9th July

Autumn migrants were certainly to the fore today, with one or two surprises even if the numbers weren't up to anything. At the Bill 4 passing Sand Martins were very much on cue (5 more also passed over at Blacknor) but singles of both Spotted Flycatcher and Siskin were much more unexpected. Ferrybridge came up with the rest of the new arrivals, with singles of Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and Greenshank all putting in appearances. The only other reports were from the sea, with 40 Manx Shearwaters and a Common Scoter through off the Bill.

After a bit of a lull in inclement conditions moth numbers picked up again, although immigrants didn't feature in any quantity with, for example, just 8 individuals of 7 species in the Obs traps; by day, Hummingbird Hawk-moths looked to have increased, with several sightings throughout the island.

Black-tailed Godwit, Rosy-striped Knot-horn Oncocera semirubella and Volucella zonaria - Ferrybridge and Wakeham, 9th July 2015 © Pete Saunders (Blackwit) and Ken Dolbear (the insects)

 

And a few sounds to round off today's update. Our attempt at the fly-over Siskin at the Obs turned out to be a minor classic in a field we specialise in: irritating background interruptions that spoil would be have been a nice clean recording; although the Siskin performed admirably it's hard to ignore the Great Tit tapping on the perspex of an empty bird-feeder, whilst the Blackbird that pipes up at the end is actually the naff bird song clock in the Obs lounge letting us know it's 8am - Blackbird hour!

 

 If a Siskin is quite out of the ordinary for this time of year, a Curlew certainly isn't; Nick Hopper recorded this one over the Obs on his last night visit:
 

 

Finally, Nick's also sent us this mystery sound he recorded at night on another recent visit - any ideas?