20th November

After a night when it sounded like there were at times prodigious numbers of migrants on the move over the island it wasn't too much of a surprise to find the daylight hours coming up with bags of variety, although on the debit side the only rarity news concerned reports of both the Hoopoe at Southwell and the Dusky Warbler at Blacknor being heard but not seen. Thrushes made up the bulk of the numbers overnight and although most had moved through by dawn there was nonetheless a decent enough spread during the day, with 50-60 each of Redwing, Song Thrush and Blackbird at both the Bill and mid-island; a few Fieldfares also trickled through and a lone Ring Ouzel dropped in at the Bill. An unexpected feature at the Bill was the number of smaller migrants still arriving: 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests and a Firecrest trapped and ringed at the Obs mightn't sound like a lot but constitutes an almost unprecedented event for the last third of November. A very varied list of back-ups included another spread of at least 15 Black Redstarts (with 6 each at Reap Lane and Church Ope Cove); 5 Lapwings, 2 Grey Herons and a Goosander at the Bill, 6 Lapwings, 3 Swallows, 3 Blackcaps and 2 Snipe at various mid-island sites and 35 Lapwings and singles of Great Northern Diver, Grey Plover and Redshank overhead or settled at Ferrybridge.

Immigrant Lepidoptera making the list included singles of Painted Lady at the Bill and Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Southwell; an Olive-tree Pearl was caught overnight at the Grove, with 10 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Silver Y and a Diamond-back Moth making up the catch at the Obs.