Willow Warblers morph into Chiffchaffs

29th August 2016 – bright and sunny W2/3
Grounded Migrants
The first 3 Chiffchaff of the autumn were logged along with 4 White Wagtail, 2 Goldcrest and single Redstart, Wheatear and Blackcap, but no Willow Warbler.
Diurnal Migration
A Sand Martin was amongst 20 Swallow.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders include 8 Greenshank and single Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Whimbrel.
Moths
Immigrants attracted to the moth trap overnight involved Rush Veneer, Diamond-backed Moth and Silver Y.
Dragonflies
At least 5 Migrant Hawker were recorded.

Garganey

28th August 2016 – early showers NE1/2
Offshore
Observations over the sea (0800-0900) produced 87 Common Scoter, 10 Sandwich Tern, 7 Gannet, 2 Kittiwake and a Razorbill.
Grounded Migrants
Limited to 5 Wheatear and single Whitethroat, Goldcrest and Spotted Flycatcher.
Diurnal Migration
A Yellow Wagtail was amongst 100 Swallow and 12 Pied Wagtail.
Wildfowl and Waders
A Garganey, 3 Wigeon and 2 Shoveler were amongst 50 Teal. Waders included 4 Greenshank and single Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Common Sandpiper.

A bit of variety

27th August 2016 – sunny spells SE2/3
Offshore
A check of the sea revealed 60 Sandwich Tern and small numbers of Common Scoter and Gannet.
Grounded Migrants
A scatter of migrants included 7 Whitethroat, 5 Willow Warbler, 4 Wheatear, 3 Goldcrest and single Redstart, Blackcap and Spotted Flycatcher.
Diurnal Migration
The most evidence so far that autumn diurnal passage is underway with 50 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 2 Sand Martin, 2 Grey Wagtail and 2 Tree Pipit logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 24 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel and 2 Curlew Sandpiper.
Miscellaneous
Little Egrets remain prominent.
Butterflies
A handful of Painted Lady and Red Admiral were logged.

More Curlew Sandpipers

25th August 2016 – overcast E1/2
Offshore
A Shag was amongst small numbers of Gannet, Sandwich Tern and Common Scoter.
Grounded Migrants
Slim pickings again with just 4 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat and 4 Wheatear logged.
Diurnal Migration
Two Sand Martin were amongst 50 Swallow.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders include 330 Turnstone, 19 Greenshank, 7 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Curlew Sandpiper.
Moths
Frosted Orange was new for the year.

Curlew Sandpiper and Ruff

24th August 2016 – bright and sunnt WNW2/3
Grounded Migrants
From feast to famine with just 3 Willow Warbler and a Redstart logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders include 10 Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Ruff and a Curlew Sandpiper.
Miscellaneous
At least 27 Little Egret continue to stalk the island and a Little Owl basked in the evening sunshine.

Fall conditions

23rd August 2016 – early drizzle then sunny spells V2
Offshore
A few Sandwich Tern were again present on the falling tide.
Grounded Migrants
A bit of a fall was evident with single Redstart and Pied Flycatcher amongst 75 Willow Warbler, 18 Robin, 14 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Goldcrest.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders include 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper.
Miscellaneous
At least 23 Little Egret continue to stalk the island.

Curlew Sandpiper arrive

22nd August 2016 – heavy rain SW3/2
Offshore
A few Sandwich Tern were present on the falling tide.
Grounded Migrants
Limited fare with just 2 Willow Warbler and single Blackcap and Wheatear logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
The first 2 Curlew Sandpiper of the autumn were logged while additional waders included 5 Black-tailed Godwit, and 5 Greenshank.

Waders continue to build

21st August 2016 – sunshine and showers W4
Offshore
Observations over the sea (0800-0900 & 1430-1530) produced totals of 163 Common Scoter, 79 Manx Shearwater, 71 Gannet, 57 Sandwich Tern, 3 Shag, 3 Kittiwake, 2 Fulmar and single Arctic Skua and Arctic Tern.
Grounded Migrants
Again sparse with just 3 Wheatear, 3 Willow Warbler and a Sedge Warbler logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 2250 Curlew, 80 Golden Plover, 35 Grey Plover, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank and a Whimbrel.
Miscellaneous
At least 31 Little Egret remain.
Butterflies and Moths
The moth trap attracted only small numbers overnight but included Acleris sparsana, which would appear to be the first island record, along with Old Lady and Yellow-barred Brindle.
Images
Acleris sparsana.

Little Stint remains

20th August 2016 – heavy rain SSE5/6/7
Offshore
The sea provided 25 Common Scoter, 3 Sandwich Tern and single Common Tern and Shag when the rain briefly relented.
Grounded Migrants
Limited to a solitary Willow Warbler.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 3350 Oystercatcher, 2600 Knot, 2130 Curlew, 20 Greenshank, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Whimbrel and a Little Stint.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier continues to linger.

Little Stint arrives

19th August 2016 – rain SE4
Offshore
A few Sandwich Tern were in evidence.
Grounded Migrants
Limited to 2 Wheatear and a Willow Warbler.
Diurnal Migration
A few Swallow trickled through despite the conditions.
Wildfowl and Waders
A juvenile Little Stint was newly arrived.
Miscellaneous
An adult Mediterranean Gull was logged while raptors included the lingering Hen Harrier and a Merlin.

Hen Harrier still in residence

18th August 2016 – bright and sunny E3
Grounded Migrants
Again only a smattering of Migrants in the bright and clear conditions with just 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher and single Redstart and Whitethroat logged.
Diurnal Migration
A few Swallow trickled through.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 5 Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Greenshank.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier continues to roam the island.
Moths
A total of 160 moths of 31 species were attracted overnight. Totals continued to be dominated by While-lined Dart while Svennson’s Copper Underwing and Square-spot Rustic were new for the year.

Wood Sandpiper

16th August 2016 – Bright and sunny ESE2/3
Grounded Migrants
There was little evidence of any grounded passerines with just 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear and a Whitethroat logged.
Diurnal Migration
A flock of 34 Swift hurtled through.
Wildfowl and Waders
A Wood Sandpiper was newly arrived amongst the Greenshank, Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier continues to roam the island.
Moths
A total of 240 moths of 41 species were attracted overnight with totals again dominated by 67 While-lined Dart. Immigrants were represented by a single Dark Swordgrass and Silver Y whilst Feathered Rannunculus was new for the year.

Hen Harrier continues in residence

15th August 2016 – Bright and sunny SE2
Offshore
A few Sandwich Tern fished offshore in the evening.
Grounded Migrants
The bright and clear skies were not conducive to producing grounded birds with just 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and single Blackcap and Sedge Warbler logged.
Diurnal Migration
The trickle of Swallow and Sand Martin continues.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included Greenshank, Whimbrel and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier continues to roam the island and a Peregrine stalked the Oystercatcher roost.

Tree Pipit finally on year list

14th August 2016 – Overcast NW3/2/1
Offshore
Just small numbers of Gannet, Sandwich Tern and Common Scoter.
Grounded Migrants
A smattering of grounded migrants were in evidence with 16 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler and singles of Redstart, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher and Wheatear logged.
Diurnal Migration
A Tree Pipit and 2 Swift were amongst a trickle of Swallow and Sand Martin.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 8 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier continues to linger.
Moths
A total of 303 moths of 46 species were attracted overnight with While-lined Dart topping the totals list and Oblique Carpet new for the year.

Hen Harrier lingers

13th August 2016 – Early drizzle then sunny spells W5/4
Offshore
Common Scoter were on the move early morning (0730-0830) with 270 birds logged. Also seen were small numbers of Gannet, Sandwich Tern and Manx Shearwater.
Grounded Migrants
A Spotted Flycatcher was amongst small numbers of Whitethroat and Willow Warbler.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included1 5 Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
The Hen Harrier remains while 2 Merlin and a Peregrine were also recorded.

Hen Harrier

12th August 2016 – Sunny spells SW4/5
Offshore
An early afternoon check of the sea (1230-1330) produced 83 Common Scoter, 35 Gannet, 19 Manx Shearwater and singles Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern.
Grounded Migrants
The first Goldcrest of the autumn was logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 5 Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
Both Hen Harrier and Merlin hunted the island.
Moths
Canary-shouldered Thorn and Hedge Rustic were new for the year.

Sandwich Terns build

8th August 2016 – sunshine and showers WNW6/5/4
Offshore
A flock of 420 Sandwich Tern were seen.
Grounded Migrants
A quiet day with just 3 Willow Warbler logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 16 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Whimbrel and 3 Greenshank.
Miscellaneous
A Little Owl and 6 Little Egret were the bet of the rest.

Seabirds

7th August 2016 – overcast then sunny spells SW5
Offshore
A check of the sea (0730-0930) yielded little reward other than 230 Manx Shearwater, 200 Gannet, 40 Sandwich Tern, 33 Common Scoter and 2 Fulmar.
Grounded Migrants
A Wheatear was the only record of note.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included Black-tailed Godwit.
Moths
Six-striped Rustic and Magpie Moth were new for the year.

Variety rather than quantity

6th August 2016 – bright and sunny SSW1/2
Grounded Migrants
Variety rather than quantity was the order of the day with 9 Willow Warbler, 5 Stonechat, 3 Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap and singles of Redstart, Garden Warbler and Reed Warbler logged.
Diurnal Migration
A Grey Wagtail and 10 Swift were recorded.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included Whimbrel, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
A Little Owl and 2 Merlin were the best of the rest.

A few grounded migrants in evidence

5th August 2016 – sunny spells W3
Grounded Migrants
Another small selection involved 11 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat, 3 Stonechat, 3 Sedge Warbler and the long-staying Redstart.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included 5 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Miscellaneous
The Hooded x Carrion Crow hybrid was again recorded and a total of 22 Little Egret were logged.

Little Ringed Plovers

2nd August 2016 – overcast/rain at times ESE1/2
Offshore
A flock of 100 Sandwich Tern fed offshore
Grounded Migrants
Another smattering involved 10 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler and single Lesser Whitethroat and Robin.
Wildfowl and Waders
An adult and juvenile Little Ringed Plover were newly arrived. Additional waders included Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit.

Another Redstart

1st August 2016 – overcast V1/2
Grounded Migrants
A small selection involved 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler and single Redstart and Blackcap.
Wildfowl and Waders
Waders included Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank and the first Snipe of the autumn.
Miscellaneous
A Hooded x Carrion Crow hybrid was recorded.
Moths
Tawny Speckled Pug was new for the year.