Overcast skies overnight again coupled with a north-easterly made for another good day for migration, with another good drop of thrushes with large flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares descending on the island through the low cloud with 190 and 200 of each. Blackbirds too were evident, totalling 51, with Ty Pellaf particularly being popular with the fresh arrivals, although some well-placed apples in the garden proved popular. Yesterday's Siberian Chiffchaff was first located on the South End before re-appearing in the Withies later on. Three Wigeons were present in Henllwyn with another eight seen elsewhere and 34 Lapwings were flying around.Yesterday's Grey Plover was still loitering too, occasionally dropping in at Solfach. Starling flocks also made their way through with 220 flying through. 

Starling (C) Greg Lee

All the excitement came to a screaming halt though, when perhaps the rarest bird of the autumn was discovered lurking in the depths of Ty Pellaf Withy, a Cetti's Warbler. This is just the fourth island-record of this now very familiar bird with wetland areas across the southern and central regions of the UK. Perhaps in a decade, the explosive song will become a staple of the island soundscape in spring, but that time is not here yet. Naturally, the Cetti's Warbler did what they do best, skulking deep in the rank vegetation but everyone was able to get brief glimpses even though the bird expertly avoided the nets. With a sizeable arrival on the East Coast yesterday, it seemed inevitable that we would get a pulse of Yellow-browed Warblers and no less than four were present, three of which were caught and ringed. Along with the Siberian sprites, 33 Chiffchaffs, 30 Blackcaps, 54 Goldcrests, eight Firecrests and 30 Robins were in the bushes. Chaffinches were again in good number with a minimum count of 200 passing overhead and dropping into the bushes, with them the wheezing call of at least seven Bramblings was heard with other finch totals including 28 Siskins, 46 Linnets and four Lesser Redpolls. Two Black Redstarts were our first records since spring, one briefly sharing the front garden apple tree at Cristin with a Yellow-browed Warbler. 

One of today's Yellow-browed Warblers (C) Greg Lee

A Woodcock flushed near Ty Capel was our first for autumn with seven Snipes and a two Jack Snipes also flushed during the day. A Dunlin over the South End was the first record for some time and six Turnstones and five Redshanks were on Solfach. 46 Curlews were additionally on Carreg Yr Honwy. Offshore, 88 Mediterranean Gulls passed by the South End with 11 Black-headed Gulls and six Common Gulls interspersed amongst them. Both the Little Owl and Long-eared Owl were seen again and the Water Rails at Nant and the Withies were vocal at various times. 

A pod of eight Bottlenose Dolphins offshore were a rare sighting of this cetacean, along with a single Porpoise. In the moth-trap, Yellow-line Quaker and Delicate were new for the year but the highlight was the apparent first island record of Autumnal Moth. 

Autumnal Moth (C) Greg Lee