28th April

A day of quality over quantity with plenty of excitement. The morning started with the resighting and retrapping of Thursday's Melodious Warbler at Culverwell. This was shortly followed by a fly-by Laughing Gull reported from the Obs sea-watch whilst the rest of us were hunting down a mystery wader reported the previous evening. The afore mentioned wader gave itself up almost immediately as a beautiful 'sum-plum' Golden Plover. In quick succession a Hooded Crow was discovered in amongst the Carrion Crows at the Coastguards and promptly moved to the East Cliff fields. The final highlight of the day came from the alert of a Kentish Plover at Ferrybridge that disappeared at times but reappeared to give good views feeding amongst the Ringed Plovers, Bar-Tailed Godwits and Dunlin. The supporting cast across the island was not to be scoffed at with two Cuckoos, a fly-over Turtle Dove, a singing Wood Warbler at Church Ope Cove, a passing Swift and single figures of Garden Warblers, Tree Pipit and the common migrants. The mornings sea-watch was quiet with the exception of the highest Pomerine Skua count of the spring seeing seven birds passing by, including a flock of four.

Kentish Plover © Martin Cade:



Hooded Crow © Mike Lockyear (settled) Joe Stockwell (over the crops) and Martin Cade (flying past the lightouse):





Golden Plover © Mike Lockyear: