A decent day for passerine migrants and an even better one for waders, with the latter showing up in by far their highest numbers so far this autumn. Perhaps the day's chief highlight actually came during the hours of darkness when another Storm Petrel luring session saw 10 birds trapped at the Bill tip and an impressively even higher number - reaching a peak of 14 in one scan with the thermal imager - seeming passing through offshore; sadly, this event didn't presage wider interest on the sea by day, when 3 Balearic Shearwaters were easily the highlight amongst other totals that included 150 Gannets, 120 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Common Scoter, 15 Sandwich Terns and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls. Waders included 102 Dunlin, 27 Ringed Plover, 13 Sanderling and singles of Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Redshank at Ferrybridge and 4 Ringed Plovers, 2 Turnstones, a Dunlin and a Green Sandpiper at the Bill. Willow and Sedge Warblers continued to make up bulk of the grounded migrant tally, with totals of 50 and 35 respectively at the Bill, where 5 Garden Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Reed Warbler were all that could be mustered by way of variety; overhead Swift and hirundine passage was almost non-existent.
Some of this morning's Sanderlings at Ferrybridge where before today the bird-day total for the month hadn't even reached double figures; in most recent years the bird-day for the month has been well up towards three figures and in 2023 reached well past 200 - hopefully, the low total this year reflects a good breeding season and most birds are still way up north in the Arctic © Pete Saunders:
A surprise on the ringing front was this Green Sandpiper - only the second ever ringed at the Bill - that was trapped in the Obs garden this morning © Martin Cade:
Migrant moth totals continue to drop but another Bedstraw Hawk amongst the meagre catch at the Obs last night. Also an addition for yesterday: when we eventually got round to our garden trap at the Grove it contained an Old World Webworm
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
[image or embed]
Striped Hawkmoth the only goodie here
— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) July 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
[image or embed]
