9th October

With a cloudless sky the order of the day the temperature soared and it was positively summer-like by the afternoon. Migrant action was only at the ticking over level, with few surprises on the ground or overhead: three Cattle Egrets passing the Bill were somewhat devalued by yesterday's larger flock, whilst the first two Bramblings of the autumn overhead were on cue arrivals; also at the Bill, seven Long-tailed Tits, two Merlins and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were of minor interest. Numbers were entirely in keeping with the conditions: grounded arrivals were thinly spread rather than abundant and overhead passage was at times hard to get amongst at the height it looked/sounded to be taking place at. A resurgence in Balearic Shearwaters saw 111 logged at the Bill even if there was a suggestion that this total may have involved some duplication as birds lingered offshore in the balmy conditions; singles of Red-throated Diver, Arctic Skua and Little Gull were the best of the rest there.