A superb day of migration at Holme. On getting out of the car in the half-light it was clear there had been a substantial arrival of Blackbirds and the first Woodcocks of the day were soon flushed from around the NOA reserve. Overhead an excellent movement of Lapwings was noticeable and after the rain cleared away Starlings began pouring through. Blackbirds and smaller numbers of the other thrushes were not only flushing from every patch of cover but readily coming in of the sea or falling out of the sky and dropping into the pines. On walking towards Thornham I rounded the corner of the boardwalk just as a Short-eared Owl flopped onto the side of the path, presumably having just come in of the sea. I quickly backed away and called some other guys from the observatory and we were treated to exceptional views as it sat on the path at close range, before it flew of strongly into the dunes. In the afternoon another came in of the sea and both could be sen hunting the marsh in the afternoon. Eventually I did manage to make it towards Thornham and searched through the sueda for more migrants. Blackbirds were present in good numbers, with smaller numbers of Song Thrushes, Robins and a Goldcrest and a single Ring Ouzel came in of the sea with a group of Redwings. As I reached the end of the sueda 3 Bewick's Swans came in of the sea low, calling and they then flew over the observatory and west towards the Wash, while a Shorelark flew east along the beach towards Titchwell. A dog wandering across the saltmarsh out towards Thornham harbour flushed a Jack Snipe that then flew east. As the afternoon went on Starlings began coming through in even greater numbers, overhead passage began to pick up, particularly Skylarks and Chaffinches and thrushes continued to drop in, while a Goosander along the broadwater was unusual. Dusk came all too quickly, but watching the Short-eared Owls in flight and on the deck by the observatory capped of a spectacular day. Unlike the previous day there was no obvious westward movement of thrushes overhead, most birds were simply diving for cover, with some later moving of south or west through cover.
Grounded migrants (inc. birds in/of into cover and birds moving through cover): 916 Blackbirds, 330 Redwings, 2 Jays, 4 Woodcock, 40 Robins (inc. 1 dutch controlled bird - pic below), 2 Cetti's Warblers, 25 Fieldfares, 31 Song Thrushes, 2 Short-eared Owls, 1 Jack Snipe, 1 Shorelark, 2 Stonechats, 11 Goldcrests.
Overhead passage (all west or south in/of): 11724 Starlings, 73 Meadow Pipits, 1650 Lapwings, 20 Reed Buntings, 1 Redpoll sp, 1 Ring Ouzel, 102 Chaffinches, 144 Golden Plovers, 7 Rock Pipits, 66 Skylarks, 3 Bewick's Swans, 11 Snipe, 2 Siskins, 1 Brambling, 2 Grey Wagtails, 1 Goosander.
