Just as the Covid-19 lockdown will be indelibly fixed in memories for decades to come, so we always hark back to the traumatizingly migrant-less springs of the early 1990s as being so poor as to never be forgotten. Apart from the lack of birds, the one thing they had in common was the presence of anticyclonic conditions that doggedly refused to shift for weeks on end and resulted in constant clear skies and brisk northeasterlies. Sadly, history looks to be repeating itself this spring. Today's grounded migrant selection was certainly not numerous and was largely uninspiring bar a Little Ringed Plover at Ferrybridge and the lingering Hooded Crow at the Bill; it was also strangely quiet overhead for routine passage of the likes of hirundines and finches but 2 Marsh Harriers, a Hen Harrier and a Merlin did provide some welcome interest in the sky. The sea returned another Pomarine Skua through off the Bill as well as signs of wader passage gathering momentum, including combined Bill and Chesil totals of 59 Whimbrel, 57 Bar-tailed Godwits, 9 Grey Plover and 4 Sanderling. In the novelty stakes, one of the released White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight introduction project made a fleeting visit to island airspace when it appeared over Portland Harbour during the afternoon. As a footnote to what might be construed as our depressing introduction to tonight's post (...we're only telling it how it is and we still enjoy every minute of it) we might remind readers that it was 1992, the poorest of all the those early 90s springs, that also produced the Lesser Short-toed Lark - every cloud has a silver lining!
And finally - and nothing to do with birds - thanks to Dave Foot for a lovely little video clip that he took post-dawn as he paused on Chesil a couple of days ago:
