Once early fog had burnt off today was as nice a November day as it's possible to get, with a millpond calm sea and shirt-sleeves warmth. Sadly, the weather mix wasn't up to much when it came to producing birds: a few new
Blackcaps,
Chiffchaffs and
Goldcrests dropped in and another light trickle of
finches and a few
thrushes passed over but there were was precious little by way of a surprise. The numbers were again overhead, with 26
Siskins, 24
Redpolls, 14
Bramblings, 5
Little Egrets, 3
Fieldfares and a
Golden Plover the best over the Bill, where at least 4
Chiffchaffs, 3
Blackcaps and 2
Goldcrests were new and 4
Firecrests lingered on. Ferrybridge totals included 1900
Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5
Pale-bellied Brents and a
Sanderling.
Butterflies featured well in the warm sunshine:
Red Admirals were relatively numerous everywhere and
Clouded Yellow,
Green-veined White,
Large White,
Speckled Wood and
Small Tortoiseshell were all logged at the Bill.
The immigrant moth tally at the Obs consisted of 12
Rusty-dot Pearl, 2
Silver Y and a
Cosmopolitan.
One of several Clouded Yellows on the wing at the Bill today © Geoff Orton:
