Saturday 20th November 2021

 A handful of late autumn migrants including 15 Blackbird, 9 Fieldfare, 3 Song Thrush, 2 Redwing, Blackcap, Reed Bunting & Ring Ouzel plus 124 Siskin heading south. Offshore southbound 33 Shelduck, 15 Red-throated Diver, 2 Brent, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, Guillemot, Razorbill & Tufted Duck with northbound 15 Red-throats, 2 Common Scoter, 2 Great Crested Grebe & 2 Guillemot plus 2 Bonxie loitering amongst the big gulls. 8 Turnstone & 2 Purps on the point.

With the mild conditions odd moths like Turnip are still on the wing.

Ringing: 3 Blackbird, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap.

Friday 19th November 2021

Grounded migrants  almost non-existent. Southbound 15 Goldfinch, 8 Mipit, 7 Siskin, 2 Greenfinch & 2 Skylark. 2 Purps and a Turnstone were on the point, Snow Bunting was heard calling first thing over on the beach & a Dartford Warbler was just south of the Butts pond. Big Gull numbers are picking up offshore with roughly 900 Great Black-backs & 700 Herring Gulls following shipping.

The second site record of Scarce Umber with our only previous one in 2008.

Ringing: 1 Blackbird.

Thursday 18th November 2021

The second Puffin sighting of the autumn is notable here although the bulk of our previous sightings are in November. Starring into the sun offshore not clever although southbound 29 Black-headed Gull, 3 Pintail, 3 Red-throated Diver, 2 Great-crested Grebe, Guillemot, Red-breasted Merganser & Shelduck with northbound 12 Common Scoter, 5 Guillemot & 5 Red-throats plus a Great-northern Diver that went south just offshore then back north again 5 minutes later for the second day running. Other movers consisted of southbound 9 Goldfinch, 5 Redpoll, 5 Siskin & 2 Chaffinch. On site a small handful of new birds as exampled by those species ringed plus 2 Mipits, 2 Purps on the point & 5 Snow Bunting (nothing consistent about Snow Bunt counts at the moment as birds are obviously wandering about rather than settling down for the winter).

Ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush.

Wednesday 17th November 2021

A shift in the breeze to north-west & clearing conditions brought very little new grounded  migrants in. Heading south 26 Goldfinch, 26 Stock Dove, 23 Wood Pigeon, 16 Goldfinch, 10 Redpoll, 8 Starling, 6 Chaffinch, 4 Skylark, 3 Mipit, Linnet & Rock Pipit with on site a couple of new Blackies & Redwing. Offshore very quiet, not helped by the sun in ones eyes, although a Great-northern Diver did fly up & down. Only 2 Snow Bunting seen on this mornings census although good to see Mr & Mrs Peregrine on station as they can go AWOL in the autumn.

Ringing: 3 Blackbird.

Tuesday 16th November 2021

Light Brown Apple Moth is a colonist from the Antipodes, first noted in the UK in the 1930's and now abundant and widespread

 A similar day to yesterday - heavily overcast and very calm; birds of note included c30 Blackbirds, 28 Brent Geese, 2 Chiffchaffs (first ones for a while now), 2 Purple Sandpipers still on the jetty, 12 Red-throated Divers, 7 Redpolls, a Sanderling south, 50 Siskins south, 8 Snow Buntings still and a Woodcock.

Ringing: Blackbird 6, Redwing 1, Chaffinch 1, Dunnock 1, Robin 5, Lesser Redpoll 5, Goldfinch 3, Song Thrush 1

Monday 15th November 2021

Black Redstart and Woodcock

A promising looking morning, heavily overcast with a feather-light NE breeze but despite a handful of Thrushes at dawn and a new Black Redstart in the nets there was little fresh in to get excited about; on the land birds comprised a Blackcap, the aforementioned Black Redstart, 9 Snow Buntings still, 40+ Blackbirds, a Brambling, 2 Fieldfares, 2 Purple Sandpipers and 2 Turnstone on the jetty, 2 Redpolls, 3 Rock Pipits and 2 Woodcock.

A few bits offshore included a Goosander south, a Great-northern Diver on the sea, 91 Brent Geese, 21 Common Scoter, 6 Dunlin, 8 Eider, 10 Gannets, a Guillemot, 11 Lapwings, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 9 Red-throated Divers, 50 Shelduck south, 6 Teal and 44 Wigeon.

Ringing: Woodcock 1, Blackcap 1, Black Redstart 1, Robin 4, Blackbird 13, Song Thrush 1

December Moth is a late autumn flyer that only occurs here sporadically

Sunday 14th November 2021

Annoying intermittent fine drizzle on and off this morning resulted in at least 50 Blackbird on site plus a couple of Redwing, Songies and a Brambling. A couple of groups of Starling  totalling 266 came in off the sea & 5 Siskin passed through. Offshore 3 Great-northern Diver heading south were noteworthy with a supporting cast of 216 Brent, 26 Dunlin, 10 Shelduck, 5 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Diver, 2 Kittiwake & Guillemot with northbound 10 Gannet, 3 Guillemot, 3 Red-throats, 2 Greylags & Shelduck.

Only our first Feathered Thorn of the autumn - we get small numbers from the end of October onwards and was beginning to wonder whether they were going to appear this year (although we have had a couple of 'blankety blanks' in the past).

Ringing: 6 Blackbird.