Saturday 25th October

Ideal conditions for a movement of Woodpigeon with a stiff north-westerly and scattered cloud cover from dawn. Flocks totalling at least 11,450 were moving west most of the morning mainly in low hundreds with a few larger flocks, within them a few Stock Dove, Starling, racing pigeons and even a 1cy Common Gull. 

Woodpigeon - Dave Jewell

The strength of the wind presumably reduced movement of smaller passerines, although the first Brambling of the year headed east with a Redpoll and single figures of Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Siskin and Skylark.

Meadow Pipit - Lee Collins

Onsite eight Chiffchaff, four Goldcrest and a Firecrest were roving with 15 Blue, 14 Long-tailed and six Great Tit, with the Cetti's Warbler in scrub behind the Crocus Compound and three Teal, two Kingfisher, a Snipe and a Water Rail at the Main Pond.

Long-tailed Tit - Dave Jewell

In the estuary counts over the high tide included 460 Wigeon, 450 Teal, 341 Dark and 12 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 180 Dunlin, 94 Shelduck, 52 Ringed and six Grey Plover, 44 Turnstone, 24 Knot, 18 Sanderling, 17 Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Greenshank, 15 Little Egret and two Mediterranean Gull.

Dark (front) and Pale-bellied Brent Geese - Lee Collins

Offshore a flock of six Tufted Duck flew south mid afternoon with eight Common Scoter, six Eider and a Red-throated Diver on the sea.

Year list addition: 
179. Brambling

Ringing News: Three colour-ringed Dark-bellied Brent Geese, two with satellite collars, from the same Dutch/German scheme have been present recently, two, a pair, were ringed on Terschelling this spring, a stop off point on spring migration.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: Finding shelter were three Migrant Hawker, a Common Darter and a couple of Red Admiral, along with the hoverflies Migrant Broadtail Eupeodes corollae, Hairy-eyed Syrphus S. torvus and Large Marsh Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus.

Hairy-eyed Syrphus S. torvus - Alan Keatley

In Dead Dolphin Wood were a Hooded Dryomyza D. anilis and 10-spot Ladybird Adalia decempunctata, with a beach darkling beetle Phaleria cadaverina by the geotubes.

10-spot Ladybird Adalia decempunctata - Alan Keatley

Hooded Dryomyza D. anilis - Alan Keatley

Phaleria cadaverina - Alan Keatley