5th October

One of these days the wind's going to drop - sadly, today wasn't that day: the wild winds of the daylight hours were merely a continuation of what had rolled in overnight, although the latter's accompanying downpour had fizzled out by daybreak. Appropriate storm-driven seabirds were the order of the day, with two Grey Phalaropes bobbing about in Chesil Cove all day and one or more Storm Petrels lingering off the Bill; further sea interest came in the form of 845 Mediterranean Gulls, 46 Kittiwakes, 6 Arctic Skuas and singles of Balearic Shearwater, Great Skua and Yellow-legged Gull through off the Bill. Numbers overhead didn't reach yesterday's levels but were nothing to be sniffed at, with 500 Meadow Pipits, 400 Linnets, 130 alba wagtails and 100 Goldfinches making up the three figure totals at the Bill where another Merlin was in attendance. As we've grown accustomed to the land was the poor relation, with little more than the odd Chiffchaff here and there; 10 Sanderlings were the best of the waders at Ferrybridge.