5th April

Miserably wet again today although with a fresh easterly blowing there was a welcome surge of passage on the sea. Both Chesil and the Bill were well-watched before the rain became too heavy, with the former returning totals that included 240 Common Scoter, 98 Sandwich Terns, 57 Kittiwakes, 18 Common Terns, 9 Red-throated Divers, 5 Arctic Skuas, a Black-throated Diver and a Great Skua; for the most part the Bill totals were a little lower - save for there being 6 Arctic Skuas and 4 Great Skuas - although 8 Puffins were an unexpected addition there. Limited coverage of the land turned up the first Common Sandpiper of the spring at Billy Winters, a Ring Ouzel at Barleycrates Lane and singles of Redstart and Black Redstart at the Bill.

Common Sandpipers are notoriously tricky to get a really decent look at on the island so a nice close fly-by at Billy Winters afforded an opportunity not to be missed © Pete Saunders:



Horrible light and great distance hampered opportunities with the day's passage seabirds, with the Chesil providing just token records of an Arctic Skua and one of the scoter flocks © Joe Stockwell:



At the Bill it was routine fare that put on the best show, although a Mediterranean Gull did manage to sneak into one of the Gannet photos © Steve Gantlett cleybirds: