23rd October

After an extremely unpromising - and seemingly deadly quiet - damp and breezy dawn things could only look up and, due in no small measure to the sea perking up noticeably towards the end of the day, so it came to pass. The day's highlight actually came from the land, where a Siberian Chiffchaff was one of the few new arrivals trapped and ringed at the Obs; also dotted about were singles of Merlin, Short-eared Owl, Ring Ouzel and Reed Warbler at the Bill, a Snipe at Watery Lane, the long-staying Hooded Crow at the Grove and 3 Sandwich Terns, another Merlin and a Yellow-legged Gull at Ferrybridge. After what's been a prolonged quiet spell on the sea it came as no surprise when morning watches at the Bill came up with just 53 Common Scoter, 3 Great Skuas and a Red-breasted Merganser; however, late in the afternoon it became clear that Kittiwakes were starting to move and they proved to be the precursor to a decent little movement that saw 270 Kittiwakes, 27 Arctic Skuas, 6 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 more Great Skuas, a Sooty Shearwater and another Red-breasted Merganser logged before dusk. Two Great Northern Divers also passed over Ferrybridge during the morning.




Sandwich Tern and Siberian Chiffchaff - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, 23rd October 2014 © Pete Saunders (Sandwich Tern) and Martin Cade (Siberian Chiffchaff)
 
...although not heard to call, the Siberian Chiffchaff looks to be a decent enough candidate on plumage alone.