together at Eakring Field Farm) with the long-staying male Redstart still across the road at Eakring Meadows. A range of commoner warblers were at most sites today and the first real return hirundine passage of the Autumn, consisted of 104 House Martin east, with smaller numbers of Swallows south and south-east. 17 Meadow Pipits also went south-east, along with four Yellow Wagtails.