Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre: 12th April

Although there was little overall change in the settled weather the presence of occasional spells of cloud, together with a chilly breeze, was just enough to drop a few migrants through the morning after a seemingly unpromising clear dawn. The Bill area came up with first records for the year of Whimbrel (2), Swift and Whitethroat, with the numbers there being largely made up of 50-100 each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and 40 Wheatears on the ground, and another 1000 or so mixed hirundines (Swallows very much the most numerous) through overhead; odds and ends of note elsewhere included a Ring Ouzel at Nicodemus Knob, 2 Redstarts at Bumpers Lane and the long-staying Iceland Gull at Ferrybridge. Whilst conventional sea passage hardly featured off the Bill - singles of Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Manx Shearwater and Arctic Skua made up the bulk of the tally - singles of Great Crested Grebe, Canada Goose and Iceland Gull did provide a bit of variety there.