The return of some cloud cover was welcome and led to a small uptick in migrant numbers, most of which passed through overhead. At the Bill, totals included 200 Chaffinches, 91 Redwings, 17 Fieldfares, 6 Mistle Thrushes, 3 Bramblings, a Merlin and a Redpoll, with at least 3 Blackcaps and 2 Chiffchaffs new on the ground; lingerers there included 4 Goldcrests, 3 Black Redstarts and singles of Water Rail and Moorhen. Auks, Mediterranean Gulls and Common Gulls were again in abundance offshore but 12 Common Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Brent Goose were the only movers over the sea. A largely customary selection at Ferrybridge included 741 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 7 Pale-bellied Brents and the lingering Common Scoter.
It's that time of year when incoming Blackcaps squabble over the apples we provision them with © Martin Cade:
