7th November

A really raw morning in a blasting north-easterly saw some more visible passage get going but it remained very quiet on the ground. A Hawfinch was a nice surprise at the Bill where Chaffinches were pulsing through in some quantity - 380 passed over the Obs in a couple of hours - and other travellers included the usual mix of Wood Pigeons, thrushes, finches and Reed Buntings in lower numbers. Wildfowl on the move included 6 Teal and 5 Goosanders through at Ferrybridge, whilst later in the day 2 Avocets pitched in at Portland Harbour.

The Hawfinch did drop in several times at the Obs but it afforded the best views when it was bombing around overhead:

Ferrybridge fly-bys included Goosanders and Teal © Pete Saunders:

The oddest sight of the day were the two Avocets bobbing around 150m out in Portland Harbour - not what you expect to spot when you're scanning around for divers and grebes © Geoff Pollitt:

One of the morning's Redwings at the Obs looked to be at least a candidate coburni Icelandic Redwing - it immediately stood out as the darkest, swarthiest-looking Redwing we've seen so far this autumn and with a wing length of 127mm it was by some margin the longest-winged Redwing handled in recent weeks:

...for comparison, this iliacus Scandinavian Redwing was trapped a little later:

The rear flanks/undertail coverts of the two birds - the putative coburni on the left and the iliacus on the right: