Sunday 22nd October - Normal service resumes

After the great weekend I had at Portland there was an inevitability about this weekend with the birds on offer. Saturday was just mega winds and spells of heavy downpours (poor Adie was on a Netball trip involving a pretty awful Dover-Calais ferry crossing !). A total of 68 Redwings flew over the garden.

With the winds very slightly abating I went to Selsey this morning. There were a few birds moving the best of which was a Black-throated Diver, a trickle of Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches and Skylark battled into the wind and there was enough to keep an interest for a couple of hours, although not the quantity of Portland, then I had to return home.

A brief bright spell with a drop in winds was good for around an hour. There were definitely plenty of thrushes around with Redwing (30+), Song thrush (5+) Mistle Thrush (3), Blackbirds (10+). A Buzzard, Sparrowhawk made an apperance and the few Goldfinches were joined by 2 Siskin in the Alders and a party of Long -tailed Tits arrived this afternoon. An Emperor Dragonfly and Common Hawker were still around the pond and a couple of Red Admiral butterflies were trying to suck the last of the nectar out of the verbena. The Oaks and Beech outside the back door are just starting to dump their haul of leaves which I will need to keep an eye on as far s the pond is concerned.

Selsey List (All birds heading West)

Brent Goose 7
Sandwich Tern 1
Wigeon 3
Common Scoter 2
Great Skua 1
Kittiwake 2
Gannet 9
Black-Headed Gull 100
Med Gull 3
Black-throated Diver 1
Diver sp 1
Curlew 2
Grey Plover 1
Oystercatcher 1
Pied Wagtail 20
Goldfinch 20
Meadow pipit 50
Skylark 4

The pond has a decent amount of vegetation around it but I don't think it is sufficient to attract a passing Crake or Rail

A number of Pheasants are turning up with all sorts of plumage.