by Greg Lee
As the unsettled weather approaches, it was quite surprise to get out for census this morning and find that the weather was somewhat a bit better than expected with a nice amount of sunshine and the wind, although very much present, not as strong as maybe anticipated. With the approaching Atlantic storms, it was expected that for some migrants, it was a bit of a last chance saloon to get moving before being held up by the combined efforts of Storm Austen and Storm Boelo (which I learnt was pronounced Boo-low). With that in mind, the expected flavour of the day was a bit of Chaffinch movement and although some flocks were in Millcombe, it wasn't quite as pronounced as hoped. Millcombe itself held relatively the same array of species with Chiffchaffs, Robins, Goldcrests and Blackcaps all present and just a few winter thrushes, which have been dwindling in numbers slowly since the extraordinary events of the 18th. Over at Rocket Pole, I was pleased to hear a Snow Bunting overhead, expecting it was our familiar bird but was surprised to cut across South-west Field to Old Light and come across two feeding on the grass with a third over Old Light. My usual experience of Snow Buntings is coming across small numbers shuffling on the flat shingle and sandy beaches of the East Coast (North Norfolk, Sandwich Bay etc.) Although I do remember when I was at Spurn in November 2021, seeing a flock of up to 30 individuals all on the breach connecting the long, sandy penisula to the Warren and the rest of the Spurn Recording Area. Therefore, seeing them here on the island feels bit novel to my past experiecnes.
With a bit of office work needing doing, I decided to get started since with the upcoming forecast there will be lots of time to get a hot drink and plug my way through some data-entry whilst the wind howls outside and the rain lashes down. Saturday is particularly looking like the perfect opportunity. The Tavern fireplace will be roaring!
Other sightings across the area today included a Redpoll that couldn't decide which direction to fly (being seen in various locations on the East). This species has been quite absent so far this autumn here, likewise for Black Redstart, with a lone individual being spotted briefly at Old Light before disappearing. I always remember hearing a saying from a former Bird Observatory Warden that Black Redstarts can warp space and time and this individual seemed to be showcasing that ever-so-frequent ability to vanish into thin air. This is the first record since a female bird on 5th May, which was equally impressive in its ability to vanish, despite the fact that Emma and myself were watching the same patch of rocks from different vantage points. A Lapwing near Pondsbury was a nice sighting and was just by the main track heading out to Halfway Wall. With the East Coast getting a healthy number of eastbound migrants over the past week along with a few scarcities and even extreme rarities, it is nice to at least get something of eastern origin this way out west and the Lesser Whitethroat found by Adam Hobbs at the Terrace yesterday was performing quite nicely today for the visiting birders. Although a DNA sample would be needed to pin down the exact race, this bird looks very much like an Eastern, following on from the individual at Stoneycroft garden at the end of September. As the weather really deterioated with the approach of the storms, you couldn't help but feel very sorry for the few Swallows that were still sticking around the island. Let's hope they can find some shelter and roost peacefully.
Eastern Lesser Whitethroat by T.Jones
Eastern Lesser Whitethroat showing the tail-pattern by T.Jones