6th December
5th December
4th December
Apologies for the lack of blog post yesterday, but it appears we have become stuck in the winter doldrums, with steady rain putting halt to much of the day's birding. Still, a Velvet Scoter off the Bill, 2 Knot, 2 Curlew and 2 Shelduck at Ferrybridge and 2 Great Northern Divers, a Slavonian Grebe and Black-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour managed to save the day.
The 2 Knot (right) that were seen from Ferrybridge this morning © Pete Saunders
2nd December
It seems that today's clear and sunny conditions were quite at odds with those faced on the mainland, with reports of thick fog from those intrepid fieldworkers travelling to Portland from further up-county. There was little change in the birding, with 10 Red-Throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver off the Bill, with an additional Black Redstart at Blacknor and 2 Blackcaps at Southwell. Elsewhere, 3 Great Northern Divers were seen off Portland Castle, as well as a Slavonian Grebe and 3 Black-neck Grebes across the harbour at Castle Cove.
It may have been a quiet day on the birding front, but it did end with a rather impressive sunset © Jodie Henderson
1st December
Today's clear and frosty start, which kept the garden ponds frozen for most of the morning, saw little in the way of avian arrivals with the exception of a late departing Swallow seen from the Bill. At sea, just 5 Red-Throated Divers and a single Great Northern Diver were recorded and at least 1 Black Redstart and the Merlin were still present. Elsewhere at Ferrybridge 2 Knot, 1 Curlew and 2 Goosanders were logged.
30th November
29th November
28th November
27th November
26th November
25th November
The first frosty dawn of the season gave way to a day of unbroken sunshine and in just the lightest of breezes it was very pleasant to be out birding. Unfortunately, migrant numbers were less than impressive, with 10 Black-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge and 2 Siskins, a Blackcap and a Brambling at the Bill as good as it got for new arrivals. Wintering fare included singles of Merlin and Short-eared Owl at the Bill, 5 Red-throated Divers through on the sea there, 4 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers and the Goosander in Portland Harbour and 520 Dark-bellied Brents, 4 Shelduck, 2 Pale-bellied Brents and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge.
Any Black-tailed Godwits are a good record at Portland but these ten turning up in mid-winter at Ferrybridge were quite unexpected © Debby Saunders:
American Golden Plover is a weirdly really rare bird in Dorset - there's only ever been one at Portland and if we remember rightly there hasn't been a see-able bird amongst the handful of other county records - so it was well worth popping over to Lodmoor this afternoon for a look at the one found there today. It was a surprisingly subtle bird - OK if you were specifically looking for it but no doubt very easy to pass over if you only gave a big flock of Golden Plovers a cursory scan; nice to see and a good find by ?Daragh Croxson © Martin Cade:
Merlin @ Portland Bill Top Fields today 25/11/23 more images on My Blog : https://t.co/RQqp0UamAj@BirdGuides @RareBirdAlertUK @DorsetBirdClub @PortlandBirdObs pic.twitter.com/V4V5S2zWAe
— Steven Carey (@stevecarey33) November 25, 2023
24th November
— Mark Eggleton (@radareggleton) November 24, 2023
23rd November
22nd November
Today was a bit of a slow burner, with a decent little list accumulated after a less than promising start. A Hen Harrier that lingered all day at the Bill stole the show but it had a worthy back-up cast of late migrants that included 590 inbound Starlings, 180 departing Wood Pigeons, 25 Blackbirds, 20 Stock Doves, 18 Lapwings, 15 Redwings, 8 Siskins, 7 Redpolls, 2 Fieldfares, a Brent Goose and a Woodcock at the Bill, another Woodcock at Southwell and 2 more Lapwings over Ferrybridge. Lingerers/winterers included a Merlin and a Black Redstart at the Bill, 226 Dunlin, 43 Ringed Plovers, a Goosander and a Sanderling at Ferrybridge and 3 Black-necked Grebes in Portland Harbour.
Any Hen Harrier's a good record at the Bill but an adult male gets even more plaudits © Pete Saunders (top two) and Martin Cade (bottom two):