30/10/09 Holme

A solid autumn day at Holme, which started of brightly with a female Ring Ouzel in the area around the toliet block. It was clear from the outset that there had been a fresh arrival of thrushes, with Blackbirds in every patch of cover. Overhead passage was reasonable with a steady movement of Starlings and Skylarks. On reaching the NOA observatory I was delighted to discover that they had just caught a Bearded Tit, a species I have always wanted to see in the hand.

A quiet seawatch produced just 15 Gannets and 10 Wigeon. As the afternoon progressed more Blackbirds dropped in, with smaller numbers of Song Thrushes and Robins, while Redwings and a smaller number of Fieldfares passed overhead. I checked the Gore point plantations and although I couldn't spend as much time out there as I would have liked due to the incoming tide I did flush a Woodcock and there were more common migrants. The highlight of the day came in the afternoon when 3 Shorelarks were discovered on the beach by the golfcourse, one of which had remnents of horns.

Grounded migrants: 1 Ring Ouzel, 1 Woodcock, 3 Shorelarks, 250 Blackbirds, 2 Bearded Tits, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Chiffchaff, 9 Stonechats, 3 Mistle Thrushes, 37 Song Thrushes, 3 Goldcrests.

Viz-mig (all west): 2100 Starlings, 155 Chaffinches, 450 Redwings, 75 Fieldfares, 3 Snipe, 80 Skylarks, 1 Tree Sparrow, 65 Meadow Pipits, 4 Rock Pipits, 2 Brambling, 20 Reed Buntings. 60 Lapwings, 1 Crossbill, 5 Siskins, 40 Greenfinch, 30 Goldfinch.