Whether today proves to be the beginning of the end of the long, hot summer remains to be seen but by evening seeking shelter in the lee of the Pumping Station as squalls swept across the Bill made it feel a lot like the autumn's well and truly set in. A passing party of 7
Cattle Egrets and a last gasp
Wryneck trapped in the Crown Estate Field just before the mist-nets were furled up for what sounds like a turbulent upcoming few days proved to be the day's highlights (whether the latter was the same as the bird seen yesterday and early doors again today in the Obs Quarry wasn't established), with routine passage dominated by three figure totals of
Lesser Black-backed Gulls,
Swallows and
Yellow Wagtails; other arrivals were sparsely spread and of no particular note, whilst lingerers included the
Little Gull still at Ferrybridge. Stirrings on the sea as the wind freshened included 25
Balearic and a few
Manx Shearwaters, and 2
Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been one of the most conspicuous migrants all week ©
Martin Cade:
This year's crop of juvenile Kittiwakes have begun to come to prominence offshore © Martin Cade:
Wryneck just trapped in the Crown Estate Field
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 28, 2026 at 9:22 AM
