Deep southerlies have been blowing since yesterday and I've been keeping my eye on the bird news and the skies for Pallid Swifts which are almost guaranteed regionally in this kind of weather system. I did a bit in the garden this morning but only 25 Redwings of note.
At about 1.30pm the Hunters sent out a message on the local Whatsapp group that they had just had two Swifts offshore Selsey Bill so I immediately abandoned the family and my post and headed down there. I spent the rest of the day (until dusk) waiting at the Bill but alas the Swifts were nowhere to be seen. Liz Hunter has a few photos of the birds and they look good for Pallids - hopefully will get some more detail when we see the photos on a computer later. There's only one previous record of Pallid Swift for the Peninsula so will be a mega local record.
A bonus pale phase adult Pom complete with spoons was a bit of a consolation prize and passage was steady off the Bill with 112 Kittiwake moving west, 58 Gannet, a presumed Arctic Tern and a few auks HERE.
The moth trap was dissappointing this morning considering the weather conditions, just a Delicate was the only sniff of a new migrant. I'll be very surprised if there aren't migrants tonight after the Swifts off the Bill and the winds now blowing for well over 24 hours and feeling quite humid now with air from far south.
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