20th July 2016

Weather: N force 3, thunderstrom early then sunny and warm

A very brief visit before the tide found the first warbler of the return passage in the form of a Chiffchaff in the 'heli' trap. 

Another good find was a juvenile Wheatear, following on from the 2 on Middle at the weekend, this time towards the north end of the main island. In the same area was a more unexpected visitor at this time of year, a Skylark which was down on the short turf of the island for a while.

As the tide flooded over 300 Sandwich and 100 Common Terns were very vocal and the recent rapid build up of Black-headed Gulls was noticeable. A Whimbrel, 2 Little Egrets, 12 Redshank and 2 Ringed Plovers were noted before the tide totally claimed the shore. A moth was found on the window of the obs this morning and after examination and checking it was identified as a Barred Red (below SRW), a first for the island. This species is usually associated with conifers but there are none on the island.

Ringed: 1 Chiffchaff       [ 298-26 ]