Finally the birds are starting to move properly in Ventnor, with a Pylosc flock of 20 odd willow warblers on Zig Zag Road and another 15 willows and chiffchaff and whitethroat at Devonshire Terrace, and three more willows at Wheelers. Ten sand martins headed east with 10 swallows. 60 odd swifts in the area.

It's nice to be back on the island after a few weeks away. Had a quick look down East Cliffs this morning and was rewarded by views of fledgeling blackcaps! There's been a male singing in The Glen for the summer and I clocked an adult female but proving successful breeding is nice.

There were 60+ swifts feeding over Ventnor Heights - presumably a mix of local breeders and early movers hanging around to feed. There was a similar number here yesterday.

Two swallows rushed west past Salisbury Gardens this morning too - a hint of early migration.  

A nice lot of activity around the East Cliffs this morning. At least 30 willow warblers, many in song, chasing each other about in the early (well, 8am!) sun, then shooting inland across roofs of nearby houses. The valley on the cliff by Dudley Road CP was full, with birds moving between this and the tamarisk-hedged gardens. A berry-laden ivy was attended by six blackcaps, and a whitethroat was feeding in blackthorn on the cliff top, with a second near the sun dial. A yellow-wag flew in off a while later and swallows and house martins had started to trickle in off by 10am. The outer breakwater of the Haven had six wheatears - a record count for here I think!

This area - the East Cliffs - consistently fills up with birds when things are moving. 

Quick walk around St Lawrence

Finally back from Colombia and recovered from the inevitable bug, so I decided to have a quick walk through St Lawrence - with any luck the core 'recording area' of a future Bird Observatory......

Highlights in the warm murk were seven song thrushes and twelve blackbirds along the fence line above Woody Bay, west of the coastguard cottages. Four meadow pipits emerged from the tussocky grass here too and fifteen goldfinches headed quickly east in a tight flock. Just inland, two chiffchaffs were a pleasant surprise in the SWA willow bed, with a treecreeper and four goldcrests there too. Later, two goldcrests were in birches on Love Lane, Steephill Cove, with ten blackbirds and a song thrush at the putting green in Ventnor Park at dusk.

Yellow-browes at Royal Hotel, Monks Bay and Old Station Road, with a firecrest at Royal Hotel and Grove Car Park.

Yellow-browed again calling at Ventnor Park, with two firecrests there, this morning, and another yellow-browed reported at Bonchurch Old Church on RBA.

In the evening, between five and seven black redstarts feeding on St Catherines Church, flycatching in the evening sun.

It's been another really warm day, hardly conducing to thrilling bird movements, although fifteen odd blackbirds and a couple of small (song?) thrushes chasing each other around Grove / St Catherines churchyard late afternoon suggests things have picked up a bit. There was a small party of c.15 goldfinches in the churchyard too.

Earlier, the Ventnor Park tit flock produced 3 chiffchaffs, and there were a couple of more elsewhere.

Alba wags trickle through, with around 20 during the day, up to 30 siskins, four or five skylarks, 20-odd chaffinches and, well, that's about as good as viz mig got......  

Visible migration picking up again

RBA reports that the Ventnor Park yellow-browed warbler was still present this morning and, in the  afternoon, I finally managed to connect with it, calling in street trees along the stream. I'll assume this was the same as I had here a couple of weeks back - however unlikely that is!

This morning in the garden was slightly more interesting, with increasing numbers of birds on the move, although chiffchaff numbers continue to fall:

Siskin: 20
Blackbird: 1
Meadow pipit: 3
Goldfinch: 41
Chaffinch: 3
Linnet: 7
Crossbill: 2
Alba wagtail: 7
Redpoll; 1
Thrush spp: 1
Chiffchaff: 1
Wood pigeon: 20

The walk down Zig Zag Rd produced....

Linnets: 2
Alba wags: 3
Chiffs: 5
Jay:2
Skylark: 1
Goldfinch: 20

Grove Car Park:

Goldfinch: 16
Siskin: 10
Chiffchaff:1
Alba wags: 5
Linnet: 3
Redpoll: 1
Blackbird: 2
Chaffinch: 2

Winter Gardens:
Goldfinch: 42
Siskin: 1
Mipits: 2
Alba wags:3
Stonechats: 2
Blackbirds: 1

Alma Rd:
Chiffchaff: 1

La Falaise to Myrtle Bay:

Oystercatcher: 2
Linnet: 2
Blackbird: 1
Blackcap: 1
Goldcrest: 1
Chiffchaff: 4
Goldfinch: 1

Ventnor Park:

Chiffchaff: 4
Blackbird: 5
Goldfinch: 27
Goldcrest: 2
Jay: 2
Grey wag: 1
Yellow-browed: 1 (1.40pm, calling by stream)

Castle Court:
Jay: 1
Chiffchaff: 5
Song thrush: 1
Blackbird: 1
Linnet: 20