16th March

The day's rather glorious unbroken sunshine wasn't at all conducive to dropping migrants in any quanity although there was a steady passage overhead. The less mentioned about the land the better: a Red-legged Partridge was an unexpected turn-up at the Bill (although it was actually first heard calling the day before yesterday), but the handful of migrants there included nothing better than a single Black Redstart; it was much busier overhead, with the first 3 Sand Martins of the spring mingled amongst the steady stream of incoming Meadow Pipits and alba wagtails. Seawatching at the Bill came up with singles of Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Brent Goose and Iceland Gull, and one of the Black Guillemots was again in Portland Harbour.