13th April

With a strong offshore wind, it seemed unlikely that the morning's seawatch would be productive, but the freshening breeze finally lifted the thick layer of haze that has been coving the sea in recent days to reveal the first Pomarine Skua of the year. On the land, the Hooded Crow remained in the Crown Field (feasting on the freshly sown seeds with the rest of the crow flock) but the rest of the morning was spent scraping the barrel migrant-wise. Wheatears put in a reasonable show, but the stream of hirundines had largely dried up and only a single Yellow Wagtail was happened across in the Obs area.

Such has been the dearth of arrivals in recent days that the local Sparrowhawks must be finding times rather less bountiful than they're accustomed to during the spring migration season © Pete Saunders: