Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre: 12th May

The events of the foregoing weekend came quite out of the blue and today saw a return to the hiatus that might ordinarily be expected after a week of relentless westerlies. The thin spread of grounded migrants at the Bill/Southwell included 10 Willow Warblers, 8 Spotted Flycatchers, 4 Wheatears, 2 each of Redstart and Blackcap, and singles of White Wagtail, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler, with a few more of a similar variety elsewhere. A trickle more on the sea included 3 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Great Skuas and a single Great Northern Diver through off the Bill.