Much quieter night for migration but a little breezy,best being just 6 small mottled willow 50 ish diamond back and the best of the night being small marbled

Last fews day have started to really improve in the moth trap with my second ever beautiful marbled and new for garden 2x euchromius ocellea 11 small mottled willow and 122× diamond back

Fairly quiet day apart from good numbers of alpine and common swifts moving through

A scarce sight on lesvos and in the uk these days especially running towards humans .

By displaying pair of rufous tailed bushrobin ,3 new in laughing doves won't be long before there on Portland ! with plenty of local and common species

Great day birding out west highlights being minimum 150+ Red backed shrikes 4 lesser grey 8 woodchat 2masked shrike ,3Barred warbler 5 singing marsh warblers 8 olive tree 20 black headed buntings 3 cinereous bunting 10 issabelline wheatear follow

Other raptors moving through were 3 Marsh harrier 4 Hobby 5 Eleanor's 4 long leg buzzard 6 common buzzard 7 Short toed eagle's (mishs favourite) ,kestrel and 2Goshawk supported by bee eaters and couple of little bittern yellow wag and red throated pipit not a bad day in all.

Local patch day at ancient antissa was dominated by shrikes and red footed falcons ,the later amounting to 45 backed with 20 rb shrikes 15 woodchat 3 masked and 1 lesser grey shrike. More to follow

It just wouldn't be lesvos without the clanking of an Olive tree warbler usually well hidden amongst the olive groves,this individual was using a dead tree to sing from chasing off all competition

This on was a bit camera shy

Followed by many migrants flitting around and whizzing through 10 black headed buntings 3golden oriole 5 turtle dove several flocks of european bee eaters and spainish sparrows ,followed by a carafe of local wine and lamb roast life doesn't get much better

Decided to bird locally well worth it with 5 roller 2 singing marsh warblers 5 great reed 11 redbacked shrike 3 woodchat and 1 masked ,also 3short toed eagles 3lesser kestrels 1red footed falcon 3 Eleanor's topped off by a splendid ad male montagu's harrier plus much see second post

Second day of the holiday ,and an island tick and lifer in the form of lesser flamingo (phoeniconaias minor)thanks to KDShaw

Nice end to the day with this red breasted flycatcher at the hump

What difference a shower makes all quiet then quick shower and 3pied flycatcher 1 firecrest 25 chiffchaff dozen or so blackcap ,with 6sisken 8 yellow wagtail and 2 tree pipit overhead to round it off.couple of pics yesterday's first of the year grounded siskin and today's pied fly

Seawatch in chesil 7.30 to 9.45 am european storm petrel 2 juv little gull 1 arctic tern 2 sandwich tern 5 common scoter 2 , far from exciting at least I got to try my new chair just needed someone to bring me breakfast.

Couple of distant pics of sabines gull in chesil cove this morning ,always great to see

Just received confirmation from Dorset Environmental Records Centre(DERC) , that they were happy with the ID of my Oedemera Femoralis (beetle) trapped on the night 15/8/25,and also confirmed it is a first record for Weymouth and Portland.

Chesil cove this morning distant picture of british storm petrel thanks to john Downe