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:
1st May
30th April
29th April
Quite pleasantly warm for the first time in days but ultimately rather disappointing on all fronts today. The sea had promised most but more or less all-day coverage at the Bill was rewarded with not all that much more than a few skuas - 6 Greats, 5 Arctics and a Pomarine that we've been told about but perhaps some more to add from observers we haven't heard from. Manx Shearwaters were a constant presence offshore and reached at least the 300 mark, whilst 225 Kittiwakes, 57 Sandwich Terns and 4 Red-throated Divers were among the totals from the first few hours of the day; of local interest was the sight of 2 Puffins together at times - the first time that's happened this year. The land was again a bit of a dead loss: there was a good spread of 50 Wheatears at the Bill but no more than ones and twos of most other grounded migrants; Swallows looked to be getting going in some quantity for a period during the morning but their passage also fizzled out. Elsewhere, the Ferrybridge Little Tern tally got into three figures for the first time this season, 2 Sanderling were amongst the wader mix there and a Great Northern Diver passed overhead.
#Lodmoor & #Radipole were quiet, but #Ferrybridge really came up trumps, this pm! 39 #LittleTerns counted on panoramic video! Quite a sight. Also #Sanderling, #Whimbrel, #Dunlins, many #Wheatears (mainly on carpark boulders), #RingedPlovers. @dorsetbirdclub @PortlandBirdObs pic.twitter.com/4v4KGDfv2Q
— Viv Keene (@viv_keene) April 29, 2024
A supremely obliging Whimbrel at Portland Bill this evening. #ukbirding
— Gavin Haig (@notquitescilly.bsky.social) Apr 29, 2024 at 21:57
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Portland Bill highlights to 10:00... 2 Arctic Skuas, 5 Bonxies, 4 RTD, 8 Barwits, 29 C Scoter and a Puffin. Poms no doubt imminent. 😊 #ukbirding
— Gavin Haig (@notquitescilly.bsky.social) Apr 29, 2024 at 10:43
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28th April
Whilst not entirely eviscerated of migrants the island seemed very barren today in comparison with the riches on offer just lately (the day's ringing total of just 7 birds looked paltry indeed when compared with the daily average of 125 over the last week). None of this should have come as any surprise after a night that had seen rain set in before dusk and drag on until a fair while after dawn; migrants obviously weren't moving in any quantity and much of what was about, including 3 Ring Ouzels at the Verne Moat and singles of Common Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl, Redstart, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler and Sedge Warbler at the Bill, were just as likely lingerers as new arrivals. What arrivals there were materialised through the day, when Swallows got moving in quantity - probably 500 or more through over the island as a whole - and the Dunlin tally at Ferrybridge shot up to 75. The offshore breeze of dawn backed and freshened conspicuously as the day went on which saw sea interest pick up, with an eventual tally of 300 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Red-throated Divers, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua through off the Bill.
As anyone who's seawatched regularly at the Bill will know the light there on a bright evening is terrible as you're looking straight into the sun - this was a shame today since that was when the best of the day's movement was taking place. A Bonxie was nice, particularly since they remain so few and far between - this month's total still hasn't reached last April's paltry tally of 13 which doesn't bode well for a speedy recovery in numbers after the catastrophe wrought by avian flu...