Yellow-browed still in Ventnor Park....

Iain Outlaw got onto the yellow-browed in Ventnor Park, east of the bandstand this morning, along with two firecrests......In the afternoon, the yellow-browed was still present and calling in the small copse in the NW corner of Old Station Road.

In the garden first thing, the upswing in visible migration was immediately clear:

Linnet: 113
Meadow pipit: 11
Alba wagtail: 5
Starling: 1
Swallow: 10
Goldfinch: 30
Grey wagtail: 1
Blackbird: 2
Siskin: 6
Chaffinch: 5
Redpoll: 20
Crossbill: 2

Tristis chiff, and yellow-browed still

Southerlies and showers in the morning, very warm. The garden first thing produced:
Linnet: 51
Meadow pipit: 4
Chaffinch: 16
Goldfinch: 5

Grove Car Park was lively:
Tristis chiffchaff: 1
Chiffchaff: 20
Chaffinch: 7
Blackbird: 4
Meadow pipit: 1
Alba wagtail: 1

The yellow-browed warbler showed well and was calling on and off between 1.30 and 2.30pm at Old Station Road.

Bit more lively...and a yellow-browed....

Swirling weather system off to the west drawing south-westerlies and showers over the south-west as far east as the island. Still easterlies across northern England. Immediately obvious that more birds have arrived this morning, although it has started blustery, so not easy to pick things out.

Grove Car Park and the church yard had a tit flock with:

Goldcrest: 2
Chiffchaff: 20
Blackbird: 19
Goldfinch: 3
Grey wagtail: 1
Alba wagtail: 1

At around 1.50pm I went up to Old Station Road. I entered the loop path via the west gate. As I got to the top of the first stretch, by the chalets, where the path turns right, a yellow-browed started to call up ahead! I rushed up to the kissing gate, and got onto the bird calling continuously from the hawthorn in the fence line just beyond the NT sign. I watched as it called agitatedly for several minutes, then realised what it was on about - a kestrel sitting on its perch below the telegraph wires! The YBW continued to call loudly, giving the best views I've ever had - the pale smudge of a crown stripe was even obvious (no, not a Pallas's, nor eastern-crowned!).

Three ouzels at the base of Coombe Bottom.

Quiet

Apart from a report of yellow-browed in Ventnor Park again (on RBA), things are pretty quiet.

Elsewhere, St Caths produced a Pallas's warbler and yellow-browed.

Second yellow-browed of the autumn

Only my second visit to Old Station Road this autumn produced Ventnor's second yellow-browed warbler of the autumn. It was in with a LTT gang on the western side, moving south-west, calling. I didn't see it! There was possibly a second bird, which also called. And a male ring ouzel in Coombe Bottom.

Garden ouzels

7.30 up in the garden produced three ring ouzels briefly in the hawthorns before heading north. Full tallies on a quiet morning as follows:

Garden:

Ring ouzel: 3
Chiffchaff: 11
Meadow pipit:17
[Reed bunting? 1]
Swallow: 8
Siskin: 4
Alba wagtail: 9
Chaffinch: 4
Goldfinch: 6
Blackbird: 3
Linnet: 1

Walk into town then Salisbury Gardens:

Alba wagtail: 33
Siskin: 1
Goldfinch: 30
Linnet: 72
Chiffchaff: 8
Meadow pipit: 31
Chaffinch: 15
Swallow: 2
Grey wagtail: 1
Robin: 5

Feels rare!

With the persistent e-s-e breeze and thick cloud and spots of rain at dawn, today feels 'rare'! Up in the garden at 7am, four song thrushes around the hawthorns were a good indicator, but it was immediately obvious that visible migration was less pronounced than yesterday. The garden tally was as follows:

Alba wagtails: 1
Blackbird: 3
Song thrush: 5 (as above)
Chiffchaff: 1
Goldfinch: 8
Chaffinch: 2
Meadow pipit: 9

Grove car park or more specifically the tiny church yard here was a hive of activity, with:

Alba wagtail: 1
Chiffchaff: 15
Grey wagtail: 1
Robin: 8
Blackbird: 10 (all at each others' throats, mostly with black bills)
Black cap: 1

Twenty minutes stood at the Salisbury Gardens sun dial produced:

Alba wagtails: 21
Chiffchaffs: 5
Black bird: 2
Linnet: 33
Meadow pipit: 49

Ten minutes stood at the Rex view produced:

Goldfinch: 70
Alba wagtail: 1
Meadow pipit: 17
Chiffchaff: 3
Heron: 1
Sparrowhawk: 1
Grey wagtail: 1

Afternoon update.....

A walk around Ventnor this afternoon wasn't that eventful apart from 10 ring ouzels flushed from the abandoned field on Steephill Down. Blackcaps remain scarce; robin numbers are beginning to build up; jays remain thin on the ground; no hint of wood pigeon movements (so I'm not bothering counting them yet!); goldcrests - what are they?!

Totals as follows:

Alma Road:

Blackbird: 1
Swallow: 2
Robin: 4
Chiffchaff: 6

La Faliase to Myrtle Bay:

Robin: 7
Chiffchaff: 6
Blackbird: 1

Ventnor Park:

Robin: 10
Chiffchaff: 12
Jay: 10
Blackbird: 3
Grey wagtail: 1

Royal Hotel:

Jay: 1
Robin: 2
Grey wagtail: 1
Chiffchaff: 1

Steephill Down:

Ring ouzel: 10
Chiffchaff: 5
Goldfinch: 5
Blackbird: 4
Blackcap: 2
Chaffinch: 2
Hirundines: 10
Robin: 11
Meadow pipit: 47
Alba wagtail: 3