10th April

A stiffer northeasterly pegged the temperature back a notch or two on yesterday's highs but, combined with the continuing clear sky, created just the conditions for a nice pulse of visible passage today. West Cliffs were well covered and returned hourly rates of up to 550 Meadow Pipits and 100 Linnets, along with lesser totals of the likes of all three hirundines and alba and Yellow Wagtails. It was considerably slower going on the ground, where the meagre return was far from qualifying as a fall: a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and a Ring Ouzel at Castletown were the best on offer amongst the more routine fare. The sea came up with morsels of interest but never really got going as the wind direction remained stubbornly just offshore: 7 Little Gulls and singles of Goosander, Great Skua and Arctic Skua were as good as it got at the Bill.