Westerlies

A westerly airflow resumed yesterday bringing with it some rain yesterday morning. Unfortunately I've been working today and yesterday but got back from London yesterday in time for a quick session at Church Norton HERE and this morning I abandoned my post and did a couple of hours on East Side with the rising tide HERE. Highlights included a Black Tern off Church Norton beach yesterday evening, a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull there too (with immense numbers of gulls in feeding flocks, I estimated at least 5000 birds) , 3 Spotted Flycatchers by the hide and still good numbers of Yellow Wagtails with about 50 birds mainly around the tern islands. It was prety quiet on East side this morning with very few small waders but a good count of 234 Redshank and an increase in wildfowl numbers with 10 Wigeon, 8 Pintail, 12 Teal and 2 Gadwall. 

In the afternoon today I popped in to Halseys and Church Norton to twitch the Redstarts. 

The main change with the change of wind as been the exodus of hirundines with just a few tens around, down from thousands in the week. Yellow Wagtails have also reduced a lot too. Also the small waders (Ringed Plovers and Dunlins) were more or less absent from the harbour (down from nearly 500 in the week). 

There seem to be plenty of birders out this morning with lots of reports. The passerine migrants seem to be trickling in still with 4 Redstarts today, Pied Fly, more Spot Flys, Wheatears and Whinchat on the Peninsula today and there are new Ruff and Curlew Sandpiper at Snowhill today.  The strengthening south west wind by the afternoon produced the autumn's first Balearic Shearwaters off the Bill. All the local news HERE.

The moth traps are ticking over , the year list now on 534. 54 species of approx 150 individuals last night. 

Spotted Flycatcher- quite a few around at the moment

Female Redstart, Halseys. Now on 180 for the local year. 

First-winter Yellow-legged Gull

Juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit with Whimbrels 

Black Tern off Church Norton

Wigeon, Pintail and Teal on East Side

Cattle Egrets Halseys

Another Small Marbled. Vestals continue their good run with four last night, also a couple of Delicates (also had a good run), 5 Portland Ribbon Wave, a couple of Dark Sword Grass, Silver-Y and Dewick's Plusia in the Ni-pheromone lure, Small Mottled Willow are right down in numbers now to single figures, also the odd Saltmarsh and Spindle Knot-horn, lingering Rosy Knot-horn, Yellow Belle are maintaining their daily showings with 3 last night and after a good run of Rush Veneer are now appearing in single figures. Rusty-dot and Diamond-backs have remained conspicously low key all autumn. Flounced Rustics numbers are now building. 

Dark bordered Pearl- another one of these too