red-flanked bluetail is no longer officially rare!

Now, I don't know about you, but for me Red-flanked Bluetails still maintain their almost mythical status in the UK and never cease to be a heart-stopper whenever I'm fortunate enough to see one but in the eyes of the British Birds Rarities Committee, they're no longer rare enough to warrant their assessment and so have been dropped from their rarities list, effective for records from 1st January 2017. And bluetails aren't alone either, with the following changes:

Removed from the BBRC list- Black-winged Stilt, Red-flanked Bluetail 

Reinstated to the BBRC list- Ferruginous Duck

Ferruginous Duck is in decline internationally and BBRC needs to ensure provenance of birds with regards to their increasing conservation concern. As for the stilt and bluetail, their increasing numbers in recent years has been plain to see and I can now look forward to the County Rarities Committee's first submission of either of them and hope that it is bird which is enjoyed my many observers!