23rd April

Another deathly quiet day as far as land-based migrants were concerned and the sea, once again, rescued what would have been a pretty dismal 24 hours. The biggest news of the day in terms of island rarities came from the revelation that the Moorhen that has been hauled up in Culverwell for some time now has found itself a pair! Other highlights as far as the land went at the Bill were restricted to the lingering pair of Tree Sparrows, lone Little Egret up the West Cliffs, 8 Yellow Wagtails, a Sedge Warbler and single figures of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Wheatear. Elsewhere a Merlin passed through at Chesil and a singing Lesser Whitethroat was at Suckthumb Quarry. The sea was more rewarding with 2 Pomarine Skuas, 11 Arctic Skuas, a lone Great Skua, 211 Bar-tailed Godwits and three Arctic Terns off the Bill and 380 Bar-tailed Godwits, 33 Whimbrel, an Arctic Skua and a Great Skua off Chesil.

Belated bird news of note concerned a Kingfisher seen yesterday at the Bill.

In non-avian news, the first Broad-bodied Chaser of the year emerged from the Obs pond (they have been threatening to do so for a week now); the first Large Red Damselflies of the year were on the wing there yesterday.

A hint of immigrant moth activity getting going came in the form of 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, a Diamond-back Moth and a Silver Y trapped overnight at the Obs and another Diamond-back Moth trapped at Weston.

A slow-mo clip of one of this morning's Pom Skuas passing the Bill...


...and a look-alike, breast-banded Arctic Skua from the same seawatch © Martin Cade:


The long, long staying Short-eared Owls at the Bill have become such old news these days that many birders don't even bother to mention them to us any more; however, some of them are still about - we jammed into this one settled beside the Bill Road this evening © Martin Cade: