1st November

The fact that precious little changed with the weather worked in our favour again, with only the third Wryneck of the autumn showing up at the Bill where a Siberian Chiffchaff and a Dartford Warbler were also new, the Hawfinch lingered for a second day and Wood Pigeons again piled through overhead. A nice little trickle of Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds accounted for the bulk of the grounded numbers; Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests also arrived in lower numbers, the mist-nets again drew attention to Robins in particular still arriving in quantity and less regulars included 2 Bullfinches and a Firecrest at the Bill, a Short-eared Owl at Reap Lane and c10 Black Redstarst scattered about. The clouds of Wood Pigeons through over the Bill eventually totalled 65000 - their second highest tally of the autumn to date - with 460 Starlings, 340 Jackdaws, 220 Linnets, 180 Chaffinches, 80 Goldfinches, 9 Bramblings, 2 Lapwings and a Woodlark also overhead. Small gulls featured strongly offshore, with up to 250 Mediterranean, 50 Black-headed and 40 Common a constant presence off the Bill where 3 Balearic Shearwaters also passed by.

November Wrynecks aren't actually that unusual at the Bill although most of the previous records involve individuals that were lingering after an earlier arrival rather than apparent newcomers like today's bird © Mark Eggleton:

The Siberian Chiffchaff provided a nice object lesson in just how difficult it is to capture the true colours of this (sub)species in a photograph: we tried in complete shade and complete sunshine (with the camera white balance adjusted accordingly) but to our eyes there was something not quite right with either attempt; nice bird though and so arrestingly different after you've been handling hundreds of Common Chiffchaffs over a couple of months © Martin Cade:

The dawn sky was again full of Wood Pigeons, with a total of 65000 departing out to sea high over the Bill; our autumn total now stands a more than 300000 - the previous record of 164000 was set just last year © Martin Cade:

Last night's Obs migrant moths: big influx of Rusty-dot Pearl - 244 = highest total this year - along with high totals of a range of other migrants; singles of Gem and Vestal the best.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) November 1, 2024 at 1:33 PM