8th May

With the recent dearth of passerine migrants beginning to get annoying (what's wrong with an easterly and occasional heavy showers overnight? - we could certainly hear plenty of waders passing over the Obs so it wasn't as though nothing else was moving) it was left to the sea to salvage some interest from the day. Chesil came up with the best of the numbers that included 213 commic terns, 28 Sanderling, 22 Grey Plovers, 15 Knot, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Pomarine Skuas, a Great Northern Diver and a Black Tern, whilst the Bill chipped in with 3 more Great Northern Divers, 3 Arctic Skuas and an extra Pomarine Skua; further interest on the water came in the form of a Red-necked Grebe settled in Chesil Cove and 3 Gadwall and singles of Black-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver in Portland, whilst extra waders included at least 14 Sanderling, 5 Whimbrel and 5 Bar-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge. The land did come up with a Turtle Dove at Verne Common and 2 Hobbys and a Redpoll overhead at the Bill but many commoner migrants that might be expected at this time were either completely absent or represented by no more than low single figure totals.

Immigrant lepidoptera featured again: Red Admirals were widespread in small numbers, whilst overnight moth-trapping produced 6 Diamond-back Moth, a Rusty-dot Pearl and a Silver Y at the Obs and another Diamond-back Moth at the Grove.