A reminder that there's an In Focus field event at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 24th September.
Today was certainly not the sort of day that had been hoped after some seemingly well-timed rain either side of dawn had promised a drop a flurry of grounded migrants; in the event it was the quietest day of the week so far, with even the blue skies that followed the rain being all but devoid of diurnal migrants. All of this said, there were morsels of interest to keep the visitors entertained: Wrynecks remained at the Obs Quarry and Barleycrates Lane, and the Rosy Starling lingered on around the Haylands housing estate; another Yellow-browed Warbler dropped in - this time at Culverwell - and there was yet another report of a brief Ortolan Bunting at the Bill. Commoner migrants were very poorly represented, with 40 Blackcaps and 25 Chiffchaffs making up the bulk of numbers on the ground at the Bill; a late Cuckoo at Southwell was easily the best of the less regulars.
Mothing was as uneventful as the birding, with the immigrant tally at the Obs consisting of just 16 individuals, amongst which a lone Vestal was the only minor oddity.
Despite our concerns for its wellbeing the wacky diurnal Barn Owl is still surviving at the Bill; the Barleycrates Wryneck also lingered on for its umpteenth day © Alick Simmons
And the warm sunshine of many recent days has seen plenty of butterflies remain on the wing at the Bill © Ken Dolbear