An update for members regarding the use of the Obs car park. Earlier this week we posted that we'd hoped to be in a position to open our car park for day-visitors wishing to bird at the Bill from today; after further consideration the Obs trustees concluded that the legal requirement to close the Observatory (since it's in part an accommodation provider) applied to the whole site including the car park and that the latter should therefore remain closed until such time as the Observatory is permitted to reopen.
A peculiar day on the passerine front with cloud cover rolling in during the afternoon dropping a little flurry of new arrivals just as the day looked to be fizzling out as something of a non-event. Nothing of particular note was discovered but 20 Willow Warblers and 10 each of Blackcap and Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill bolstered what have been pretty grim migrant totals there so far this month; a handful of new Wheatears, together with singles of Hobby, Common Sandpiper, Tree Pipit and Yellow Wagtail also made the tally there, where 72 Common Scoter represented the best of it on the sea. A few waders at Ferrybridge included 9 Sanderling and a Redshank, whilst nearby a Great Northern Diver passed by at Chesil.
There was plenty of wader and Little Tern action at Ferrybridge today © Pete Saunders:
