4th September
The new moon period, a clear night sky and murky low cloud not too far out in the Channel at dawn were just the ingredients required to fulfil a recipe for a migrant feast to end our recent relative famine - what was dished up was if not a banquet then certainly a tasty starter for the business end of autumn that looks to be unfolding. Four Wrynecks were constant crowd-pleasers at the Bill where a departing Honey Buzzard was another welcome sight; migrant-wise, 150 each of Wheatear and Willow Warbler saw to it that both the open country and patches of cover were very birdy, with the likes of 50 Yellow Wagtails, 25 Sedge Warblers, 10 Redstarts, 6 Tree Pipits, 5 Whinchats, 4 each of Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, 3 each of White Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler and singles of Merlin, Snipe, Purple Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl, Grasshopper Warbler and Chaffinch ensuring that the day list was padded as well as might be hoped in early September. For those able to tear themselves away from the land seawatching bolstered the list still further, with 103 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Wigeon, Great Skua and Arctic Skua logged through the morning. Elsewhere, Ferrybridge chipped in with singles of Osprey and Little Gull along with the usual wader variety.