Wall lizards and a fox enjoying the sun.....

It dawned nippy with a light south-easterly and clear, blue sky. The sun rising over the sea soon warmed things up but there was little in the way of visible migration first thing. Five redwings seen heading north over the house from the front room window were the only ones today. In the garden from eight, a typically early brambling flew north calling, then a couple of siskins east. Four meadow pipits, a couple more siskins and ten jays completed a poor garden viz mig session. The feeders, on the other hand, were alive as ever with lots of chaffinches and gold finches, endless great and blue tits making off with whole peanuts, and the two now-resident coal tits up to their usual trick of flicking all the seeds out of the hoppers until they find the single bit of grain that satisfies their pickiness. I've now concluded that it's not the jackdaws emptying all the feeders of   seeds, it's these two coal tits.

Down at Old Shute at 9.15am, in warm, still conditions, ten chaffinches were walking around in the sycamores, with a couple of jays, two goldcrests, three blackbirds, and a skylark then pied wagtail east overhead.

Then onto Old Station Road (previously Coombe Bottom). Aside from the now resident and still baffling grey 'willow warbler'......[right, bed time - to be continued : ) ]

I was rather hoping to get a nice Pallas's given the time of year and south-easterlies but no, I stumbled into what I assumed to be a new yellow-browed warbler! This one was initially calling loudly on Castle Road, with two goldcrests, before looping down over the houses and into Ventnor Park, where it continued to call for about a minute in the vicinity of the band stand before falling silent.

Finally after a couple of weeks of constant westerlies the breeze swung to south-easterly at some point yesterday, with murk at dawn today, producing an instant, all be it modest, pick-up in the birds. Visible migrants heading mostly east or north from the garden between 7.18am and 8.20am included:

Brambling: 1
Song thrush: 5
Redwing: 73
Blackbird: 5
Fieldfair: 2
Goldfinch: 120
Chaffinch: 17
Merlin: 1
Starling: 64
Jay: 5
Linnet: 1
Meadow pipit: 1

I then got a lift with Andy Butler to Haddon's Pits, which were somewhat quieter than we expected, but produced:

Blackbird: 17
Pied wagtail: 1
Song thrush: 1
Raven: 2
Peregrine: 1 male
Goldfinch: 22
Kestrel: 1
Siskin: 6
Redwing: 2
Goldcrest: 3
Song thrush: 1
Chaffinch: 1
Redpoll: 1
Chiffchaff: 1

Andy and I then checked Coombe Bottom, which was largely quiet (we failed to connect with the tit flock), producing:

Blackbird: 3
Jay: 17
Goldcrest: 5
Chiffchaff: 1
Chaffinch: 2
Song thrush: 1

Had a walk in the afternoon down Southgrove Road, where I had:

Jay: 4
Blackbird: 3
Chaffinch: 15

And at The Grove:

Jay: 1
Goldcrest: 2

....and, finally, at dusk in Ventnor Park:

Goldcrest: 11!

I'm getting more and more lazy as the autumn slips into winter, hence the rather boring lists of not very much below....

Overcast with a light easterly breeze, and chilly. I got up into the garden at 7.38 am, with visible migration highlights as follows:

Chaffinch: 19
Jay: 9
Song thrust: 1
Goldfinch: 36
Raven: 2
Linnet: 3
Peregrine: 1
Blackbird: 2

Coombe Bottom just after 9am produced:

Jay: 26
Chaffinch: 14
Blackbird: 10
Goldfinch: 15
Redwing: 1
Goldcrest: 6
Skylark: 1
Song thrush: 2
Chiffchaff: 1

Along Southgrove Road:

Chaffinch: 10
Jay: 6
Linnet: 1
Pied wagtail: 1
Blackbird: 1
Raven: 1

At The Grove:

Jay: 3
Blackbird: 1
Goldcrest: 1
Chaffinch: 2

At the Alma Road sycamore clump:

Blackbird: 1
Grey wagtail: 1
Goldfinch: 10

Along the slopes around La Falaise:

Goldfinch: 19
Blackbird: 1
Linnet: 5
Pied wagtail: 1

On Steephill and Week Down (by which time I was almost asleep!):

Meadow pipit: 1
Chaffinch: 2
Jay: 2
Goldfinch: 1
Linnet: 1
Blackbird: 1
Skylark: 3
Raven: 1
Siskin: 1

Westerly wind, with low cloud shrouding the higher downs and bright conditions down in the Undercliff. Highlights included the re-appearance of the washed-out, grey willow warbler in its favoured spot below Ravenscourt on Ocean View Road, two firecrests at Old Station Road and another two firecrests in an old man's beard tangle at Monk's Bay, with two black redstarts at Steephill Cove.

8 November,2012

Home Garden
Siskin: 11
Chaffinch: 18
Blackbird: 2
Bullfinch: 1
Linnet: 1
Pied Wagtail: 1
Redpoll: 4
Jay: 3
Goldfinch: 7
Grey Wagtail: 1

7 November 2012

Old Shute
Goldcrest: 1
Blackbird: 3
Siskin: 1
Chaffinch: 15
Bullfinch: 1
Jay: 1

Penn/Coombe Bottom
Goldcrest: 2
Blackbird:  10
Chaffinch: 18
Goldfinch: 9
* Yellow Browed Warbler: 1
Greater Spotted Woodpecker: 1
Bullfinch: 2
Song Thrush: 5
Jay: 2
Pied Wagtail: 1
Chiffchaff: 1
Redpoll: 1
Raven: 1

Ventnor Downs
Jay: 2
Chaffinch: 14
Meadow Pippit: 1
Dartford Warbler: 1
Blackbird: 1
Song Thrush: 1

Nansen
Blackbird: 10
Jay: 4
Goldfinch: 6
Chaffinch: 2
Redpoll: 1
Brambling: 1

Landslip
Chiffchaff: 2
Jay: 7
Blackbird: 6
Goldcrest: 2
Chaffinch: 4

Horseshoe Bay
Nothing

The Grove
Jay: 2
House Sparrow: 3

Southgrove Road
Jay: 3
Linnet: 2
Chaffinch: 7

6 November, 2012

Home Garden
Goldfinch: 9
Meadow Pippit20
Redpoll: 1
Wood Pigeon: 392
Mistle Thrush: 1
Jay: 1
Bullfinch: 1
Starling: 13
Crossbill; 2
Redwing: 2
Brambling: 2
Chaffinch: 21
Linnet: 12
Siskin: 3
Blackbird: 2
Swallow: 10
Stock Dove: 92

Steephill
Stock Dove: 9
Blackbird: 34
Linnet: 11
Goldfinch: 34
Coal Tit: 1
Song Thrush: 9
Wood Pigeon: 642
Chaffinch: 23
Meadow Pippet: 12
Siskin: 2
Fieldfair: 1
Bullfinch; 2
Brambling: 1
Pied Wagtail: 1
Starling: 9

Whitwell Road
Goldcrest: 2
Blackbird: 4
Chiffchaff: 15
Fieldfair: 4
Redwing: 7
Skylark: 5
Linnet: 5
Wood Pigeon: 70
Siskin: 2
Meadow Pippet: 2
Starling: 2
Song Thrush: 1

Pelham
Blackbird: 16
Goldfinch: 8
Chaffinch: 14
Chiffchaff: 2
Linnet: 2
Song Thrush: 3
Goldcrest: 10
Redpoll: 2
Fieldfair: 1
Siskin: 4
Jay: 3

Bank End Farm
Chaffinch: 13
Blackbird: 11
Siskin:1
Goldcrest: 2
Wood Pigeon: 500

Woolverton/Woody Bay
Goldfinch: 23
Wood Pigeon: 1005
Goldcrest: 4
Blackbird: 14
Song Thrush: 7
Chaffinch: 42
Linnet: 9
Chifffchaff: 4
Meadow Pippet: 3
Pied Wagtail: 2
Brambling: 1
Jay: 6
Skylark: 1
Mistle Thrush: 1

Battery Fields
Goldfinch: 7
Linnet: 2
Pied Wagtail: 2
Chaffinch: 12
Blackbird: 10
Swallow: 1
Jay: 5
Chiffinch: 1
Starling: 32
Song Thrush: 3
Goldcrest: 3
 * Wheatear: 1

Binnel
Blackbird: 1
Goldcrest: 16
Jay: 2
Brambling: 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1

Seven Sisters/St. Lawrence Shute
Chaffinch: 15
Yellowhammer: 38
Goldfinch: 3
Linnet: 25
 Song Thrush: 2

Old Shute
Jay: 1
Song Thrush: 1
Blackbird: 1
Pied Wagtail: 1

5 November, 2012

Coombe Bottom/Penn
Meadow Pippit: 2
Chaffinch: 4
Chiffchaff: 4
Linnet: 1
Blackbird: 8
Pied Wagtail: 3
Song Thrush: 2
Brambling: 3
Wood Pigeon: 26
Siskin: 1
Jay: 3
*Crossbill: 7

Old Shute
Blackbird: 3
Jay: 2
Redwing: 1

Southgrove Road
Chaffinch: 11
Goldfinch: 2
Meadow Pippit: 2
Blackbird: 1
Jay: 3
Black Redstart: 1

Wheelers Bay
Goldfinch: 275
Siskin: 1
Pied Wagtail: 3
Chaffinch: 20
Blackbird: 4
Song Thrush: 2
House Sparrow: 6
Grey Wagtail: 1
Black Redstart: 1
Chiffchaff: 1
Linnet: 4
Goldcrest: 1
Jay: 2
Redpoll: 5
Swallow: 3

The Grove
Chaffinh: 8
Gooldfinch: 6
Jay: 3
Chiffchaff: 2

Zig Zag
Jay: 2
Chiffchaff: 1
Chaffinch: 4
Goldfinch: 6
Blackbird: 2

Ventnor Park
Chiffhaff: 1
Goldfinch: 3
Song Thrush: 1
Blackbird: 2
Goldcrest: 1

Old Shute
Meadow Pippit: 1
Blackbird: 5
Chaffinch: 3

After early showers and a blustery westerly, a quick visit to Coombe Bottom quarry produced a nice FIRECREST feeding in scrub at the edge of Ocean View Road. I didn't stay for long so not really surprised that I failed to re-locate the yellow-browed.

By midday the showers had cleared and wind died down, with sun warming things up nicely. Highlight of the afternoon was a smart FIRECREST feeding in a sycamore at the eastern end of Steephill Court Road.

Bird of the day was some way out of Ventnor at Newchurch, where a very nice SPANISH SPARROW was found by James Gloyn pecking at his nuts which he'd left hanging in the garden.

4 November, 2012
Penn
* Firecrest: 1

Steephill Court Road
*Firecrest: 1
Goldfinch: 3
Grey Wagtail: 2
Goldcrest: 4
Jay: 5
Chiffchaff: 3
Chaffinch: 2

Pelham
Jay: 7
Blackbird: 25
Chaffinch: 14
Chiffchaff: 7
Goldcrest: 18
Brambling: 1
Song Thrush: 3
Linnet: 1
Tree Creeper: 1
Blackcap: 2

Whitwell Road/Gills Cliff
Blackbird: 11
Chaffinch: 6
Jay: 4
Song Thrush: 1

Bath Road
Jay: 1
Blackbird: 1
Chaffinch: 1

La Falaise
Jay: 1

The Grove
Blackbird: 9
Jay: 2
Meadow Pippit: 1
Wood Pigeon: 40
Goldfinch: 1
Song Thrush: 1
House parrow: 1

Southgrove
Black Redstart: 4
Jay: 4
Blackbird: 4
Linnet: 1
Chaffinch: 7
Song Thrush: 2

Penn
Blackbird: 2

Old Shute
Goldfinch: 6
Jay: 2
Chaffinch: 5
Blackbird: 4
Goldcrest: 8
Meadow Pippit: 4
Chiffchaff: 1
Starling: 3

Ventnor Cemetery
Chiffchaff: 1
Linnet: 5
Chaffinch: 4

Steep Hill Down
Blackbird; 5
Chaffinch: 4
Song Thrush: 2
Siskin: 3
Goldfinch: 23
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1
Brambling: 1
Pied Wagtail: 1

A very grey warbler found below Ravenscourt on Ocean View Road proved to be an acredula race of willow warbler, and was later joined in the same sycamore by the yellow-browed warbler, which itself was very vocal for a while.

Another showery start but again the westerly breeze is light so not bad for searching. Had a quick look down at the Station Road quarry area for the yellow-browed (and possible Hume's) but no sign nor sound of either. One redpoll flew east. Ian Ridett had 8 goldcrests and 2 FIRESCRESTS here earlier. The blackbirds and robins digging about and flitting along the wooded path lining the quarry really put me on edge - there's a blue-tail or Sibe thrush here somewhere - I'm sure of it! Will check again later......

2nd November, 2012

Coombe Bottom Quarry
Chiffchaff: 1
Redpoll: 1
Goldcrest: 2
Blackbird: 3
Chaffinch: 10

Wheelers Bay
Black Redstart: 1

2nd November, 2012

Coombe Bottom Quarry
Chiffchaff: 1
Redpoll: 1
Goldcrest: 2
Blackbird: 3
Chaffinch: 10

Wheelers Bay
Black Redstart: 1

Got to Coombe Bottom quarry just after nine and bumped into a striped leaf warbler at 9.20, at the back of what was the Terminus. This bird was very washed out, with white wing bars and super and frosty shoulders and back. Had it calling several times again during the day and am sure this one's a Hume's. But Iain Outlaw managed to photograph an obvious yellow-browed, which was also heard to call several times during the day. So, we have a confirmed yellow-browed and possibly a second bird, to my ears and eyes a Hume's. We'll see if anything comes of it.

1 November, 2012

Home Garden
Pied Wagtail: 3
Chaffinch: 7
Goldfinch: 20
Siskin: 1
Linnet: 11

Penn
Siskin 11

Coombe Bottom Quarry
* Crossbill: 3
Chaffinch: 11
Goldcrest: 6
Chiffchaff: 2
Mistle Thrush: 1
Linnet: 1
Yellow Browed Warbler: 2