18th August

That's more like it: after a really pedestrian start autumn finally felt like it'd got going today, with the season's first Melodious Warbler the star of the show; in pleasantly warm, sunny conditions a nice arrival of Pied Flycatchers included 14 trapped and ringed at the Obs alone, where a varied back-up cast included an exceptionally early Firecrest. Another good showing of waders included exceptional totals of both Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank.

Portland Bill
Grounded migrants Wheatear 40, Willow Warbler 40, Pied Flycatcher 20, Whinchat, Sedge Warbler 3, singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Melodious Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Firecrest and Spotted Flycatcher.
Visible passage Swallow 70s, Lesser Black-backed Gull 12s, Ringed Plover 8, Redshank 4, Tree Pipit 4, Yellow Wagtail 3, Grey Wagtail 2.
Sea passage Balearic Shearwater 10w, Manx Shearwater 1w, 

Southwell/Reap Lane
Pied Flycatcher 6, Golden Plover 1.

Blacknor
Pied Flycatcher 2.

Ferrybridge
Ringed Plover 236, Dunlin 62, Black-tailed Godwit 26, Redshank 11, Common Sandpiper 3, Knot 1, Common Gull 1.

Moths
Selected immigrants Obs: Rusty-dot Pearl 43, Rush Veneer 37, Turnip 23, Pearly Underwing 13, Daimond-back 11, Dark Sword Grass 10, European Corn-borer 5, Silver Y 5, Spindle Knot-horn 3, singles of Maiden's Blush, Striped Hawkmoth, Scarce Bordered Straw, Bordered Straw, Beautiful Marbled and Small Marbled.

For a bird that so often throws up ID issues viz à viz Icterine Warbler in the field, Melodious Warbler is a doddle to identify in an instant in the hand: wing length is pretty well exclusive (Melodious nearly always in the 60s vs Icterine nearly always in the 70s; our bird today had a wing length of 67mm so was likely a male)...


...whilst Melodious has three good primary emarginations whereas Icterine has only two © Martin Cade


Another day, another wodge of Black-tailed Godwits, with Redshanks getting in on the act and arriving at Ferrybridge in far higher numbers than usual © Pete Saunders:




Something we don't get to see very often in this part of the world is a Common Gull in juvenile plumage: our wintering birds don't arrive back until mid-October by which time the youngsters of the year have largely moulted into first-winter plumage; before this time, Common Gulls in any plumage are unaccountably few and far between despite, for example, already being a common sight by late July just across the Channel in northern France © Martin Cade:




Bit of an odd morning: no big arrival of migrants but the Melodious trapped earlier, a singing male Firecrest at the Obs and at least 7 Pied Flys there pic.twitter.com/tj2xKW3NUw