17th May

The Great Spotted Cuckoo remained for another day and, in the almost complete absence of new grounded arrivals, provided pretty well all the interest on the land: Swallows were again passing through in unquantified but patently decent numbers and a Short-eared Owl lingered on at the Bill, but several Chiffchaffs and a Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill, and 11 Oystercatchers and 2 Sanderling amongst a handful of commoner waders at Ferrybridge were conspicuous for being just about the only newcomers on the ground. With the wind freshening ahead of the forecast arrival of a weather front sea passage picked up a little, with 100 Manx Shearwaters, 57 Common Scoter, 4 Pomarine Skuas and 2 Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.