26th February

A clear, sunny sky replaced yesterday's near day-long rain but the blasting northeasterly in constant attendance provided a rude awakening after the recent mildness. A Yellow-legged Gull was new at the Bill where 3 Long-tailed Tits lingered at the Obs and 3 Red-throated Divers passed through on the sea. Elsewhere, the 7 wintering Pale-bellied Brent Geese showed up again at Ferrybridge.

The year's first Yellow-legged Gull was the pick of the day's arrivals at the Bill © Martin Cade:

The three Long-tailed Tits that first showed up at the Obs in yesterday's horrible weather had been assumed to be part of a small wintering group (that had first been ringed in September last year) that lingered there for a few days nearly a month ago but in today's better conditions it was realised they were all unringed and so were new arrivals © Martin Cade:

The melee of Mediterranean Gulls making the most of the surf off Hamm Beach included lots of birds now in full summer plumage © Pete Saunders: