7th June

There were a few decent birds on offer today, the most notable of which was a new Woodchat Shrike that dropped in on the Slopes before becoming quite mobile and eventually ending up in Top Fields. A Rosy Starling continued to entertain from time to time at Avalanche Road whilst a presumably departing Cuckoo also showed up at the Bill; other new arrivals included 2 Reed Warblers, a Little Egret and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and a Whinchat at Reap Lane. The sea chipped in with 56 Common Scoter and singles of Great and Arctic Skua through off the Bill.

Two in one season represents a continuation of a return to form for Woodchat after a lean spell in the last decade: singles in both the last two years had been the first logged on the island since 2012; the all-time Portland tally now stands at 66 © Martin Cade:

One of the Rosy Starlings continued to visit a feeder in a garden beside Avalanche Road at regular intervals throughout the day © Andy Luckhurst:

After yesterday's Sand Martin it looks like autumn really is getting going with this Cuckoo - another classic early leaver - showing up at the Bill today © Martin Cade:

It was a shame that the resolving powers of our kiddie camera weren't a bit better for the freak of the day: this striking-looking leucistic Gannet passing by off the Bill looked great through a 'scope but was just too far away to permit any decent photos - the higher magnification views revealed a ghosting of pale grey on the primaries that's just about apparent on these photos. We have a faint recollection of a similar-looking bird being seen off the Bill way back in the mid-1970s but to our knowledge there have been no reports from here since that time. Which colony does this bird hail from? © Martin Cade: