9th May

The supply of grounded migrants continues to dwindle by the day. Wheatears - including 40 at the Bill - again secured top spot but there was precious little else of note amongst the thinnest of spreads of back-ups; on the plus side there was a quite substantial passage of Swallows - sadly, not actually sample counted - arriving overhead. As would be expected at this stage of the spring the sea was well-watched but it was again only Manx Shearwaters that obliged in any quantity, with a steady stream heading east past the Bill through the evening; 5 Arctic Skuas and 2 Pomarine Skuas also passed by there.

Another distant Pom Skua passing the Bill © Martin Cade: 



Moth interest has been even more minimal than bird interest just lately. A hatch of Chocolate-tips that are the progeny of some unidentified eggs found in a moth-pot last summer (they'd fed up sleeved on sallow and overwintered outdoors as pupae ) has been noteworthy since the species is less than annual at the Obs...


...but immigrant interest has been limited to the odd ones of twos of the commonest species; a Narrow-winged Pug at the Obs yesterday was one of the few dispersers recorded in recent nights © Martin Cade: