The close proximity at dawn of a wodge of rain running along the Channel bore enticing similarities to the weather make up a couple of days ago but there the parallels with that day ended, since it was quickly apparent that migrants weren't dropped in quantity today. However, that disappointment was more than made up for by the discovery at Wakeham of the autumn's first Radde's Warbler, together with 2 or more Yellow-browed Warblers at Southwell and the continuing presence of the Hen Harrier at the Bill. An early flurry of 72 Redwings and plenty of new Robins provided the bulk of the common migrant interest at the Bill; Chiffchaffs - perhaps mainly lingerers? - were still present in quantity throughout the middle of the island, but singles of Ring Ouzel at Avalanche and Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill were as good as it got by way of further variety on the ground. Overhead passage was also less than impressive: relatively small numbers of Wood Pigeons, Skylarks, Swallows and Linnets trickled over at the Bill and 3 each of Brambling and Siskin, and a lone Yellow Wagtail were the only oddities in their midst. Four each of Balearic Shearwater, Brent Goose and Arctic Skua, and a lone Sandwich Tern passed by on the sea at the Bill.
Whilst no longer having quite the cachet it once did, Radde's Warbler is still a great bird to find in the field at Portland - the discovery of 11 of the previous 17 island records required no field skills whatsoever since all related to birds found trapped in mist-nets © Nick Hopper (top) and Martin Cade (bottom):
Crest numbers remain catastrophically low - was this Goldcrest behind the Fire Station really the only one on the whole island today? © Martin Cade: