Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 24th October - 30th October

 It was another tricky week weather-wise, with days of consecutive fog and rain creating difficult conditions for birding. But other days have seen southwesterlies and lively visible migration, which has certainly kept things interesting as the autumn draws to a close. This is also my last week on the Hill before my return to Brazil, and this means I finished my Soil Hill yearlist on 103, just the second year I have breached the three-figure mark. 

• Having cleared up Brambling last week, this week I notched up my other outstanding and slightly embarrassing patch-tick (although noticeably rarer in recent years) in Great Black-backed Gull. An adult flew distantly northwest towards TMR as viewed through the scope, on the 26^th. A bit distant for photos, but you get the idea; massive gull with black back! My 122^nd species for the site! 

• The Tawny Owl that was around at the end of the last week was present on four dates this week. As usual, it remains stationary atop a fence post, but always watching you as you walk past it. It’s always a treat to find a day-roosting owl. 

• The flock of Long-tailed Tits that made an appearance last week were still around on the 25^th, moving from the North Slope bushes onto Ned Hill Track where they continued to be mobile and vocal. Although I only counted six, I suspect that there were probably more as they were very mobile and difficult to count.  

-Great Black-backed Gull

-Tawny Owl

Once again the main event of the week was VizMig, with some excellent days with thousands of migrants passing, but equally a number of days with absolutely nothing happening…

• Without doubt the species of the week was Woodpigeon, with three four-figure counts during the week; 2572 on the 25^th, 4085 on the 26^th and the biggest day on the 30^th, when 5467 went south. The crazy thing is that most of the large numbers always moved through in the first hour after sunrise, on the 30^th especially there were moments where I was almost overwhelmed by the large flocks. In addition, also on the 30^th, there were 19 Stock Dove that went south, including two flocks of seven. 

• Strangely it feels like thrush migration has already ended for the year. On most days where VizMig was happening there were three-figure counts of Fieldfare, peaking at 217 south on the 30^th, but no huge numbers on any dates. Equally, Redwings seem to have dropped off although there were 399 south on the 25^th and then 248 northeast on the 26^th. Otherwise there were no more three-figure counts. 

• There was the first notable movement of Starlings this week. Although c.300 flew north on the 25^th I suspect these were mostly local birds. But on the 30^th there were 827 that went south during the morning. The flocks were large and compact so its difficult to gauge an accurate count with the clicker so there is a good chance I undercounted. 

• And finally a quick summary of the various finches that have been moving this week. Always in small numbers but a few nice species among the commoner birds. 
• The most notable species that went south this week was Common Crossbill, when three flew south on the 25^th, calling. I was too sluggish on the camera, but these are still my first Crossbills here since the summer eruption during 2020. 
• On two dates I had Brambling fly south, just one on the 25^th (although almost certainly more heading south silently) and then on the 30^th when 10 went south, in a flock of calling away. Again though, I suspect that there were more going south. This was the species I really wanted this autumn so its been good to get them on a few different dates. 
• Its been a good week for Lesser Redpoll with individuals passing on all four dates which saw VizMig, including 18 on the 26^th. There was also a flock of 11 blogging at the bottom of the North Slope on the 30^th, they dropped into the small woodland opposite Keelham Farm Shop. 
• To round up commoner species, the last Linnet went south on the 26^th, the only one of the week. The highest Siskin count of the week was 22 which went south on the 25^th, Chaffinch peaked at 42 on the 26^th, with notable other counts of 24 on the 24^th and then 28 on the 30^th. Goldfinch also had some good totals with 27 on the 30^th being the best, and counts in the low-teens on other dates. And finally, a small flock of four Greenfinch flew south on the 30^th. 

-Brambling

It was fairly quiet on the wildfowl front, with little change in species numbers or composition from the previous week. That said, it’s nice to see groups of Canada Geese using the Hill again after missing them for most of the month. Actually interesting wildfowl however…

• On the morning of the 30^th two swans flew north in the very early hours, before the sun had crested the hill. In the field they looked strikingly small, almost like barnyard geese, so I grabbed the camera hoping it would be able to manage the gloom. It couldn’t, but seemed to all but stop my train of thought in its tracks with long neck and bulky structure being quite clear. But as to what they actually were, I couldn’t tell, I’ve never had Mute here, but seems odd for Whoopers to being north. The ones that got away I think…

• The only flock of Pink-footed Geese were 35 that battled west low over the Hill on the 26^th, struggling in the strong winds. 

• The only Eurasian Teal of the week were two flushed from the bottom marsh on the 30^th. Strangely none seemed to be using the NK Pond this week. The same date saw the only Goosander of the week fly north distantly. 

-Pink-footed Geese

-Eurasian Teal

  Other birding continued to be enjoyable this week. There have been small numbers of Common Snipe this week, not the large numbers seen the previous week but at least one has been seen most days. The increased rainfall has created ample more habitat for them, which I suspect has helped disperse them. Jack Snipe I managed on only one date, the 28^th but there were two individuals involved, which is the first time I managed more than a single this autumn. 

  On the 26^th the Grey Partridges made a return to my sightings list, with three flushed in the early hours on Taylor Lane. A flock of seven Partridges I flushed on the summit later in the morning were probably the other group but I was not able to rule out Red-legged Partridge, which were also around on a couple of dates this week.

  Quite a poor week for Goldcrest, with singles on the 24^th and 25^th, then two on the 30^th. Clearly no increase of numbers during the autumn, but maybe it will come after I leave. On the other hand, Stonechat was recorded almost daily, with a peak count of six on the 24^th.

  A few final bits; two Raven were blogging on the 30^th, and a Peregrine flew south on the same date, my first for a while. And to round things off, the winter population of Bullfinch has continued to be around all week, with at least three seen every day and a high count of six on both the 26^th and 28^th. Almost all the birds are males, which seems strange. 

-Jack Snipe

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Red Crossbill, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 17th October - 23rd October

  Its been quite a week on the Hill, with some days being very pleasant and producing incredible migration, while others have been awful with strong winds, rain and thick fog until late afternoon. This is the time of year when the weather can dictate the birding on offer, so it has been pleasing that the days which have been calmer have produced some of the best birding days I have ever had here.  

• The first day with notable passage was the 18^th, when Woodpigeons really started to get going with 1291 all heading south. Most of these birds went south within the first hour of light and seemed to die off after that. This is only a prelude to what was to follow for VizMig this week.  

• It is simply impossible to describe the scenes on Soil Hill on the 19^th this week. The first easterly winds of the autumn and fortunately it didn’t bring the mist and rain that they normally do. What it did bring though we masses and masses of thrushes. I headed up before first light and could already hear flocks of Redwings moving in the dark. Once the light cleared at around 07:30 I started counting as thousands of birds started passing through. With the torrent not slowing down until after lunch, I ended up staying until 12:30 watching flocks pile through. In the end I managed 12679 Redwing, with an additional 1035 Fieldfare and 812 Woodpigeon, as well as a small selection of the usual finches. Outstanding stuff, exactly the kind of day I had hoped for when I knew I would be here all October. 

• The 22^nd of October saw the wind switch back to southwesterly, and with no rain in the forecast it looked promising for VizMig. And so it turned out to be with big groups of thrushes, mostly Fieldfare, heading south from first light until 10:30. In total I managed 3308 Fieldfare with 934 Redwing mixed in for good measure. Woodpigeons were slightly down on what I expected, with ‘just’ 449 going south. Another very enjoyable days birding. 

-Redwing

-Fieldfare

-Woodpigeon

Among the throngs of migrants there were a few standout birds to enjoy as well, some real local rarities and others that are just special for here, including a patch tick…  

• Although it was long expected as a patch tick this autumn, it was nice to clinch my first Brambling on the 22^nd when a single flew south over the North Slope calling. Later a flock of seven also flew south but much more distant. This is my 121^st species for the patch! Fittingly, it was also my 100^th on Soil Hill this year.

• On the 19^th, just as I was finishing up the insane mornings VizMig, I picked up a Red Kite slowly drifting north, to the east of my VP. It came a little closer but was always high and continued to slowly move it’s way north. Remarkably, this is my first of the year here. Long overdue!

• On the 22^nd there was a nice surprise in the North Slope Tree-Line when I spotted a day-roosting Tawny Owl perched atop one of the fenceposts that runs down the slope. Its almost two years to the day since I first found this species roosting on the Hill, and I have only seen it one other time since, so to find it again on the nearly the same perch is quite the coincidence. 

• The final real notable species for the week was in the afternoon of the 23^rd when the high pitched calls alerted me to the presence of a flock of Long-tailed Tits. It was this time of year in 2020 when I also found this species here, when they lingered for just short of week. This time it was a flock of nine birds on the Ned Hill Track. Time will tell how long they will keep visiting the Hill for.  

-Brambling

-Red Kite

-Tawny Owl

-Long-tailed Tit

There were a few bits of Wildfowl this week, some on passage and others visiting the site itself. Although there were no huge numbers on passage, it’s always nice to see flocks on the move. 

• It’s been a long time coming, but the first Whooper Swans of the autumn finally passed south past Soil Hill this week. A group of 15 went south on the 19^th, passing down the Ogden Valley, with another small group of 8 on the 22^nd, which went out much further to the east over Bradford. 

• The 19^th was the only date this week where Pink-footed Geese were moving, with two small skeins totally just 91 birds heading northwest in the low cloud. 

• The NK Pond has hosted variable numbers of Teal during the week, with sightings every other day ranging from just three individuals to a personal record of 9 on the 22^nd.

-Whooper Swan

-Pink-footed Goose

-Eurasian Teal

  There was plenty of other good winter to be birding this week, even on days with poorer weather conditions. The poorer weather conditions produced a huge count of Common Snipe on the 20^th, when a passing ATV flushed a flock of 15 off the summit. Further walking produced another eight individuals bringing the total to 23! Another impressive count was on the 22^nd, when I totalled 15. My hunts for Jack Snipe have been successful for the most part, although no more than one individual at a time. Frustratingly though for most of the week it flushed before I was able to locate the bird with the thermal. That was until the 23^rd when one sat rather nicely and conspicuously, glowing in the thermal. The only other wader of note this week was a flock of six Golden Plover that flew north on the 19^th.

  Passerine migrants have been much reduced, as expected. Probably the last Chiffchaff of the year was present on the 17^th, and given that almost a week has passed since then, I think it is safe to say that this will indeed be the last of the year.  Goldcrests have been present almost daily but the best count of the week was just two on the 18^th. And finally, there have again been a number of Stonechat hanging around the Hill, with up to four being present almost every day, although they are mobile around the site.

   Throughout the week there were finches present in varying numbers, generally on VizMig but other times settled in the bushes feeding up. A Lesser Redpoll on the 21^st was the first I have ever seen on the deck here, surprising given how many I have heard and seen flying over. Siskins especially saw some nice totals on passage, with 29 on the 17^th and 28 on the 22^nd both being my best counts for this species here. Bullfinch have also been present daily, with the best count being four on the 22^nd. These were settled in the North Slope Tree-Line.

  The final note of the week was a flock of I estimated 500 Starlings on Perseverance Road on the 21^st, moving around in the fog in rather atmospheric conditions. 

-Jack Snipe

-Lesser Redpoll

-Starlings

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 9th October - 16th October

  It was another tricky week on Soil Hill, with the weather playing a large part in how birdy a visit to the site has been. Wind and rain have dictated the timing of visits, and the availability of species on offer. All that said, there have still been a few days with nice migration, if not huge numbers of birds, and there have been a few highlights.

• Although not a real Soil Hill mega, I finally found my first Jack Snipe on the deck this week on the 9^th. I have to say that without the thermal imager I would certainly not have spotted it, but once I had eyes on it the bird was quite content to rely entirely on its camouflage while I took some photos. The only other Jack Snipe of the week was a bird flushed on the 16^th before I was able to find it with the thermal imager. 

-Jack Snipe

 As eluded to, VizMig was very much hit-and-miss this week. On occasions there was rainfall and on others, the wind was too strong but on other days there were enough birds to keep things interesting as the species composition continues to gradually change as the autumn wears on. 

• Throughout the week the numbers of Meadow Pipits fluctuated greatly, but only entered three figures on a single date, the 11^th when 215 flew south on what was probably the most exciting VizMig day of the week.  

• There were a few Pied Wagtails on the move every day, but not in significant numbers and six on the 12^th was the best count of the week.  

• The number of Thrushes remained generally low to what would be expected during this time of year. The highest count of Redwings moving was on the 16^th when 82 flew south, the only other significant movement was on the 11^th when 39 flew south and 16 headed northeast. There have been a handful of Song Thrushes around but no significant movement and no counts entering double figures. And to wrap up the thrushes, the first Fieldfare of the year flew south on the 16^th, chattering away as it went. 

• Finches were on the move in small numbers throughout the week. The variety was certainly appreciated and it kept even the quiet mornings interesting.

  The species with the highest abundance this week has been Goldfinch, on some days being the most common moving finch. The best counts were 52 on the 13^th, 45 on the 14^th and 48 on the 11^th.

  During the week Siskin numbers picked up with high counts of 17 on both the 11^th and the 13^th.

   Another species with good numbers was Lesser Redpoll with my best count being 10 south on the 13^th, but small numbers recorded nearly daily.

  Also on the 13^th there was the best count of Chaffinch heading south, with 18 passing during the morning.

  Certainly dropping in numbers this week in Linnet, with just a scattering of migrants and a best count of four on the 11^th. However, on the 14^th there were two sizeable flocks on Taylor Lane totalling 31 individuals.

  A surprise reaapearance this week is Greenfinch, with a few birds moving south towards the end of the week, my first since mid-September here. On the 11^th 10 flew south, and on the 13^th there were 11 on the move.

  And finally, Bullfinch have been blogging around all week, sometimes dropping in from on high, and sometimes leaving the bushes and heading strongly south but overall difficult to judge. The best count was five on the 10^th. 

-Lesser Redpoll

  Wildfowl passage was notable by its absence this week, with no migrating geese of any kind recorded. There were still small numbers of Teal frequenting the NK Pond, with my best count being seven, including two drakes, on the 16^th. Also on the 16^th there was a small movement of Goosander, with seven heading south and 10 heading northeast. 

  Once again Snipe were recorded almost daily with my best count being four on the 11^th, 15^th and then 16^th. Undoubtedly there are more birds using the now-restored wet fields. A flock of Lapwing has been seen blogging over TMR on the 14^th and 16^th, but just a single flew west over the Hill on the 16^th.

  Counting migrants has been difficult this week due to the high winds, but there have still been a few birds. I was beginning to think that Chiffchaff might be done for the autumn with no appearances until the 14^th when one was calling in the North Slope Tree-Line. Possibly the same bird was then feeding at the bottom of the North Slope on the 15^th.  The numbers of Goldcrests remained very steady throughout the week, with the best count being just two on a number of dates. The best Stonechat count of the week was on the 13^th with four. Birds have been present nearly every day.

  To wrap up, there have been three Grey Partridges using the fields on Perseverance Road on the 11^th, 12^th and 15^th.  A single Collared Dove flew north on the 10^th, my first since mid-September. On an evening visit on the 9^th there was a very nice Barn Owl hunting on Ned Hill Track. On the 14^th a Jay was in the Koi Farm Copse, the first for some time. On the 11^th a Green Woodpecker could be heard calling from the same location. And finally, Raven was seen on two dates; the 10^th and then again on the 12^th.

-Grey Partridge

-Teal

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 3rd - 7th October

  This was the first week of the year where the weather really impacted the birding on Soil Hill. The week started with clear conditions and a brisk southwesterly which brough some lively passage, but as the week drew on the wind speed increased and the rain came, til the birding was relegated to a simple chase round to find the resident species for my lists, rather than hope to find something new or exciting. That said, I still managed a patch tick in these conditions, which was certainly something of a surprise.

• The only mega of the week, the aforementioned patch tick, was three Barnacle Geese that were at the front of one of the only Pink-footed Goose Skein that flew over on the 6^th. Frustratingly I did not see the birds in the field, only noticing them when looking at the photos I had taken to get an accurate count of the flock. The birds were moving so fast in the wind, with truly awful light, there was no chance I could have picked them up otherwise. 

-Barnacle Goose

The weeks VizMig started strongly but poor weather conditions soon brought it almost to a standstill in what has been a tricky week for birding the Hill. Still those early days gave me enough totals to be excited about.  

• On the 3^rd I had one of my highest counts of Meadow Pipits this year with 322 flying south. Sadly though this was the only count of the week, with movement so limited on other dates that I resorted to simply estimating the number of grounded birds. 

• The 3^rd also saw the only notable count of Redwing for the week, with 21 heading south and 36 heading north. Otherwise there were just singles on the other dates, again as a consequence of the weather. The first Song Thrush of the autumn did appear this week however, with two on the 4^th and a single on the 6^th although these birds were resigned to sheltering at the bottom of the North Slope and were not moving anywhere.  

• Sensing a theme, the 3^rd was one of only two dates where I recorded hirundines this week, with five Swallows and four House Martin flying south. The other date was a single Swallow that flew south on the 6^th.

• Finches continued to pass in small numbers, with all of the best counts unsurprisingly on the 3^rd. During the morning session there were 17 Chaffinch, six Linnet, two Lesser Redpoll, six Goldfinch and 12 Siskin heading south. 

• And finally, there were still a few Pied Wagtails moving during the week with the best count being 13 on the 3^rd, but also a nice count of 10 on the 6^th.  

Wildfowl passage was also affected by the weather, with much lower counts of geese moving, if there were any moving at all.

• There were just two dates where I recorded Pink-footed Geese, with a flock of 45 on the 3^rd and the aforementioned flock of 61 on the 6^th.  A single flock of 10 Greylag Geese were observed passing distantly to the north on the 3^rd. 

• It was a surprisingly good week for Goosander records on the Hill, with a nice close flock of seven heading northeast on the 3^rd followed by a personal record count of 31 dispersing early morning on the 4^th after appearing to get off one of the reservoirs, maybe TMR but possibly another further down the valley. Teal were present on the 3^rd and the 5^th, with two birds involved on both occasions, frequenting the usual ponds on Soil Hill. 

-Goosander

-Pink-footed Goose

  Migrant totals were once again low, with Chiffchaff being present daily with a high count of three on the 3^rd , Goldcrests present on the 3^rd and the 6^th and Stonechat being present on most days with a high count of three on the 6^th.

  Snipe were present daily, but all were common with six flushed on the 3^rd being the highest count of the week. The wetter weather probably helped disperse them around the site as new feeding areas were established by the downpours. The only other wader species this week was Lapwing, with individuals seen flying by on two dates; the 3^rd and the 5^th.

  And finally to wrap up the week with the last few bits, a single Raven was seen on the 4^th and small groups of Bullfinch were seen on the 3^rd (three) and the 6^th (four). Hopefully the weather improves a little next week and there is more activity on the Hill.

Species List:
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,

Baildon Moor twitching Snow Bunting

  After a reasonably poor morning on Soil Hill due to the weather, I decided to make the fairly short trip to Baildon Moor to see the Snow Bunting that had been there for a few days and was being very confiding. Sadly the few days it had already been present did not stop there being a few other people there to see the bird, but no matter as it was indeed very confiding allowing for some nice photos to be taken despite the strong wind. After half an hour I left with rain on the horizon. A very pleasant little journey out and hopefully there will be one on Soil Hill before I leave for Brazil at the start of November.

-Snow Bunting

Species List:
Soil Hill: Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Meadow Pipit, Snow Bunting,

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 26th September - 2nd October

 This week saw the end of September with an impressive 82 species recorded on the Hill, helped greatly by the end of the summer migrants followed by the first arrivals of winter migrants. However, the season moves on and October is now upon us. The weather has caused some difficulties this week, with more rain and strong winds on a number of days but others have seen good passage of VizMig in very pleasant conditions.

• There was one mega for me on Soil Hill this week, although I am aware other birders have seen it here before when a Merlin was hunting over the North Slope. It circled for a few minutes then headed off south. This was a patch tick for me, and is my 119^th species for Soil Hill. 

-Merlin

Visible migration was absolutely the highlight of the week, with days of nice steady passage being the best days birding. Often I have only gone to do the VizMig and spent barely any time searching the bushes, largely due to the strong winds and cold conditions. 

• Once again the largest movements have been of Meadow Pipit, with the largest counts being 341 on the 2^nd and 265 on the 27^th. But numbers have been variable and on some days there has been no movement at all, although this is almost certainly a consequence of the poor weather conditions on those dates.  

• The first Redwings of the autumn arrived this week, and they arrived with a bang with 75 all heading southwest on the 26^th. The highest count of the week however was on the 29^th when 104 passed through but in different directions. Otherwise most dates just had one or two individuals. It is lovely to hear their seeping calls again. 

• The movement of Hirundines remain intermittent during the week with just a handful of birds throughout the week until a very sudden burst on the 2^nd with 27 Barn Swallows, 7 House Martin and a single, but extremely late Sand Martin. Otherwise the weekly movement was limited to a handful of Swallows and a group of four House Martin that flew north on the 1^st. 

• Although there was not a significant movement of finches during the week, there was a scattered variety including a single Greenfinch on the 2^nd, an impressive nine Lesser Redpoll on the same date as well as 10 Siskin, plus nine on the 29^th and smaller counts on other dates. The most significant finch mover was Chaffinch, with 21 south on the 02^nd and 15 on the 28^th being the best counts of the week. 

• In tandem with the Meadow Pipit flocks could often be found a few Pied Wagtails moving south, normally in small numbers but on the 2^nd I counted no less than 36 birds flying south in three and a half hours! There were also a few Grey Wagtails during the week, with four also on the 2^nd being the largest count. 

-Redwing

Although there was no change in the composition, there was once again good movement of the expected wildfowl species during the week, plus the usual species frequenting their usual haunts.

• The start of the week saw very impressive movements of Pink-footed Geese, but towards the end of the week these tailed off with just single flocks on the 30^th and 2^nd. The best count was of 744 on the 27^th, during which 15 skeins passed being visible from Soil Hill, the largest being 146, during a three-and-a-half-hour watch. The next highest count was a much reduced 380 on the 28^th, which saw just five skeins pass. There were a few Greylag Geese during the week, with small flocks on three dates, the largest group being nine that flew south on the 27^th. 

• I had a new record count of Goosander with eight that went south as a flock of seven and a single on the 27^th. Singles were also seen on the 26^th and on the 30^th. The small group of Teal that has been around intermittently was again present on the NK Pond on the 28^th and again on the 01^st, when four were present. 

-Pink-footed Goose

-Greylag Goose

-Goosander

  Now that the autumn has fully arrived, and summer species are largely displaced by winter species, there seems little need to deep dive into passage migrants from the week. Needless to say Chiffchaff was the only warbler present during the week, with individuals recorded daily sometimes even singing. The highest count was of three on the 27^th.  The only other species I would classify here is Stonechat which continued on the Hill throughout the week with the highest count again being five, which were all together at the bottom of the North Slope on the 01^st. Goldcrest continued to be present every day, with the highest count being four on the 30th.  

  There were just a few waders on show this week, besides the Common Snipe that winter in the various ditches around the site. During the first couple of days of the week there were a few Golden Plover, with three flying north on the 26^th and a single also flying north on the 27^th. A Curlew was feeding on the bottom Cattle Fields on the 26^th and then again on the 28^th. 

  Other bits were limited during the week but it was good to see the Grey Partridges again, with all ten being seen as a flock of seven and a three on the 30^th, with the three also seen on the 28^th. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew southwest on the 26^th, a pair of Raven was seen on the 26^th and then again on the 2^nd, and finally Bullfinch made an appearance with two individuals seen on the 01^st.

-Grey Partridge

Species List:
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,