Another windswept day that could so easily have been written off as yet more of the same had it not been for the dogged perseverance of those out in the field revealing small pockets of migrants among the sheltered spots around the island. Whilst not in any real quantity, a total of 2
Spotted Flycatchers at Broadcroft, 2
Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle and a noticeable uptick in
Chiffchaffs everywhere all hinted at some recent arrival, with a
Whinchat on the Slopes and the lingering
Pied Flycatcher at Culverwell the only other grounded migrants of note. Further scrutiny of the gull flock below Culverwell revealed 2 more
Caspian Gulls and 3
Yellow-legged Gulls, with the former assumed to be another 2 birds not previously encountered, whilst 3 more
Caspian Gulls dropped in at Ferrybridge later in the day. At sea, totals of 193
Kittiwakes, 102
Balearic Shearwaters, 2
Arctic Skuas and a
Bonxie were logged at the Bill, with a
Grey Phalarope appearing at Chesil Cove. Turn over in the Ferrybridge waders looked to have ground to a halt, with 6
Knot, 4
Sanderlings, 2
Little Stints and a
Curlew Sandpiper again the best on offer.
Today's passerine migrant encounters were very welcome after another barren period, with these Spotted Flycatchers showing particularly well at Broadcroft © Martin Cade:
With a bit of perseverance today's Grey Phalarope was spotted by most folk who had a look for it - whether it's a long-term but elusive lingerer or a new arrival remains to be seen © Pete Saunders:
This evening's Arctic Tern at Ferrybridge © Thomas Miller:
Today's Caspian Gulls included a Netherlands-ringed bird in the Culverwell gull flock © Martin Cade...
...and three birds that dropped in separately during an extended late afternoon watch at Ferrybridge; one of these was also colour-ringed so may or may not have been the Bill bird from earlier in the day © Thomas Miller:
Our weekly visit to Yeolands Quarry revealed plenty - probably several dozen in total - of Red-veined Darters still in residence © Martin Cade:
