A rather too fine a dawn didn't bode well on the migrant front and it was quieter all round today. A small post-dawn rush of
Willow Warblers saw 120 pass quickly through at the Bill, with
Wheatears - that got to around 70 there - making up the bulk of the rest of the numbers. Although there were entries on the day-sheet for many of the other expected routine migrants their numbers were pretty insignificant and it was left to the likes of the 2 long-staying
Ring Ouzels at Barleycrates Lane to provide interest on the ground; rarity-wise, the singing
Serin showed up for a while again in Southwell. Visible passage was much reduced but did include a
Hobby through at Blacknor. The best of the sea variety came from Portland Harbour and Chesil: 55
Pale-bellied Brent Geese (together with 17
Dark-bellied Brents) dropped in at Portland Harbour and 35
Common Scoter, 37
Whimbrel, 21
Bar-tailed Godwits and an
Eider were amongst a customary mix of wildfowl and waders through off the latter; 113
Common Scoter, 100
Bar-tailed Godwits and 2
Arctic Skuas were the best of the bunch off the Bill.
In the absence of any so far this year at the Obs it's good to have had this nice Serin show up at Southwell © Pete Saunders:
Part of the raft of mixed Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied Brent Geese settled in Portland Harbour © Pete Saunders:
Judging by the appearance of many of the genetically-confirmed trapped individuals, Siberian Chiffchaffs seem to come in all manner of guises these days so this very drab chiffchaff at Southwell might well be one - unhelpfully it remained resolutely silent © Pete Saunders:
