The Encore sort of

It wasn't quite curtains on the autumn as there was still another two nights of mild southerlies before the cold north easterlies started this morning. The moth migrants were still on the move and the traps yesterday morning had a really decent catch with 25 Rusty-dots, Golden Twin-spot, Cosmopolitan, Blair's Mocha, Radford's Flame Shoulder and 5 Olive-tree Pearl. 

It was pretty slow birding in the garden yesterday morning HERE, the highlights being a Brambling over and a couple of Firecrest in the lane. I popped out for dusk at Church Norton the highlight being a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull and a noticeable increase in waders in the harbour HERE with over 3500 birds. 

Seemingly birds were being stirred up in the north easterlies over the garden this morning HERE with 31 Dunlin, 170 Golden Plover and a Bar-tailed Godwit over and a movement of Stock Dove involving 269 birds heading southwest.  Barwit was a garden tick- now on 114 for the garden HERE. 

I'm off to Oman at the end of the week so took the family out for Isaac's 4th birthday in advance as I'm away for the actual date. We did Fisher's Farm Park in the morning and then over to Arundel Wetland Centre and then for Chinese at the superb China Palace in Arundel. A few bits and bobs at the Wetland Centre including Great and Cattle Egrets and Marsh Harriers. HERE. The best wildfowl was the aromatic fried at the China palace with very few wildfowl actually at the wetland centre. 

There were a few more moths last night before the cold air came in but it's now 6 C outside so seems like it now is finally curtains for the autumn. 

Great and Cattle Egrets at Arundel

First-winter 'Yellow-legged Gull' or intergrade

Barwit high over the garden- garden tick

Golden Plovers over the garden

Golden Twin-spot- only the third record for the garden

Cosmopolitan- only the second garden record

Radford's Flame Shoulder- really not many of them this autumn so nice to see this

Blair's Mocha

December Moth- ok it's official it's now winter

Dark Chestnut and Chestnut 

Record numbers of Rusty-dot Pearls (above) and Olive-tree Pearl (below) for the garden. I've been seeing Rusty-dots scattered around including one on the window of Chichester music academy on Friday during Jacob's drum lessons and one tonight in Arundel on a window  of a shop in the high street