20th October


http://www.at-infocus.co.uk/ 
A reminder that there's an In Focus field event at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 22nd October.

A welcome pulse of passage today with the heavy cloud cover that rolled in after a clear start ensuring that new arrivals tricked in/over for a good part of the day. Visible passage was conspicuous for quite a while after dawn, with a one hour sample count at Verne Common that came up with 206 Redwings, 97 Meadow Pipits, 30 Fieldfares, 27 Linnets, 9 Skylarks, 9 Siskins, 8 Song Thrushes, 7 Chaffinches, 4 Mistle Thrushes and a Redpoll reflecting the volume of movement everywhere; different species involved elsewhere included 175 Wood Pigeons, 50 Jackdaws, 7 Bramblings, a Merlin and a Bullfinch over the Bill where a small flurry of hirundines included a late Sand Martin. It was the busiest day for a while on the ground, with Bill totals of 100 each of Robin and Chiffchaff, 50 Wrens, 30 each of Stonechat and Blackcap, and 15 Goldcrests again representative of what looked to be a good spread of new arrivals everywhere; quality was limited to the first Coal Tit of the autumn at Perryfields, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers at Southwell and further singles at Culverwell, Avalanche Road and Tout Quarry, 3 Ring Ouzels at the Bill and another at Coombefield Quarry, the lingering Hen Harrier still at the Bill, 3 Firecrests scattered about and a late Reed Warbler at the Bill.

Overnight mothing was again far more productive than the unhelpful wind strength/direction and general coolness would have suggested, with an immigrant tally at the Obs of 31 Rusty-dot Pearl, 20 Rush Veneer, 3 each of White-speck and Silver Y, 2 each of Diamond-back Moth and Scarce Bordered Straw, and singles of Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Radford's Flame Shoulder, Dark Sword Grass, Delicate, Barred Sallow and Clancy's Rustic; similarly impressive numbers and variety elsewhere included another Radford's Flame Shoulder at the Grove.