Dawn looked to again be disappointingly quiet but a cloudier and drab spell that unfolded a little way into the morning saw migrants drop in steadily, with 40 Wheatears and 30 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff joined by the first 10 Spotted Flycatchers of the spring along with a varied selection of less frequents that included 10 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Sedge Warblers, 5 Garden Warblers, 2 Redstarts and singles of White Wagtail, Whinchat, Reed Warbler and Ring Ouzel; overhead arrivals at this time included 40 Swifts, 2 Hobbies and an Osprey although the usually commoner diurnal migrants like hirundines were oddly few. The sea was also rather quiet, with 200 Manx Shearwaters, 14 Common Scoter, 3 Great Northern Divers and 3 Arctic Skua logged at the Bill and 20 Whimbrel through at Chesil where the lingering Mediterranean Gull total topped three figures.
Lesser Whitethroats were really well represented in today's arrival of migrants - this one was visiting a garden at Sweethill © Pete Saunders:
Suggestions of a little bit more happening so far this morning in much cooler, drabber and breezier conditions: first Spotted Flycatcher of the season, 2 LWTs and 2 Sedge Warblers from the mist-nets; a Ring Ouzel seen at Culverwell
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 28, 2026 at 10:09 AM
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