16th April

With passerine migration looking like it's struggling for momentum and consistency it was the sea that provided the bulk of today's numbers. Good movements of Manx Shearwaters and Kittiwakes saw totals of 500 of each logged at the Bill, where 12 Arctic Skuas, 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great Skuas and a Great Northern Diver added some spice to proceedings. Despite the dearth of numbers on the ground there were morsels of quality of offer, including the season's first Whinchat and Pied Flycatcher at Southwell, a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and a Great White Egret at Ferrybridge.

The number of large gull hanging around off the Bill at the moment - at good 5000 today - is truly impressive...




...and today there was the added bonus of a strong day-long eastbound movement of Kittiwakes...


...however, as they usually do at this time of year, it was a few skuas that stole the show on the sea © Martin Cade:


Dawn at PBO @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social saw low cloud,dampness in the air and a stiff SSW wind which resulted in a few migrants ringed before the weather cleared late morning to reveal a sunny day and only a breeze. 18 birds all day ,8 WW, 3 CC, 5 Blackcap, 1 each of Goldfinch and Linnet.

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— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) April 16, 2026 at 8:08 PM

dark edged bee fly and a wall lizard at church ope cove

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) April 16, 2026 at 8:27 PM