15th June

With the fresh breeze back into the east there was a certain degree of expectation which was eventually rewarded in the form of a Bee-eater over Weston towards midday; commoner migrants also featured, with a Turtle Dove at Southwell, 2 Reed Warblers and a Corn Bunting at the Bill, and a Chiffchaff and the same or another Corn Bunting at Weston. The only movement on the sea concerned what looked to be the beginnings of return passage of Common Scoter, with 46 - seemingly all drakes - west past the Bill; also of note seabird-wise, another overnight petrel-luring attempt at the Bill produced just a single Storm Petrel.

A fair-sized pod of Common Dolphins - estimated to be upwards of 50 - lingered distantly off the Bill for a good part of the morning.

The moth-traps were quieter than yesterday but immigrants continued to feature in fair numbers, with the first Convolvulus Hawk-moth of the year at the Obs a notable highlight; a total of 15 Bordered Straws were logged and an Orange Footman was a noteworthy disperser that made it to the Grove.







Turtle Dove, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, 'Wasp'-type Bee Orchid, Convolvulus Hawk-moth and Storm Petrel - Southwell and Portland Bill, 15th June 2015 © Nick Stantiford (Turtle Dove), Ken Dolbear (the butterflies and Wasp Orchid) and Martin Cade (Convolvulus Hawk and Storm Petrel)

Last night's Storm Petrel was a noisy little beggar in the hand:



And for no particular reason other than it was in the Obs garden for a good part of the day and often rather close here's one of today's Reed Warblers:



The monotony of the Reed contrasts nicely with the altogether more varied song of this Sedge Warbler at Culverwell last week: