20th October

What a damp squib Storm Ashley was: talked up to be something akin to a Michael Fish-esque hurricane, in reality it struggled to get to gale force in this part of the world and had nothing but a negative influence on the quality of the birding. Seawatching at the Bill was akin to watching paint dry, with 55 Kittiwakes and 7 Balearic Shearwaters hardly qualifying as rewards amongst the steady trickle of Gannets; a likely Sabines Gull through off Church Ope and shortly afterwards the Bill would have been a nice highlight but seemingly escaped being fully clinched from either watchpoint. Very little effort was made on the land, with 3 Redwings and a Firecrest at the Obs the only reports worth a mention.