8th August

The days to forget in a hurry have been mounting up with alarming frequency just lately (...not that it matters one jot when a random Stephens' Gem pops up in the midst of them!) and today with its wet start and later further rain breaks more than qualified to be quickly forgotten. With the westerly wind again gusting up towards gale force at times meaningful searching for passerines was out of the question and the only worthwhile reports from the Bill were of 3 Balearic Shearwaters through offshore and a Ringed Plover arriving in off the sea. Elsewhere, the wader tally at Ferrybridge included 75 Dunlin, 65 Ringed Plovers and 4 Sanderling.