29th October

Another excellent day around the island with a nice spread of oddities for the weekend visitors to get amongst. A Red-throated Pipit would have been the highlight for most but sadly it passed straight through along West Cliffs at the Bill; however, there was instant compensation when a Little Bunting was netted in the Crown Estate Field, even it this too was hardly obliging once released. Singles of Siberian Chiffchaff and Siberian Lesser Whitethroat showed up near Church Ope Cove and at the Obs respectively, whilst 6 more Yellow-browed Warblers were dotted about the centre and south of the island; the Dusky Warbler also showed up again in a private garden at Southwell. A varied list of next tier less regulars included 4 Woodlarks over the centre of the island, a minimum of 20 Black Redstarts at the Bill with plenty more elsewhere, the Turtle Dove still at Southwell, a Ring Ouzel at the Bill and at least 3 Firecrests scattered about. Commoner migrants weren't exactly plentiful on the ground although most of the expected species were represented, but there was plenty of action overhead where thrushes and Chaffinches in particular were moving through in some quantity (many very high up and nearly escaping attention but for their calls).

The moth-traps were very busy, with the immigrant tally at the Obs consisting of 253 Rusty-dot Pearl, 106 Rush Veneer, 13 Diamond-back Moth, 4 Pearly Underwing, 3 Silver Y, 2 Dark Sword Grass, an Olive-tree Pearl and a Vagrant China-mark Diasemiopsis ramburialis. 

The trickle down of oddities that arrived in the country on the back of the long run of easterlies earlier this month continued unabated, with Little Bunting, Siberian Lesser Whitethroat and Yellow-browed Warblers (this one at Southwell © Nick Stantiford) among today's haul:

The Southwell Dusky Warbler was also about again today © Debby Saunders...

...the Turtle Dove lingered on and there were plenty of Black Redstart about © Tony Hovell:

The quiet, mild weather of the last few nights has resulted in very good moths catches; a Vagrant China-mark was the best of the immigrants at the Obs:

Perhaps surprisingly, today's Little Bunting was only the sixth ever ringed at PBO - and it's probably not being too unkind to say that it was a rather scratchy-looking individual: in particular it looked as though the feathers of the white eye-ring had some sort of affliction, with many having been lost around both eyes:

It was reasonably straightforward to age as a first-winter: there was a rather obvious moult discontinuity in the greater coverts even if that's barely visible in our inept attempt at photographing the wing...

...and the tail feathers were nicely pointed:

The tail pattern of the presumed Siberian Lesser Whitethroat wasn't the best we've seen, but probably passable nonetheless: