Another wet one

Sunshine and showers, 17°, fresh SW.

Along the Bunk Line this afternoon and fortunately missed most of the rain with a thunder storm passing a few kilometres to the east, then another passing closer but to the west.

A Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, several Pied Wagtail, a Grey Wagtail, 3 Meadow Pipit, 16 Chiffchaff (incl 2 in garden), 2 Blackcap, a single Common Whitethroat, 2 Yellowhammer, 26 Swallow, 30 House Martin, a single Sand Martin, 3 Raven etc.

Dragonflies: A Common Blue Damsel and a Migrant Hawker.

Butterflies: few: Large and Small White, 6 Red Admiral, a Speckled Wood and a Meadow Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

A wet one

Variable cloud and heavy showers, 16°, light to moderate S.

A trip out to Lollingdon and birding in between the rain showers.

Managed to cover most of the hill area: a Spotted Flycatcher, a Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff, 3 Yellow Wagtail overhead, 2 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat, a Whinchat, Raven etc and c50 Swallow and 6 House Martin over.

A few Geese flying over the garden early evening, 20+ Canada, 20+ Greylag and at least 1 Egyptian Goose.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden.

Cholsey

Mainly sunny, 20°, light S.

Whinchat, Bunk Line yesterday. Per MA.

Muntjac with a fawn in the garden.

Today:

2 Yellow Wagtail over garden and a juv Chiffchaff in garden.

Bunk line, 3 Chiffchaff, Grey Wagtail and a Yellowhammer.

Home & Away

Cloudy with a thunder storm mid-morning, 21°, light ESE.

Our final day at the Obs for this autumn and left around midday. A sea-watch early morning and then packing up to come home with a bit of birding in between.

2 Arctic Skua, a Red-throated Diver, c30 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Oystercatcher and c15 “Commic” Tern.

VizMig: c50 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 10+ Swallow, 6 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin, a Swift, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Tree Pipit, plus 2 Sparrowhawk, a Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral and Wall Brown.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, a Scar Bank Gem and a Latticed Heath.

A catchup from Tony Williams whilst I’ve been away.

Lollingdon Hill: 250+ Swallow and House Martin over.

Bunk area: Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, several Blackcap, and 4+ Chiffchaff.

5 House Martin, 3 Swift and a skein of c50 Canada Geese over Church Road this evening.

Sunrise

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

Latticed Heath courtesy John Lucas

Scar Bank Gem courtesy John Lucas

Tonight's partial Lunar Eclipse 

Ibis

Sunny, 20°, moderate SE.

Well, the calm didn’t last long with the wind backing from WSW to SE, gaining strength to force 5-6 and putting a bit of a damper on the day’s birding.

A patchy sea-watch to begin with and then hanging around the Obs area.

2 Arctic Skua, c20 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 5 “Commic” Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 3 Sandwich Tern, 20+ Kittiwake, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Fulmar, 1 Oystercatcher the usual Gannet and 3 Auk sp.

Just 5 of us sea-watching, when one called Glossy Ibis. A flock of at least 14 was very close in and we could just see them above the parapet for around 20 seconds. Martin managed a quick photo before they disappeared from sight and subsequently not seen again.

The land was poor with only a single Willow Warbler noted.

VizMig: c20 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, c30 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin.

At around 18:30, Loren spotted a couple of Swift over the Obs. They spent approx. 10 minutes overhead and seemed reluctant to leave but eventually disappeared out over the sea.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Glossy Ibis pics courtesy of Martin Cade.

The winds of Change

Mainly sunny, 20°, light WSW.

Finally, the wind and rain abated and produced a pleasant day for birding.

A morning’s sea-watch: 5 Arctic Skua, 50+ Kittiwake, a Yellow-legged Gull, 60+ Manx Shearwater, 100+ Balearic Shearwater, 60+ “Commic” Tern, 4 Arctic Tern, 2 Common Scoter, a Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Whimbrel, numerous Gannet and several Oystercatcher.

VizMig and an afternoons walk: Barn Owl, Little Owl, 20+ Grey Wagtail, 30+ Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, 3 Meadow Pipit, a Pied Flycatcher, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whinchat, 3 Stonechat, 31 Wheatear, 4 Raven, a Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, a Common Snipe, 110+ Swallow, 30+ Sand Martin, 12 House Martin and 2 Swift.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Moths: Convolvulus Hawkmoth and Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Sun rise at the Obs

"Greenland" Wheatear courtesy Mark Cutts

 

Pretty quiet

Rain at first then brightening, 19°, fresh SW.

Still windy after a wet start and not much going on. A patchy sea-watch and a couple of brief walks but very little of note.

A Willow Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear, a Grey Wagtail over and 7 Swallow and 9 Sand Martin. A Barn Owl late evening and a Grey Heron.

Sea-watch: 4 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Fulmar, 2 Common Scoter and a few Kittiwake along with good numbers of Gannet.

Mammals: Common Pipistrelle.  

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown and Small Heath.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Another Sea-watch

Rain showers, brightening later, 18°, strong WSW.

Another blustery day with winds gusting up to force 7-8 and rain showers over most of the morning. Birding was therefore nigh impossible so a sea-watch from the Obs was on the cards.

The only migrant I saw today was a single Willow Warbler but a Yellow Wagtail was noted as was 5 Wheatear by others.

As for a sea-watch, expectations were high but ultimately disappointing for some as not everyone saw every bird.

3 Arctic Skua, 3 Auk sp, several Kittiwake, a Mediterranean Gull, 5 Common Scoter, c50 Balearic Shearwater, 26 Manx Shearwater, a Sooty Shearwater, 60+ Gannet and a Grey Phalarope.

Insects were thin on the ground with the weather being rough. A single Common Darter, a couple of Small White, a Wall Brown flying and a Striped Hawkmoth of note caught overnight.

Grey Phalarope courtesy Martin Cade.

Sea-watch saved the day

Sunny periods and rain showers, 19°, breezy SSW.

Another day of wind and rain with migratory land birds virtually non-existent.

A Tree Pipit, 2 Willow Warbler and a Firecrest that has been present in the garden for the last 5 days at least. A single Swallow and 3 Raven overhead.

The sea-watch was the saving grace of the day although we missed the Fea’s Petrel that was seen off the Bill when we were viewing from the Obs.

5 Arctic Skua, a Sooty Shearwater, a Cory’s Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 38 Balearic Shearwater, 5 Fulmar, 10+ Kittiwake, 2 Auk sp, 1 Common Scoter and 2 Whimbrel.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth and Gothic Beauty.

Blue-fin Tuna – at least one seen breaching.

Did not get any bird photos today due to the lack or distance of birds. so Moths will have to do as they were placid and nearby.

Its got to get better.

Mainly sunny, 20°, fresh WSW.

Again, the blustery wind put paid to any meaningful birding.

Land birds very thin on the ground. 3 Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Swallow.

Sea. 1 Arctic Skua, 40+ Kittiwake, 1 Manx Shearwater, c20 Balearic Shearwater and 100+ Gannet etc.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown and Small Heath.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth and The Passenger.

Not a lot

Sunny spells, 19°, fresh SSW.

VisMig was non-existent today with virtually nothing smaller than a Starling moving due to the constant wind.

On land very few birds found: 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a single Swallow over late evening.

Sea-watch: 4 Arctic Skua, 15 Balearic Shearwater, 4 Manx Shearwater, 12+ Kittiwake, 4 Sandwich Tern, 3 Fulmar, 4 Cormorant and many Gannet.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Moths: several Hummingbird Hawkmoth around the Obs garden.

Rain stopped Play

Sunny spells at first then rain p.m., 19°, breezy SSW.

Rain stopped play after midday except for a brief interlude mid-afternoon when another sea-watch took place.

Very little in the way of migrants today, most caught by ringer s rather than observed in the field.

2 Tree Pipit, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Firecrest, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Grey Wagtail, a Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear.

Sea-watch: 2 Arctic Skua, 6 Balearic Shearwater, 20+ Manx Shearwater and 60+ Gannet.

Butterflies: Small White and Speckled Wood.

Moths: Possibly a record count of 10 Convolvulus Hawkmoth caught at the obs, 3Striped Hawkmoth, a Cosmopolitan and a Lilac Beauty, also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth buzzing around nicotinia during the dryish spells.

Tree Pipit

Firecrest

One of the young Robins at the obs coming for its meal worm breakfast

9 Convolvulus Hawkmoth (1 escaped) and a Striped Hawkmoth

Slightly better

Sunny spells, 20°, fresh WNW.

A slightly better day but passerine migration at a minimum.

4 Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Pied Flycatcher, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 18 Swallow, 4 Sand Martin and a Sparrowhawk.

The sea was not much better, with singles of Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, 2 Common Tern, 6 Sandwich Tern, 8 Fulmar and 50+ Kittiwake etc.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Moths: 3 Hawkmoths, same as yesterday.

Wind, Rain & Sun

Rain & Shine, 17°, strong WSW.

Squally rain showers and blustery winds put paid to any serious birding today but this is Portland and there were a few things noted.

A Pied Flycatcher appeared in one of the only two nets deployed today, ringed and released.

A Fircrest that was very elusive in the front garden, a Common Whitethroat nearby, a flyover Grey Wagtail and a few Willow Warbler was about it.

The sea fared no better with just a couple of Balearic Shearwater amongst the quantity of Gannet passing through.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White and Speckled Wood.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Striped Hawkmoth etc.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth courtesy Loren.

Common Darter

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Pied Flycatcher

Speckled Wood

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

1

 

A warm one

Sunny, 27°, fresh SSE.

Fairly quiet out today. singles of Common Redstart, Whinchat and Wheatear out at Lollingdon and 3 Swallow over. Nearby, 3 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, several Chiffchaff and a Tit flock with Coal Tit and Nuthatch present.

50+ House Martin and a Yellow Wagtail over Church Road.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: very few. Several Whites, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

A regular garden visitor

Cholsey

Overcast, 22°, light E.

Hobby, 4 Swift and 5 House Martin over garden and a Chiffchaff in garden. Lots of Swallow (50+) at the bottom end of Cholsey Hill.

Greenshank calling and seen flying south over Panters Road. Per MP.

Library pics

Bunk

Sunny spells, 22°, light WNW.

Bunk area still fairly quiet, 40 Swallow and 14 House Martin through, 12 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap, 9 Yellowhammer, 50+ Linnet, a Hobby, a Peregrine (m) and a Grey Heron etc.

2 Yellow Wagtail over garden yesterday and a Raven.

Mammals: A Weasel along Green Lane.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: a Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

2 European Hornet caught and released from indoors yesterday.