Light/moderate northerly winds, sunny intervals with occasional light showers and temperatures reaching a maximum of 12 degrees C. Whilst attention initially focused on the sea, surprisingly it was South Landing that provided the highlights: a Western Bonelli’s Warbler spent the day in trees adjacent to Highcliffe Manor. It transpired the bird had been glimpsed on 13th October and represents the fourth headland record over the last decade. A Yellow-browed Warbler shared the same trees, whilst a Red-breasted Flycatcher rewarded the ringing team when it pitched up in a net near the car park. In addition, 37 Little Gulls flew east past South Landing late afternoon. A Red Kite overflew the headland, whilst other notable passerine records included 13 Jays and a Snow Bunting.
Unsurprisingly, seawatching proved rewarding: 12 Barnacle Geese, five Velvet Scoters, a Red-breasted Merganser, 21 Sooty Shearwaters, eight Manx Shearwaters, 1064 Black-headed Gulls, 153 Little Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls, 681 Common Gulls and a relatively late juvenile Long-tailed Skua all flew north; two Pomarine Skuas headed south. Another Jay graced a garden at Buckton.
