8th August

In rather different conditions to yesterday - increasing cloud cover that eventually led to steady rainfall through the late afternoon and evening - passerine migration was again a feature, although it took a different form to yesterday, with the crops relatively empty of Sedge Warblers but the trees conspicuously busier with Willow Warblers. At the Bill, where the Stone Curlew remained - albeit rather elusively - for a second day, Willow Warblers totalled around 100 and outnumbered Sedge Warblers by at least 3:1; the variety of other arrivals there included 30 Wheatears, 10 Tree Pipits and a Yellow-legged Gull, whilst elsewhere a Pied Flycatcher was new in at Southwell and singles of Greenshank and Yellow-legged Gull were of note at Ferrybridge. In millpond-calm conditions at the Bill nothing had been expected of the sea so a sudden eastward movement in quick time during the morning of 500 Manx Shearwaters and 13 Balearic Shearwaters was a real surprise; 32 Common Scoter also passed through there. Finally, the Red-necked Grebe remained in Portland Harbour.

The highlight from overnight mothing was a Vagrant China-mark Diasemiopsis ramburialis at the Obs; also there, Silver Y numbers continued to increase (to 27), whilst oddities included 8 more Vagrant Piercer, 2 more Marbled Yellow Pearl and 2 Hummingbird Hawk-moths; elsewhere, 3 Vagrant Piercer were the best of the catch at Sweethill.





Manx Shearwaters, Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat - Portland Bill and Southwell, 8th August 2014 © Keith Pritchard Gulls and Terns (Manx Shearwaters), Debby Saunders (Pied Flycatcher) and Pete Saunders (Garden Warbler and Whitethroat)
 
...and after the quality photos, the dross in the form of dreadful record shots of a couple of the day's rarities - Stone Curlew and Vagrant China-mark (© Martin Cade):
 

 
And, finally, a couple of little video clips from the day: