22nd April

Today's wall to wall sunshine rather belied the unpleasant reality of being out for long in the relentless stiff easterly that was still surprisingly chilly - conditions that again led to a decent arrival of routine migrants; numbers and variety fell well short of yesterday's pinnacle but there was still plenty to be seen by those out battling the wind. It goes without saying that Willow Warbler remained top of the pile in terms of numbers on the ground, including more than 150 at the Bill, and hirundines featured in quantity overhead all day. Pick of the variety - again mainly from the western side of the island - included Yellow Wagtail, Redstart and Whinchat on a dozen each, together with 2 Ring Ouzels and singles of Hobby, Cuckoo, White Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler, Firecrest, Pied Flycatcher and Bullfinch. The sea showed glimpses of promise, particularly during the evening when 45 Bar-tailed Godwits, 6 Arctic Skuas and 5 Grey Plover passed Chesil, but a fair bit of attention earlier in the day didn't return much more than singles of Red-throated Diver and Arctic Skua off the Bill and a few waders, including a Greenshank, off Chesil.