December 2012

      

   

   The annual rainfall total as registered on the Obs weather station.

  31st December

With wind and rain from dawn until dusk today was a day like an awful lot of others in the last nine months. The only reports were of 3 Great Skuas and 2 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill and a Black-throated Diver in Portland Harbour.

 

Finally, a note for potential PBO bookshop customers that the shop will be closed on Wednesdays throughout January and February; the shop will be open as usual on Saturdays and Sundays during this period.

      

   

  

   Barn Owls - Portland Bill, December 2012 © Pete Saunders (flying) and Martin Cade (settled)

...dusk sightings have been quite frequent at the Bill/Southwell this month, with 2 individuals present on the last couple of evenings.

  30th December

The sea continues to provide most of the interest, with 5 Red-throated Divers, at least 3 Great Skuas, 2 Brent Geese, a Great Northern Diver and a Little Gull through or lingering off the Bill and 11 Black-necked Grebes, 2 each of Great Northern Diver and Velvet Scoter, and singles of Red-necked Grebe and Eider in Portland Harbour. Five Turnstones,  2 Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart were also at the Bill.

29th December

On a really quite stormy and at times very wet day there were again some impressive gatherings of seabirds off the Bill: in the region of 1000 auks, 500 Kittiwakes and 250 Gannets were ever present, with plenty more of each passing through; 9 Great Skuas - some of which lingered for periods - were also logged, along with 9 settled Common Scoter and 11 passing Red-throated Divers. Elsewhere, the Snow Bunting was again at Ferrybridge, whilst a minimum of 5 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Eider were present in the not very sheltered waters of Portland Harbour.

      

   

   auks trapped in fishing nets - Freshwater Bay, 28th December 2012 © Martin Cade

...and click here to watch of short video of this distressing scene. We've alerted the authorities to incidents like this in the past and although it appears there are guidelines that fishermen are asked to follow (setting nets late in the day and bringing them in soon after dawn, placing distraction markers on the nets etc) these are nothing more than advice on best practice and, sadly, are widely ignored. 

  28th December

The day's only reports have been of a Great Skua lingering off the Bill and a Great Northern Diver passing through on the sea there.

27th December

A uninspiring very stiff westerly was a feature throughout the day. A Balearic Shearwater again joined the melee of feeding seabirds off the Bill, where 8 Common Scoter were still lingering and a lone Red-throated Diver passed by. A scatter of wintering warblers around the centre of the island included 2 each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff, whilst the 2 Velvet Scoter, along with 8 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Great Northern Divers, 4 Slavonian Grebes and 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, were again in Portland Harbour.

26th December

A Balearic Shearwater was off the Bill again today, but the only other reports were of 4 Slavonian Grebes, a Great Northern Diver and an Eider in Portland Harbour.

25th December

The day's only report was of 2 Slavonian Grebes in Portland Harbour. 

      

   

  

  

  

   

   Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Sparrowhawk, Kittiwake and Great Skua - Portland Bill, 24th December 2012 © Martin Cade

  24th December

A really rewarding Christmas Eve at the Bill, with the clearance that came through towards midday in the wake of a dreary and wet morning being accompanied by a concerted westward push of seabirds: c3000 auks, c2000 Kittiwakes and c700 Gannets made up the numbers, whilst 10 Great Skuas and a Pomarine Skua provided the quality; routine fare included 9 Common Scoter settled offshore and another 2 passing Red-throated Divers. Long-staying singles of Chiffchaff and Brambling were still at the Obs, whilst 5 Turnstones and a lone Purple Sandpiper were at the Bill tip.

With the mild weather continuing it wasn't too much of a surprise to find a Silver Y caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.

23rd December

Soggy underfoot everywhere but at least the rain held off today. The first Balearic Shearwater of the month was not too unexpected off the Bill where there's been an impressive build-up in numbers of routine seabirds in recent days; 6 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Northern Diver and Velvet Scoter also passed by there. The 2 Velvet Scoter also remained in Portland Harbour, where 18 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes, a Great Northern Diver and an Eider were also still present. The only other reports were of 3 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff at Easton.

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was on the wing at Easton.

22nd December

The only reports on a wet and increasingly windy day were of 25 Common Scoter and a Redshank through off the Bill.

21st December

Much nicer weather and much better coverage today. Portland Harbour got a lot of attention and returned totals of 21 Black-necked Grebes, 8 Common Scoter, 2 each of Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Eider and Velvet Scoter and a single Black-throated Diver; nearby the Snow Bunting was still at Ferrybridge. At the Bill there was a hint of late passage in the form of 40 Starlings arriving in off the sea and a trickle of small flocks of Goldfinches leaving in the opposite direction; a few thrushes together with singles of Black Redstart and Brambling were still about on the land, whilst 15 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a Brent Goose passed by on the sea. Elsewhere there were 2 Chiffchaffs at Easton.

20th December

A short window of drier conditions on another otherwise wet day permitted a little birding at the Bill where 2 Chiffchaffs were in the Obs garden, 6 Common Scoter were settled offshore and another Red-throated Diver passed by on the sea.

19th December

In stark contrast to yesterday - and hardly surprisingly in a year of such pluvial excesses - today it rained from before dawn until well after nightfall. A short attempt at seawatching from the Obs revealled 4 passing Red-throated Divers.

18th December

Although it hardly seems appropriate to describe a day in late December as spring-like the blue skies and pleasantly warm sunshine certainly made it feel that way. The day's chief prize was another almost subliminal Waxwing that pitched into tree tops at the Obs for a few seconds; also at the Bill, 5 Siskins and a Snipe were newcomers, the Brambling lingered on and 25 Red-throated Divers and a Black-throated Diver passed by on the sea. The 2 Velvet Scoters were still in Portland Harbour, along with 18 Black-necked Grebes and 5 Great Northern Divers.

      

   

   Great Northern Diver - Ferrybridge, 17th December 2012 © Will Bown

  17th December

Not much change today, with the main interest provided by the 2 Velvet Scoters still in Portland Harbour and the Snow Bunting still at Ferrybridge. A Great Northern Diver was also at Ferrybridge, 11 Black-necked Grebe, another Great Northern Diver and an Eider were in Portland Harbour, the Brambling was lingering on in the Obs garden as was a Black Redstart at the Bill lighthouse, 6 Common Scoter were settled off the Bill and 2 Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver passed through off the Bill.

16th December

Better coverage than in recent days revealed the continuing presence of the Snow Bunting at Ferrybridge, as well as turning up 2 new Velvet Scoters in Portland Harbour; the harbour also came up with 12 Black-necked Grebes, 7 Great Northern Divers, a Slavonian Grebe and a Black-throated Diver, as well as a Short-eared Owl overhead and a Black Redstart still at Portland Castle. The Brambling remained at the Bill, where 3 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Black-throated Diver passed through on the sea.

15th December

Somewhat improved conditions at least allowed for more fieldwork but rewards were scant: 28 Brent Geese, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe passed through off the Bill, a Brambling was visiting the feeders in the Obs garden and a Short-eared Owl was again at Ferrybridge.

14th December

The return of wind and rain certainly wasn't welcome and did nothing for the quality of birding: the day's only reports were of 3 Common Scoter through off the Bill and a wintering Black Redstart still present there.

      

   

  

  

   Red-throated Divers and Redwing - Portland Bill and Southwell, 12th December 2012 © Pete Saunders

  13th December

Thus far, this winter's Waxwings haven't been stayers and this proved to be the case again today with another singleton at Grosvenor Road. The day's reports from the Bill included singles of Red-throated Diver, Velvet Scoter and Common Scoter through on the sea and 2 Snipe and new singles of Chiffchaff and Siskin on the land, whilst elsewhere there were single Black Redstarts at Blacknor and Haylands.

12th December

Chilly again today in a fresher south-easterly. Red-throated Divers continued to feature off the Bill, where 35 passed by during the morning; 7 Common Scoter, 4 Black-headed Gulls and a lone Shoveler also passed through on the sea, whilst singles of Short-eared Owl and Siskin at the Bill, a Grey Heron over Easton and a Black Redstart at Blacknor were the pick of the bunch on the land.

      

   

   Fulmar - Grove Cliffs, 10th December 2012 © Keith Pritchard

  11th December

Another fair, albeit at times pretty chilly, day. New arrivals continued to show up, with another 28 Starlings arriving from the south at the Bill, where singles of Lapwing, Blackcap, Brambling and Siskin also dropped in; the same or another Brambling was at Southwell, whilst winterers included singles of Purple Sandpiper and Black Redstart at the Bill, 2 Chiffchaffs at Southwell and a Black Redstart at Blacknor. Another 21 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill, but 2 Eider were the only other worthwhile sea sightings from there.

      

   

  

   Great Bustard - Portland Bill, 10th December 2012 © Martin Cade

...Portland's fourth record of one of the reintroduced birds from Salisbury Plain. We were pretty sure it wasn't wing-tagged and Andrew Taylor, from the Great Bustard Project, has got in touch with news that this year's released birds have all been leg-ringed rather than wing-tagged (Andrew also reports that 5 young birds, which were first released in September, left the release area on Saturday); although clearly 'plastic' it was still a pretty amazing sight as it powered around overhead! Since the reintroduced birds come from a migratory population it shouldn't be a surprise that they're such strong flyers but, if you're only used to seeing bustards strutting about on the Spanish steppes, it does seem odd to see how apparently content they are with making flights miles out over the sea:

  

  

  10th December

The anticyclonic days just lately have been quite productive for so late in the season and today proved to be no exception. A Great Bustard that showed up over the Bill was the best of the bunch, but 25 Redwings, 4 incoming Starlings, 3 Water Rails, 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Siskins, 2 Fieldfares, a Short-eared Owl, an overflying Snow Bunting and a Reed Bunting on the land and 12 Red-throated Divers through on the sea also made the list there.

9th December

A much more miserable breezy, overcast and occasionally damp day saw very few observers in the field. The Snow Bunting remained at Ferrybridge, whilst the Bill came up with 8 Red-throated Divers through on the sea and singles of Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl and Chiffchaff on the land.

A lone Rusty-dot Pearl provided some minor immigrant interest in the Obs garden moth-traps; Black Rustic and Beaded Chestnut were the only resident species caught.

      

   

   Little Egret - Portland Bill, 8th December 2012 © Martin Cade

...on a tiny pool of flood water on the Slopes.

  8th December

A welcome calm and quite mild day produced a veritable rash of sightings. Two Waxwings that pitched up briefly on some small berry bushes at Weston were the best of the reports, whilst further quality was provided by the Snow Bunting still at Ferrybridge and, at a local level, 2 Gadwall that spent a while settled on the sea off the Bill. The day's list for the Bill also included 10 Redwings, 3 Snipe, 2 Siskins and singles of Little Egret, Short-eared Owl, Fieldfare, Chiffchaff, Redpoll and Reed Bunting on the land, 10 Common Scoter settled offshore and 11 Red-throated Divers and 4 Wigeon through on the sea. Elsewhere there were 2 Black Redstarts at Weston and 18 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Eider, a Great Northern Diver and a Slavonian Grebe in Portland Harbour.

      

   

   Snow Bunting - Ferrybridge, 7th December 2012 © Martin Cade

  7th December

A blasting, cold north-westerly spoilt what would otherwise have been a pretty decent sunny day. The Ferrybridge Snow Bunting was again present at times today, with a Short-eared Owl also showing up there during the afternoon; nearby, there were still 17 Black-necked Grebes, a Slavonian Grebe and an Eider in Portland Harbour. The only other reports were of 3 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill and a Barn Owl at Southwell (we haven't been bothering to mention the presumably resident Barn Owls just recently, but there have been quite regular dusk sightings at the Bill in recent weeks, whilst a few days ago another was seen at dusk at the Grove).

6th December

Last weekend's Snow Bunting showed up again quite briefly at Ferrybridge but the only other news came from the Bill where 10 Common Scoter were settled offshore and 14 Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver passed by on the sea.

A small party of Bottle-nosed Dolphins lingered off the Bill either side of midday.

      

   

   Black Redstart - Osprey Quay, 3rd December 2012 © Pete Saunders

  5th December

Fair conditions but relatively few rewards today. Two Fieldfares were new arrivals at the Bill, where the likes of 25 Song Thrushes, 5 Redwings, 3 Water Rails, a Black Redstart and a Chiffchaff were still about; also there, 2 Red-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose passed through on the sea. Portland Harbour again produced 16 Black-necked Grebes, a Red-necked Grebe and an Eider.

4th December

The fact that the promised showers held off was the only redeeming feature on a day of chilly, blustery north-westerlies. Portland Harbour again came up with 16 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and Eider, 10 Common Scoter passed through off the Bill and a trickle of small flocks of Goldfinches leaving to the south over the Bill eventually totalled 120 birds.

      

   

  

   Radford's Flame Shoulder - Portland Bill, 3rd December 2012 © Martin Cade

  3rd December

On a day when a complete change in the weather had seen bird interest fizzle out it was fortunate that the Obs garden moth-traps came up with the goods: a brief window of opportunity last night saw the the arrival of milder air which brought with it Portland's third - and latest - Radford's Flame Shoulder (the previous records were on 12th November 2001 and 12th November 2004); no other immigrants were caught but Beaded Chestnut, Black Rustic and Angle Shades were resident macros still on the wing.

Bird-wise, bar the continuing presence of singles of Blackcap and Chiffchaff at the Obs, the only reports on a very blustery day were of 34 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Divers and a Red-breasted Merganser through on the sea off the Bill and a Black Redstart at Osprey Quay.

      

   

   Snow Bunting - Ferrybridge, 2nd December 2012 © Daz Trent

  2nd December

The recent spell of decent weather lasted for most of another day, with the forecast rain just beginning to set in at dusk. Although the supply of commoner migrants continued to dwindle there was a quality discovery in the form of a Snow Bunting that showed up at Ferrybridge; nearby, Portland Harbour was still worth attention, with the Black Guillemot, 16 Black-necked Grebes, 5 Great Northern Divers and singles of Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and Eider all still in situ. Many of the birds at the Bill looked to be lingering on from recent days: singles of Brambling and Siskin overhead were certainly new, but the light scatter of thrushes, 4 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Snipe, 2 Water Rails, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap were all either winterers or likely long-stayers; 2 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Northern Diver, Brent Goose and Eider also passed through on the sea there.

      

   

  

   Long-tailed Duck - Portland Harbour, 1st December 2012 © Martin Cade

...and thanks to Andy Martin for a photo of this Waxwing that was temporarily in care after falling down the chimney of Andy's house this evening; fortunately it looked to be none the worse for its experience and was quickly released:

  

  1st December

Despite the weather remaining more or less the same, at least until the afternoon when a good deal more cloud rolled in, there were disappointingly few new arrivals today. A Waxwing that showed up in unexpected circumstances after dark at St Georges Estate Road - see above - was a nice highlight, but newcomers at the Bill consisted of little more than a handful of routine thrushes and finches, along with 2 Snipe and singles of Blackcap and Chiffchaff on the ground and 3 Goosanders that passed overhead; elsewhere there was a Black Redstart at Reap Lane and a Yellowhammer at Barleycrates Lane. The Black-necked Grebe tally in Portland Harbour increased to an impressive 21, whilst 4 Great Northern Divers and singles of Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Duck and Eider were also still there; 3 more Eider were settled off the Bill, where 8 Common Scoter, a Great Northern Diver and another single Eider passed by.

November 2012

      

   

   Kingfisher - Portland Harbour, 27th November 2012 © Pete Saunders

  30th November

Another pleasantly calm day allowed plenty of opportunity to look for late migrants and scour Portland Harbour for waterbirds. The harbour came up with the day's highlight in the form of a Black Guillemot that showed up - albeit very distantly - during the afternoon; more mundane fare about the harbour included 14 Black-necked Grebes, 17 Guillemots, 10 Great Northern Divers, 10 Razorbills and singles of Red-necked Grebe and Eider. Late migrants weren't as plentiful as yesterday at the Bill, but still included fair numbers of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Redwings and Chaffinches, together with 5 Snipe, 5 Fieldfares, 2 Bramblings, 2 Reed Buntings and singles of Grey Heron, Short-eared Owl, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Redpoll; 6 Red-throated Divers passed through on the sea there.

      

   

  

Blackbirds and Chaffinches - Portland Bill, 29th November 2012 © Martin Cade

  29th November

A thoroughly enjoyable day to be out birding: unbroken sunshine, hardly a breath of wind and - particularly for so late in the season - a really nice flurry of newly arrived migrants. The newcomers included nothing at all out of the ordinary and precious little that lingered for long under such clear skies, but totals for the Bill area included 100 each of Blackbird and Chaffinch, 45 Redwings, 30 Song Thrushes and single figure counts of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Fieldfare, Blackcap, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll and Reed Bunting. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 7 Red-throated Divers and 4 Brent Geese, whilst 12 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Great Northern Diver, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and Long-tailed Duck were still in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  Short-eared Owl - Portland Bill, 28th November 2012 © Will Bown

  28th November

Another constant, albeit light, trickle of new arrivals today included the second Waxwing of the week that dropped in for a short while at Ladymead/Reforne. At the Bill the day's tally included 15 Redwings, 8 Fieldfares, 3 Water Rails, 2 Bramblings and singles of Woodcock, Snipe, Short-eared Owl and Black Redstart, whilst elsewhere there was a Merlin near the Windmills. A settled flock of up to 12 Common Scoter lingered off the Bill, where 5 Red-throated Divers, 2 Brent Geese and a Velvet Scoter also passed by; at least 4 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Slavonian Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe were still in Portland Harbour.

27th November

A day without rainfall was a bit of a welcome novelty, whilst there was the added bonus of the chillier conditions that look to be setting in producing a fair little arrival of late migrants. The Bill area got most of the coverage and returned totals of 100 Chaffinches, 40 each of Blackbird and Song Thrush, 14 Redwings, 3 each of Fieldfare and Brambling, 2 each of Brent Goose, Snipe and Blackcap, and singles of Grey Heron, Golden Plover, Lapwing and Black Redstart; elsewhere, 2 Firecrests were at Pennsylvania Castle. Three Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver passed through off the Bill, whilst Portland Harbour came up with 6 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Great Northern Divers and singles of Red-throated Diver, Red-necked Grebe and Eider.

      

   

  

Waxwing - Portland Bill, 26th November 2012 © Martin Cade

  26th November

Not altogether unexpectedly - although rather earlier in the winter than we'd imagined - a Waxwing that spent a few minutes in the tree-tops in the Obs garden during the afternoon was the day's star bird. The gradually improving conditions saw a few other new arrivals show up, with 50 Chaffinches, 6 Redwings, 4 Water Rails (at least one of which was new in), 3 Fieldfares, 3 Bramblings, a Merlin, a Woodcock and a Snipe on the ground in the Bill area, and still a little finch passage (including 120 Linnets south) going on overhead there. The day's only reports from the sea were of singles of Red-throated Diver and Pomarine Skua through off the Bill.

25th November

After a fair-ish start the weather quickly deteriorated into a succession of increasingly heavy showers. Given the conditions, there were a surprising variety of reports from the weekend visitors: a Long-tailed Duck was a notable new arrival in Portland Harbour, where more routine fare included 6 Great Northern Divers, 4 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Red-necked Grebe and Slavonian Grebe, 8 Pintail, 3 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Northern Diver and Golden Plover passed through off the Bill and 2 Firecrests and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were at Pennsylvania Castle.

Singles of Rush Veneer and Silver Y made up the immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps.

24th November

Another day of weather excesses saw it raining from dawn 'till dusk. One hardy seawatcher was rewarded with 2 Gadwall and singles of Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Merganser and Little Auk passing through off the Bill, whilst singles of Redwing and Fieldfare at the Bill were the only sightings of note on the land.

      

   

Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone - Portland Bill, 23rd November 2012 © Paul Baker The Bagsy Blog

...and thanks to Pete Saunders for a selection of photos from Southwell this week; Fieldfare, Grey Heron and Sparrowhawk:

  

  

  

  23rd November

After a night of weather excesses it was quite a surprise to wake to much more benign conditions at dawn. The improvement probably came too late to allow many migrants to get moving, with the only obvious new arrivals at the Bill being 130 southbound Goldfinches and smaller numbers of other routine finches (as well as a likely Serin heard calling) overhead and 2 Redwings, 2 Robins and singles of Fieldfare and Blackcap on the ground; 3 Water Rails, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Black Redstarts and a Purple Sandpiper also there was presumed winterers. Seawatching at the Bill produced 10 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Great Norhern Divers and a Red-necked Grebe, whilst the calm conditions allowed for good coverage of Portland Harbour, that revealed 11 Black-necked Grebes, 6 Great Northern Divers, a Red-necked Grebe and an Eider.

22nd November

In increasingly stormy conditions nearly all the day's reports came from the sea: 3 Common Scoter, 2 Great Skuas, a Great Northern Diver and a Manx Shearwater through off the Bill and 4 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver through off Chesil Cove. The only report from the land was of a Black Redstart at the Bill.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Silver Y and 1 Dark Sword Grass.

21st November

Another day with precious few incentives to spend long in the field. The only reports came from the Bill, where 7 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Common Scoter and singles of Manx Shearwater and Velvet Scoter passed through on the sea and odds and ends on the land included 3 Redwings and singles of Chiffchaff and Redpoll.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 2 Rusty-dot Pearl.

20th November

A strong southerly wind and almost constant rain or drizzle severely restricted fieldwork today. The only reports were of 27 Common Scoter through off the Bill, 13 Common Scoter, 3 Little Gulls and 2 Red-throated Divers through off Chesil Cove and 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle.

19th November

Although it was windy throughout, the forecast rain took a good deal longer to arrive than we'd expected so there was plenty of opportunity for seawatching. Kittiwakes in particular were trickling through more or less constantly off the Bill, where the pick of the sightings were of 57 Common Scoter, 5 Red-throated Divers, 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Teal and a Balearic Shearwater passing by. Very little attention was paid to the land, from the where the only news was of 300 Starlings arriving in from the south at the Bill, a Firecrest at Easton and a Black Redstart at Blacknor.

A lone Silver Y was the only immigrant in the Obs garden moth-traps.

      

   

Quail - Portland Bill, 18th November 2012 © Martin Cade

...this hapless individual was discovered in rather peculiar circumstances: well after dark yesterday evening it seemingly crash-landed on the roof of a house extension at Weston; upon investigating the commotion the home-owner found the bird cowering against a wall and took it into care. By the time it came into our hands today it looked to have made a full recovery so we decided to just let it go at the Bill - on release it flew off very strongly into the Crown Estate Field. Quite why a domestic/farm-bred Quail should have been flying over Weston at night at this time of year is open to conjecture, and, since we're always suspicious about such things, leads us to ponder on the provenance of other winter Quail records from Portland.

  18th November

Although dawn had revealed the first light frost of the winter, the day itself was beautifully clear, sunny and increasingly mild. The most extraordinary report of the day concerned two flypasts off the Bill by a Steller's Eider (both sightings from the same observer); after-the-event coverage of the sea there produced 18 Common Scoter, 3 Brent Geese, 2 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe and Eider. Not surprisingly given the conditions, grounded migrants weren't at all numerous, with 5 Water Rails, 2 Black Redstarts and a Woodcock providing the only real interest amongst the light scatter of mainly thrushes at the Bill. Equally small numbers of finches were still on the move overhead, with singles of Short-eared Owl, Woodlark and Lapland Bunting providing further interest over the Bill.

A single Red Admiral was still on the wing at the Bill.

Three Silver Y were the only immigrants caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.

      

   

Serin - Portland Bill, 17th November 2012 © Martin Cade

...a right dingy, streaky little thing in the field and only a tad more colourful on closer examination in the hand:

Although clearly a female, we weren't so confident about its age: at first glance it looked likely to be a bird of the year but the more we looked the less confident we were that that was an entirely safe diagnosis:

  17th November

With what wind there was having shifted out of the east and into the north-west there was a good deal less expectancy about proceedings today, but in the event a Serin that showed at the Obs was a nice surprise and kept up the recent run of oddities. The eventual tally of more routine fare wasn't too bad either, with the Bill area coming up with totals of 150 more northbound Starlings, 75 Redwings, 50 Blackbirds, 25 Song Thrushes and 11 Long-tailed Tits, whilst the decent array of single-figure totals included 2 Snipe, 2 Black Redstarts, a Grey Heron and a Mistle Thrush. Elsewhere there were further single Black Redstarts at Blacknor and Portland Castle, a Moorhen at Suckthumb Quarry, a Red-throated Diver in Portland Harbour and 1 of the Black Brants at Ferrybridge. A single passing Red-throated Diver off the Bill was the only bird of interest on the sea.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Silver Y and 1 Rush Veneer.

      

   

  

  

   Goldcrest and Bramblings - Portland Bill and Southwell, November 2012 © Martin Cade (Goldcrest) and Pete Saunders (Bramblings)

...also of interest, we received news this week of the continuing presence of a family of Badgers on the Verne Common Estate; thanks to Trevor Felstead for a photo of two of them visiting his garden:

  

  16th November

Despite the conditions seeming just as promising as those of the last couple of days there was considerably less in evidence today. Thrushes were still conspicuous, with counts that included 100 Blackbirds and 50 Redwings at the Bill, but the best of the relatively thin spread of other new arrivals were 10 Bramblings, 9 Lapwings, 4 Snipe, 2 Golden Plovers and a Firecrest at the Bill and a Mistle Thrush at Penn's Weare. Four Brent Geese passed through off the Bill and 1 of the Black Brants were again amongst the brents at Ferrybridge.

      

   

  

  

   Hoopoe - Osprey Quay, 15th November 2012 © Nick Hopper A Hard Day at the Office (flight shot) and Martin Cade (others)

  15th November

Portland's late autumn purple patch continued with the discovery of a very obliging Hoopoe in the Osprey Quay area, whilst migrant-wise, with the wind remaining in the east, there was still plenty to entertain. Thrushes, Goldcrests and finches made up the bulk of the numbers at the Bill, where day-totals included 100 Blackbirds, 70 each of Song Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare, 25 each of Goldcrest and Brambling, 9 Lapwings, 3 Woodcocks, a Snipe and a Black Redstart; of note elsewhere were singles of Woodcock at Easton, Black Redstart at Reap Lane, Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and Lapland Bunting over Penn's Weare. The sea also got a fair bit of attention, with 4 Shelduck and singles of Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Brent Goose, Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser and Pomarine Skua the pick of the bunch off the Bill.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 2 Rusty-dot Pearl and 1 Delicate.

14th November

The much anticipated return of easterlies certainly saw the numbers perk up, whilst the hot tip for the day - a Pallas's Warbler - duly obliged by dropping in briefly at Verne Common; further rarity interest was provided by the Dusky Warbler that remained at Portland Castle. Northbound Starling passage has been a feature of the last fortnight, and today chipped in with totals of 9860 over Portland Heights, 850 over the Bill and 500 over Portland Castle; small numbers of routine thrushes and finches were also on the move overhead, along with singles of Ringed Plover, Golden Plover and Snipe over the Bill and 2 Snipe and a Mistle Thrush over Portland Heights. On the ground a late flurry of Goldcrests included 10 new birds trapped at the Obs, whilst also of note were 5 Reed Buntings, 3 Woodcock, a Merlin, a Firecrest and a Bullfinch at the Bill, a Merlin at Barelycrates Lane, at least 3 Black Redstarts and 4 Firecrests scattered elsewhere and singles of Black Brant and Pale-bellied Brent Goose at Ferrybridge.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 15 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Silver Y and 1 Rusty-dot Pearl.

      

   

   Dusky Warbler - Portland Castle, 13th November 2012 © Martin Cade

...for a long time views were subliminal at best:

  

...but towards the end of the afternoon, after a decent little burst of calling (click here to have a listen), it became slightly more visible when, rather oddly, it made several visits into the tops of 10m sycamores:

  

The best views came so late that there was almost no light for photography:

  

  13th November

A day that looked to be fizzling out rather uneventfully suddenly came to life in mid-afternoon with the discovery of a typically elusive Dusky Warbler at Portland Castle. Earlier, interest had been restricted to 2 Great Skuas through off the Bill, some light passage of finches over the Bill (including 220 Goldfinches, 80 Linnets and 5 Bramblings), the odd few grounded thrushes, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests here and there, Water Rails at Verne Common (8) and the Bill (2) and single Black Redstarts at Blacknor and the Bill.

The lingering party of 10 or more Bottle-nosed Dolphins spent most of the day off East Cliffs at the Bill.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 6 Rusty-dot Pearl and 3 Silver Y.

12th November

More or less constantly drizzly, miserable conditions saw to it that meaningful coverage was out of the question today. Newly arrived thrushes, particularly Blackbirds, were in evidence at the Bill, where odd forays into the field also produced 2 Chiffchaffs, a Merlin and a Goldcrest on the land, 160 Starlings arriving in from the south and a single Red-throated Diver through on the sea.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Pearly Underwing, a Rush Veneer and a Silver Y.

      

   

  

   Starlings - Portland Bill, 11th November 2012 © Martin Cade

...and we've never had to twitch a Coot before now, but since this is a species that we haven't featured a single photograph of in 12 years of doing the website we thought we ought to make the effort when a decent little flock turned up at Ferrybridge this morning: 

  

  

The Coot must be one of the most consummate of nocturnal migrants that hardly ever makes a mistake and turns up in the wrong place: despite the presence every winter on the nearby Fleet of thousands that migrate to and fro from northern Europe, there have only ever been six records at the Bill - and the last one of those was 31 years ago! These days virtually all of the Portland records are of odd singles or small groups that show up at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour during spells of severe cold, so today's presumed downed migrants at Ferrybridge were quite noteworthy.

  11th November

In clear, sunny conditions another 3000 or so Starlings arrived from the south but overhead passage was otherwise largely uneventful, with no more than a trickle of expected fare - including a lone Bullfinch - over the Bill. Morsels of interest elsewhere included 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle, a Black Redstart at Blacknor, singles of Red-throated Diver, Red-necked Grebe and Eider in Portland Harbour and 25 Coots at Ferrybridge.

      

   

   Mistle Thrush - Portland Bill, 10th November 2012 © Pete Saunders

  10th November

Today's migrant tally remained at a less than impressive level, with single figure totals of the less common thrushes and finches amongst the light trickle of common migrants overhead; a Canada Goose in off the sea at the Bill, single Black Redstarts at the Bill, Reap Lane and Blacknor, and a lone Mistle Thrush grounded at the Bill were the day's only very minor highlights. Despite getting a fair bit of attention the sea produced nothing better than singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Skua through off the Bill, although there were signs of interest picking up in the sheltered waters of Portland Harbour, where 2 each of Great Northern Diver and Black-necked Grebe, and singles of Red-throated Diver and Slavonian Grebe were of interest.

Bottle-nosed Dolphins have been relatively frequent off the Bill in recent days, with a dozen or more lingering off East Cliffs for much of the morning today.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 5 Silver Y and 2 Rusty-dot Pearl.

9th November

With an Atlantic air-flow still well-established there was again little to enthuse about today. The highlights of a fairly mediocre overhead passage were three large flocks of Starlings - totalling c4500 birds - arriving in quick succession in off the sea at the Bill, and a steady (mainly southbound) passage of Chaffinches there that included a sample count of 317 in an hour; a few more of the usual suspects overhead there included 15 Bramblings, 5 Siskins and 4 Fieldfares. Grounded migrants included precious little of note anywhere. A good congregation of Mediterranean Gulls - 200 or so in total - featured off the Bill, where 2 each of Pomarine Skua and Great Skua along with a lone Red-throated Diver also passed by.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 6 Rusty-dot Pearl and 2 Silver Y.

8th November

Poorer by the day this week, with today coming up with no more than the lightest trickle of new arrivals, the majority of which were common thrushes and finches. What little quality there was came in the form of 11 Swallows, 9 Long-tailed Tits, 4 Bramblings and singles of Snipe and Firecrest at the Bill, a Lapland Bunting at Barleycrates Lane, a Firecrest at Suckthumb Quarry and a Black Redstart at Blacknor. The sea wasn't action-packed, but did produce 86 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Teal through off the Bill; another 2 Red-throated Divers, along with a lone Slavonian Grebe, were in Portland Harbour.

Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 2 Rusty-dot Pearl and 2 Silver Y.

7th November

West/north-west winds tend to sound the death knell for routine migration at this time of year and, with the notable exception of 2 Lapland Buntings and a Snow Bunting that flew north over the Bill, that certainly proved to be the case today. There were still small numbers of late migrants on the move, but the only moderate interest was provided by the likes of 7 Bramblings and singles of Grey Heron, Snipe, Short-eared Owl, Swallow, Firecrest and Yellowhammer at the Bill and additional mid-island Firecrests at Easton (2) and Avalanche Road. Up to 100 Mediterranean Gull were lingering off the Bill, where 42 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Pomarine Skua also passed by.

The first moth-trapping for a few nights revealed that were still a few immigrants on the wing, with 6 Silver Y and 2 Rusty-dot Pearl caught at the Obs.

6th November

For the most part a lovely clear, sunny day, with heavy cloud cover eventually rolling in late in the afternoon. Late migrants certainly found the conditions to their liking and there was a steady throughput of new arrivals - most departing just as quickly as they'd shown up. Wood Pigeons were again on the move, with 2000 or so heading south so high over the Bill that it looked likely that many more were missed; in contrast, Starling passage was more visible, with 3000 over the Bill and 2000 over Weston all heading north at low level. Amongst the steady trickle of other migrants at the Bill there were 100 each of Blackbird and Song Thrush, 50 Redwings, 25 Bramblings, 15 Fieldfares, 10 Swallows, 5 Snipe, 5 Redpolls, 3 Reed Buntings, 2 Short-eared Owls, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Firecrests and singles of Grey Heron, Bullfinch and Yellowhammer, whilst elsewhere notable sightings included a Lapland Bunting at Barleycrates Lane, 2 Continental Coal Tits, 2 Mistle Thrushes and a Firecrest Avalanche Road/Suckthumb Quarry and singles of Ring Ouzel and Coal Tit at Penn's Weare. A lone Eider passed through on the sea at the Bill.

5th November

Lots more heavy overnight rain eventually gave way to clearer skies and a good deal of sunshine, along with a welcome shift in wind direction into the north-east. The day's rewards were hardly on a par with those in late October, but there was a good deal more on the move than in recent days. At the Bill the most conspicuous migrants were Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Wood Pigeons and Starlings, all of which were heading in different directions: c300 Lesser Black-backs headed east offshore, c500 Wood Pigeons left to the south and c875 Starlings arrived in off the sea and headed away to the north. Otherwise it was a day of relatively routine northbound passage of mainly thrushes and finches that included 600 Chaffinches, 22 Bramblings, 2 Mistle Thrushes and a Lapland Bunting, whilst the best of the rest were 6 Black Redstarts, 2 Merlins and singles of Lapwing, Snipe, Firecrest and Continental Coal Tit.

4th November

Quite a weather roller-coaster today, with a blasting, cold northerly and rain at dawn, calm, sunny and mild conditions through the middle of the day and then bucketloads of rain through the evening. Although there were a few new arrivals in the poor weather at dawn, more seemed to drop in as the day went on, with mildly respectable totals on the ground at the Bill that included 7 Chiffchaffs, 6 Blackcaps, 6 Bramblings, 4 Goldcrests, 3 Redwings, 3 Fieldfares, 3 Black Redstarts and 3 Firecrests; elsewhere there was a notable total of 14 Black Redstarts at Easton/Weston. Finches - mainly Goldfinches today - were still on the move overhead, and another 2 late Swallows also passed over at the Bill. Three Mallards passed by off the Bill, with the same or another 3 later found settled on floodwater at Reap Lane.

3rd November

Still very samey conditions and birding. The only numbers were overhead, with a continual light southbound passage over the Bill through the morning; a sample one hour count there came up with 1500 Wood Pigeons, 370 Goldfinches, 210 Linnets, 57 Chaffinches, 30 Meadow Pipits, 18 alba wagtails, 4 Bramblings, 2 Swallows and a Siskin. New arrivals on the ground were few and far between, with better weekend coverage probably doing little more than finding more of what had been around for several days: Black Redstarts were at the Bill (2), Weston (2) and Church Ope Cove, 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 2 Black Brants were again at Ferrybridge, and singles of Merlin, Purple Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl and Mistle Thrush also made the log at the Bill. The sea remained disappointingly quiet, with a lone Great Skua providing the only interest off the Bill.

2nd November

Not even a hint of a change in the weather so precious little change in the birding. Despite a general lack of grounded migrants - a late Redstart, a Black Redstart and a Firecrest at Wakeham and further Black Redstarts at the Bill (2) and Weston provided the only real interest - there was a fair bit on the move overhead, with a sample one hour count at the Bill coming up with 360 Goldfinches, 320 Linnets, 120 Wood Pigeons, 110 Starlings, 60 Chaffinches, 25 Greenfinches, 16 alba wagtails and 9 Skylarks. Despite the strength of the wind the only worthwhile sighting from the sea was of a lone Great Northern Diver through off the Bill.

 

Also, thanks to Dr Martin Collinson at the University of Aberdeen for letting us know that mtDNA extracted from feather samples of last week's Siberian Stonechat confirm that it belongs to the form stejnegeri; fuller details will follow in due course.

1st November

With a stiff westerly firmly established there were low expectations which were only just exceeded by the day's happenings. The thin scatter of grounded migrants included some interest in the form of singles of Ring Ouzel at Penn's Weare and Wakeham, Firecrest at the Bill, Perryfields, Penn's Weare and Easton, and Black Redstart and Bullfinch at the Bill; small numbers of finches were on the move overhead, with a short sample count at the Bill coming up with totals of 240 Goldfinch, 180 Linnets and 40 Chafffinches. The only other news was of the continued presence of the Red-throated Diver at Portland Harbour/Ferrybridge.

A lone Rush Veneer was the only immigrant moth caught overnight at the Obs.