Local stuff

LBB gull is still on its nest....The weekend looks interesting, with south winds and temps rising...

New site

New site (for me anyway) checked at dusk, with both nightjar and LEO heard.

LBB

Plus, checked one LEO site last night and heard one juv calling ..

Pom

Yesterday afternoon an Alpine swift was seen at Brading Marsh; also in the afternoon I was getting news of poms being on the move along the south coast. Though it would have been nice to see the swift, the opportunity to see poms on the move was too enticing.
So I did an evening watch from the lighthouse, 5:45pm-8:20pm, with an easterly wind and bright conditions. It was slow going to put it mildly: nothing much was passing by, save a few auks; and yet I was still getting news of poms passing other watch points: where were they?! Frustration turned to determination - and finally - about an hour and half after starting my sea watch, one passed by.
(Turned out the Solent was far more inviting for them...).

The lone pom.

Alpine swift over Laundry Lane by Jim Baldwin.

Sent to me by a fellow birder - undisclosed location.

Ventnor

Almost completed my move to Ventnor and went exploring at lunch time. Gradually made my way to the top of the downs. Staked it out for a time hoping to pick up a flyover something - but not today - other than a couple of swifts and swallows..

Glanville fritillary

Adonis blue

Coombe bottom - good for incoming raptors

Bank holiday

Only a fleeting visit by the brother, but we packed in as much as we could - mostly SCP & Brading etc.
Highlights at SCP included two poms (light and dark), a black tern, a few little gulls etc.
Brading: yellow wags, bittern, hobbies, swifts etc.

Two lots of young seen. Eight in total. 

An early juv stonechat. Plus an adult nearby had nesting material too.

Landed and rested for a while