19th August

An overcast, calm dawn looked quite promising on the migrant front but it was perhaps fortuitous that it failed to deliver since drizzle and eventually persistent rain soon set in to spoil birding opportunities for much of the rest of the day. At the Bill, Willow Warblers had sounded to be quite numerous at first light but fieldwork before the rain materialised didn't reveal much else by way of either numbers or quality. A minimum of 9 Balearic Shearwaters lingered off the Bill all morning and a single Great Skua also passed through there.


Swallow - Portland Bill, 18th August 2015 © Joe Mitchell