5th September

In pretty well perfect birding conditions - lightly overcast and almost flat calm - it was much busier for grounded migrants and there were two very welcome oddities, even if the latter could hardly be classed as showy: an Ortolan Bunting put in two very brief appearances in/overhead at the Crown Estate Field and an Icterine Warbler found its way into one of the Obs garden mist-nets; at a local level further interest came in the form of a Ruff at Ferrybridge, a Wood Sandpiper over the Bill and one or two Green Sandpipers over the middle of the island. Although lingering hirundines - mainly Swallows - got well into four figures at the Bill, none of the other grounded/overflying migrants there quite managed to top the 100 mark, although totals that included 90 Yellow Wagtails, 80 Willow Warblers, 40 Chiffchaffs, 25 each of Whinchat and Blackcap, 20 Tree Pipits, 15 each of Sedge Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher, and 12 Grey Wagtails were all noteworthy, whilst amongst the infrequent migrants 3 Knot, a Greenshank and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were all logged; a similar array of routine fare, albeit seemingly in somewhat lower numbers, were reported from wherever there was coverage.

Conditions overnight had been as good for mothing and they were birding during the day. Immigrant numbers picked up a little once again with totals from the Obs traps that included 46 Rusty-dot Pearl, 21 Diamond-back Moth, 10 Rush Veneer, 4 Silver Y, 2 each of European Corn-borer and Pearly Underwing, and singles of Vagrant China-mark Diasemiopsis ramburialis, Dark Pine Knot-horn Dioryctria abietella, Maiden's Blush, Dark Sword Grass, Delicate and Red Admiral butterfly; additionally, singles of Vestal, Delicate and Webb's Wainscot were caught by a visiting moth-trapper at Culverwell.





Ruff and Icterine Warbler - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, 5th September 2014 © Pete Saunders (Ruff) Martin Cade (top Icterine) Joe Stockwell (bottom Icterine)