Once an almost mythical rarity at Portland, Great Shearwaters are now almost to be expected during freakish conditions in late summer © Joe Stockwell:
Ruff and Whimbrel amongst the multitude of waders at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:
25th August
Storm Francis delivered the goods and more on a day of early rain followed by seemingly ever strengthening winds when the sea was worth watching throughout. The chief prizes were at least 3 Great Shearwaters through off Chesil Cove (one of which also passed the Bill) but as a spectacle the day's wader numbers took some beating: Ferrybridge was awash with an ever-changing carpet of waders that included peak counts of 530 Dunlin, 200 Ringed Plovers, 26 Sanderling, 7 Whimbrel, 6 Knot and a Ruff, whilst what were surely unprecedented autumn totals of passing waders at Chesil Cove included 294 Dunlin, 35 Ringed Plovers, 14 Sanderling, 11 Whimbrel, 6 Turnstone and a Snipe. In many ways the rest of the day's events were an anticlimax with, Gannets and Fulmars aside, little on the move in quantity: the Storm Petrel tally at Chesil Cove likely reached double figures - with a Leach's also reported, shearwaters included 2 Balearics off the Bill, 6 Great and 2 Arctic Skuas passed the Bill, a Little Gull was at Chesil Cove and terns included 12 Arctics at Ferrybridge.
