20th January

Crisp and clear today - very nice conditions for laying waste to another swathe of overgrown Obs garden and, despite the always keen south-easterly breeze, not too bad for fieldwork either. The mini chilly-snap again prompted some dispersal from the mainland, with single Jack Snipe at both the Bill and Reap/Barleycrates Lane nice highlights; 11 Wigeon and a Pintail also arrived from the west off West Cliffs and a Fieldfare was new at Portland Castle (Nick Hopper also gave nocturnal sound recording a try and mentioned that he'd logged both Teal and Golden Plover over the Obs early last evening - a full list from Nick to follow once he's gone through the recordings). It was otherwise much as in recent days, with 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Firecrests, a Purple Sandpiper, a Short-eared Owl and a Blackcap at the Bill, 14 Red-throated Divers and 11 Common Scoter through off the Bill, 8 Long-tailed Tits, a Black Redstart and a Chiffchaff at Portland Castle, 33 Ringed Plover and 30 Dunlin at Ferrybridge and at least 5 Great Northern Divers at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour.


Fieldfare - Portland Castle, 20th January 2016 © Pete Saunders