18th September

The unseasonably warm weather of recent days continued and, with a few exceptions, migrants remained in short supply. On the ground chats featured more conspicuously than anything else, with 100 Wheatears, 50 Robins, 15 Whinchats and 7 Stonechats at the Bill alone; warblers and crests were very poorly represented, with 4 Goldcrests and a Firecrest in the Mermaid/Pennsylvania Castle area about the best concentration on offer anywhere. Visible passage was rather lighter as yesterday but did include the first Siskin of the season over Blacknor. Oddities were few and far between: the Nightingale was still in residence at the Obs Quarry, a Short-eared Owl was again at the Bill, the Hooded Crow at the Grove was looked for for the first time this week and found to still be present and 3 Little Stints, 2 Knot and a Teal were at Ferrybridge.

Immigrant moths included singles of Convolvulus Hawk-moth and Delicate at the Obs, 2 Oak Hook-tips and a European Corn-borer at Sweethill and another European Corn-borer at the Grove.