26th April

Are most of the Willow Warblers entering the country vectored through Portland at the moment? - we're certainly getting the impression we've been very favoured and today's third 100+ ringing tally of them this week further cemented that feeling. The Willow Warbler tally for the Bill area as a whole was up around the 300 mark but, as has been the case as this week's gone on, migrant variety was otherwise a wee bit limited, with only the three diurnal hirundines - each of which numbered into the low hundreds - chipping in respectable totals. Two more single Cuckoos - at the Bill and Thumb Lane - continued their good run this week, 9 Yellow Wagtails was a decent total from the Bill and a Hobby passed through at Ferrybridge, but the odd ones and twos of other less common migrants wasn't at all impressive. Offshore, Sandwich Terns remained conspicuous with 55 through off the Bill, but 55 Common Scoter, 4 Whimbrel, 2 each of Red-throated Diver and Arctic Skua, and a lone Great Northern Diver also through there amounted to a tally well shy of expectations in an easterly in late April. Wader passage remained stalled, with just 17 Bar-tailed Godwits and 5 Whimbrel at Ferrybridge.