Perhaps the strangest thing about recent days has been how incredibly few birders have been about grossing out on what's been a fantastic spell of late migration - has 'trainspotting' birding really taken off to the extent that folk just aren't interested in this sort of thing any more? Well, we still get a real kick out of it and today's spectacle of a morning full of 2000 Redwings and 650 Chaffinches descending out of the continuing murky sky was something that we found compelling; that, together with the likes of a Pallas's Warbler, 2 more Siberian Chiffchaffs, a Woodlark, a Hawfinch and a constant flow of other new arrivals, made for great birding in the vicinity of the Obs - what else was about but didn't get searched for let along found doesn't really bear thinking about. The Redwings and Chaffinches were accompanied by 1600 Starlings, 650 Wood Pigeons, 100 Song Thrushes, 57 Skylarks, 38 Siskins, 34 Fieldfares, 9 Bramblings and a Mistle Thrush amongst others, whilst on the ground Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest each made double figure totals, Black Redstarts again topped a dozen and new Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and the like popped up frequently in the mist-nets. There was too much other action to permit any serious seawatching but 2 more Velvet Scoters were noticed passing by off the Bill; the Red-necked Grebe also remained in Portland Harbour.
The Pallas's Warbler did show from time to time although it was usually averse to having a camera pointed at it and also managed to spend several hours roaming the Obs garden without once entering a mist-net © Martin Cade:
Migrant moth numbers crept back up a little at the Obs last night but perhaps largely due to the wind dropping away rather than renewed immigration; 6 Gems the best of the less regulars
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) November 5, 2024 at 9:44 PM
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