14th May
13th May
We shouldn't have complained about too much samey weather just lately as today we were on the receiving end of the pay-back - 12 hour and counting of heavy rain! What birding was possible for a few hours from dawn revealed an island all but bereft of grounded arrivals, with no more than 2 Wheatears and singles of Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill and 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Grey Plover and a Knot at Ferrybridge; of local interest, the Alexandrine Parakeet was in gardens at Southwell during the morning - having obviously returned from its jaunt way out to sea last evening. A Hobby, as well as a few Swifts and hirundines, made it through overhead before the rain put the block on further diurnal passage. Two Red-throated Divers and singles of Pomarine and Arctic Skua also passed by Chesil and the Bill ahead of the rain.
12th May
After the relative wealth of oddities over the last couple of days today was quieter, with a fly-through Turtle Dove at the Bill the best on offer. In the continuing warmth and sunshine not much was expected in the common migrant line and 12 Wheatears, 7 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 each of Redstart and Whinchat, and singles of Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler constituted the suitably lean return from the Bill. The sea provided more in the way of numbers, with 500 Manx Shearwaters, 153 commic terns and singles of Pomarine and Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.
For entertainment value and dazzling colour the bird of the day was this Alexandrine Parakeet that pitched up during the morning in the Obs garden having earlier been spotted flying towards the island from Wyke Regis; later it returned to the mainland where it was seen over RSPB Radipole. Having been assumed on the initial flying views to be a Ring-necked Parakeet, the bird's correct identity was realised once it landed; in fact, if we didn't positively avoid the Home Counties we might have remembered from frequent familiarity that even on a brief flight view a Ring-necked Parakeet would look a whole lot smaller than this bird...
11th May
Hoopoe on Portland this morning pic.twitter.com/SulpN0DVn8
— Angela Thomas (@ATChesil) May 11, 2024
10th May
It hasn't taken long to get into the rut of migrants getting the hang of samey conditions and steering clear of dropping out at as sub-optimal a spot as Portland. The redeeming feature of increased chances of scarcities might have been the silver lining but for the fact that today's arrivals in that department eluded nearly everyone: a seemingly active-migrant Hoopoe shot straight through beside the Obs without stopping, a Hawfinch made the briefest of visits to a garden at Blacknor and, potentially best of all, a very likely Short-toed Lark passed overhead so quickly near the Bill tip that it couldn't even be clinched for certain. Swallows were again moving through steadily if unspectacularly but it was dismal on the ground with barely more than ones and twos of even the most routine arrivals. After yesterday's tern-fest there were hopes for the sea but these quickly fizzled out and the morning's tally at the Bill consisted of just 52 Common Scoter, 33 commic terns, 31 Sandwich Terns, 8 Black Terns and singles of Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and Arctic Skua. Ferrybridge waders included 9 Sanderling and a Knot.
Some of this morning's Black Terns - always an exciting sight off the Bill and, for obvious reasons, nearly always really difficult to get a meaningful record photograph of © Martin Cade:
9th May
8th May
7th May
A great day out in the field @PortlandBirdObs with a steady and varied selection of migrants throughout the day. Garden warblers were particularly abundant with at least 40 around the Bill area. pic.twitter.com/4rB9fFgGDT
— Jodie mae Henderson (@JodiemHenderson) May 7, 2024
the EPO at the bill are pretty much at their best but the GWO at the verne have all pretty much gone over already bar this one pic.twitter.com/afv8a1hkG5
— andy (@andy33082645) May 7, 2024
I put together some clips from Ferrybridge yesterday. One of my favourite places to bird watch. Wonderful memories from the long weekend and looking forward to the next one. 😍 pic.twitter.com/IYA86w75xP
— Sophie Godwin (@birds_sophie) May 7, 2024
6th May
Wholesome little trip to Dorset resulted in an encounter with a Bee-eater. I can’t quite believe it! I particularly like the end of this clip where it scares the pigeon 😂 @PortlandBirdObs pic.twitter.com/Jox9Th8Iar
— Sophie Godwin (@birds_sophie) May 6, 2024
The best ringing day for over a week at the Obs and Culverwell - in fact easily the best fall of migrants so far this month: 62 birds of 15 species incl what for spring is an excellent catch of 10 Sedge Warblers
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 6, 2024 at 22:50
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5th May
Another day that looked to have bags of potential but failed to deliver any numbers of grounded or visible migrants; fortunately a couple of scarcities and an at least fair seawatch went some way toward saving the day. Yesterday's Hawfinch remained at the Obs for a while during the morning and later at least 1 perhaps 2 Wood Warblers showed up there. A couple of Garden Warblers and singles of Hobby, Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher were about as good as it got amongst the thinnest of spreads of commoner grounded arrivals and almost non-existent overhead passage. The sea made a valiant attempt to salvage further interest although even that required a lot of watching for any really worthwhile totals, that included 306 commic terns, 17 Sanderlings, 2 Great Crested Grebes and singles of Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua and Black Tern through off Chesil and 3 Great Northern Divers, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Pomarine Skuas and singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Skua through off the Bill.
Red sky in the morning... There seems to have been a lot of these just lately and in general they've been a fair guide to the day's prospects. Today? - maybe slightly less so © Joe Stockwell:
And back to yesterday for something we completely forgot to post: Jon Stokes sent us through this little scene-setting video of a Nightingale giving some bursts of song from a garden hedge right beside busy High Street in Fortuneswell - migrants really can drop into some most unlikely spots © Jon Stokes:
Was looking for a Spotted Flycatcher in the Obs front garden yesterday when this monster was pulled out of a net in the back. The last thing a haw sees before being subjected to 150psi of pressure! @DorsetBirdClub @PortlandBirdObs pic.twitter.com/5sTehEcaTc
— Peter Moore (@PeterMo03067857) May 5, 2024
4th May
The return of summer-like conditions was very welcome but did precious little for the land where, barring the unexpected appearance of a Hawfinch at the Obs that followed the almost as unlikely hearing of a Nightingale in song at Fortuneswell, migrants were few and far between and, apart from an incoming Short-eared Owl at the Bill, didn't include anything else that was in the least unexpected. In a propitious easterly breeze the sea was very disappointing for this date: 124 Common Scoter through off the Bill represented quite a resurgence in their passage that's been painfully slow just lately, but 2 Pomarine and an Arctic Skua off Chesil and 4 Pomarine and 2 Arctic Skuas, and 3 each of Red-throated and Great Northern Diver off the Bill was a poor showing of the marquee species.
A Minke Whale off Chesil in the morning may be only the second record of this species in local waters.
Bug interest has been extremely limited just recently so it's good to get back into the groove with what we believe is the first confirmed record of Hairy Dragonfly for Portland - not that this is in any way a surprise since sightings have been expected following their remarkable increase in recent years in Weymouth. We're aware of at least one previous sight record from an experienced observer but in this day and age it seems almost obligatory to secure tangible evidence for a first record of pretty well anything so we're very pleased that Steve Mansfield obliged with some nice photographs of the specimen he came across today high up on West Cliffs beside the Southwell Business Park © Steve Mansfield:
3rd May
Migrant-wise, a general settling down of the weather prompted a small flurry of activity if not the fall that would have been more appropriate at this juncture. There were no surprises amongst the light scatter of new grounded arrivals, with unseasonable singles of Goldcrest at the Bill and Black Redstart at Ferrybridge as interesting as it got amongst the more routine fare. Overhead, a Hen Harrier that looked to have arrived in off the sea at the Bill shortly after dawn was unexpected, as was a Great White Egret flying up the Fleet from Ferrybridge, whilst later a steady if unspectacular passage of mainly Swallows developed. The sea remained quiet, with singles of Red-throated Diver and Arctic Skua through off the Bill the only real interest. Wader passage gained a little more momentum, with 24 Dunlin, 11 Sanderling, 9 Whimbrel and 2 Grey Plover at Ferrybridge and 2 Common Sandpipers at the Bill.
Neither Black Redstart nor Goldcrest would be the sort of things usually on the menu in early May © Martin Cade:
Portland today Yellow Wagtail my first this year with Whinchat
— philc72.bsky.social (@philc72.bsky.social) May 3, 2024 at 17:09
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2nd May
Today really was a struggle: another night of continuous and at times heavy rain looked to have prevented all but the most determined passerine migrants getting airborne, whilst diurnal passage was reduced to no more than a trickle; there didn't look to be any reason why seabirds shouldn't have been on the move but they obviously felt otherwise. Waders accounted for the bulk of the new arrivals and included 65 Dunlin, 5 Whimbrel, 4 Grey Plovers and a Sanderling at Ferrybridge and a Common Sandpiper at the Bill; passerine numbers and variety were hopeless, with singles of Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher providing the only minor interest at the Bill where not a single migrant was trapped all day at the Obs; elsewhere there was a Pied Flycatcher at Avalanche Road. Upwards of 200 Manx Shearwaters lingering close inshore off the Bill were entertaining but 3 Red-throated Divers and a single Arctic Skua represented a terrible return by way of passage seabirds there.
Right up there as one of the coolest of Arctic-breeding waders, the Grey Plovers at Ferrybridge were a real treat © Martin Cade: