A perfectly birdable if largely uneventful morning gave way to an increasingly unpleasant afternoon as an onshore gale set in - seemingly setting the tone for the next few days. Overhead passage again provided the day's numbers, although they were considerably down on recent totals, with 970 Wood Pigeons, 75 Chaffinches, 115 Meadow Pipits, 115 Redpolls and a single Yellowhammer the best of it at the Bill. Quality and numbers were again lacking on the ground, with a spread of Firecrests around the centre of the island and singles of Water Rail and Black Redstart at the Bill providing the only particular interest amongst the thin spread of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests and the like. The increasing wind did nothing for the sea, with little more than 3 Arctic Skuas and the first Fulmar for a while through off the Bill.
Redpolls are certainly the birds of the moment: we've long since beaten their all-time ringing record - in fact today's 16 ringed saw to it that the previous best annual total has been more than quadrupled this year - and we're sure that when we find enough time to check the logs we'll be able to confirm that this year's vismig totals are the highest ever © Martin Cade:
Still ticking over on the ringing front - at least until the afternoon when the ever-increasing wind became too much of an issue. 41 new birds included another 16 Redpolls that takes their annual total into three figures - previous highest year total only 24! 5 more Reed Buntings best of the rest.
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
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