In fair but increasingly windy conditions the Pallas's Warbler remained in the Obs garden and provided weekend visitors with the best of the day's entertainment. For a while after dawn it looked like pigeons were going to put on a great show overhead but after 3200 Wood Pigeons and 120 Stock Doves had headed south in quick time passage fizzled out; 80 Skylarks, 20 Reed Buntings and a Woodlark also passed through together with small numbers of a selection of other expected migrants. On the land it was again a case of there being odd morsels of interest rather than a general arrival: a few Black Redstarts included 3 together at Easton, 2 Short-eared Owls were at the Bill and tardy common migrants included 4 Wheatears at the Bill and a Willow Warbler at Portland Castle. Despite the strengthening wind the only reports from the sea were of singles of Great Northern Diver and Arctic Skua through off the Bill.
Diurnal lepidoptera included another good spread of Clouded Yellows and several Hummingbird Hawk-moths. Overnight mothing was again very disappointing, with singles of Delicate at the Obs and Olive-tree Pearl at Southwell the only even slightly out of the ordinary immigrants making the list.
Pallas's Warbler - Portland Bill, 1st November 2014 © Martin Cade
