20th March

With it having been a really dry month at Portland it came as quite a surprise to be on the receiving end of gathering cloud, a freshening wind and, towards dusk, a decent dose of rain. The conditions perked up seawatching a little, with 25 Common Scoter, 12 Red-throated Divers, 2 Manx Shearwaters, and singles of Black-throated Diver, Arctic Skua and Sandwich Tern through off the Bill and 8 Red-throated Divers through off Chesil Cove; what was presumably one of lingering Iceland Gulls was also about again off the Cove. A light scatter of Wheatears constituted the only numbers on the migrant front, although singles of Black Redstart at Verne Common, Firecrest at Southwell and White Wagtail at the Bill did provide some extra interest.