19th April

This is getting repetitive - in a really good way. Cloudless skies and the merest hint of a northeasterly breeze resulted in a very broad fronted arrival across the island although the west side was certainly favoured for variety. Dawn saw the now customary rush of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps at the Bill, including another 250 of the former, whilst variety was to the fore elsewhere: both Whinchat and Redstart reached double figure totals for the first time this season, with Grasshopper Warbler falling only just short of this mark; 3 Ring Ouzels, a Little Ringed Plover and a Short-eared Owl were the best of the rest. The sea was well-watched but missing all the numbers reported from further up the Channel: 80 Common Scoter, 63 Bar-tailed Godwits, 25 Sandwich Terns and 15 Red-throated Divers provided what numbers there were, with 2 Shoveler, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Little Gull the best of the quality. 

The Bill Purple Sandpipers are beginning to look decidedly less than purple © Mike Trew:



The Ferrybridge Little Terns are well and truly back for another, hopefully, successful season, with some passage of them also evident today © Pete Saunders


Wheatears were abundant all the way round the Bill and up the west side of the island to Ferrybridge today © Pete Saunders:


On a day when some dozens of Little Gulls were logged at points eastward, this one sneaking the shortcut over Chesil during the evening was Portland's only record © Joe Stockwell: