On a day when a Swift of some sort seemed like the best bet for some quality - was Portland the only place without one today? - it was the discovery between a succession of viciously heavy showers of a
Pallas's Warbler at Wakeham that actually provided the rarity entertainment; 2
Yellow-browed Warblers, 30
Goldcrests and a
Firecrest were also doing the rounds there and surely indicated there was more to have been found elsewhere if there'd been better coverage. Earlier, it had been Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour that had provided the best of the birds, with the
Glaucous Gull,
8 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers and singles of Black-throated Diver, Common Scoter, Great Skua and
Arctic Tern showing up in the wake of last night's stormy conditions. Odds and ends elsewhere included a
Black Redstart at Wakeham, a
Brambling at Southwell and 2
Siskins, a
Moorhen and a
Firecrest at the Bill.
In choosing to consort with a plethora of Goldcrests in one of the most sheltered and hence still leafy nooks of the island the Pallas's Warbler didn't give itself up very easily and most views/photographs was as dismal as this one © Martin Cade...
...just occasional though it was possible to be in the right spot at the right moment for something a bit better
© Martin Adlam Port and Wey Blog:
The Brambling at Southwell © Debby Saunders:
