Meanwhile round here it's a long way from the action. There have been tens of thousands of Redwings on the move across the country (including along the east-west North and South Downs flyways) but the best I could muster here was 31 over the garden on a Sunday morning skywatch HERE. Also had the autumn's first Fieldfare that day and my first 1000+ Woodpigeon day this autumn.
Yesterday there wasn't even much in the way of garden vis-mig and it got down to 5 C at night in the north east airflow so nothing noteworthy in the moth trap either. A visit to Church Norton in the afternoon wasn't much better HERE with an increase in Brent Geese being the main observation.
Today the north east wind was accompanied by heavy rain so with limited options I decided to do Selsey Bill from Hillfield Road carpark using the van as a hide. Mass migration was picked up over the North Sea from radars last night and indeed there was some passage of waterfowl off the bill HERE with 21 Brents, 5 Greylags, 5 Shelduck, 44 Wigeon, 38 Pintail, 277 Teal, 3 Common Scoter and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers mainly moving east. There was also a Red-throated Diver offshore and a few incoming passerines including a very frustrating probable Lapland Bunting that failed to call and also my camera wouldn't focus on it in the rain.
With the rain still persisting I then went to Ferry hide to get some shelter there HERE. An increase in duck numbers there too with the first flock of Shoveler for the winter and more Wigeon too.
A few more moths last night as the cloud keept the temperature a bit higher but nothing that noteworthy.
So basically the only fallout from this easterly invasion was the probable Lap Bunt - and we blew that too. The south coast in autumn is really not the place to be based- fortunately we are off to Bulgaria on Thursday.
Red-throated Diver (above and below)
Ducks on the move in the murk
Red-breasted Mergansers
Sandwich Tern
Green Brindled Crescent
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