Some Autumn Arrivals

I've only made a few visits recently, the following being the (high)lights:

Oct 21st - 4 Common Sands - a late flock found by Alan S in the morning.  I popped down in the afternoon optimistically hoping to turn 1 or more into a Spotted, but they were all very obviously Common!  A regular adult YL Gull was also present.

Oct 23rd - My first Fieldfares of the autumn, with 2 birds flying over NE calling.  I haven't mentioned Redwings on here, but small flocks have been seen over the past couple of weeks.  There has also been a noticeable influx of Blackbirds along the railway bank and Goldcrests are also fairly obvious.  Flyover Siskins have been noted for a while, but a flock has been seen around the car park area and about 30 birds were feeding in trees near the church today.  Swallows seem to be around quite late this year - today a flock of 9 birds flew through east over the car park as I arrived.  Duck numbers have been slow to rise, but are creeping up - today I counted 27 Shoveler and 18 Wigeon.  The regular adult YL Gull was present again as were 3 Snipe.

Oct 26th - Decided to try the gull roost and wished I'd wrapped up better as it was freezing!  No scarcities noted, but Common Gulls are building, with over 50 birds now present.  3 colour-ringed BHG were noted - 2 seen before and the third couldn't be read.  White 507 from Copenhagen seen twice before in October and black P430 from Lithuania, seen twice before but both of these were in July.  4 Swallows appeared from the east late on and departed south.  A count of 27 Wigeon and 3 Snipe still.

Oct 28th - Tried the gull roost again in the hope that the previous night's small passage of 1w Kittiwakes in the region might produce one here.  The roost was actually quite poor, probably due to the lack of activity at Hedgerley landfill and most of the BHG and Common Gulls that had arrived were departing to the west.  I watched these as they flew past my view point and picked out an adult Med Gull with its clear white primaries that I hadn't seen on the deck.  I've had a couple of flocks of 30 odd Meadow pipits flying over S/SW at this time over the past week, presumably to a roost somewhere near the river.  There had also been a small influx of Pochard, with 19 birds around the viewpoint.  I keep checking the large Goose flocks for migrant scarcities, but no luck as yet.