19th May

Overnight rain gave way to a pleasant sunny day but also dropped at nice little late flurry of migrants today. The surprise package after their pitifully poor showing in recent days were waders, with 23 Sanderling, 13 Turnstones, 7 Dunlin and a Ringed Plover arriving from the south at the Bill and later 50 Sanderling and 35 Dunlin settled at Ferrybridge. Overhead, 250 Swallows, 50 Swifts, 30 House Martins, 4 Little Egrets and 2 Redpolls also arrived from the south at the Bill, whilst typical late season arrivals on the ground included 25 Spotted Flycatchers, 20 Wheatears and low single figure totals of Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Willow Warbler; minor oddities included 2 White Wagtails, a Blue-headed Wagtail and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill. Great Northern Divers continued to trickle by offshore, with 5 past the Bill and another over Ferrybridge, but 50 Manx Shearwaters and a Great Skua were otherwise the best of it on the sea.

Spotted Flycatcher (at Portland Castle © Pete Saunders) and Wheatear (at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders) made up the bulk of today's passerine migrant numbers on the ground...



...although both were outscored by a seasonable pulse of Arctic-bound Sanderling - this one at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders:


Less frequent migrants at the Bill included this Blue-headed Wagtail...


...and a tardy Pied Flycatcher © Martin Cade: