17th October

A frustrating day in several senses, not the least of which were a couple of potentially decent birds that escaped being clinched: a likely Radde's Warbler was heard calling and seen in flight at the Obs (...and even responded to a tape lure) but promptly evaporated and a Melodious or Icterine Warbler showed only very briefly at the Coastguard Cottages before also vanishing. The other big frustration was the weather, with a number of heavy, squally showers blown through on the ever-freshening southwesterly scuppering any chance of both comprehensive coverage or a full mist-netting programme. The Wryneck first seen last week surfaced again after missing a couple of days but the best of the day's sightings were otherwise the likes of a 2 Merlins and singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest and Brambling at the Bill and 4 Arctic Skuas through on the sea there.