27th December

At the Bill, the aftermath of Storm Bella was no more eventful than the run up to it, with an utterly routine return of 4 Red-throated Divers, 12 Common Scoter and 2 Eider from the sea. A Purple Sandpiper was on the shore at the Bill (there seems only to be this lone bird present at the moment - with most attempts to find that drawing a blank!) and a Merlin was in Top Fields. Elsewhere, 2 Blackcaps were at Southwell, the Red-necked Grebe was still in Portland Harbour and a Curlew flew west over the harbour.

One of the two Blackcaps that look to be wintering at Southwell © Nick Stantiford: