Another rewarding day to be staring skyward with Swallows in particular streaming through everywhere. Ferrybridge was the favoured watchpoint during the morning, with 10000 through mainly east in a little over 3 hours from dawn; it was again uncertain to what extent duplication was coming into play, with the sample 650 in an hour heading east over the Bill at the same time plausibly involving a lot of different birds. A good variety of other overflying migrants from various watchpoints included 2 each of Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Merlin and Black-tailed Godwit. The grounded migrant situation showed no improvement, with poor numbers and variety of passerines everywhere: the odd singles of the likes of Redstart and Grasshopper Warbler uncovered by dint of a lot of toil in the continuing heat and sun were hardly worthy rewards at this time of year. Wader numbers - including 226 Ringed Plover at Ferrybridge - were higher but a Little Stint was the only oddity in their midst. Ten Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua passed by off the Bill.
Whinchat at the Bill this afternoon - nice, but you'd hope for 25 or more at the Bill on this date, not the 6 that made the log today © Jodie Henderson:
