8th October

A bird-filled day with waves of passage overhead and no shortage of grounded migrants - all to be enjoyed in warm sunshine and calm conditions. Classy rarities were lacking, but 8 Bearded Tits, a Siberian Chiffchaff and a Yellow-browed Warbler were all new in at the Bill and gave hope that there might have been better just around the corner. Although there were as many as 2000 Meadow Pipits grounded around the Bill it was visible passage that accounted for the bulk of the logged totals, with 900 Meadow Pipits, 88 Chaffinches, 60 Skylarks, 40 Siskins and 35 Reed Buntings some of the better totals accrued at the Bill. Grounded totals at the Bill included 60 Stonechats, 40 Chiffchaffs and 20 Goldcrests, with plenty more variety there amongst the lower counts.

Immigrant moth variety increased a little but quality was still limited to Delicates, with 7 trapped overnight at the Obs.

This year's crop of Yellow-browed Warbler haven't thus far been particularly vocal but today's bird did eventually come up with a pretty fulsome bout of calling that we just managed to get in on the end of:


Two birds of widely different origins that passed through our hands today: the Bearded Tit was one of a group that quite likely only erupted out of the reedbeds at Radipole this morning (...it was already ringed so we should be able to confirm that fact before long), whereas the Siberian Chiffchaff has presumably already been on the move for several weeks on its journey from at least the Ural mountains © Martin Cade: