A rather languid day with nothing ever quite getting going on the ground, overhead or on the sea. A marked improvement in the weather - at least from the human perspective, even if it wasn't doing much for the birds - saw sunshine and even some semi-warmth materialise as the day went on, but the rewards didn't get beyond the likes of a
Turtle Dove at Barleycrates Lane and singles of
Great Northern Diver and
Pomarine Skua through off the Bill. Grounded migrants were well scattered and even reported to be quite numerous in places around the middle of the island, although for the most part they were only what would expected in late-April; a
Reed Bunting at the Obs certainly wasn't to be expected at this time, whilst further interest came in the form of the first 3 settled
Sanderlings of the spring dropping in at Ferrybridge. a lone
Hobby overhead there and a single
Purple Sandpiper at the Bill - remarkably, the latter is the first seen at the Bill all month. Six
Red-throated Divers, 3
Arctic Skuas and 2
Great Skuas provided the best of the rest from the sea at the Bill.
Probably the most unexpected bird of the day was this Reed Bunting that turned up unannounced in a mist-net at the Obs...
...whilst the most peculiar bird of the day was this leucistic Willow Warbler trapped at Culverwell - a freak of nature this one certainly was © Martin Cade:
