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Friday 2 October 2009

Is It Really October?

Apart from Meadow Pipits trickling west, it feels like winter! Migration seems to be almost non-existent at the moment! Saying that, a couple of waders tonight made the day knot all that bad...

Blackhole Marsh this morning looked great, the muddy edges just perfect, and the water like a mirror...

But why is it not packed with wading birds!?

There were a few more waders on it this morning than of late, but not that many more; 7 Green Sands and 3 Dunlin. Also c80 Teal. Tonight it was totally different, only one Green Sand, no Dunlin but two Knot. About half hour earlier I had seen these two Knot fly up river from Coronation Corner.

Earlier in the day I noted two Barwits and six Blackwits on the estuary, and a cracking juvenile Hobby performed exceptionally well from the farm gate mid afternoon. I had a good garden bird today too, with a high flying Snipe west mid morning.

Back to yesterday, whilst I was emptying the contents of my moth trap mid morning, vis mig was rather impressive. Most notably alba Wagtails, some decent sized flocks were passing very low NW over the garden, with plenty of Mipits and a few Grey Wags and Skylarks.

Yesterday's moth selection was similar to recent catches; 62 moths of 14 species. I had a first for the garden, Feathered Ranunculus... seven of them!!

Here's three of them - pretty little things aren't they!

The rest of the catch was: 19 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 11 Large Yellow Underwing, 6 Lesser Yellow Underwing, 4 Lunar Underwing, 3 Light Emerald, 3 Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Angle Shades, 2 Snout, and singles of: Silver Y, Dark Spectacle, Flounced Rustic, Shuttle-shaped Dart and Garden Carpet.

I'm working 10 til 7 tomorrow, a month ago that would have given me stacks of birding time - now not so!

Lastly, you have just GOT to click on this link:
http://www.scillypelagics.com/black_browed_albatross.html

A great video of a JAW DROPPINGLY STUNNING BIRD!

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