Today didn't quite pan out as expected since the promised overcast skies didn't materialise until the evening and for the most part the day was pleasantly warm and sunny but underwhelming on the migrant-front. Sedge and Willow Warblers again accounted for the bulk of the passerine numbers on the ground but both were far less numerous that they'd been yesterday; in contrast, Ringed Plovers continued to increase with 252 at Ferrybridge by the end of the day. Variety included a Wood Warbler reported briefly at the Obs Quarry and the Green Woodpecker doing another early round of the Bill.
Had we have had time to scan through the night's nocmig recording before opening the nets we mightn't have been so surprised that one of the first migrants trapped after dawn was what seemed to be a quite early Tree Pipit; although there had been a couple of singles overhead at the Bill yesterday morning and a random single calling over the Obs after dark a few evenings ago it would usually still be considered early in the season for any numbers of them. However, the nocmig recorder logged 15 calls over the Obs last night so some of them are certainly on their way pretty promptly this year © Martin Cade:
