Strengthening easterlies....

Well, more like south-easterlies here on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, but from a generally easterly airflow. Things were a bit blowy up in the garden first thing, with just three or four chiffchaffs and fewer than ten meadow pipits and 50-odd swallows overhead.

The walk down into town was equally uneventful, with very few Phyloscs and barely any meadow pipits nor Hirundines overhead. There's still no sign of the heavy linnet, goldfinch nor siskin movements getting going. That said, I did have three parties of linnets fly NE over Rew Down, summing to around 60, a couple of evenings ago, and yesterday evening there were around 500 swallows feeding up on Week Down and the gold course, with 20-odd chiffchaffs in the area and a couple of blackcaps.

Two wrynecks remain up on Ventnor Downs - not somewhere I'll be venturing much as I'm frantically trying to find something - anything - in Ventnor Park this autumn......

4pm update

A wander around Ventnor Park produced a firecrest in with two gold crests (bringing my 'crest totals to three golds and two fires for the Autumn....). The Ridge held around 25 chiffchaffs with another 15 at Flowersbrook, and a couple of jays and four chaffinches. REALLY quiet!

Lovely weather, but boring....

We have south-easterlies and clear skies, so the Undercliff is dead! Ventnor Park managed a meagre ten chiffchaffs, a lone blackcap, seven or so noisy jays, and the usual grey wagtail. The rest of the country is awash with yellow-browed warblers - even Poole had three earlier - not us though. Maybe having basically no birders in the Undercliff is part of the problem?

Easterlies and a firecrest in the garden

Having seen but a single goldcrest in Ventnor so far this Autumn, the sight of a smart firecrest nip through the garden via the crab apple this morning was a pleasant surprise. The skies are clear and overnight was nippy, but this morning, like yesterday, has rapidly warmed up. We're set for another warm day, with the temperature rising above 20 degrees C.

Also over the garden were c.20 meadow pipes and 5 Alba wagtails, and a male blackcap was hopping around in the willow, with 10 odd chiffchaffs in adjacent gardens and the willow. The walk down into town was noticeably quieter than yesterday - only 3 or 4 chiffchaffs.

Jay numbers are now beginning to pick up, with a couple over the garden and three or four at Grove Road Car Park first thing.

At dusk last night, there were five-odd chiffchaffs fly catching from the willow and adjacent trees and shrubs in the garden.

Garden tick which I can't tick!

Garden tick which I can't tick: medium-sized wader with three feral pigeons, redish underside, shortish bill, lanky - OK I don't do waders but I say ruff! 

Good upturn in meadow pipit numbers with c.35 in over the garden, plus 12 Alba wags, a siskin, and three chiffchaffs in the garden. Good gang of c.35 chiffchaffs in a long-tailed tit flock (actually a chiffchaff flock) on Zig Zag, and three blackcaps in with them. Meadow pipits continuing in off the sea and small numbers of swallows from Rex Cinema. Love visible migration!

Bit more viz mig

A MARSH HARRIER flying rapidly south and out to sea over my garden at 6.35am was a welcome garden tick. c.8 chiffchaffs were feeding in the garden willow and a yellow wag flew east overhead, along with 20-odd meadow pipits.

The first Zig Zag sycamore clump was alive with chiffchaffs, some 25.

September, again.....

Here we go again - it's latish September and I'm able to spend some time birding around Ventnor. I've been here a week or so (having returned from the US) and haven't seen much of note yet. Visible migration was good when I first got back but has been quiet over the last few days. There are loads of chiffchaffs around, including c. 8 in the garden willow this morning. My walk down into town this morning was uneventful.

I'm off now, at 1.48pm, to the Botanic Gardens via Ventnor Park - maybe I'll jam into a yellow-browed - there have been hundreds along the east coast these last couple of days. Or maybe a Swainson's thrush - two up north today........

430pm update

Well, I sat for an hour at the Botanics and aside from a steady flow of chiffchaffs visiting the pond, and twenty-off swallows heading east, there was nothing of note. 

Phy: 30
Swallow: 368
Blackbird: 2
Robin: 2
Blackcap: 1
White Throat: 2