A beautiful highlight from this past week was a Common Rosefinch! This juvenile bird was mist-netted and ringed in Millcombe on the 6th and was later seen around Lower Millcombe. Another lovely finch record was a Siskin, also on the 6th, heard calling over St Helen's Copse.
Common Rosefinch, caught in Millcombe. T Jones, September 5
A seawatch was undertaken off the North Light on the 7th by Ezra Sherwell, Kathleen Power, Tim Jones and Tim Davis, and some fantastic counts were gained: 22 Kittiwake, one Sandwich Tern and 68 Arctic Tern heading west, five Guillemot, four Razorbill, ten unidentified auks, 16 Fulmar, 38 Gannet, 41 Manx Shearwater and two Balearic Shearwater! Another seawatch was undertaken from the Ugly later this same day, highlights being two Razorbill, ten Manx Shearwater and three Gannet.
Other seabirdy updates include four Arctic Tern sighted earlier in the week, moving north off the North End on the 3rd, one Black-headed Gull passing north across the Landing Bay on the 4th, five Storm Petrel caught at the North End on the 5th, and two Manx Shearwater chicks still present in nest boxes on our weekly check.
An exciting duck flyover was one immature/female type Shoveler, flying down over the Landing Bay and heading straight for the mainland at 15:00 on the 7th, spotted by Tim Jones.
Wader passage continues to be a notable feature of each day. Singles of Whimbrel on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. A winter plumage Sanderling flew north off North Light on the third (spotted by Joe Parker) and a flight call of Dunlin was heard during nocturnal surveys later that day. A juvenile Lapwing was seen several times on the 4th, in Brick Field, Tillage Field and Barton Field. A single Ringed Plover flew over the Airfield on the 5th. On the 6th, a Golden Plover called and flew high over Ackland's Moor and a Snipe was seen at Pondsbury. And finally, on the 7th, one Curlew called over Millcombe and a Common Sandpiper was heard at North Light.
Juvenile Lapwing. T Jones, September 4
A single Western Bonelli's Warbler is still being seen in Millcombe, very actively feeding in the oaks and sycamores above the Casbah and frequently heard calling. A single Sedge Warbler was ringed Millcombe on the 2nd, and two were seen in Millcombe and one around Pondsbury on the 4th. One Reed Warbler was ringed in Millcombe on the 4th, and one spotted on the Terrace on both the 7th and 8th. Singles of Melodious Warbler have been noted in Millcombe on the 2nd and 8th. Small pulses of Blackcap migration are pushing through the Island, the highest counts being 18 on the 4th and ten on the 8th. Two Garden Warbler were seen on the 8th, one in Millcombe and one in Quarter Wall Copse. A single Whitethroat was ringed in Millcombe on the 2nd, one on the 4th, plus another unringed bird seen about millcombe, one spotted along the Lower East Side Path on the 7th, and 4 in total along East and in St John's Valley on the 8th.
Autumn migration can also been seen in the recent crest sightings across the copses of the Eastside. One Firecrest was sighted in Millcombe on the 2nd and 3rd. For Goldcrest, two on the 3rd, four on the 4th, six on the 5th, seven on the 6th, six on the 7th and seven on the 8th.
A mass arrival of Spotted Flycatcher seemed to appear on the 4th, with 46 birds counted in total. 38 of these were in Millcombe and one bird was ringed. Many were seen expertly catching and then gorging on butterflies on Lower Millcombe. We have had lots of butterfly movement recently, a notable day being the 6th when over 200 Large White were counted north of Threequarter Wall! The highest number of Pied Flycatcher we've had in the last week was nine on the 8th.
Spotted Flycatcher with a Large White Butterfly. T Jones, September 4
A flurry of wagtails has recently graced the Island, with Grey, Yellow, and White Wagtail being notable. Seven Grey Wagtail passed over the Island on the 5th, two on the 7th and four on the 8th. One Yellow Wagtail flew over the Village and two were seen in Brick Field on the 6th, two flew over the Village on the 7th, and two were seen in Barton Field on the 8th. Four White Wagtail were feeding in St Helen's Field on the 4th, one in front of the Tavern on the 5th, and one on the Airfield on the 8th.
We had a decent passage of Swallow on the 5th, with 73 birds counted, 48 of those between 11:00-13:00 along the Eastside. The highest Sand Martin count for the week was ten on the 5th, and for House Martin, six on the 2nd
Two Swift were seen on the 7th, one at the North Light and one over the Lambing Shed.
Since the 6th, a single immature Grey Heron has resided at Pondsbury. Two birds were flushed from the area on the 7th, but the second appears to have departed the Island.
Singles of Sparrowhawk were seen on the 2nd, 3rd and 7th, and both a male and female on the 5th, 6th and 8th. Another lovely raptor sighting was a Hobby along the South East on the morning of the 6th.
Our highest Carrion Crow has peaked at exactly 50, this counted on the 6th.
A last collection of migrating passerine news includes one Common Redstart at the Rocket Pole gorse on the 2nd, one Whinchat at Quarter Wall on the 6th, and a sprinkling of Tree Pipit: seven over the Island on the 5th, one over Middle Park on the 6th, two over the Ugly on the 7th, and one over St John's Valley on the 8th.