14th April

Quieter all round today although the Suckthumb Hoopoe continued to draw in a steady stream of visitors. Despite seemingly decent conditions grounded arrivals were only thinly spread, with 3 Redstarts and a Sedge Warbler about all that could be mustered amongst the scatter of phylloscs, Blackcaps and Whitethroats at the Bill (...and where are all the Wheatears? - today's total of just 6 there was very much in keeping with the dismal numbers logged not only this week but for most of the spring). Visible passage accounted for a lot more numbers-wise but fizzled out during the afternoon as heavy cloud rolled in across the Channel ahead of the onset of rain; Swallows at around 200 per hour topped a list of typical mid-April fare. Sea passage was again ticking along at a low level, with 15 Whimbrel, 4 Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Skuas and 2 Little Gulls the best off the Bill and 6 Whimbrel, 3 Great Skuas, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Little Gull the pick off Chesil; 2 Great Northern Divers and a Black-throated Diver were still in Portland Harbour and 4 Mute Swans and a Whimbrel were at Ferrybridge.



Whimbrel and Mute Swans - Ferrybridge, 14th April 2016 © Pete Saunders

...and we expect the Weymouth/Fleet swan ringers will be able to give us some history on one of the Mute Swans:


And back to yesterday: last evening we only had access to the one photo of the Subalpine Warbler but Anthony Bentley has kindly passed us a couple more that show how this quite raggedy-plumaged individual was relatively easily aged as a first-summer:



...and visitors enjoying close looks at the Subalp under an appropriately Mediterranean-like blue sky:


Finally, Anthony also passed us a nice little video clip from this evening of the Suckthumb Hoopoe: