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!