A day of huge contrasts: a clear, quiet morning gave way to a far cloudier and increasing breezy afternoon before heavy rain swept in to comprehensively wash out the evening. The hours of darkness had been too clear to have expected much of an arrival of grounded migrants and no more than a light spread of Sedge and Willow Warblers was evident at the Bill; waders remained better represented, with 38 Dunlin, 29 Ringed Plovers, 19 Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel and a Redshank at Ferrybridge and 7 Sanderling, 4 Whimbrel and a Wood Sandpiper either overhead or settled at the Bill. It was busier overhead with some good gatherings of Swifts and Sand Martins showing up as the morning went on; 3 Little Egrets also arrived from the south at the Bill and 2 Yellow Wagtails were amongst the other miscellany overhead there. Common Scoters - 43 in total - made up nearly all the numbers passing through off the Bill where at least 7 Yellow-legged Gulls were also still offshore.
Aerial diurnal migrants are making up the bulk of the numbers right now, with Swifts, Sand Martins and Swallows either lingering overhead or departing out to sea in some quantity on all the suitable days during the last week:
Today's Little Egrets were moving in the opposite direction; they were first spotted as tiny specks several miles out to sea having presumably left France soon after dawn and it took a long time before they got close enough for their identity to be confirmed - they made a beeline for the Obs and eventually passed directly overhead © Martin Cade:
The second Wood Sandpiper in two days was another bird that flew right over the Obs although we were dopey enough not to have had a camera at hand at that moment:
