Barn Owl - Southwell, 25th March 2016 © Roger Hewitt
25th March
Some great weather to start the Easter weekend but not the quality of birding that the influx of visitors were hoping for, with common migrants few and far between both on the ground and overhead. In the absence of anything in any quantity - only Swallow and Wheatear just about managed double figure totals at the Bill - it was left to a miscellany of less frequent migrants to provide the interest, with singles of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Redshank, Long-tailed Tit and Siskin at the Bill, a Woodcock at Suckthumb and the first Little Ringed Plover of the spring over the West Cliffs; at least 3 Purple Sandpipers and 2 each of Short-eared Owl and Firecrest also lingered on at the Bill. With an offshore breeze throughout the morning the only snippets of note on the sea were 5 Brent Geese, 2 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Sandwich Terns through off the Bill.
