3rd September

Bird-wise, just an itsy-bitsy selection of no particular consequence today; on the moth front, however, promising conditions produced a noticeable arrival of the commonest immigrants even if there wasn't anything particularly unexpected amongst the back-up oddities. 

Portland Bill
Migrants Yellow Wagtail 20, Wheatear 18, Willow Warbler 10, Whinchat 7, Tree Pipit 2, Sedge Warbler 2, Blackcap 2, with singles including Little Egret 1s, Knot, Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher 1.
Sea passage Gannet 280e, Arctic Skua 1e 1w, Sandwich Tern 2w.

Ferrybridge
Ringed Plover 186, Dunlin 98, Sanderling 4, Knot 2, Bar-tailed Godwit 1, Whimbrel 1.

Moths
Selected immigrants Obs: Rush Veneer 171, Rusty-dot Pearl 113, Silver Y 11, Delicate 7, Turnip 5, Diamond-back 4, Saltmarsh Knot-horn 2, Portland Ribbon Wave 2, Dark Sword Grass 2, European Corn-borer 1, Convolvulus Hawkmoth 1, Small Marbled 1. Grove: Saltmarsh Knot-horn 1.

One of the nicest-looking birds we've handled recently was this adult male Whinchat from the Crown Estate Field nets this morning...



Since we quite often struggle with both the ageing and sexing of autumn Whinchats - their plumage has so many intricacies that sometimes we don't seem to be able to see the wood for the trees when it comes to spotting subtle differences between or discontinuities within various feather tracts - today's bird made for a nice comparison with a jammy 'one of each sex' catch of two first-year birds just a few days ago; this is the first-year male...


...and this is the first-year female © Martin Cade: