After a long, long wait summer returned in style today with unbroken sunshine and increasing warmth the order of the day. The clear skies and easterly breeze were the cue for visible migrants to move in quantity, with four figure totals of Swallow in particular garnered at several sites between Ferrybridge and the Bill although there was some uncertainty to what extent all the counts overlapped; other movers included 150 departing Yellow Wagtails, 13 Siskins, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Snipe and singles of Honey Buzzard and Turtle Dove along with a good variety of other more mundane fare. On the ground, the 6 Whinchats and a Redstart at the Bill, 2 Pied Flycatchers at Coombefield and singles of Knot and Little Stint at Ferrybridge were a fair reward out of conditions that were far too nice to have prompted any sort of worthwhile drop of migrants. The sea remained worth attention, with 45 Balearic Shearwaters, 12 Arctic Skuas and singles of Sooty Shearwater and Great Skua a reasonable return from the Bill.
Little Stint at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders and Marsh Harrier over the Bill © Martin Cade were both firsts for the season
