16th June

A day with the sort of cast that June ought to be coming up with. A Melodious Warbler singing in the Obs garden from shortly after dawn was welcome although proved to be extremely elusive and was only glimpsed before mid-morning when it went quiet; later in the day a Bee-eater showed up at Wakeham but that too proved to be less than obliging. Compared with recent days commoner migrants also staged something of a show, with 4 Spotted Flycatchers and singles of Curlew, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler all new at the Bill and another Willow Warbler fresh in at Southwell. Four Common Scoter and 3 Mediterranean Gulls passed though on the sea at the Bill.

The first Silver-studded Blue butterflies of the year were on the wing at Tout Quarry.



Silver-studded Blue and Linnet - Tout Quarry and Portland Bill, 16th June 2015 © Ken Dolbear (Silver-studded Blue) and Nick Hopper (Linnet)
 
...also thanks to Tony Hovell for a photo from last weekend of one of the many Broad-bodied Chasers on the Obs garden ponds:
 
 
For a little while this morning's Melodious Warbler was singing really nicely, even if it afforded no more than a glimpse then or later: