18th July

The overnight stir-up in the weather had downed a variety of waders by dawn, when there were single Little Ringed Plovers at the Bill and Ferrybridge and an additional 6 Whimbrel, 5 Sanderling and 2 each of Redshank and Greenshank at Ferrybridge. The heavily overcast skies of the morning also dropped what visible passage there was to a countable height, with 140 Swifts, 31 Sand Martins, 6 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Lapwings and a Whimbrel through at the Bill and 70 Swallows and 6 Sand Martins through over Ferrybridge. The day's other reports concerned seawatching, that came up with 32 Common Scoter, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Sandwich Terns and singles of Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Mediterranean Gull through/lingering off the Bill and 22 Sandwich Terns, 13 Common Terns and an Arctic Skua through at Ferrybridge.





 
Little Ringed Plovers, Arctic Skua and Chalkhill Blue - Portland Bill, Ferrybridge and nr Rufus Castle © Keith Pritchard (Little Ringed Plover - top), Pete Saunders (Little Ringed Plover - lower, and Arctic Skua) and Ken Dolbear (Chalkhill Blues)
 
...and a bit of video of the Bill Little Ringed Plover:
 

  
...and a couple of flight calls from it: