30th May

Relatively quiet today, although such is the ongoing momentum of late passage that even a quieter day had more on offer than we'd usually dare hope for on the penultimate day of May. The day's grounded migrant tally included 10 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Whinchats and a Reed Warbler at the Bill and 50 Ringed Plovers, 10 Sanderlings, 3 Dunlin, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Turnstones at Ferrybridge; there looked to be very little visible passage to speak of although the first Sand Martin for a while was of interest at the Bill. The sea continued to be worth attention, with 41 commic terns, 13 Mediterranean Gulls and singles of Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Common Gull among the movers off the Bill.

In the absence of quite so many migrants as of late there was plenty of time to dwell on the local breeders including the Ferrybridge Skylarks in full voice © Debby Saunders and the recently fledged Rock Pipits at the Bill tip running their mother ragged © Martin Cade:



And in the butterfly line there are Adonis Blues to be found even if their numbers look to be pretty depleted this year © Verity Hill