With a milder, breezy southwesterly replacing the cool northerlies of the latter half of the week migrant numbers fell away today. The first Jay to reach the Bill during the current influx was the best of the oddities, whilst flocks of 600 Starlings and 70 Chaffinches arriving in off the sea did hint at ongoing movement that wasn't really being picked up on the ground that looked to be very quiet; the Hen Harrier also reappeared at the Bill after missing another day yesterday, the Treecreeper was again at Pennsylvania Castle, 2 Firecrests , a Merlin, a Black Redstart and a Bullfinch were dotted about and a Pochard passed through off the Bill. These minor highlights aside, sample migrant totals at the Bill included 9 Redwings, 4 Fieldfares, 3 Swallows and 3 Siskins.
Although not an annual visitor to Portland the cumulative all-time total for the island is actually quite high by virtue of multiple occurrences during influx years; catches for ringing though are much more infrequent: today's bird was only the fifth ever handled at the Obs © Martin Cade:
This afternoon:
— Port and Wey (@PortandWey) November 6, 2021
Wakeham: 1 Fieldfare
Penns Wood: 1 Treecreeper and 2 Firecrest
Also noted: 6 Chiffchaff and 4 Siskin
Photo - one of the 27 Rock Pipits at Church Ope Cove pic.twitter.com/bXAZNuBnOZ
Presumed 1st winter Scandinavian Herring Gull / L.a.argentatus at the Bill today - well worth another long wait for the chance of something interesting. pic.twitter.com/gOta83A3Dq
— Keith Pritchard (@portlandbirder) November 6, 2021
Return of overnight mildness jazzed up the Obs moth catch incl 133 Rusty-dot Pearl, 41 Radford's FS, 4 Turnip, 4 White-speck, 4 Silver Y, 2 Delicate, 2 DSGrass, 1 Olive-tree Pearl, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw.
— Portland Bird Observatory (@PortlandBirdObs) November 6, 2021
