Isle of Wight April 23rd-26th.

Visiting the family down South at a prime time of year for migration and with my brother also a birder it was inevitable that we'd get a little birding done..
The weather wasn't the kindest, the press often talk about an 'Arctic blast' being on the way but it seemed like a good description of the northerly wind that set in for my visit although I have to say I still appreciated the relative shelter of the English south coast compared to being in Scotland.
All is not lost in these conditions when you are along the English Channel coast in the spring though, if the weather is decent on the French side then migrants will set off and then tired from struggling into a headwind will drop down as soon as they hit the English side. We weren't lucky with any big falls but managed to scrape together a decent variety of migrants and then at the very last minute found a scarcity during my last outing before returning north; a Pectoral Sandpiper at Brading Marshes RSPB Reserve.

Not what I would have predicted as our  best find of the week, a spring passage Pectoral Sandpiper. It seems likely this bird had wintered further South in Europe before returning Northwards on spring passage. In fact a Pec had been present at Brading Marshes last year in the more typical month of September so it could even be the same bird returning.