Although the last month has hardly provided much in the way of competition today certainly qualified as the best day of the season to date. Quality came in the form of a Hoopoe that showed up at the Bill and a Honey Buzzard over Verne Common, whilst the hot, muggy conditions that eventually culminated in showery rain and a few rumbles of thunder during the afternoon saw 120 Willow Warblers, 100 Wheatears, 48 Tree Pipits, 26 Yellow Wagtails and 20 Sedge Warblers make up the bulk of the common migrant tally on the ground at the Bill. Less frequent migrants included 5 Reed Warblers, 3 Redstarts and singles of Redshank,Yellow-legged Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Pied Flycatcher at the Bill, another Pied Flycatcher at Blacknor and 7 Mute Swans and 2 Knot at Ferrybridge, whilst 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a Sooty Shearwater through on the sea at the Bill were also of note.
Overnight moth-trapping came up with immigrants at the Obs that included 134 Rusty-dot Pearl, 23 Rush Veneer, 6 Silver Y, 4 Vagrant Piercer Cydia amplana, 3 Dark Sword Grass and a Small Mottled Willow; 2 Small Mottled Willow, a Vagrant Piercer and a Vestal were amongst the catch at Sweethill.
Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher and Yellow Wagtail - Ferrybridge and Southwell, 23rd/24th August 2016 © Pete Saunders (Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher and Sanderling) and Debby Saunders (Ringed Plover and Yellow Wagtail)