29th April

Yesterday's gathering warmth was maintained today although it remained as yet far from summery; the downsides were the clear overnight sky and increasingly large moon that saw to it that grounded migrants were present in respectable but hardly exciting numbers, and the increasing haziness offshore that made seawatching more of a challenge than it might otherwise have been. Considering the conditions, the migrant tally wasn't bad and included around the southern half of the island 75 Wheatears, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Ring Ouzels and singles of Turtle Dove, Black Redstart and Grasshopper Warbler along with the more routine arrivals. Overhead passage was more subdued than might have been hoped suggesting the conditions at points of departure weren't especially favourable. The sea ticked over all day, with the first Balearic Shearwater of the year of note off the Bill where 5 Eider, 5 Arctic Skuas, 4 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver, a Great Skua and a Pomarine Skua also passed by.

The Turtle Dove at Weston Street showed nicely at times © Mark Eggleton...


...whilst the bonus Ring Ouzels in the same field included this nice male © Martin Cade: