An almost windless dawn was an overdue pleasure © Martin Cade:
The Ferrybridge Caspian Gull © Thomas Miller:
And one we forgot yesterday - a notably short-billed juvenile Whimbrel at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:
The moth-traps revealed a small overnight uptick in migrant activity but for us the highlight was a nice specimen of the Blackthorn Blister Moth Lyonetia prunifoliella; although recently re-establishing itself across southern England after a long absence this remains a rare visitor to our moth-traps: we still have fewer than 10 records in total since our first in 2018 and despite searching the copious amounts of blackthorn in the vicinity of the Obs we haven't managed to find the characteristic blister-like leaf mines of the early stages - perhaps our records just involve strays from further afield? © Martin Cade:
Modest catch of 24 Sand Martins gave the day's ringing total a little bit of respectability - 53 birds of 15 species; 6 Grey Wagtails from Culverwell a notable total. Remarkably, the total included just 4 warblers - singles of Willow, Sedge, Blackcap and Whitethroat - an all-time low for this date?!
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) Aug 27, 2024 at 23:42
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