2nd October


Not before time there was a really good push of migrants making the most of clear skies both overnight and through the day. The Bill area got the lion's share of the coverage and returned totals that included 1500 Meadow Pipits, 100 Chiffchaffs, 80 Skylarks, 45 Wheatears, 40 each of Stonechat and Blackcap, and 25 Dunnocks on the ground and 1000 Swallows, 300 alba wagtails, 25 Chaffinches and 21 Siskins overhead, with the back-up cast including lower numbers of most of the other expected early October migrants. The long-staying Wryneck remained at the Obs Quarry but decent rarities remained stubbornly absent.

On a rather cool night it was a surprise to catch another Radford's Flame Shoulder at the Obs; 4 Rush Veneers, 3 Pearly Underwings, 2 Silver Y and a single Rusty-dot Pearl were the only other immigrant moths caught there.


Radford's Flame Shoulders are coming along a bit like buses at the moment - this one's the third in five nights at the Obs:


And also on the lepidoptera front, thanks to Ken Dolbear for a couple of photos from his garden at Easton today - Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Peacock (the latter seem to be really conspicuous at the moment, with much higher than usual numbers wherever we've been on the island in recent days):