May 2009

31st May Very hot today but, with the exception of a Serin that showed up several times at the Obs garden, not very eventful on the bird front. Further intertest at the Bill was provided by 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Bullfinch on the land and 30 Common Scoter and 18 Manx Shearwaters on the sea, whilst elsewhere there were 7 Dunlin, 5 Redshank and 2 Sanderling at Ferrybridge.
The immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps consisted of 7 Diamond-back Moths, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl and 2 Silver Y, whilst at dusk at least 180 Silver Y were feeding over two patches of Red Valerian in the Obs garden
30th May

A brisk north/north-easterly produced at bit of seabird movement off the Bill, where 300 Manx Shearwaters,  50 Common Scoter, 9 Dunlin, 3 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Arctic Skuas and a single Mediterranean Gull passed through. The land was again the poor relation: an unseasonable Woodlark passed over at the Bill, where singles of Willow Warbler and Redpoll were also seen.

A single Red-veined Darter was at the Bill in the evening.
No immigrants were recorded in the Obs garden moth-traps.

 

   

Great Grey Owl - Finland, May 2009 © Martin Cade

...not a scene you see every day at Portland. Many thanks to Peter Morgan for e-mailing us daily updates for the website whilst we swan around in Scandinavia and apologies for the technical problems that have meant we haven't been able to upload them until now.

  29th May

Blazingly hot and sunny but extremely quiet on the bird front with nothing much more than 2 Chiffchaffs and a single Siskin at the Bill today. 
A single Red-veined Darter was at the Bill again today.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning: 4 Silver Y, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl and 2 each of Diamond-back Moth and Rush Veneer. 28th May

Despite the return of fair weather not a single noteworthy bird showed up.

An influx of Red-veined Darter dragonflies included 3 at the High Angle Battery and 1 at the Bill. 27th May

A grim day of almost constant wind and rain. All the news was from the Bill where 4 Spotted Flycatchers and a Chiffchaff were on the land and 270 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Arctic Skuas and a lone Storm Petrel passed through on the sea.

26th May

In a stiff west/north-west wind the only reports were of 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Spotted Flycatchers on the land at the Bill, 353 Manx and 4 Balearic Shearwaters through on the sea there and 54 Dunlin, 7 Sanderling and a Bar-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge.

Hundreds of Painted Ladys remained at the Bill today.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning: 11 Diamond-back Moths, 2 Silver Y, a Rusty-dot Pearl and a Painted Lady butterfly. 25th May

Light rain from the south and a prevailing east/north-easterly wind brought no joy at all. Migrants were restricted to 2 Chiffchaffs, a Grey Heron, a Knot, a Sedge Warbler, a Whinchat and a Wheatear in the Bill area. A small up-Channel movement of Manx Shearwaters off the Bill was the only noteworthy event on the sea. 
Painted Ladies were still present in good numbers.

In nice mild conditions overnight the best arrival of immigrant moths so far this year showed up in the Obs garden traps: 118 Diamond-back Moths, 3 Rush Veneer, 2 Tachystola acroxantha and singles of Rusty-dot Pearl, Dark Sword Grass and Silver Y.

 

   

Turtle Dove - Broadcroft Quarry, 24th May 2009 © Nick Hopper

  24th May

Another pleasant and increasingly sultry day that lacked much migrant action. A Serin was seen briefly early in the morning in the Pennsylvania Castle area but the rest of the day's list consisted of very routine fare: 10 Spotted Flycatchers, 6 Chiffchaffs and singles of Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear and Blackcap were at the Bill, a Turtle Dove and a Lesser Whitethroat were at Broadcroft Quarry, another single Wheatear was at the High Angle Battery and 23 Common Scoter, 18 Manx Shearwaters, 15 commic terns and 3 Balearic Shearwaters passed through on the sea at the Bill.

Painted Ladys continue to feature prominently throughout the island with many seemingly heading straight through northwards without lingering.

 

Normal daily service on the website will be interrupted between tomorrow and 6th June whilst we're out of the country; the Obs will be open as usual throughout this period and, depending on internet access on our travels, we hope to be able to post some limited updates as and when we're able.

 

   

     Burnet Companion - East Weare, 23rd May 2009 © Emma Cockburn

    ...a not uncommon day-flying moth that hasn't featured on the site before.

  23rd May

The Woodchat Shrike remained at the Bill but in lovely weather there were few new arrivals of significance. From the recording point of view a buzzard that flew north up the island during the morning was frustrating as it was identified as a Honey Buzzard by some observers and as a Common Buzzard by others; more routine fare included 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Garden Warblers, a Wheatear and a Redpoll on the land at the Bill, 22 commic terns, 20 Manx Shearwaters, 18 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua passing through on the sea there and a Balearic Shearwater passing through off Chesil.

 

   

                

  

   Woodchat Shrike - Portland Bill, 22nd May 2009 © Ian Mara (perched) and Martin Cade (flying)

  22nd May

A typical late May day with one good bird but not a lot else. The day's rarity was a Woodchat Shrike that showed up in Top Fields during the morning. The Bill area also produced 7 Spotted Flycatchers, 4 Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler and a Garden Warbler on the land and 15 commic terns, 4 Grey Herons, 2 Sanderling, a Great Northern Diver, a Balearic Shearwater, a Pomarine Skua and an Arctic Skua through on the sea.

We've also received a request for information from John Dadds, the RSPB lead warden of the Chesil Beach Little Tern Recovery Project. Part of the team's brief is to identify breeding Kestrels and carry out diversionary feeding at their nest sites. A pair has been located at the Wyke Regis Bridging Camp but there are suspicions that another pair from a breeding site in the Osprey Quay/Fortuneswell/Castletown area may also be using the beach. Please call John on 07590 441414 if you have any information concerning this matter.

 

  Earlier this week we were asked to comment on the identification of a tricky Hippolais warbler that showed up last weekend in North Wales - this was a bird that was initially identified as an Icterine Warbler but later examination of photographs had shown was in fact a Melodious Warbler - and this led us to have a look back at the photos of last year's April Icterine Warbler at the Bill. That bird had popped up very briefly in front of its finder who managed to blast off a few record photos before it disappeared for ever. The views were so brief that the finder didn't actually identify it as anything other than a Hippolais sp in the field but the photos were considered by all who saw them to show an Icterine (the two photos below appeared on the site at the time and prompted no negative comments):

  

   

We'd always had a nagging problem with this bird and on looking back at the photos it soon became obvious why: it's patently a Melodious! At the time all the talk was of wing panels, contrast in the tertials etc etc but the inescapable fact is that it has a short primary projection. Among the series of photos taken we found one (quite out of focus so it was probably dismissed at the time) where the bird is virtually side-on and the primary projection can be seen to be nothing like as long as the exposed tertails:

  We'd guess that the apparent strong contrast in the tertials and secondaries is due as much as anything else to the early date: these feathers are still relatively fresh and the pale edges haven't worn off to the extent that they would have done later in the season when we're more used to seeing Melodious. As an aside it's worth mentioning that although we're not great fans of leg colour as a distinguishing feature in this species pair (most of the Melodious we catch at Portland have blue-grey legs) this bird does seem to have brown legs which would be most unusual for an Icterine (all photos © Chris Patrick).

  21st May

Just a very thin scatter of late migrants today. All the news was from the Bill area where there were 9 Spotted Flycatchers, 7 Chiffchaffs, 2 Reed Warblers, a White Wagtail, a Wheatear, a Sedge Warbler and a Willow Warbler on the land and 19 Common Scoter, 10 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Sandwich Terns and a Great Northern Diver passed through on the sea.

Painted Lady butterflies have become very conspicuous since yesterday afternoon when new arrivals started to show up throughout the island; at least 100 were at the Bill this morning (along with 3 Red Admirals).

Singles of Rusty-dot Pearl and Rush Veneer were caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.

 

   

         

   Golden Oriole - Portland Bill, 20th May 2009 © Martin Cade

  20th May

A miscellaneous selection on the land was headed by a Golden Oriole that showed up in Top Fields at the Bill during the afternoon. A Marsh Harrier seen flying south onto the island over Chesil early in the morning was the only other oddity reported although singles of Siskin and Bullfinch at the Bill were noteworthy for being a little unseasonable; the common migrant tally included nothing more than odd ones and twos of expected species. The sea received quite a bit of attention and eventually returned totals of 61 Common Scoter, 50 Manx Shearwaters, 6 Arctic Skuas, 4 Sanderling, 3 Whimbrel, a Balearic Shearwater and a Pomarine Skua passing the Bill and a Great Northern Diver over Chesil.

19th May

A little bit of interest on the sea again today but nothing of any consequence on the land. All the news came from the Bill where 200 Manx Shearwaters, 55 Common Scoter, 4 Great Northern Divers, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Arctic Skuas, 2 Sanderling and a Red-throated Diver passed through on the sea and 5 Chiffchaffs, a Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher were the only new arrivals on the land.

 

   

  

   Sanderlings - Ferrybridge, 18th May 2009 © Paul Baker

  18th May

Pleasantly bright and sunny but always much too windy today. Hirundines and Swifts trickled in off the sea all day but the only birds of any note on the land were 2 Chiffchaffs, a Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill and 3 Sanderling and a Little Stint at Ferrybridge. Despite plenty of effort the seawatchers came up with nothing much more than 400 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Sanderling, 4 Arctic Skuas and 2 Great Skuas passing through off the Bill.

17th May

The shift to very unsettled conditions has all but knocked land birding on the head - today's only interest was provided by 4 Sanderling and a Little Stint at Ferrybridge - and pretty well all attention was given to the sea. Watches at the Bill produced 300 Manx Shearwaters, 100 commic terns, 6 Arctic Skuas, 4 Great Skuas, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Pomarine Skuas, whilst 2 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater passed through off Chesil Cove.

 

   

   Little Owl - Portland Bill, 13th May 2009 © Martin Cade

...the Obs Quarry Little Owls have been out hunting in daylight on several occasions in recent days - a sign that they now have young?

  16th May

Quite stormy again today. The Bill is often the poor relation in these sort of conditions and today proved to be a case in point as the watchers there missed out on a Cory's Shearwater that showed up off Chesil Cove. What little there was at the Bill included several hundred Manx Shearwaters, 4 Sanderling and singles of Great Northern Diver, Balearic Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Whimbrel, Great Skua and Arctic Skua. The only other reports were of the Serin briefly at Culverwell early in the morning, a Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill, a Red-throated Diver in Portland Harbour and 2 Sanderling at Ferrybridge.

15th May

On a day of increasingly poor weather conditions the Serin made another early morning visit to the Obs garden, a Moorhen - always a good Portland rarity! - was seen briefly at Culverwell and 5 Hobbys passed through at the Bill but the common migrant tally consisted of just a thin scatter of routine fare. The ever-freshening wind saw to it that the sea produced a few birds, with 500 Manx Shearwaters, 20 Arctic Skuas, 5 Great Skuas and 2 Balearic Shearwaters passing through off the Bill.

In common with a lot of sites both on the coast and inland there was a conspicuous influx of Diamond-back Moths last night, with the Obs garden moth-traps containing 31 this morning; 3 Silver Y were the only other immigrants caught there.

We've recently made some progress with updating the bookshop pages and a list of selected secondhand titles has now been uploaded.

 

   

   Serin - Portland Bill, 14th May 2009 © Martin Cade

...it spent much of the time hidden in dense foliage but was pretty vocal throughout; click here to listen to a recording of short bursts of typical trills and here when the less frequently heard vaguely Redpoll-like wheezy buzz is given amongst all the trilling.

  14th May

Still quite a bit of variety today but nothing like yesterday's numbers. A Serin popped up twice at the Obs and once at Culverwell early in the morning, whilst in the more routine line the Bill area produced 20 Chiffchaffs, 20 Willow Warblers, 15 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Whinchats, 5 Wheatears, 3 Turtle Doves, 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Reed Warblers, 3 Garden Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Redstart and a Redpoll. Seawatching was uneventful, with just 60 commic terns, 19 Common Scoter, 4 Manx Shearwaters, a Red-throated Diver and a Whimbrel passing through off the Bill; at least 7 Puffins were also logged there.

 

   

  

  

  

  

   Turtle Dove and Golden Oriole - Portland Bill, 13th May 2009 © Martin Cade

...the sum total of our knowledge of Golden Orioles could be written on a corner of one side of a postage stamp and the standard texts urge caution when ageing and sexing this species; the fairly obvious moult-limit in the greater coverts did enable us to age today's bird as a first-summer but we're not at all clear whether we can sex it on the features visible here.

  13th May

After a very slow start to the month for common migrants we were due a bit of a fall and today's overcast skies and damp in the air came up with the goods. The highlights were a Golden Oriole trapped and ringed early in the morning at the Obs and 2 Red-rumped Swallows that lingered briefly early in the afternoon on the Slopes near the Pulpit Inn. Swifts and hirundines were arriving in off the sea in very good numbers, whilst on the land the variety of typical late spring arrivals at the Bill included 75 Spotted Flycatchers, 60 Willow Warblers, 50 Garden Warblers, 40 Whitethroats, 20 Blackcaps, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 12 Whinchats, 10 Turtle Doves, 10 Sedge Warblers, 5 Reed Warblers, 4 Wood Warblers, 3 Tree Pipits, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Hobby, a Pied Flycatcher, a Redpoll and a Brambling; elsewhere there were 60 Dunlin, 7 Sanderling and 2 Little Stints at Ferrybridge. Seawatching at the Bill produced 270 commic terns, 17 Dunlin, 2 Arctic Skuas and singles of Great Crested Grebe, Balearic Shearwater, Pomarine Skua and Black Tern, whilst 86 commic terns, 11 Bar-tailed Godwits and 5 Arctic Skuas passed through off Chesil.

 

   

  

  

   Little Stint and Mediterranean Gull - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, 12th May 2009 © Martin Cade

...there's no accounting for some things that crop up and today provided a case in point when, quite out of the blue, a cracking Med Gull in full summer plumage swept in low over the Obs garden and landed for a while in one of the newly-sown crop fields nearby; quite apart from it being unusual to see an adult Med Gull at this time of year it was also the first time we could recollect seeing a Med Gull of any description actually settle on the land at the Bill (in fact it's unusual to see any of the smaller gulls settled at the Bill).

  12th May

Swifts, and to a lesser extent hirundines, were still on the move in quantity, and singles of Marsh Harrier and Hobby also passed through at the Bill, but grounded migrants were few and far between and included nothing better than 4 Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel and a Little Stint at Ferrybridge and singles of Sanderling, Common Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull and Redpoll at the Bill. Some less than exciting seawatching at the Bill produced 5 Balearic Shearwaters and a Great Skua amongst very small numbers of the expected commoner species.

 

   

  

  

  Serin and Grey Plover - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, 11th May 2009 © Martin Cade

  11th May

Serins - usually a Portland spring staple - have thus far been in short supply so the appearance of three today (one spent much of the afternoon in the Obs garden and two more passed straight through over the Obs heading east) was welcome. In a really stiff easterly wind Swifts and hirundines were arriving in off the sea in good numbers but grounded migrants were far from numerous, with 5 Wheatears, 5 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Short-eared Owls, a Hobby and a Whinchat all that could be mustered at the Bill; elsewhere there were 3 Shovelers, 2 Whimbrel and a Grey Plover at Ferrybridge. The wind was a little too offshore for the sea, and nothing much more than 150 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Black-throated and Great Northern Divers were logged at the Bill.

Painted Ladys were again present in small numbers throughout the island.

10th May

Barely a bird worth mentioning on the land today although overhead Swallows continued to arrive in good numbers. Pretty well all that was reported related to seawatching at the Bill that produced 160 Manx Shearwaters, 30 Common Scoter, 23 commic terns, 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Shelduck, 3 Whimbrel, 3 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Red-throated Diver.

Painted Ladys - seemingly freshly arrived immigrants - were seen in small numbers at several sites today.

 

   

  

Eastern Subalpine Warbler and watchers - Portland Bill, 9th May 2009 © Nick Hopper (the bird) and Martin Cade (the birders)

...and a few things from the first decent seawatch at the Bill for several weeks. We weren't there for the Pomarine Skua that flew straight overhead at the obelisk but these two a bit later on were part of a distant flock of five:

  

  

...and, as often happens, the Great Northern Diver flying west at the same time wasn't spotted until it was heading away (photos © Martin Cade):

  

  9th May

The recent purple patch continued with an Eastern Subalpine Warbler that roamed about between the Coastguards and the Obs being the latest quality arrival. There still wasn't anything by way of numbers in the common migrant line, but minor interest was provided by 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Garden Warblers, a Short-eared Owl, a Yellow Wagtail, a Redstart, a Sedge Warbler and a Reed Warbler at the Bill, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Nightingale and a Pied Flycatcher at Avalanche Road, a Sedge Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher at Weston Street, 2 Whinchats at Barleycrates Lane and a Wood Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher at Verne Common. The sea provided a lot more interest than in recent days, with 8 Pomarine Skuas, 7 Great Northern Divers, 6 Arctic Skuas, 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and a Black-throated Diver the best of the bunch at the Bill, and 7 Arctic Skuas, 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Great Skua being logged at Chesil.

 

   

  

   Curlew Sandpiper - Ferrybridge, 8th May 2009 © Martin Cade

  8th May

The Woodchat Shrike remained at the Bill until at least mid-morning and a Curlew Sandpiper - always a quality bird in spring - was a new arrival at Ferrybridge. In rather inclement conditions early in the morning the paltry selection of routine migrants at the Bill included 22 Swifts, 15 Wheatears, 8 Turnstones, 2 Willow Warblers and singles of Whinchat, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff (...it is that bad for 'common' migrants at the moment!); additions to the tally from Ferrybridge included 3 Sanderling, a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper. In a brisk south-westerly seawatching at the Bill produced 250 Manx Shearwaters, 16 Common Scoter, 3 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Red-throated Divers, 2 Great Northern Divers and a Black-throated Diver.

 

   

   Woodchat Shrike - Portland Bill, 7th May 2009 © Martin Cade

  7th May

Little of great note in the way of common migrants today but a Woodchat Shrike that was first spotted on the rocks at the tip of the Bill and later moved up to the Slopes provided a nice rarity highlight. Some impressive pulses of Swallows were arriving in off the sea at the Bill through the morning, but on the ground the best on offer were a sprinkle of Wheatears everywhere (including 25 at the Bill and 12 at Ferrybridge), 3 Yellow Wagtails, a Whimbrel, a Turtle Dove, a Whinchat and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill and 2 Sanderling at Ferrybridge. Seawatching at the Bill produced 50 Manx Shearwaters, 26 Common Scoter, 3 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, a Red-throated Diver and a Great Northern Diver.

 

   

   Samuel Beckett Bridge - Portland Bill, 6th May 2009 © Martin Cade

...we see some strange sights off the Bill and today provided us with distant views of the rather elegant Samuel Beckett Bridge in transit on a barge from Rotterdam to its destination on the River Liffey in Dublin.

  6th May

Another dismal return on the migrant front today (...it took four hours from dawn before the ringers in the Obs garden even managed to get off the mark with a new bird trapped). Odds and ends of interest on the land included 3 Garden Warblers, a Short-eared Owl, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Brambling at the Bill and 61 Dunlin, 37 Little Terns and 5 Sanderling at Ferrybridge, whilst on the sea 24 Common Scoter, 8 Whimbrel, 7 Sanderling, 4 Great Northern Divers, 2 Great Skuas and an Arctic Skua passed through off the Bill and another Great Northern Diver passed over Ferrybridge.

5th May

Another very quiet day on land and sea. At the Bill none of the common migrants were in any worthwhile numbers on the ground although Swifts and Swallows were again arriving in off the sea in some quantity; a lone Turtle Dove was the only scarcer species logged. For the umpteenth day the lack of birds on the sea attracted plenty of comment (inexplicably, terns were again completely absent and skua passage is a virtual non-event); the only entries on the day-sheet at the Bill were 8 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Common Scoter, 4 Great Northern Divers and a Great Skua. The only other reports were of 65 Dunlin, 40 Little Terns and a Sanderling at Ferrybridge.

With so little to see at the Bill we took the opportunity to nip over to Lodmoor to see the Red-rumped Swallow that showed up there this morning; click here to have a look at a few photos from this off-island trip.

 

   

   The Collared Flycatcher crowd on Saturday - Southwell, 2nd May 2009 © Pete and Debby Saunders

  4th May

A relatively low-key day with a small arrival of new migrants on the land and a decent passage of hirundines and Swifts overhead but nothing in any quantity on the sea; the only real oddity seen was a Serin that flew across the road at Cheyne during the morning. The pick of the less frequent migrants on the land were 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Hobby, a White Wagtail, a Wood Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher at Portland Castle, whilst the best the sea could offer were 4 Great Northern Divers passing through off the Bill. Elsewhere there were welcome signs of a few waders beginning to arrive, with 27 Dunlin and 3 Sanderling showing up at Ferrybridge. 

We also heard today that the special parking/access arrangements for the Collared Flycatcher at the weekend raised a total of £520 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance; thanks are due to Curtis Gould and Stone Firms Ltd for overseeing arrangements and for permitting access to their land.

 

   

  

   Whitethroat and Maiden's Blush - Portland Bill, 3rd May 2009 © Paul Baker (Whitethroat) and Martin Cade (Maiden's Blush)

  3rd May

The overnight departure of the Collared Flycatcher ahead of the arrival of a cooler, westerly airflow brought an end to Portland's recent purple patch. Migrant numbers were again less than inspiring for early May, although a little bit of interest was provided by a selection of scarcer species that included 2 Turtle Doves, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Short-eared Owl, a Cuckoo and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill, another Pied Flycatcher at Pennsylvania Castle, another Turtle Dove at Reap Lane and another Grasshopper Warbler at Verne Common. The sea had even less to offer than the land, with little of note beyond a lone Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill.

The Obs garden moth-traps have been so quiet in recent weeks that we've hardly bothered to mention them, although a single Maiden's Blush did provide some minor interest amongst this morning's catch.

2nd May

The Collared Flycatcher remained at Sweethill, Southwell, but there was no sign today of the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler at Avalanche Road. The highlight amongst the few new arrivals was a Goshawk that appeared heading south over Top Fields but then about turned and was last seen heading away to the north off the West Cliffs. Hirundines aside, commoner migrants weren't at all plentiful but did include 2 Short-eared Owls and a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill, a Wood Warbler at Avalanche Road and 2 Pied Flycatchers and a Cuckoo at Verne Common. Seawatching at the Bill produced 2 Pomarine Skuas, a Great Northern Diver, a Canada Goose and a Great Skua.

 

   

 

 

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - Avalanche Road, 1st May 2009 © Martin Cade

...and click here to listen to a recording of the bird calling 

  1st May

The Collared Flycatcher was still at Sweethill, Southwell, and later in the day an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - amazingly another first for Portland and Dorset - was identified nearby at Avalanche Road. The early morning had seen the first decent arrival of common migrants for over a week, with 200 Willow Warblers, 30 Wheatears, 30 Blackcaps, 30 Chiffchaffs, 20 Garden Warblers, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Turtle Dove and a Redpoll, along with small numbers of a wide selection of other expected species, showing up at the Bill. Seawatching there through the day produced 2 Arctic Skuas, a Great Northern Diver, a Great Skua and a Pomarine Skua.