Bird-wise, it was hard work getting amongst anything in quantity on the ground, where the overnight rain appeared to have worked no magic at all; at least three Dartford Warblers were an on-cue first for the season but a new Cetti's Warbler - the second of the autumn away from the north of the island where they seem to have reappeared after several month's absence - was the best of the rest. As in recent days, overhead passage was busier even if numbers were far from impressive: 3 Bramblings were an autumn first over the Bill amongst other totals that included 250 Meadow Pipits, 125 Linnets and 115 alba wagtails. In a fresh offshore breeze sea passage at the Bill was almost non-existent: 340 passing Mediterranean Gulls were almost to be expected these days but a paltry 3 Balearic Shearwaters were all that could be mustered by way of proper quality.
Long-tailed Blue remains the most tricky of all the 'mid-level' rare butterflies to catch up with at Portland: whilst the likes of Monarch, Large Tortoiseshell and others have been perfectly get-able at times there's never been a Long-tailed Blue - including this one - that's ever stuck in one place for more than a few seconds © Joe Stockwell:
