Charmouth - Sat 17th Sep

There have been quite a few Willow Warbler around patch in the last few days. I checked the Dell around 5pm and sure enough a juvenile was taking insects, flying out and back from cover, never visible for too long. I was surprised to find a Wheatear there too, the first I've seen in this location since the spring. A terrible photo but nice to see the bird in this location only a few metres above a very busy beach.

In the late afternoon, there was a strong passage of Swallow and House Martin westwards along Black Ven Cliffs estimated as at least 2000 per hour, some cutting the corner across the bay skimming close to the waves over towards Lyme Regis and the Cobb.

On Stonebarrow Hill there were spectacular numbers of hirundines hawking over the fields and on the ground I found 6 Wheatear and 10 Yellow Wagtail in the lower cowfield.

Along the river 4 juvenile Willow Warbler were busy feeding in a sunny patch of willows as the sun began to dip down towards the West cliff. There was no sign of the juvenile Little Grebe on the river but another Grey Wagtail was around.