16th October

In continuing benign conditions migrants were in far shorter supply than might be hoped in mid-October, although the sea provided unexpected interest with large numbers of gulls offshore. A strong movement of smaller gulls off the Bill included a Sabine's Gull amongst 600 Kittiwakes, 200 Black-headed Gulls, 180 Mediterranean Gulls and 120 Common Gulls, with singles of Red-throated Diver, Balearic Shearwater, Great Skua and Arctic Skua providing some more conventional interest there. It was hard work on the land with many usually productive patches of cover seemingly devoid of even common fare such as Chiffchaffs; 4 Short-eared Owls and singles of Black Redstart, Siberian Chiffchaff and Dartford Warbler were of note at the Bill, with further single Black Redstarts at both Reap Lane and Blacknor, a Ring Ouzel at Church Ope Cove and a Lesser Whitethroat (presumably on date alone most likely an 'eastern' bird of some sort) at Wakeham. It was only marginally busier overhead, where a Woodlark over the Bill and a Short-eared Owl over Ferrybridge were the best of the bunch.

Orthoptera interest came in the form of what's believed to be the first documented record of an Oak Bush-cricket for the island, even if the fact that it was found inside the Obs perhaps suggests the possibility of it being an unintended introduction (perhaps amongst the belongings of one of our guests?).