17th April

A gradual shift in the breeze from south-easterly to north-westerly saw interest switch from the sea to the land, where a welcome - albeit almost subliminal - highlight was a Red-rumped Swallow that zoomed through at the Bill amid a strong passage of the three commoner hirundines. Grounded arrivals were certainly not present in quantity but 2 single Grasshopper Warblers were of note around the centre of the island, and totals from the Bill included 60 Willow Warblers, 50 Wheatears, 10 each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff, 3 Sedge Warblers and ones and twos of a few other expecteds. Despite the increasingly unhelpful wind direction the sea did get attention, with the Bill returning totals of 111 Common Scoter, 11 Red-throated Divers, 6 Shelducks, 4 Whimbrel and 2 Arctic Skuas; an Iceland Gull was also spotted heading north over the Strips at the Bill.