Bird Sightings

By Thomas Weston

The day was nice and calm, a slight breeze passed and I awoke to start housekeeping today. One of the first birds seen was a Sparrowhawk, casually passing by in the breeze being mobbed by some Swallows. Greg was on census and was also on housekeeping but starting at 10am, rather than 8am. There was a noticeable passage of birds; to begin the sound of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits filled the air as birds attempted to move south. Greg noted a Snipe and 2 Pied Flycatchers in Millcombe, a Firecrest above the Casbah, as well as 4 Redstarts, a Golden Plover, and a Whinchat all on the plateau.

Whilst Greg, Eleanor and I were moving between accommodation cleaning, it seemed as though there were lots of birds about.  When driving between Millcombe House and Brambles, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Redstart, and 2 Pied Flycatchers were on Battlements Corner. A somewhat of an oak woodland vibe, it was nice to see them flitting between the canopy. There were a couple of flyover Ringed Plover whilst in Brambles and then the Swallows started streaming through. At first there was a big pulse, maybe 100 per minute, equating to 1500 birds in 15 minutes at least. However, when the boat arrived and some guest birders arrived, they estimated passage to be 1 per second. They watched for two and a half hours, gaining more than 7500 Swallows passing their watch point. It was obvious passage did not die down between Brambles and Old Light, with an additional 1000 birds noted by our driving team.

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat at Stoneycroft by Greg Lee

At Old Light, we finished cleaning and moved to Stoneycroft. It seemed the best day of the autumn so far for migration and species diversity. When peering into Stoneycroft’s garden, it was nice to see a Lesser Whitethroat. Wait, a Lesser Whitethroat?! This is not only an island scarcity, but we had to remind ourselves it was the end of September and not the end of July when most think of, or already start, migrating. The bird was preening and seemed quite tired too. It also did not fit the ‘usual’ slaty grey head and generally grey kind of bird. This one was a sandier colour, brown sand that went to the head and merged in with the grey of the forehead. It was a bird with white outer tail feathers, almost certainly an Eastern Lesser Whitethroat and highly likely ‘blythi’ if we were to determine subspecies from the field. Greg got my camera and got some pics. All of a sudden, a second Lesser Whitethroat joined the party. This one your more typical-looking bird and presumably a late nominate migrant.

After we completed housekeeping and additional tasks, plus dinner, it was already 6pm and not long before sunset nowadays. The trio of us decided to try and catch the island scarcity, for a better and more scientific understanding of the subspecies we were debating. With a bit of luck, some behaviour watching, and some great teamwork, we managed to catch and ring the bird and take some much-needed biometrics and photos too to help. All this information pointed towards it being an Eastern Lesser Whitethroat as first thought, but determining subspecies will have to be left to those with more knowledge.

Elsewhere, a Quail was seen, the first since the big summer influx.

By Greg Lee

I was rather looking forward to census today with the calm winds on the forecast. However, I had failed to take into consideration Thomas’s words of wisdom which detailed the arrival of fog in slack high-pressure systems. So, when I peeled back the blind in the morning in my room, I was greeted by a thick fog outside the Lodge window. Nonetheless, census still needed doing and, in truth, it was quieter with little to be seen although some Robins were ticking in Lower Millcombe along with the now almost staple of morning census, Water Rails squealing. A Tree Pipit buzzed over St John's in the company of some Meadow Pipits, whilst out near Rocket Pole I flushed a Grey Heron which flew towards Benjamin's Chair, only to then flush another five minutes later at Old Light. Clearly these birds didn't fancy moving in the fog either! 

Great Black Backed Gull flock at North Light by Thomas Weston

Fortunately, Thomas and Eleanor had more luck up at the North End which was out of the fog. There they reported 10 Great Black-Backed Gulls, a small hirundine movement coming in off the sea with 75 Swallows and singles of House and Sand Martin logged. A few Meadow Pipits were also noted, with probably a considerable number more hiding away in the fog. 

By Thomas Weston

Robin in Millcombe by Thomas Weston

Today's warm, sunny, high pressure day led to the biggest hirundine day of the autumn so far with hundreds of Swallows being replaced by hundreds of House Martins this afternoon, with the addition of al few Sand Martins too. The warm, calm conditions made migration easy for most, with an increase in Robins and Meadow Pipits too. 

The Western Bonelli's Warbler was still in Quarter Wall Copse, and there was a good arrival of Chiffchaff and Blackcap in Millcombe too, including six of the former caught and four of the latter.

By Eleanor Harris

Today got off to a rather foggy, damp and misty start with high wind speeds. It seems crazy that the boat would land on such a day but it's happening after the mixed messages of yesterday. As the morning went on the fog persisted with little visibility out. The only birds I have seen so far have been a few mischievous House Sparrows visiting the Tavern via the window in search of crumbs, once found leaving rather quickly through a window or door. It was a travel day so everyone flocked to the Village seeking shelter and hot drinks. As I was working in the Tavern it was clear that the fog was set in but this could easily change with the strong westerly winds. 

As the morning persisted the fog lifted with a glimpse of sunshine, a nice change from the dampness of this morning. 

On my Tavern break I decided to go for a short walk, seeing a few Swallows, flocks of Linnets and Starlings along the way. As it was rather windy it ended up being a shorter than planned walk with the Upper East Path being rather windy – a real change from the calm, clear days had over the last weeks and months. 

Today really has felt like a proper autumn day and a sign of what is to come.