18th August

With any luck today, with its zero ringing tally, will prove to be something of an autumn migrant nadir although with no particular change in the weather on the cards until after the weekend we perhaps wouldn't bet against a repeat tomorrow! There were a few birds about, with a Cuckoo at Blacknor easily the highlight on the land, where 10 each of Wheatear and Sedge Warbler provided the only worthwhile totals of routine fare at the Bill. In the brisk westerly the sea got plenty of looks and returned totals of at least 26 Balearic Shearwaters, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 6 Common Scoter, 3 Sanderling, a Sooty Shearwater and a Yellow-legged Gull through off the Bill.

The strength of the wind was again a downer when it came to overnight mothing, with 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Silver Y, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth and a Red Admiral butterfly the only immigrants making it into the Obs traps.

And for something completely different, thanks to Paul Bowyer for sending us through details of a rare fly recorded on the island earlier this summer. During a moth-trapping session with Dave Nevitt at Cheyne Weare on 5th July, Paul potted on unfamiliar fly that has recently been confirmed by Martin Drake as the critically endangered Sciapus heteropygus - a species last recorded in Britain 29 years ago! © Paul Bowyer: