Very far from the sort of day we were hoping for, with rain or drizzle from before dawn until early evening spoiling most opportunities for getting amongst what looked to be a promising arrival of migrants; with the open areas well scattered with the likes of wagtails and Wheatears, and visible migrants clearly on the move there would surely have more to be found had the bushes been properly bird-able or net-able.
Migrants Meadow Pipit 160e, Swallow 100e, Wheatear 40, Yellow Wagtail 30, Blackcap 10, Willow Warbler 10, Whinchat 5, Tree Pipit 3, with additional ones and twos including Snipe 1.
Sea passage Knot 15e, Lesser Black-backed Gull 15s, Common Scoter 9e, Sandwich Tern 5e 1w, Balearic Shearwater 1w.
Selected immigrants Obs: Rusty-dot Pearl 69, Rush Veneer 68, Turnip 16, Pearly Underwing 7, Silver Y 6, Vestal 4, Scarce Bordered Straw 4, Diamond-back 3, Delicate 2, Vagrant Metal-mark Tebenna micalis 1, Dark Sword Grass 1, Neglected Rustic 1, Dark Spectacle 1.
It seems like our Bee-eater managed to escape the island before today's grotty weather materialised but it left us with plenty of memories (its prey in the photograph is a Red Admiral butterfly) © Martin Cade:
Moth-trapping's been ticking along quite successfully lately without there being many really classy immigrants. Last night's catch featured a slightly improved array of oddities amongst which the little Choreutid, Vagrant Metal-mark Tebenna micalis, was a nice highlight. There was a time, way back in 1998, when we got to know this species quite well as it bred prolifically at Yeolands Quarry, after having been recorded new for the island only a few weeks earlier; however, this freaky event turned out to be a one-off and subsequently the species reverted to its former status as a quality rarity © Martin Cade:
