Heavily overcast skies - at least until the sun finally broke through during the afternoon - made all the difference today and there was a welcome flourish of late migrants to get amongst. As expected, Spotted Flycatchers were to the fore with at least 17 scattered about at the Bill; 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Reed Warblers and a Pied Flycatcher were also new there and 3 lingering Blackcaps were an addition to the mix. Offshore, 57 Common Scoter were still on the move even if the increasing component of westbound birds amongst them suggests that many now are non-breeders.
Today's most intriguing report was of 4 Puffins settled off the Bill during the morning - 2 birds have been seen together on several dates in recent weeks but 4 is the highest count of settled birds for some years. The day's migrant (in)action was limited to 2 Spotted Flycatchers at the Bill and 23 Sanderling and 3 Dunlin at Ferrybridge; the only other reports were of a few Manx Shearwaters milling around off the Bill.
A tolerably pleasant still and overcast dawn rather belied what was in store for the rest of the day, with the drizzly rain that set in by mid-morning a precursor to the misty low cloud and freshening wind that spoilt the rest of the day. A Curlew Sandpiper at Ferrybridge was the pick of the few new arrivals that also included 4 Spotted Flycatchers at the Bill.
With the exception of an evening movement of 250 Manx Shearwaters off the Bill today was not a day of quantity but there was still a few signs of late passage afoot. New passerine arrivals included 3 Spotted Flycatchers, a Grey Wagtail and a Reed Warbler at the Bill where 5 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua passed through on the sea. Elsewhere, waders at Ferrybridge included 14 Dunlin and 13 Sanderling.
A day when even the fleeting appearance of a Golden Oriole that was watched arriving in off the sea at the Bill didn't exactly fill everyone with enthusiasm: orioles have been relatively frequent in recent days and today's freshening northwesterly was so demonstrably poor for any other migrant activity that no particular significance was attached to this fly-by highlight. The handful of other summer migrants that did make the list at the Bill were largely lingerers, with a small increase in passage waders at Ferrybridge - 11 Dunlin and 7 Sanderling - one of the few signs of certain new arrivals.
There are not many ways to put it: today was well and truly dire. Not a sniff of an unusual bird anywhere and in fact even common migrants were difficult to come by. The grand total of our efforts today came to 5 SpottedFlycatchers and 2 Blackcaps on the land and 148 Manx Shearwaters and 19 CommonScoter through on the sea. Even Ferrybridge was disappointing with just 5 each of Dunlin and RingedPlover.
Thankfully (for the blog's sake), Nick Hopper joined us early last week for a few more nights of nocturnal recording and, whilst still far from busy, it was more rewarding than on many other attempts this spring. The highlights included a Nightjar and, oddly, a Teal; other species included Greenshank, Redshank, Knot, Turnstone, Whimbrel, CommonSandpiper, RingedPlover and Dunlin on the wader front, as well as CommonTern, Pied and SpottedFlycatcher and a Swallow. Guillemot was also recorded a couple of times, presumably wanderers from the colony.
The Nightjar was a quick fly-by giving just a single call but the Whimbrel were good value since they were not only calling as they passed over but also breaking into snatches of song:
As is usually the case with beautiful clear days on Portland, the only real bird of interest arrived early and left almost immediately after singing for a brief period. This was certainly the case today although not a Golden Oriole as the theme has been recently but a CommonRosefinch at Culverwell. Other migrants were extremely limited to a slack handful of Phylloscs (predominantly Chiffchaffs), ReedWarblers, Sedge Warblers and SpottedFlycatchers as well as the lingering TurtleDove. The sea was equally quiet with 73 ManxShearwaters, 4 MediterraneanGulls and a lone ArcticSkua.
A bit of dawn cloud cover and a cool northwesterly breeze downed a nice selection of late migrants today, with yet another Golden Oriole - this one roamed widely between the Privet Hedge and Avalanche Road - the pick of the oddities. Singles of Red Kite, Marsh Harrier and a non-local Common Buzzard were of note overhead, whilst 15 Spotted Flycatchers and 6 each of Yellow Wagtail and Reed Warbler made up the bulk of the passerine arrivals at the Bill. Two Moorhens were still at Culverwell where breeding was proved when 2 recently fledged youngsters were sighted. Overnight, 4 Storm Petrels had been sound-lured and trapped at the Bill tip.
Even if they're rarely seen they do call a fair bit so we've known there have been Moorhens at Culverwell for some weeks (perhaps even since last autumn) and there's been a suspicion that they might just be breeding. Proof came this morning when we were going to open the net in the photo below and nearly trod on two tiny youngsters that were creeping about in the marsh. They didn't oblige with further views then but a stake-out this evening was rewarded when they eventually snuck by the same spot. The only previous breeding record for Portland involved an attempt at Verne Common in 2013 that failed when the small pond being used dried up.
Today was rescued from total failure by a Serin first heard calling then seen within the Obs Garden and Hut Fields. A Cuckoo in Culverwell and a pair of CornBuntings at the Bill were an excellent supporting cast, but common migrants were extremely thin on the ground with just two each of SpottedFlycatchers and ReedWarblers and singles of Redshank and YellowWagtail. The sea was also quiet with little more than a GreatNorthernDiver and 62 CommonScoter.
Rather conveniently the night recording kit was still switched on when the Serin made a quick early morning dash over the Obs patio:
A stunningly clear day from start to finish did little for the birding, but was greatly appreciated by the sun-worshippers of the south coast. The highlight of a largely predictable day was another singing GoldenOriole at Culverwell, as is the trend this year it was hugely elusive showing for brief glimpses before vanishing back amongst the Sycamore leaves to whistle its melody once more. Other migrants were decidedly thin on the ground with little more than a handful of SpottedFlycatchers, ReedWarblers and Chiffchaffs and singles of SedgeWarbler, WillowWarbler and YellowWagtail. The sea too was quiet with just a measly passage of CommonScoters to keep us occupied.
Not before time it was beginning to feel really quite warm today in unbroken sunshine and with just a waft of a northerly breeze. The birds too had a flavour of warmer climes about them, with a rash of Golden Oriole sightings or hearings at various points between the Bill and Easton; many of the reports likely related to just one very mobile individual but 2 were considered to be present at Avalanche Road at one point. Two Nightjars (different individuals) were at the Bill, where Spotted Flycatcher again topped a double-figure total and ones and twos of a few other late common migrants continued to feature on the day-list; Spotted Flycatcher was also by far the most conspicuous migrant elsewhere, with another 10 at Avalanche Road alone, whilst one or more Turtle Doves were still at Southwell. Seawatching at the Bill returned just 45 Common Scoter, whilst waders at Ferrybridge included 48 Dunlin, 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 each of Sanderling and Whimbrel, and a lone Grey Plover.
As well as being rather drowned out by the customary Bill dawn cacophony, this morning's Golden Oriole wasn't such a strident singer as yesterday's bird although it was calling quite frequently:
It would've taken something extraordinary for someone to have guessed the combination of birds sighted today. A couple of anticipated scarcities included a GoldenOriole singing in Southwell and a fly-over Bee-eater at the Windmills and the Bill. Less expected - but actually more gripping for Portland! - were 2 passing EgyptianGeese off East Cliffs; combine this with the first Greenshank of the year, a fly-over GoldenPlover and the lingering TurtleDove and you've got a truly varied selection of oddities. Common migrants were present but in lower numbers than previous days with SpottedFlycatchers only just breaching double figures. Singles of Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and Great Skua through off the Bill salvaged some interest from on otherwise pretty quiet sea.
A mildly frustrating day for most with the quality necessitating being in the right spot at the right moment to score - and in both cases just lone observers struck lucky: a Bluethroat that was watched flying in off the sea over East Cliffs at the Bill promptly vanished after making landfall, whilsta PurpleHeron over Barleycrates Lane carried on quickly northwards. The commoner migrant miscellany included another double figure total of SpottedFlycatchers, 7 ReedWarblers and low single figures of Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Sedge Warbler, GardenWarbler, Blackcap and WillowWarbler; a RingedPlover also joined the 2 lingering Grey Plovers on the East Cliffs ledges. The sea was quiet, with 2 more passing PomarineSkuas the chief reward in an unhelpful offshore breeze.
Another much appreciated damp, grey day saw a small influx of common migrants to our shores. Once again SpottedFlycatchers and ReedWarblers provided the bulk of the migrants with both reaching well into double figures with 11 SpottedFlycatchers trapped in the garden and 28 elsewhere. A Redstart trapped at the obs was the first recorded since the 12th and was accompanied by a selection of other common migrants including three each of GardenWarbler, SedgeWarbler, and Whinchat. The Southwell TurtleDove continues to loiter, associating with the StockDoves frequenting the seed piles in various gardens. The wader fest occurring on the ledges continued along the same theme with just two GreyPlovers, a CommonSandpiper and a Dunlin. The sea had a touch more variety than in previous days with three Skua species present including two Pomarines, as well as four Shelducks and the lone Puffin.
Finally the plague of beautiful blue skies ended today with the first bit of real cloud cover for some time and, before the end of the afternoon, the first real rainfall for a while. With this came a small flurry of interesting migrants including the first Wryneck of the year flushed from the path in Coombefield Quarry and a singing Cuckoo at the Grove. Other commoner migrants were present in good numbers with ReedWarblers and SpottedFlycatchers reaching double figures; 2 each of YellowWagtail and Whinchat were recorded whilst TreePipit, LesserWhitethroat and GardenWarbler were only present as singles. The ledges below the East Cliffs continued to be of interest producing 3 GreyPlovers, 2 Whimbrel and a Dunlin. The sea held a bit of interest with a pair of VelvetScoter and a PomarineSkua being the pick of the bunch.
A largely uneventful day that was punctuated by a couple of moments of considerable excitement, not least when a Bee-eater popped up first in Top Fields and then a few minutes later at Reap Lane; the sea was also well worth a look , particularly during the evening when Chesil dipped in on a share of what will likely turn out to be this spring's 'Pom Day'. Migrant-wise, the winding down of spring continued with ones and twos of a few tardy regulars on the ground and another pulse of Swifts and hirundines overhead; 3 Grey Plovers, 2 Sanderling and a Blue-headed Wagtail were the best on offer at the Bill, whilst Grey Plovers, Knots and Sanderlings featured in varying numbers at Ferrybridge/Chesil. Seawatching in the morning produced 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Velvet Scoter off the Bill along with a varied selection of other seasonable fare there and off Chesil, whilst the evening brought a further flurry of Pomarine Skuas: 7 passed through during a short watch from Chesil, with another 13 seen from a viewpoint just outside the recording area also likely to have passed by there.
As the easterly winds continued to maintain the cloud-free blue skies birds began to stream up the West Cliffs leaving little in their wake. One bird that did decide to linger rather than shoot straight up the island was a Nightjar that was flushed from the fields around the Higher Light. This highlight was closely followed by the sheer number of Swifts streaming over the island with c.120/hour North for most of the morning. Waders continued to be a prominent feature both on sea-watch and on the land with three GreyPlovers now on the ledges below the East Cliffs as well as a pair past Chesil, Ferrybridge was also harbouring a lone GreyPlover, 17 Sanderling and a Knot. The Bill morning sea-watch saw singles of PomarineSkua, ArcticSkua and Sanderling whilst ManxShearwaters provided the bulk of the passage.
With a blasting easterly and crystal-clear skies the order of the day a fall of tardy migrants was never on the cards but there was still plenty of movement afoot. Waders featured most strongly, with post-dawn and pre-dusk watches at Chesil coming up with 143 Sanderling, 19 Grey Plovers, 10 Knot, 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 9 Turnstone, 6 Whimbrel and 6 Dunlin - all of which headed away east over Portland Harbour; 6 more Whimbrel and 3 more Grey Plover were at the Bill, whilst at least 9 Sanderling were amongst the handful of birds that dropped in at Ferrybridge. Visible passage elsewhere included a pretty steady throughput of hirundines and Swifts along West Cliffs. Grounded migrants were few and far between but did include an ater Coal Tit that popped up briefly during the afternoon at the Bill.
This flock of mixed waders high overhead were rather typical of the Chesil action under clear skies at this time of year: high enough to be only just resolvable with the naked eye, even binoculars don't get you much beyond the realisation that there's a mixture of species...
Although todays clear blue skies and fresh winds were not conducive to large numbers of birds, the variety of species at this time of year is often exciting. The highlight of the day came from a singing Nightingale along the admiralty hedge, a stunning song that's difficult to hear without a smile. The backing cast on the land consisted of a handful of commoner migrants such as SpottedFlycatchers, Whinchats, YellowWagtails and a GreyPlover entering summer plumage along the East Cliffs. The sea saw a greater variety particularly on the wader front with the evening sea-watch from Chesil producing 24 Sanderling, 42 Knot, 45 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailedGodwits and a GreyPlover. The morning sea-watch was full of its own highlights including 28 BarnacleGeese and a PomarineSkua.
A day of moderates; moderate cloud, moderate wind, moderate success and moderate failure. The onset of a North-easterly on Portland at this stage of the spring meant a team effort to cover the key areas before the skies cleared. This early morning romp produced both the biggest excitement and disappointment of the morning with a bird passing overhead calling in a most unusual way (somewhat akin to a wheezy panting dog), too small and pointed winged to be a Woodcock and too large and pot-bellied to be a Common Snipe the bird was an excellent candidate for GreatSnipe. However, with none of the key plumage characteristics noted with the bird flying directly into the sun it is likely that the record cannot be taken further.
Passage up the West Cliffs produced some much happier conclusions with a good movement of Swifts amassing to well over 150 for the day, large numbers of Swallows and HouseMartins being followed by a pair of Hobbys and three YellowWagtails consisting of a pair of flavissima and one Blue-headedWagtail. Elsewhere, Whinchats reached double figures for the first time in over a week, SpottedFlycatchers continued to move in reasonable numbers accompanied by singles of PiedFlycatcher and Redstart. The sea produced little in the way of interest with just a Dunlin, three GreatNorthernDivers and a pair of ArcticSkuas.
The night of 10th/11th May saw Nick Hopper joining us once again recording two SpottedFlycatchers, two flocks of CommonTerns (plus a presumed singleton), two Turnstones, a Whimbrel and four flocks of Dunlin.
A day to forget in a hurry with, passing Swifts and hirundines aside, none of the routine common migrants making even close to a double-figure total at the Bill. Other than a hearsay report of a Serin at the QinetiQ compound, a Hobby arriving in off the sea and singles of Great Northern Diver and Arctic Skua through offshore were the only scarcer migrant making the day list at the Bill.
As Portland falls go today was quite an oddity, with a hatful of birds around the middle and north of the island but precious little at the Bill. With hindsight it seemed as though the lack of a brisk headwind (...it was more or less millpond calm at dawn) saw to it incoming migrants were too high to be dropped straight away as they arrived over the Bill but many then took the option of touching down briefly around the top of the island. Spotted Flycatchers made up the bulk of the numbers, with more than 100 scattered between Southwell and Portland Castle, but there were plenty of Willow Warblers, Sylvias and Acrocephalus amongst them and 2 aterCoal Tits at Portland Castle were a nice bonus. The Bill fared relatively poorly for numbers but did steal a little bit of the limelight late in the afternoon when a Honey Buzzard trundled through overhead. Despite what at times looked to be promising seawatch conditions - a waft of a southerly sprung up as the day went on - 2 passing Great Northern Divers were the only migrants worth a mention off the Bill.
But as a spectacle the sheer number of migrants passing through the north of the island soon after dawn took some beating; the ater Coal Tit at Portland Castle was the only oddity uncovered...
...but Spotted Flycatchers featured in good quanity...
Another measly migrant tally today with new arrivals few and far between. A Cuckoo singing at East Weare and the long-staying Turtle Dove at Southwell provided a modicum of quality. Other than passing Swallows that weren't exactly numerous, 10 Turnstones that dropped in at the Bill tip constituted the only double-figure migrant total; SpottedFlycatcher nearly made a double-figure total over the island as a whole but most other species were represented by just singletons. The sea too was quiet with little more than 3 ArcticSkuas and 2 Red-throated Divers by way of conventional passage off the Bill; a trickle of Manx Shearwaters and a noticeable inbound movement of more than 100 LesserBlack-backedGulls were also worth a mention from there.
We were joined on the night of 6th/7th May by Nick Hopper whose nocturnal recordings included a rare event in the form of a passing BlackTern; also logged a Moorhen, a SandwichTern, a Turnstone, two flocks of Whimbrels, 12 flocks of Dunlin, three flocks of RingedPlovers and 2 CommonSandpipers.
Nick tells us that as far as he's aware the Black Tern is the first sound-recorded at night in the UK:
A clear night wouldn't be complete without a Moorhen and one duly obliged; Moorhens have been really frequent at night this spring which has made us wonder if this mightn't be related to the long-term residence of one at Culverwell - could some of the loggings refer to this bird making some sort of nocturnal 'display' flights attempting to attract a mate?:
With the rain setting in before dusk the previous evening it didn't look too hopeful for land-based migration this morning - this assessment turned out to be quite correct with one of the quietest days on the land so far this spring. The day's saving grace was the sea with a strong southeasterly blow bringing in a few of the expected treats: Chesil saw the cream of the crop that included 15 ArcticSkuas, at least 3PomarineSkuas and 2 Great Skuas; watches from the Bill added a few extras to the list including at least 3 more Great Skuas, a Great Northern Diver and a Shoveler. The handful of new grounded migrants included single Cuckoos at Church Ope Cove and Suckthumb, whilst the lingering TurtleDove was still about at Southwell.
Although today had its moments it certainly fell well short of expectations, with scarcely a hint of a flurry of new arrivals on the land and far less out to sea than had been anticipated. A Golden Oriole that evaded most would-be observers in the Thumb Lane area proved to be by far the pick of the grounded migrants. Single Turtle Doves at Southwell and Broadcroft were of further interest but few of the most routine commoner species even registering a double-figure total at the Bill; it was busier overhead where Swallows trickled through all day and a tardy Short-eared Owl arrived in off the sea over Chesil. In a light southeasterly there were particularly high hopes for the sea but this too failed on the numbers front: the Bill totals included 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 each of Red-throated Diver, Great Skua and Black Tern, and singles of Teal, Pomarine Skua and Little Tern, whilst Chesil chipped in with 4 more Pomarine Skuas and an Arctic Skua.
With more clear blue skies and even less breeze than yesterday it was no surprise that numbers took a dip today. However, it was not all doom and gloom with the HoodedCrow making a return - albeit brief - visit to the Bill; a Melodious Warbler discovered in song at the Admiralty Hedge would have been an even more exciting highlight for most but it chose to shut up and go to ground the moment the first of the summoned admirers rolled up. Migrant-wise, there were few surprises amongst the smattering of late season arrivals, with 4 Pied Flycatchers scattered around the centre and north of the island the best of the passerines on offer; a welcome flurry of waders at Ferrybridge included 98 Dunlin, 11 Whimbrel (plus another 34 fly-throughs), 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Sanderling and 2 Knot. A little passage at sea included 164 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver through off the Bill.
As with any day after a fall, today felt slightly disappointing despite the good variety of birds found. The clear blue skies and slack winds meant any stragglers from yesterday had the opportunity to move on rapidly. Highlights included the lingering TurtleDove at Southwell, 2 Wood Warblers at Thumb Lane and a lone spoon-laden PomarineSkua through off the Bill. Common migrants were still abundant with 100 WillowWarblers, 75 Whitethroats, 30 Blackcaps, 25 GardenWarblers, 25 Wheatears, 10 each of Whinchat, SedgeWarbler and LesserWhitethroat all within the Obs area. Pied and SpottedFlycatchers and Redstarts were limited to single figures once more with greater numbers away from the Obs. Ferrybridge saw a small increase in variety with singles of GreyPlover, Knot and Sanderling along with the usual fare.
