17th September

 


A reminder that there's an InFocus field day at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Sunday, 19th September.

All good things run their course and our mini migrant bonanza of the last couple of days resoundingly fizzled out today after a night of ideal migration conditions and a dawn that offered not a glimmer of hope that anything would drop in; oddly, even visible passage was something of nothing with precious few hirundines or Meadow Pipits overhead. The meagre assortment on the ground included 3 Grasshopper Warblers at the Bill but few of the commoner migrants managed double figure totals there and only the lingering Wryneck at the Obs Quarry provided scarcity interest. In an onshore breeze the sea was well-watched, with 6 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Arctic Skuas offering some reward at the Bill.

This lonesome Whimbrel's been hanging around at the Bill for what seems like half the autumn - in flight it appears to have a bit of an issue with one of its wings but otherwise it looks to be OK © Geoff Orton:


Couple of hours at Portland this AM, few migrants today, good to see the Obs Quarry Wryneck again plus a few Yellow Wag, Wheatear and Whitethroat. Nice views of two common 'raptor' species at the bill; Sparrowhawk and Kestrel (not strictly a raptor). @PortlandBirdObs @OlympusUK pic.twitter.com/NpfAHgj9Rn