15th July

The wind freshened still further today and was gusting well into gale force by the afternoon although for the most part the rain held off. For no good reason other than most other birding was out of the question the sea was well covered but the results were pitiful, with just 18 Manx Shearwaters, 18 Common Scoter and a lone Balearic Shearwater through off the Bill and nothing of any note at all at Chesil Cove; the gale seemed to have dispersed many of the gulls that had been offshore and only odd singles of Yellow-legged Gull - perhaps involving no more than a couple of individuals - appeared from time to time at the Bill. The Ferrybridge wader tally increased to 45 Dunlin, 5 Sanderling and a Common Sandpiper.