Although Storm Agnes turned out to be a peripheral event it did stir things up enough that today's migrant selection was a little more varied than has been the case recently. A
petrel wrecked in Chesil Cove at dawn was not fully clinched before it was killed by gulls but
Leach's was suspected; the sea also produced 21
Balearic Shearwaters and 14
Arctic Skuas through off the Bill. A small increase in grounded migrants included singles of
Siberian Lesser Whitethroat,
Grasshopper Warbler and
Firecrest at the Bill, a
Redstart at Verne Common, a
Pied Flycatcher at Tilleycombe and 5
Knot and 5
Sanderlings at Ferrybridge. Overhead passage again included strong southbound movements of 1250
Meadow Pipits, 500
Swallows and 278
Great Black-backed Gulls at the Bill.
Today wasn't a good day for the oddities that made it here from far-flung points: the likely Leach's Petrel at Chesil Cove was killed by gulls and the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat at the Bill was killed by a Kestrel © Martin Cade:
