A whopper of a fall today precipitated by a perfectly-placed oblique - northwest to southeast - weather front lying so close to Portland at dawn that mizzly damp was in the air for the first hour of daylight. For several hours migrants streamed in off the sea into the waft of a northerly breeze, with newcomers still evident in smaller numbers way into the afternoon;
Chiffchaffs and
Blackcaps were overwhelmingly dominant at the Bill, with both numbering up towards 300 (had coverage been better during the peak of the movement this estimate may well have been found to be wanting), whilst 4
Yellow-browed Warblers, 2
Grasshopper Warblers and singles of
Greylag Goose,
Merlin,
Great Spotted Woodpecker,
Woodlark,
Ring Ouzel,
Dartford Warbler,
Firecrest and
Brambling provided scarcity interest there and some overhead passage included the usual suspects in relatively small numbers along with the first 230 departing
Wood Pigeons of the season and some afternoon southbound passage of a few dozen
Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The centre of the island was initially quiet but by afternoon discoveries there had included 4
Firecrests, 3
Yellow-browed Warblers and singles of
Hobby and
Black Redstart.
A non-British Yellow Wagtail of some sort at the Bill this morning © Joe Stockwell:
Very successful ringing day in perfect conditions at the Bill: 197 ringed incl 88 CCs and 80 Bcaps; 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 more late Grasshopper Warblers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and even a Goldcrest (only the second of the autumn) the best of the rest
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 10, 2024 at 10:48 PM
Tail-end of the mildish weather before some cooler nights proved to be OK for migrant moths at the Obs last night: 45 Delicates and 4 White-specks their autumn peaks to date; among the residents Radford's Flame Shoulder got to 300 for the first time - nearly 200 in this one 40w actinic trap!
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 10, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Also of migrant moth interest: a full-grown Convolvulus Hawk caterpillar found today in John Lucas' garden at Southwell
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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 10, 2024 at 11:17 PM
