After a rather too breezy start today ticked over in what ultimately turned out to be at times very pleasant sunshine. The migrant tally consisted of a lowly 5
Chiffchaffs and 2
Wheatears grounded at the Bill, a scatter of single
Chiffchaffs elsewhere and a
Sandwich Tern through at Ferrybridge, with 100
Kittiwakes, 3
Common Scoters, 3
Mediterranean Gulls, 2
Manx Shearwaters, a
Red-throated Diver and a
Black-headed Gull through off the Bill. Winterers of note included 5
Purple Sandpipers and a
Short-eared Owl at the Bill and the
Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle.
To our knowledge an Obs garden first: these two Rooks that visited the bird table were the first we've ever seen in such circumstances and we don't recollect that Rooks ever used to visit the garden to feed, even more than 25 years ago when there was an active Rookery elsewhere on the island © Martin Cade:
