The weather complexion changed again today as thundery showers rolled across the Channel and begun to make landfall as the morning wore on, prompting a right old miscellany of movement. A Wryneck that pitched up at Wallsend was very much on cue and was rather the exception as it had grounded, whereas the bulk of the day's other movement was overhead or over the sea, with notable reports that included 2 Ospreys leaving overhead over the Bill, 3 Golden Plovers and a Green Sandpiper over the Bill and 4 Greenshank through at Ferrybridge amongst lots of wader variety, the season's first 2 Wigeon and single Great Northern Diver through off the Bill and a minimum of 200 Balearic Shearwaters a constant presence offshore there. The day's other sightings were more routine, but included the Marsh Harrier lingering for another day at the Bill, where there were plenty of Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits overhead and 16 Turnstones, 8 Dunlin, 4 Arctic Skuas,3 Whimbrel, 3 Redshanks, 2 Ringed Plovers and a Great Skua through on the sea.
The Wallsend Wryneck © Thomas Miller...
...and one of the Ferrybridge Greenshanks © Pete Saunders:
We were having a bit of trouble tracking down this colour-ringed Ringed Plover that was a Ferrybridge first on 29th August but also still present there yesterday and today; thanks to Graham Giddens for getting in touch to solve the mystery (photo © Pete Saunders)...
...Graham writes as follows: regarding the CR Ringed
Plover YG GYY, recently reported and photographed at Ferrybridge. Thanks Pete Potts for
passing this sighting on to me, thanks Pete Saunders for reporting the
initial sighting and Martin for passing that on. This is a superb sighting in
more ways than one, as I shall explain: it was colour-ringed at Needs
Ore Reserve in SW Hampshire on 02.06.24, it was a nesting adult male. The metal
ring number is NV89434; after the breeding season it
was seen on the Isle of Wight at Newtown NNR on 27.08.24 by Tracey Joliffe. However that is not the full
story, as when I caught the bird in June it already had a metal ring
and the ring number was NW99979; this metal ring was very worn and the number
was only just readable, therefore I replaced it with a new ring and sent the
info off to the BTO. The BTO replied saying that the bird had been
ringed as a chick at FERRYBRIDGE, CHESIL, DORSET on 19.06.2022. It appears it
has now returned home!
Overnight mothing at the Obs a bit scuppered by the strength of the wind but still fair numbers of migrants incl 7 vitrealis, 2 verbascalis & singles Vestal, Convolvulus Hawk & Delicate; Portland Ribbon Wave always an infrequent catch here
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) Sep 1, 2024 at 9:48
