A female Goldeneye, to finish the day on. @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Lackford Lakes, from Bess’s hide. An increasingly scarce bird locally. A Pochard there too. Plenty of Siskins blogging about with a few Redpoll.

A lot of birds on the move today, it’s as if the viz-mig tap has been turned on. At Cavenham Heath 30-40 Redpoll, 13 Fieldfare my f.o.s. Just 1 Stone Curlew visible. Along the entrance track 2+ Brambling in mixed Finch flock.

Isleham Wash: just 5 Snipe, but Duck numbers up a bit. Mostly Teal but 3 Wigeon are more unusual, & a female Pintail is much better, perhaps just about annual. A distant Merlin was getting harried by 4 Crows. A few migrants moving; Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Lots (maybe 100+) of Redwing over this morning, first Skylarks of the autumn, a few Meadow Pipits and Finches, mostly West ⬅️, but including 1 Hawfinch ↘️ SE. Sparrowhawk new for the month too.

3/…Sleepy juvenile Night Heron on Lower Moors, followed by an immature Rose-coloured Starling at Kittydown. Thence to a ‘siberian’ Siberian Stonechat ✅ somewhere I don’t recall. For the following day my notes say: St. Martin’s, nothing! So, just the seven ticks over the weekend. 😮

2/…happened to be nearby when another Yellow-billed Cuckoo turned up in the churchyard. Scooped up the (warm-toned, compared to the grey-toned 1983 bird) Short-toed Lark. Boat back to St. Mary’s…2/

OTD 40 yrs ago: day 2 of a long weekend on Scilly, and mostly yearticks - started with a Jack Snipe, followed by a Bobolink, near the pottery iirc. Had another look at the AGP then a Yellow-browed Warbler at Carn Warval. Over to Tresco for an ad. male Rustic Bunting and the Bee-eater again…1/

Couldn't believe it when we found a Death's-head Hawkmoth caterpillar on the Isles of Scilly. A serious wildlife ambition achieved! @sophieshrike.bsky.social #TeamMoth

3/…OTD 40 years: wandered across the island, and lost CB contact for a while. Dangerous! Told of a rumour about a Black-billed Cuckoo. Scanned across the island only to see a crowd of 1,000 tightly packed birders. Eek! Quickly grabbed a cab…✅ To be continued tomorrow…

2/…OTD 40 yrs ago: walked to Hugh Town when news broke of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Holy Vale. Ran there (so much running) got ahead of the crowd. ✅ Later found a Richard’s Pipit ✅. p.m. & the Rose-breasted Grosbeak present, but missing all week gave itself up. Tree climbing was involved. ✅…3/

Deep breath. OTD 40 years ago: Probably my purplest of purple patches. Literally ran (I could do that on those days) from I.o.S. airfield to get the Yellow-rumped Warbler ✅ at the school. Then ran back up the hill, as an American Golden Plover ✅ had just been found there…1/

Delayed my garden amble this morning, to avoid the fog. A good job I did. #107 Woodlark, in fact 3 of them, flew over ⬅️ @ 08:45 Not quite annual, but 14 birds in 7 years, mostly in Oct. This ties with my best year - with annual Yellowhammer still possible, maybe something else…

Swapped for the Mourning Dove perhaps. Seriously, how does a Woodpigeon get to Texas? ebird.org/checklist/S2... @alexanderlees.bsky.social

Indicative of what proportion of birds are missed on Scillies that a pigeon could basically evade detection in the 1.48 km2 of St Agnes despite lots of people looking #UKBirding

The local Peregrine is roosting fairly irregularly, at least on the two sides of the church that I can see from my window, lately. Also, I’m never sure which one I’m seeing, when I do see one. This lunchtime it was a lot easier - male & female - together on the South side.

Another target achieved. 🎯 TL77C tetrad list was a lowly 122 sp, I aimed to add another 122. Last night’s Meal Moth was #122. When I start trapping, in 2026, I would like to see if I can add another further 122. Happily another Mother is recording in my Tetrad, so it will be more of a challenge.

Noting much happening this morning. Fortunately I had something waiting for me in the fridge. NFM/NFG Meal Moth. It’s also new for my tetrad. As soon as I saw the shape last night I knew it would be a goody. #teammoth

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and November Moth agg. were both photo improvements from this morning at Lakenheath. #teammoth

www.dutchbirdalerts.nl/alerts/197817 Pacific Diver off the Dutch coast today. One to get the East coast sea-watcher’s pulses going. 📸 Lars Buckx

Barra's first coal tit for 2 years has sulphur yellow cheeks & appears to be of the Irish race P.a.hibernicus. I have no experience of this race & no idea what the liklihood is of it reaching Barra. Comments welcome. @birdguides.bsky.social @rayb126.bsky.social #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUK

A small Moth with folded wings, at Lakenheath, was always going to be interesting, so imagine my grief when it escaped - twice! All was well in the end, and it proved to be a Red Twin-spot Carpet, one which I had not photographed before. #teammoth

Finally, I spotted this little fellow scuttle under the egg boxes as soon as the trap was opened at Lakenheath. I knew it was going to be new. And so it proved, a NFM Double-striped Tabby. #teammoth

One of the first Moths seen this morning, once we’d flicked the ubiquitous Clifden out of the way, 😚 was this impressive and NFM Blair’s Shoulder-knot. #teammoth

I thought Sallow was new for me this morning, but it turns out I’ve had it before. However, this NFM Barred Sallow at Lakenheath did the trick. #teammoth

Saving the best till first with the @rspb.bsky.social Lakenheath Moth trap. In fact, this was on the outside. A NFM Cypress Carpet. Probably 5 new Moths for me, this morning, in a decently varied haul. #teammoth Nice to see c.50 Whooper Swans too, my 1st of the Autumn. By the way - I hate Swifts.

Redpoll & Redwing over. Red-face in the garden 😚 I disbelieved Merlin’s™️ House Sparrow the other day, but saw it today - 1st autumn record. I disbelieved Crossbill this a.m. till another flock of 9 flew over, my largest to date. #106 Brambling my last expected yeartick. 2 distant Egrets frustrated.

Sun’s up at @rspbbemptoncliffs.bsky.social Any time now will be fine…

Meanwhile, somewhere on the East coast…

MEGA - White-throated Needletail earlier this pm at Tophill Low, E.Yorks First mainland record since 1991 😲 No sign at the moment but make sure you have the BirdAlertPRO app if its re-found. Get a 30-day free trial here rarebirdalert.co.uk/realdata/bir... 📷 via tophilllow.blogspot.com

Scanning the sailing lake @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Lackford, notice something that looks like a Mandarin…scope it up…just some bright leaves. 🍁 🍃 Carry on scoping, and what’s the next bird I see? Drake Mandarin. I’ve never seen one here before, despite them breeding not too far away.

The 3rd Reed Bunting in a week, over the garden, this morning. Also a few Meadows Pipits, Redwings 6 & 9, and a couple of Finches. A Giant House Spider lived up to its name. 🏠 🕷️

On this day 25 years ago: a reasonable day on Scilly; Rose-coloured Starling was new for the trip, as was Common Rosefinch. Re-visited some of the long-staying rarities, and some nice back-up birds, including Red-backed Shrike, Sand Martins, Yellow-browed Warbler and Jack Snipe.

Just 1 Ruff at Isleham Wash this morning. A strange pale-grey Egret sp. flew South-west into Cambs. Couldn’t be sure of size or how complete the grey coverage was, due to distance. Something like (and a similar bird in Essex in 2024) this maybe: 👇🏼 britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti....

OTD 25 yrs ago: An Arctic Warbler and Solitary Sandpiper on Scilly. Back-up birds included; Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-browed Warbler, Dotterel and Mediterranean Gull. In Cornwall before departure some Pale-bellied Brent’s and a Great Northen Diver.

OTD 40 yrs ago: My 1st Bee-eater on Tresco. An unusual bird for October. Other goodies over my 2 days on Scilly included this fem. American Wigeon, sum. pl. Spotted Sandpiper& Grey Phalarope. Another of those and a Red-eyed Vireo in Cornwall on the way home.

On this day 40 years ago: Over to Scilly, and a male Northern Parula on the garrison (my 2nd in a week) . Then across to St. Agnes for a Red-eyed Vireo in the parsonage, which was new for me. It showed well overhead, and was the only time I’ve heard a U.K. bird vocalising, a mewing alarm call.

A quick scoot out to Isleham Wash, where the levels are now quite a lot higher than a few days ago. It looked very likely to dry out completely - now it looks the opposite. 🌧️ 🌊 The Spotted Redshank still, but now just 2 Ruff. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Just one Moth found this morning. Shockingly it was the first live Large Yellow Underwing I’ve seen in the garden. I suspect that may change once I start trapping. #teammoth

On this week 40 yrs ago: Twitched this 1st win. Fem. Northern Parula at Hengistbury Head. Also lucked in to this Greenish Warbler, though we all went away, happy we had ticked Arctic Warbler, till it was trapped the next day. Egg. On. Face. But it was still a tick.

Such a good start to the day, but after a long, slow drive across county, and a miserable couple of hours in the wet, it felt like a bad day. However, at least I saw, albeit fleetingly, the adult male Turkestan Shrike. #432 for East Anglia & #363 for Suffolk.

When the team at Lakenheath go ‘Wow! What’s that?’ You know it’s going to be good. Despite having about 6 different names, which confused the situation a bit, it got worked out to be a NFM Scarce Bordered Straw. I think it might have been new for all concerned. #teammoth

NFM at Lakenheath was this subtly beautiful Red-line Quaker. Not high in quantity this morning, but plenty of nice looking Moths. #teammoth

When I saw this @rspb.bsky.social Lakenheath this morning, I thought it was a new Moth to me. But it turns out I had seen one two weeks ago here. This one considerably warmer toned. Small Wainscot. #teammoth

When I started down the slippery #teammoth slope, earlier this year, I gave myself some targets. See 10% of British Moths. ✔️ Find 150 species in the garden, (before getting a Moth trap.) ✔️ Double the Moth list of my tetrad. Add 10 species to my Hectad. #150 NFM/NFG Mallow, also new for tetrad.

If I didn’t know better, I would swear that Mush has my place bugged. He always seems to be at Isleham Wash about an hour before me! 🤨 Spotted Redshank still present, but now joined by 4 Ruff. Also at least 12 Snipe. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Moths have, not surprisingly, been a bit sparse lately. A few same old same olds. However, just at the end of my garden round, and Merlin™️ caught my ‘ooh!’ as I saw this beauty well tucked into a corner. NFM/NFG Four-spotted Footman, it’s also new for the tetrad. Fairly scarce in these parts.

Another day, another Reed Bunting over the garden. This one had the good grace to fly directly overhead, calling loudly, Nice slanty sonogram captured by Merlin™️ which is often not great on flyovers.

Stone Curlew seem to be thin on the ground lately. c.6 birds on Cattle pasture site (although very overgrown), none on fallow field site and c.6 on Cavenham Heath. Also there, Raven over and 2+ Woodlark. #suffolkbirds

I didn’t recall correctly (quelle surprise.) Isleham Wash Spotted Redshank is the 3rd site record. The last one here was in March 2022. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social