For a day that was half rained off and by most conventional metrics had been written off by an hour after dawn (...and that after dawn itself had looked to offer so much promise) today actually ended up mediumly rewarding, with the season now so advanced that even the apparent duds have plenty of variety about them. What fall there was out of the heavily overcast, quiet conditions of dawn consisted largely of
Blackcaps and
Willow Warblers - 30 and 60 respectively at the Bill, but there was a fair little mix of fellow travellers that included the season's first
Reed Warbler, 5
Sedge Warblers, 3
Whinchats, 2 each of
Grasshopper Warbler and
Lesser Whitethroat and singles of
Cuckoo,
Redwing and
Garden Warbler at the Bill, where 2 new
Blackbirds were also unexpected for this date.
Hirundines got moving in strength a while into the morning and continued to do so even after the onset of the rain - better coverage and/or less reluctance to get wet for our needy cause looked as though it would have returned by far their highest totals to date. For the second day in succession
Barwit day looked to be in the offing, with 205 through in quick time off the Bill and a few more grounded and overhead at Ferrybridge but, just like yesterday, passage wasn't sustained. The sea was otherwise a little busier than of late, with 199
Kittiwakes, 35
Sandwich Terns, 34
Whimbrel, 7
Red-throated Divers, 6
Knot, 5
Arctic Skuas, 3
Great Northern Divers and 2
Eider amongst others through off the Bill.
Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits on the move over Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:
