Little Egrets
Largely cloudy with a moderate SW breeze, kind of an average weather day; there was again, like most days now a trickle of birds heading south at sea, this time highlighted by an early returning Purple Sandpiper (the third earliest autumn record after birds on 30th July 1989 and 11th August 2003). Other totals comprised 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Golden Plover, 9 Grey Plover, 4 Knot, 5 Little Egrets, 12 Oystercatchers, 3 Redshank, 32 Ringed Plover, 6 Turnstone, a Whimbrel and a Teal.
Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a Peregrine out at sea which had second thoughts about its pelagic travels, landed on an inbound container ship and hitched a ride back into the port, 2 Wheatears and 6 Willow Warblers with 5 Sand Martins, 8 Swallows and 22 Swifts heading south.
Ringing: Robin 2, Whitethroat 1, Willow Warbler 1
Like many formerly common species, Straw Underwing is not having a good year