Whilst the continually freshening easterly wind certainly hampered the day's birding efforts, it did appear from early on that there were appreciably fewer grounded passerine migrants on offer than there had been yesterday. Among the 45
Wheatears and light sprinkle of
Willow Warblers at the Bill area a single
Grasshopper Warbler was the only new arrival of note, with a lingering
Pied Flycatcher still present in the Obs garden. Overhead passage was busier, with over 300
Swallows and 100
Sand Martins through at the Bill in the first couple of hours after dawn, alongside double figures of both
Tree Pipit and
Yellow Wagtail. Out to sea, a total of 37
Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen departing south, but just 5
Balearic Shearwaters and a single
Manx Shearwater also logged. In contrast to the passerine situation, wader numbers and variety continued to build at Ferrybridge where the totals included 380
Ringed Plover, 140
Dunlin, 9
Turnstone, 6
Sanderling, 4
Knot, 3
Greenshank, 2
Little Ringed Plover, a
Redshank and a flyover
Golden Plover.
Golden Plover, Little Ringed Plovers, Knots and a bonus Yellow Wagtail at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:
Fewer migrant moths last night but still some nice things on the wing incl 3 Striped Hawks (singles at the Obs + for John Lucas at Southwell & Nigel Jones/Mark Edgeller at Freshwater Bay); 4 Small Marbled, 2 Vestal and singles of catalaunalis, Ni and Dewick's Plusia amongst others at the Obs
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 16, 2025 at 9:42 AM
So many Striped Hawks that we're running out of suitable large pots for them - this one from our garden at the Grove is the fourth from the island last night
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 16, 2025 at 3:53 PM
