The main talking point of this post, as the title suggests, was an extraordinary movement of thrushes on the last day of October.
I first tapped in to it during a mid-morning family walk off patch at Fire Beacon Hill (near Sidmouth). As soon as I got there I could hear Redwing going over, but it wasn't until we walked up onto the common I could see the scale of the movement, with flock of 30 - 50 Redwing moving through east one after the after. On the west side of the hill, I could see many of the flocks were dropping in to feed on the holly berries, before then continuing off east. Almost all thrushes were Redwings, just had a single Fieldfare and a couple of Blackbird.
Over the 45 minutes we were there, I must have seen 600+ Redwing, and I later heard this was part of a large movement that were flying east just inland of the coast (hence why I hadn't noticed it before coming up here).
When I got back home during the afternoon I did have a couple of thrush flocks over the garden even though I knew I was a bit too near the coast for the big numbers. The final flock I saw completely bucked the trend of the day though, as 17 Fieldfare came through east with two Redwing. The flight calls of Fieldfare, the various chuckles, chacks and squeals they make, I find just so evocative. Hearing them takes me straight to the middle of winter, and they look great in flight too.
On Wednesday (28th) I started the day at Axe Cliff. The south westerly wind was a bit strong, but an hour and a half gave me (west unless stated): 2 Brent Geese (over the sea - my first of the autumn), 20,000+ Wood Pigeon, c140 Stock Dove, 145 Jackdaw, 3 Rook, 72 Starling, 3 Redwing, 18 Skylark, 22 Meadow Pipit, 9 alba Wagtail, 36 Chaffinch, 14 Siskin, 4 Reed Bunting and pleasingly my first Brambling of the autumn.
On Friday morning (30th) I opted against a vismig watch, and went around all my favoured phyllosc spots hoping to pull out a wing-barred warbler. Very quiet unfortunately, just a couple of Chiffchaff, a few Goldcrest and a count of six Coot at Lower Bruckland Ponds.
Beer Head this morning (1st) started off dull weather-wise, with fog surrounding me, but the calls of Redwing were evident as soon as I stepped out the card. The fog soon dropped lower and the sun began breaking through, and in just over an hour I logged: 60+ Redwing (most in small groups taking off heading north), 22 Blackbird, 12 Song Thrush, 1 Fieldfare (flew north), 16 Skylark (west), 14 Meadow Pipit, 5 alba Wagtail (over), 6 Stonechat, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Firecrest (together - brill to watch them interacting with each other at point blank range), 2 Goldcrest, 22 Chaffinch (over), 1 Crossbill (flew north, my first vismig record of the autumn), 1 Siskin (flew west), 2 Yellowhammer (pair) and 2 Cirl Bunting (singing males).
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| Behaving more like it's March not November! |
Later today, although not at all a rare bird on patch as they're always on the sea and nest on the cliffs here, but a Shag was on the lower Estuary. I have been birding this patch for 25+ years, and I can't recall ever seeing a Shag here anywhere other than on/over the sea, even though Cormorants are a daily occurrence on the Estuary. By the afternoon it was sat up on the banks of the harbour, looking quite alert and healthy so hopefully it is ok.
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| A Shag on the Estuary. Not something I have ever said before! |
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| Allowing closer views this afternoon |
A drake Gadwall was also on the Estuary today, unusually with the Wigeon and not the Mallard...
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| A fine drake Gadwall |
I am still seeing plenty of few insects on the wing. On 30th saw singles of Clouded Yellow, Red Admiral and several Common Darter, as well as a Silver Y that I had to help out of our conservatory. Have also seen Migrant and Southern Hawkers within the last week.
Hope this cold north wind doesn't restrict vismig action over the next week, as I have a few days off work now. Fingers crossed.
