Today's rarity was the sight of a cloud in a sky full of pretty well unbroken sunshine from dawn until dusk. Of course, these were hopeless conditions for any sort of arrival of migrants but there was adequate compensation in the form of a Black Guillemot in Portland Harbour and the first sightings of post-hibernation Large Tortoiseshells (at Pennsylvania Castle/Church Ope Cove and another likely one seen briefly at Castletown). Bird-wise, further odds and ends making the list included 5 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill, a Merlin at the Bill, singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker at Southwell and Easton, the Rosy Starling at Easton and 2 Redwings at Wakeham.
Additional to the Large Tortoiseshells, 2 Brimstones were on the wing at Perryfields.
Rather old news since it relates to a sighting much earlier this winter, but we've just received details back on a colour-flagged Dunlin photographed by Roy Norris at Ferrybridge on 8th December; it turns out that the bird was marked (as an adult) in Poland last July - the trapping location is on the Gulf of Gdansk. There's been a nice series of Dunlin colour-ring sightings at Ferrybridge in recent years but this is the first from Poland © Roy Norris:
