22nd May

A reminder that the next In Focus field event at the Obs takes place between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 24th May.

The unsettled conditions that set in earlier in the week continued, with a night of heavy rain followed by two more wet spells through the day; the only redeeming feature was that with the storms tracking straight out of western France it remained quite warm. Another minor flurry of new arrivals at the Bill included 5 Whitethroats, 2 each of Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler, and singles of Grey Heron, Ringed Plover, Turtle Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. Elsewhere there were singles of Cuckoo and Spotted Flycatcher at Southwell and 24 Sanderling, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover at Ferrybridge.

Despite the promising-looking conditions moth immigration dwindled away, with just 2 Silver Y and a Diamond-back Moth caught overnight at the Obs. Painted Ladys cropped up in small numbers wherever there was coverage, whilst another single Hummingbird Hawk-moth was at the Windmills.



Grey Plover and Turtle Dove - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, 22nd May 2014 © Debby Saunders (Grey Plover) and Martin Cade (Turtle Dove)

...and a bit more of the Turtle Dove: