Curlew and Sandwich Tern - Ferrybridge, October 31st 2006 © Colin McEntee (Curlew) and Paul Gay (Sandwich Tern)
The weather cleared up but birding was hard work with a very strong north-westerly wind blowing all day. The pick of the sightings were of 5 Black Redstarts, 2 Merlins, a Short-eared Owl, a Ring Ouzel, a Firecrest and a Corn Bunting at the Bill, 2 Ring Ouzels at Southwell and 3 Black Redstarts at Weston. Grounded commoner migrants were much less plentiful than yesterday although there was a fair bit of passage overhead, with a one hour sample count at the Bill early in the morning producing totals of 360 Wood Pigeons, 230 Goldfinches, 187 Chaffinches, 154 Stock Doves, 145 Linnets and smaller numbers of other expected species. Late migrants still about included 4 Wheatears, 3 House Martins (late hirundines have been almost non-existent in recent days) and a Common Tern at the Bill and a Sandwich Tern at Ferrybridge.
Despite windy and quite cool conditions overnight surprisingly good numbers of common immigrant moths were attracted to the Obs garden traps: 162 Rush Veneer, 50 Rusty-dot Pearl, 39 Diamond-back Moth, 15 Silver Y, 9 Pearly Underwing, 3 Delicate, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Vestal and a Cosmopolitan.
Avocets - Ferrybridge, October 30th 2006 © Pete Saunders
Damp, dreary conditions today were much more productive although in terms of quality the bird list continues to struggle to get beyond the scarce migrant level. The pick of the day's oddities were 2 Avocets at Ferrybridge and a Lapland Bunting over the Bill, whilst scarce migrants included 14 Ring Ouzels (7 at the Bill, 3 each at Tout Quarry and Suckthumb Quarry and 1 at Barleycrates Lane), 11 Black Redstarts (6 at the Bill, 4 at Weston and 1 at Southwell) and 2 Firecrests and a Merlin at the Bill. Thrushes and finches dominated the common migrant tally, with Song Thrush, Redwing and Chaffinch each numbering in the several hundreds at the Bill, where Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were also more conspicuous than in recent days (although neither was at all numerous elsewhere on the island). Further migrants grounded or overhead at the Bill included around 150 each of Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove and Skylark, 9 Lapwings, 8 Fieldfares, 6 Bramblings, 5 Siskins, 4 Snipe and 4 Wheatears. Seawatching at the Bill produced 300 Kittiwakes, 46 Common Scoter, 13 Brent Geese, 3 each of Great and Arctic Skua and singles of Red-throated Diver, Sooty Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Shelduck and Red-breasted Merganser.
Rather like the bird situation the immigrant moth list is also struggling to get beyond the mundane level, with the overnight tally in Obs garden traps consisting of 66 Rusty-dot Pearl, 59 Rush Veneer, 9 Pearly Underwing, 9 Silver Y, 6 Delicate, 4 Cosmopolitan, 2 Dark Sword Grass and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Small Mottled Willow and Scarce Bordered Straw, along with 9 Red Admiral butterflies.
Dartford Warbler - Portland Bill, October 29th 2006 © Martin Cade
A few oddities today although there was very little by way of commoner migrants on the ground or overhead. Noteworthy reports from the Bill area included of 3 fly-over Hawfinches (1 heard but not seen during the morning and 2 seen just before dusk), 2 fly-over Woodlarks, a Short-eared Owl and a Dartford Warbler; elsewhere there were 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle, a late Willow Warbler and a Firecrest at Avalanche Road and a Black Redstart at Reforne.
A second Crimson Speckled moth of the autumn was seen near the Obs during the afternoon.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs produced immigrant totals of 53 Rush Veneer, 21 Rusty-dot Pearl, 19 Silver Y, 17 Pearly Underwing, 6 Delicate, 5 Cosmopolitan, 4 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Vestal, a Gem and a White-speck.
Common Tern and the Obs tractor getting down to some serious work (we have recently reached agreement to rent the whole of the large field opposite the Obs front entrance and sections of this field are currently being ploughed in preparation for the planting of a variety of bird-friendly crops) - Portland Bill, October 28th 2006 © Martin Cade
Pretty hopeless on the bird front today with extremely few new arrivals on the ground, virtually no passage overhead and precious little on the sea. The only reports of any consequence were of a Black Redstart at Church Ope Cove, 2 Purple Sandpipers and a late Common Tern at the Bill and a Black-throated Diver and a Great Skua passing through on the sea at the Bill.
Immigrant numbers increased a little in the Obs garden moth-traps, with the overnight catch including totals of 42 Rush Veneer, 14 Rusty-dot Pearl, 9 Delicate, 8 Silver Y, 7 Pearly Underwing, 3 Cosmopolitan, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Diamond-back Moth and a Palpita vitrealis.
Still and fairly clear conditions early in the morning were good for visible passage overhead but there was precious little grounded. The pick of the birds on the move overhead were 2000 Wood Pigeons, 150 Chaffinches, 20 Siskins, 20 Reed Buntings, 7 Bramblings, 3 Woodlarks, a Lapwing and a Redpoll over the Bill area. On the ground the best that could be managed were 3 Black Redstarts, 2 Water Rails and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill and a Golden Plover still at Ferrybridge.
Immigrants/wanderers attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 22 Rush Veneer, 8 Pearly Underwing, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Silver Y, 3 Delicate, a Cosmopolitan, a Grey Shoulder-knot and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Hymenia recurvalis and Yellow-browed Warbler (...this species actually has two conspicuous wing-bars although you'd be forgiven for not appreciating that useful identification feature if you'd only seen the lousy pictures posted from Portland this autumn) - Portland Bill and Southwell, October 26th 2006 © Martin Cade
An improvement in the weather allowed for plenty of coverage today but the only new arrival of any real note was an elusive Yellow-browed Warbler in the Eight Kings Quarry at Southwell. Common migrants were not at all plentiful on the ground or overhead but scraps of interest were provided by 4 Merlins, 2 Black Redstarts, a Short-eared Owl and a Firecrest at the Bill, where Monday's Nightingale was also retrapped in the Obs garden; elsewhere there was a Black Redstart and a Brambling at Easton, a Merlin at Weston, a Firecrest at Southwell and 3 Mediterranean Gulls, a Golden Plover, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Arctic Tern at Ferrybridge. The only seawatching news was of singles of Sooty Shearwater, Red-breasted Merganser and Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill.
The second Hymenia recurvalis of the autumn was the pick of the overnight catch in the Obs garden moth-traps; other immigrants there included 18 Rush Veneer, 8 Silver Y, 7 Pearly Underwing, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Dark Sword Grass, Small Mottled Willow and Scarce Bordered Straw.
one of yesterday's Black Redstarts - Portland Castle, October 24th 2006 © Colin McEntee
A raging easterly gale and frequent heavy rain showers saw to it that the land was all but unbirdable for much of the day. Small numbers of thrushes were swirling about in the wind but the only sightings of any consequence were of 3 Black Redstarts, 3 Bramblings, 2 Firecrests and a Merlin at the Bill. Odds and ends reported from the sea included 5 Brent Geese, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Red-throated Diver passing through off the Bill.
Despite the early part of the night being quite calm the Obs garden moth-traps were disappointingly quiet, with the immigrant tally consisting of 63 Rush Veneer, 21 Silver Y, 15 Rusty-dot Pearl, 10 Pearly Underwing, 7 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Delicate, a Gem, a Dark Sword Grass and a White-speck.
After some more wild weather overnight it didn't look likely that many migrants would have been on the move and it certainly proved to be a good deal quieter everywhere today. The only particularly out of the ordinary sightings were of a Quail flushed once in Top Fields and an 'eastern' Chiffchaff at Culverwell. There was still a light scatter of all the expected thrushes, warblers and 'crests but the only additional quality was provided by 6 Ring Ouzels, 5 Black Redstarts, 2 Merlins, 2 Firecrests, 2 Long-tailed Tits and a Pheasant at the Bill, 2 more Ring Ouzels at Suckthumb Quarry, another Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle, another Black Redstart at Portland Castle and 12 Mediterranean Gulls and a Merlin at Ferrybridge. Maintaining the recent trend for the sea to have been very quiet the only sightings of note off the Bill were of a Red-throated Diver and a Balearic Shearwater passing by.
The only immigrant attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight were 19 Rush Veneer, 19 Pearly Underwing, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Silver Y, a Diamond-back Moth and a White-speck.
Late news for yesterday: a late Redstart was at Blacknor and a Harlequin Ladybird was found in Easton.
Firecrest and Nightingale - Portland Bill, October 23rd 2006 © Martin Cade
It was a much better morning for common migrants before rain and a strengthening wind set in to spoil birding during the afternoon. Most of the centre and south of the island was covered quite well and thrushes, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were present in fair numbers everywhere. The pick of the scarcer species were about 20 Ring Ouzels (the best sites being Bumpers Lane with 7 and Suckthumb Quarry with 5), 7 Black Redstarts, 4 Firecrests and a very late Nightingale (trapped and ringed at the Obs); further late migrants included 2 Willow Warblers at Southwell and a Whinchat at Suckthumb Quarry. With a few hours of clear skies there was some limited visible passage that included fair numbers of Skylarks and Reed Buntings amongst the usual finches, along with 4 Woodlarks south over Easton, 200 Wood Pigeons south over the Bill and a Little Egret north at the Bill.
There was little of note attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, with immigrant totals of just 27 Pearly Underwing, 19 Rush Veneer, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Delicate, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Silver Y, a Gem and a Dark Sword Grass.
Today gave no indication of an imminent change in the prevailing very unsettled conditions. Some of the sheltered spots in the centre of the island harboured surprisingly good numbers of, for example, Redwings, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests but the only scarcer migrants found were a Water Rail, a Ring Ouzel, a Black Redstart and a Firecrest at the Bill, a Merlin and a Ring Ouzel at Suckthumb Quarry, a Ring Ouzel and a late Whinchat at Barleycrates Lane, a Black Redstart at Chesil Cove, a Firecrest at Verne Common and a Knot and a late Sandwich Tern at Ferrybridge. The only reports from the sea were of 9 Eider, 2 Sooty Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill and the same flock of 9 Eider also off Chesil Cove
The howling gale overnight put paid to overnight mothing at the Obs where the only immigrants attracted to the traps were 23 Rush Veneer, 9 Silver Y, 6 Pearly Underwing and 2 Delicate.
Little Auk and Red Sword-grass - Chesil Cove and Portland Bill, October 21st 2006 © Martin Cade
A very windy day although the promised showers held off and it still felt surprisingly warm and muggy. The first Little Auk of the autumn that lingered for a while early in the morning at Chesil Cove was the pick of the bird sightings. Many of yesterday's flurry of commoner migrants seemed to have moved on and precious little new had arrived in their place; odds and sods of interest included 9 Ring Ouzels and a Black Redstart at West Weare, a Ring Ouzel and a Firecrest at Cheyne Weare, 2 Merlins, 2 Firecrests and a Black Redstart at the Bill, a Yellow-legged Gull at Ferrybridge and a distant large raptor flying south over the Grove that was thought likely to be a Honey Buzzard. The sea chipped in with 4 Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Northern Diver, an Arctic Skua and a Great Skua at Chesil Cove and an Arctic Skua off the Bill.
In the Obs garden moth-traps the pick of the overnight catch was the island's first modern record of Red Sword-grass (the species was described rather cryptically as 'rarely met with' in one published account of Portland lepidoptera from the Victorian era but there have been no records since that time); other immigrants attracted to the traps included 127 Rush Veneer, 49 Silver Y, 26 Rusty-dot Pearl, 8 Pearly Underwing, 7 Delicate, 6 Diamond-back Moth and singles of Dark Sword Grass, Scarce Bordered Straw and Ni Moth.
Monarch and Crimson Speckled - Portland Bill, October 20th 2006 © Martin Cade
A welcome blip of fair weather in the recent run of very unsettled conditions produced two quality entomological highlights: a Monarch butterfly flew very rapidly over the Obs garden and headed off north early in the afternoon, whilst later a Crimson Speckled moth was flushed from the ground in the hut fields near the Obs before being captured by the observer using his cap! This is the third island record of Crimson Speckled; the previous two occurred on consecutive days in autumn 1990 - like today's specimen both were caught in the field rather than being attracted to moth-traps.
On the bird front one or two Yellow-browed Warblers found during the afternoon behind the Mermaid Pub at Wakeham were the pick of the new discoveries, with a back-up cast of scarce migrants that included a fly-by Osprey at Church Ope Cove, an all-island total of at least 27 Ring Ouzels (including 12 at West Weare and 9 Suckthumb Quarry), 3 Merlins at the Bill, Black Redstarts at the Bill (2) and Blacknor, a Mistle Thrush at the Bill, Firecrests at the Bill (2), Tout Quarry (2) and Barleycrates Lane and 10 or more Bramblings scattered around. Commoner migrants included at least 80 Redwings, 50 Chiffchaffs, 50 Goldrests, 30 Wheatears, 25 Blackcaps and smaller numbers of most of the other expected species grounded or overhead in the centre and south of the island and 700 Brent Geese at Ferrybridge; late records included Yellow Wagtails at the Bill and Barleycrates Lane, a Whinchat at Barleycrates Lane and a Whitethroat and a Redstart at Suckthumb Quarry.
The paltry numbers of common immigrant moths attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps in extremely wet and windy conditions overnight aren't worth recording in full.
Silver-striped Hawk-moth - Portland Bill, October 19th 2006 © Martin Cade
The lean times continued with it being much too windy for any serious birding on the land, where the only reports were of 7 Ring Ouzels and a Black Redstart at West Weare, 6 Ring Ouzels at Verne Common, 2 Golden Plovers at Chesil Cove and 8 Goldcrests, 3 Wheatears, 2 Merlins, a Black Redstart, a Chiffchaff, a Firecrest and a Reed Bunting at the Bill. The sea came up with nothing much better than singles of Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Great Skua off the Bill and an Arctic Skua off Chesil Cove.
Despite some really miserable wet and windy conditions overnight there was a fair catch of immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps. A very worn Silver-striped Hawk-moth was the highlight, along with 32 Silver Y, 20 Rush Veneer, 17 Rusty-dot Pearl, 10 Scarce Bordered Straw, 8 Delicate, 4 Pearly Underwing, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Gem, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Clancy's Rustic and a Vestal.
Flame Brocade and Drinker....two species that can't have been photographed together very often! - Portland Bill, October 18th 2006 © Martin Cade
Despite the promising-looking conditions of recent days the island remains a rarity-free zone. Ring Ouzels still figured, with at least a dozen at West Weare and 5 at the Bill, whilst other less regular migrants included 4 Firecrests, 3 Golden Plovers, 3 Black Redstarts, 2 Merlins and a Water Rail at the Bill, additional Golden Plovers at Weston (2) and Reap Lane and 2 more Firecrests at Southwell. Among the commoner migrants there were 15 Wheatears at the Bill, a late Whinchat at Barleycrates Lane and a slight increase in Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests everywhere. The only news from the sea was of a Balearic Shearwater passing through off the Bill.
In still and mild conditions overnight the Obs garden moth-traps were pretty busy, with the immigrant/wanderer tally consisting of 171 Rush Veneer, 105 Rusty-dot Pearl, 82 Silver Y, 25 Delicate, 14 Scarce Bordered Straw, 8 Pearly Underwing, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Gem, 3 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Palpita vitrealis, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Dusky-lemon Sallow, 2 Clancy's Rustic and singles of Vestal, Red-green Carpet, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Autumnal Rustic, Flame Brocade and Cosmopolitan; among the resident moths a single Drinker was a particular out of season capture.
Yellow-legged Gull - Portland Bill, October 17th 2006 © Pete Saunders
A little less windy today but, Ring Ouzels aside, still not especially busy. Ouzels numbered around 30, including 12 at both the Bill and West Weare, although once again there were no reports from several good sites for the species. The light scatter of other migrants included 20 Redwings, 3 Merlins, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Black Redstarts, a Grey Heron, a Short-eared Owl and a Firecrest at the Bill, another Black Redstart at Reap Lane and another Short-eared Owl at Barleycrates Lane. Brent Geese increased to 370 at Ferrybridge, where there were also 8 Sandwich Terns, 5 Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Tern
With the wind having dropped away a little overnight there were a few more immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps: 76 Rush Veneer, 55 Rusty-dot Pearl, 39 Silver Y, 14 Delicate, 9 Pearly Underwing, 6 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Dark Sword Grass and a single Gem.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls - Portland Bill, October 16th 2006 © Martin Cade
Another mainly overcast day with some brief thundery showers during the morning and a stiff easterly wind blowing all day. On the migration front it was a quite peculiar day with a notable arrival of Ring Ouzels amongst a small movement of other thrushes, a good total of Wheatears for so late in the autumn and a steady but unquantified passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (together with at least 5 Yellow-legged Gulls) past and over the Bill but remarkably little in the way of other grounded passerines. Even allowing for inevitable duplication it seemed likely that the Ring Ouzel tally for the whole island was around the 100 mark, with counts of up to 25 at several of the individual sites visited (and there was no news from several Ouzel-friendly areas such as Verne Common and East Weare). Wheatears included 30 at the Bill and 10 around the centre of the island, whilst other sightings of interest included 2 Merlins and a Firecrest at the Bill, 6 Fieldfares and a late Turtle Dove at Southwell, 225 Chaffinches and a late Yellow Wagtail flying north along the West Cliffs, a late Whinchat at Barleycrates Lane, a Black Redstart at the High Angle Battery, 2 Firecrests at Old Hill and an Arctic Tern and a Short-eared Owl at Ferrybridge.
There was nothing of great interest attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, with the immigrant tally consisting of 20 Rusty-dot Pearl, 18 Rush Veneer, 9 Pearly Underwing, 8 Delicate, 7 Silver Y, 2 Diamond-back Moth and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Black Redstart and Ring Ouzel - Portland Bill, October 15th 2006 © Martin Cade
The wind remained firmly in the east but today's quality didn't extend much beyond a fair arrival of Ring Ouzels (including 9 in the centre of the island between Barleycrates Lane and Bumpers Lane, 4 at Tout Quarry, 3 at Verne Common, 3 at the Bill and 1 at Southwell). Among the scatter of other migrants on the ground there were 2 Short-eared Owls, 2 Black Redstarts and a Merlin at the Bill and a Firecrest at Bumpers Lane; small numbers of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were reported from most of the areas of relatively sheltered cover around the centre of the island. Overhead passage was very light and didn't include anything better than 3 Bramblings over Bumpers Lane, 3 Siskins and 2 Reed Buntings over the Bill and 55 Chaffinches flying north over the centre of the island in an hour early in the morning.
The wind was again much too strong for productive moth-trapping and the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden traps overnight were 11 Pearly Underwing, 10 Rusty-dot Pearl, 9 Delicate, 5 Rush Veneer, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Clancy's Rustic and 2 Silver Y.
Little Bunting - Portland Bill, October 14th 2006 © Martin Cade
With heavily overcast skies and a fresh easterly wind blowing there were high hopes for a better day and there was instant reward when a Little Bunting was trapped and ringed in the Obs garden at dawn. Later in the morning a Hoopoe was seen a couple of times in the Cheyne/Suckthumb Quarry area and a Barred Warbler showed once at Bumpers Lane. Commoner migrants, including a good sprinkle of thrushes, Robins, Stonechats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, were more conspicuous than in recent days although they were still not nearly as numerous as might be expected at this time of the autumn. The Bill area also provided a list that included 4 Snipe, 3 Merlins, 3 Lapwings, 2 Golden Plover, 2 Short-eared Owls, a Water Rail and a Black Redstart, whilst elsewhere the pick of the sightings were of single Ring Ouzels at Suckthumb Quarry and Cheyne, a Merlin, a Black Redstart and a Brambling at Bumpers Lane and another Black Redstart at Southwell. The sea was largely neglected but a flurry of sightings late in the day included 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Great Skuas and 2 Mediterranean Gulls passing through off the Bill.
The strengthening easterly wind spoilt overnight moth-trapping at the Obs, where the only immigrants caught were 47 Rush Veneer, 37 Rusty-dot Pearl, 13 Pearly Underwing, 13 Delicate, 9 Silver Y, 2 Clancy's Rustic, a Gem and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Diasemiopsis ramburialis and yesterday's Wigeon - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, October 13th 2006 © Martin Cade (ramburialis) and Pete Saunders (Wigeon)
A very warm day but the quiet southerly weather didn't produce anything other than a minor flurry of new arrivals, notably slightly more thrushes, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests and tits than have been around in recent days; the tally of scarcer species didn't extend beyond 3 Firecrests, 2 Merlins, a Water Rail, a Short-eared Owl and a Mistle Thrush at the Bill, a Ring Ouzel at Southwell, and 15 Brent Geese and a Sooty Shearwater passing through on the sea at the Bill.
At least 3 Bottle-nosed Dolphins were off East Cliffs at the Bill for much of the afternoon.
In nice still and mild conditions overnight there were plenty of moths on the wing at the Bill. The second island record of Figure of Eight (the last record was as long ago as 1982) and a single Diasemiopsis ramburialis were the pick of the catch in the Obs garden traps, which also attracted 189 Rush Veneer, 114 Rusty-dot Pearl, 48 Delicate, 45 Pearly Underwing, 23 Silver Y, 9 Clancy's Rustic, 7 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Gem, 2 Autumnal Rustic and singles of Palpita vitrealis and Brindled Green; elsewhere another Clancy's Rustic was caught in a garden trap at Fortuneswell.
Late news for yesterday: 13 Mallard, a Wigeon and a Merlin were at Ferrybridge.
Cormorants - Portland Bill, October 12th 2006 © Martin Cade
Clear skies overnight and on through the morning were not helpful for dropping much in the way of new arrivals but there were fair numbers of birds on the move overhead. Odds and sods of interest included 2 Merlins and 2 Firecrests at the Bill, further singles of each at Barelycrates Lane and another single Firecrest at Easton. Commoner migrants (with the exception of grounded Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and finches) were very thinly spread but did include a few tardy singles of Yellow Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Whinchat and Willow Warbler scattered here and there. A one hour sample count of visible passage at the Bill produced totals that included 620 Meadow Pipits, 540 Linnets, 231 alba wagtails, 64 Goldfinches, 24 Chaffinches and 16 Greenfinches.
Immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 42 Pearly Underwing, 29 Silver Y, 26 Rush Veneer, 22 Delicate, 13 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw and singles of Vestal, Clancy's Rustic, Ni Moth and Migrant Hawker dragonfly.
Last night's electric storm photographed from the top of the Obs tower - Portland Bill, October 11th 2006 © Dan Walwin
Birding during the morning was restricted to an hour of dry weather soon after dawn before the onset of some steady rain that didn't clear through until the afternoon. The best of the scarcer migrants reported were 4 Firecrests, 2 Merlins, a Short-eared Owl and at least 1 Woodlark at the Bill, additional Firecrests at Ladymead, Easton (3) and Pennsylvania Castle and another Merlin at Barleycrates Lane, but there was no sign of the Rose-coloured Starling at the Bill early in the morning. A small flurry of new migrants at the Bill included quite a few Robins (16 new individuals were ringed at the Obs), 20 Stonechats, 20 Blackcaps, 15 Song Thrushes, 15 Chiffchaffs, 10 Wheatears, 5 Grey Herons, 5 Reed Buntings, 4 Whinchats, a Whitethroat and a Willow Warbler, whilst overhead the usual selection of hirundines, Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and finches were all on the move in some numbers. A party of Velvet Scoters evidently passed though off the Bill but we haven't received any more details from the day-visitors who apparently saw these birds. The only other news was of 2 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge.
Three Bottle-nosed Dolphins lingered off East Cliffs at the Bill during the afternoon.
Some very heavy thundery rain as well as a constant stiff wind provided less than ideal conditions for overnight moth-trapping but there was still a fair selection of immigrants attracted to the Obs garden traps: 55 Rush Veneer, 30 Rusty-dot Pearl, 20 Delicate, 19 Pearly Underwing, 19 Silver Y, 4 Gem, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Clancy's Rustic, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth and singles of Uresiphita polygonalis and Vestal.
Hymenia recurvalis - Portland Bill, October 10th 2006 © Martin Cade
There were welcome signs of birds getting moving again today although it was still much quieter than might have been expected on a still, overcast morning in mid-October. The Rose-coloured Starling remained at the Bill, a Yellow-browed Warbler showed briefly at Wakeham, a Long-tailed Duck passed through off the Bill and a Dartford Warbler was a first record for the autumn at Barleycrates Lane. Among the commoner migrants there were 4 Firecrests, 2 Merlins, a Short-eared Owl and the month's first double figure count of Song Thrushes at the Bill, late singles of Nightingale and Whitethroat at Avalanche Road, another Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and the first Redwing of the autumn at Grove Point.
The first still and overcast night for some time was much more productive from the mothing point of view. The highlight in the Obs garden traps was the third island record of Hymenia recurvalis (the previous two records were of singles at the Obs on 11th and 12th October 1995); immigrant/wanderer totals in the traps also included 48 Rush Veneer, 30 Pearly Underwing, 29 Rusty-dot Pearl, 26 Delicate, 12 Silver Y, 5 Palpita vitrealis, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Clancy's Rustic and singles of Red-green Carpet, Brindled Green and Red Admiral butterfly.
Finally, we have been experiencing difficulties uploading to the website in recent days; apologies for the lack of our usual updates should this problem persist.
Heavy rain and overcast skies overnight must have grounded most potential migrants well away from Portland for there was very little to be seen anywhere today. Odds and sods on the ground included the long-staying Rose-coloured Starling, a Merlin, a Short-eared Owl and a Firecrest at the Bill where, despite clearing skies soon after dawn, it was just as dire and birdless overhead. A trickle of passage on the sea included singles of Balearic Shearwater and Great, Arctic and Pomarine Skua passing through off the Bill.
In warm sunshine through the middle of the day Clouded Yellows were a good deal more numerous than they have been of late.
It was much too windy and wet overnight to have expected many moths to have been attracted to the Obs garden traps, although the catch did include 15 Rush Veneer, 2 Delicate, 2 Clancy's Rustic and a Pearly Underwing.
Tawny Pipit - Portland Bill, October 8th 2006 © Martin Cade
A Tawny Pipit that made a short visit to the terrace fields between the Bill Road and Top Fields was the best of the new arrivals today; the Rose-coloured Starling remained at the Bill and a Yellow-browed Warbler reported from a garden near Portland Museum was perhaps the bird seen at nearby Pennsylvania Castle last week. Among the commoner migrants there were good numbers of Pied Wagtails grounded (including 220 in the Bill common/hut fields area) but little else that was at all noteworthy beyond singles of Merlin and Hobby. It was busier overhead with a sample 90 minute count in the morning at the Bill providing totals of 990 Linnets, 680 Meadow Pipits and 296 alba wagtails passing through. Seawatching at the Bill produced a few Common Scoter, a Red-throated Diver and a Balearic Shearwater.
Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 48 Rush Veneer, 13 Delicate, 9 Pearly Underwing, 3 Silver Y, a Rusty-dot Pearl, a Scarce Bordered Straw and an Oak Nycteoline.
Despite a considerable improvement in the weather there was precious little of interest on the land or sea. The Rose-coloured Starling was again at the Bill during the morning, where there were also still 2 Short-eared Owls, a Merlin and a Barn Owl, but grounded new arrivals there consisted of little more than a handful of common migrants along with the first Woodcock of the autumn. There was a bit more movement overhead at the Bill, including plenty of pipits and wagtails, 9 Siskins, 2 Golden Plovers and a Hobby. Two Balearic Shearwaters lingering off the Bill and 2 Arctic Terns and a Mediterranean Gull lingering in Chesil Cove were the only reports of note from the sea.
The seawatchers were all on duty again today but despite the quite stormy conditions they had very little reward for their trouble. The Bill produced just 28 Common Scoter, 5 Great Skuas and 3 Arctic Skuas, whilst Chesil Cove chipped in with 2 Arctic Terns, a Balearic Shearwater, a Mediterranean Gull and a Black Tern; another 4 Arctic Terns (along with a single Knot) were grounded at Ferrybridge. The only reports from the land were of the reappearance of the Rose-coloured Starling at the Bill where there was also a single Yellow-legged Gull.
The paltry selection of moths attracted to the couple of moth-traps operated overnight in the Obs garden included nothing of any interest.
Avocets - Ferrybridge, October 4th 2006 © Pete Saunders
A day for seawatching with frequent showers or longer spells of rain throughout the day and the south-westerly wind strengthening to near gale force by the afternoon. The Bill was covered all day and produced totals of 217 Razorbills, 87 Common Scoter, 26 Sooty and a Manx Shearwater, 3 Great, 3 Arctic and a Pomarine Skua and an Arctic Tern. The only news from the land was of the presence of 2 Avocets at Ferrybridge and 2 Merlins at the Bill and the absence of the Rose-coloured Starling at the Bill during the morning (where it had been present with the Starling flock on each of the last five mornings).
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs produced immigrant totals of 159 Rush Veneer, 49 Pearly Underwing, 42 Delicate, 13 Silver Y, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 White-speck and singles of Palpita vitrealis, Dark Sword Grass, Clancy's Rustic and Scarce Bordered Straw.
Finally, we have experienced problems uploading to the website on several occasions in the last few days; this is a problem with the BT server and is beyond our control but apologies for the lack of usual updates on these occasions.
Pied Wagtails - Portland Bill, October 4th 2006 © Martin Cade
Not too much of note today with fewer birds on the move overhead and still nothing in quantity on the ground. The Rose-coloured Starling made a brief early morning visit to the Bill before returning to Southwell, whilst the best of the more routine fare were singles of Merlin, Short-eared Owl and Firecrest at the Bill and another Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle. Passage overhead was quieter than might have been hoped in the clear conditions, with 10 Siskins and a Golden Plover the only noteworthy sightings at the Bill.
Immigrant moths were still on the wing in some numbers at the Obs where overnight trapping produced totals of 136 Rush Veneer, 127 Pearly Underwing, 50 Delicate, 13 Silver Y, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, a Diamond-back Moth and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Yellow-browed Warbler, Redshank, Little Egret and Meadow Pipit - Pennsylvania Castle, Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, October 3rd 2006 © Martin Cade (Y-b Warbler and pipit), Ken Dolbear (egret) and Colin McEntee (Redshank)
Clear skies and a brisk westerly wind allowed migrants ample opportunity to get moving again today. A Yellow-browed Warbler was a new arrival at Pennsylvania Castle where it could be heard calling from time to time but afforded no more than a single brief view high in the tree-tops; also new in was a Treecreeper nearby at Wakeham, whilst the Rose-coloured Starling again wandered between the Bill and Southwell. Pipits and wagtails were very numerous overhead and on the ground, with totals of 940 Meadow Pipits and 75 alba wagtails passing over the Bill during a one hour sample count early in the morning and 170 Pied Wagtails grounded on the Bill common at the same time. Siskins (including 20 over the Bill) featured in numbers for the first time this autumn, whilst other birds on the move overhead included 30 Skylarks, 30 Chaffinches and 11 Reed Buntings at the Bill. A long-staying Firecrest remained at the Bill but the trees and bushes otherwise harboured little more than small numbers of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests. Two Merlins, a Redshank, a Short-eared Owl and probably as many as 20 Kestrels were at the Bill where a single Balearic Shearwater passed through on the sea.
Despite unpromising-looking cool and breezy conditions respectable numbers of immigrant moths were attracted to the Obs garden traps overnight: 165 Pearly Underwing, 135 Rush Veneer, 54 Delicate, 13 Silver Y, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Diamond-back Moth and singles of White-speck, Clancy's Rustic, Small Mottled Willow and Scarce Bordered Straw.
What a difference a day makes. The wind was just as strong as yesterday but had veered out of the south into the west and sea passage dwindled to virtually nothing, with reports of just a Red-throated Diver, a Balearic Shearwater and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill and a Red-throated Diver passing Chesil Cove. The Rose-coloured Starling was again at the Bill but the strength of the wind and the frequency of the passing heavy showers precluded any other serious birding on the land where 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill and a Knot at Ferrybridge were the only sighting of note.
Odds and sods in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included 5 Delicate, 2 Rush Veneer, a Rusty-dot Pearl and a Pearly Underwing.
Sooty Shearwater and Great Skua - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, October 1st 2006 © Martin Cade (Sooty Shearwater) and Pete Saunders (Great Skua)
With a strong southerly wind blowing all day most of the news was of seawatching at the Bill where 48 Sooty Shearwaters, 37 Great Skuas, 24 Common Scoter, 16 Sandwich Terns, 12 commic terns, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Arctic Skuas, 2 Eider and a Manx Shearwater passed through; an additional Great Skua passed through at Ferrybridge. On the land the Rose-coloured Starling was on the Bill common for most of the morning but the only other reports were from Ferrybridge where there were 18 Common Terns, 2 Little Stints and the first few returning Red-breasted Mergansers.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs served only to needlessly waste electricity; the only immigrants attracted to the traps in extremely windy conditions were 8 Delicate, 3 Rush Veneer, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Pearly Underwing, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw and 1 Diamond-back Moth.