23rd October

The aftermath of Storm Austen was a day of blasting northwesterlies - no good to man nor bird. The Snow Bunting and 2 Black Redstarts remained on East Cliffs at the Bill and 3 Snipe were oddities amongst a limited passage of routine finches and the like overhead, but the only sightings of note on the sea were 2 Manx Shearwaters through off the Bill. Elsewhere, 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were at Ferrybridge.

22nd October

In the context of this week today passed off very satisfactorily, with far more about than was expected. Despite the continuing stiff westerly it was soon apparent after dawn that under a clearer sky migrants were on the move in decent quantity, with good passages of departing Wood Pigeons and a variety of finches along with a few tardy Swallows, 2 more Woodlarks and the like. On the ground, a Water Pipit was the highlight at the Bill, Snow Buntings at the Bill and at Reap Lane were additional to the lingerer still on East Cliffs, whilst 2 each of Black Redstart, Dartford Warbler and Firecrest, and a lone Yellow-legged Gull were also at the Bill. At Ferrybridge, the Brent Goose tally increased to 345, with 8 Bar-tailed Godwits amongst the waders there. With plenty about on the land the sea didn't get long coverage but 3 Red-throated and 2 Great Northern Divers passed through off the Bill.

Water Pipit is a really infrequent visitor to Portland with barely double figures of records ever, so today's bird on East Cliffs at the Bill was a notable highlight © Joe Stockwell:


The new Snow Bunting at the Bill was showing really well...


...which couldn't be said of the day's Firecrests © Joe Stockwell:


Snow Bunting has long been an inexplicable absentee from the Portland ringing tally - over the years plenty of attempts have been made to catch them but none has ever been successful until this afternoon when we nipped down and netted the bird on East Cliffs just before the onset of the rain marking the arrival of Storm Austen. Not wanting to handle the bird any longer than necessary we banged off a few photos of the salient features before quickly releasing it and it was only when going through these that we took on board just how complicated ageing, sexing and even sorting the subspecific identification can be; we think that we can work that this bird is a first year female nivalis (the much more widespread subspecies as opposed to the more local insulae that's confined as a breeder to Iceland and Scotland) but happy to take advice from anyone who knows Snow Buntings better than we do © Martin Cade:





Portland Day 10 - Ending on a high with a banger of a find in Water Pipit, a true Portland rare! 10 days of scrutinising pipits kind of paid off, a fly through Snow Bunting was found a short while after hopping around the bill like people didn't exist. A Woodlark and 2 Black Reds made for a nice day

— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 5:36 PM

As ever my thanks must go to Martin and Jodie for their hospitality at the obs while I embark on this mad bird finding mission each October, Grahame Walbridge for the encouragement to keep going and Glen, Chris, Martin others for a few beers along the way, even if some were a bit early in the day!

— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 5:36 PM

I didn't think I'd have much time after becoming a dad but with careful planning and plenty of "I'll look after her" when I got home it all worked out pretty well! 'Till next year...

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 5:36 PM

21st October

 A howling westerly filled nobody with enthusiasm at dawn but after some very late starts the discovery of a Snow Bunting on East Cliffs at least saved the day. Not that very much else got on the day-sheet, with a Black Redstart in the same spot, a Caspian Gull grounded at Culverwell and a Merlin knocking about the day's only other worthwhile sightings.


The Snow Bunting on East Cliffs © Martin Cade...


...and the Culverwell Caspian Gull that looks very like the individual that's been kicking around for over a month - even if it's only actually been seen on a handful of dates during that period © Jodie Henderson:



Portland Day 9 - Hours of toil in the lee of the Island around the East Weares, it's always a last resort normally but today the only option, although very enjoyable rock hopping, very little to see. A Snow Bunting below the obs and a Caspian Gull below Culverwell made up for the last few days!

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 21, 2026 at 9:20 PM

20th October

The fact that the keenest of today's fieldworkers sacked off the afternoon in favour of baking a Christmas cake spoke volumes for how the day unfolded. Heavy rain that set in during the small hours lasted well on into the morning and although there was evidence of a few new thrushes and Chiffchaffs in particular before the rain petered out precious little lingered and the later discovery of the likes of 3 Dartford Warblers, a Merlin and a Firecrest fell well short of salvaging respectability. Auks remained abundant offshore with well in excess of 5000 off the Bill, but a lone Great Skua was the only other worthwhile sighting from the sea.

One of today's few highlights - Dartford Warbler from the Crown Estate Field mist-nets © Martin Cade:


Portland Day 9 - at least the Christmas cakes are in the oven 😆

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 20, 2026 at 3:33 PM

19th October

Despite a lot of hard work in often trying circumstances today really didn't go to plan, with overnight rain delivering neither quantities of common migrants nor hoped-for scarcities. The trying circumstances came by virtue of the overnight rain lingering on well past dawn when it fell in the form of torrential downpours that were drenching enough to dampen for the rest of the day the spirits of even the most committed fieldworkers.  After the weekend's events, the prevailing conditions were expected to drop thrushes and others by the bucketload but it was oddly quiet everywhere, with no more than a light passage of thrushes; 1350 Wood Pigeons south over Thumb Lane and 500 Starlings north at the Bill accounted to the bulk of the overhead numbers. The scatter of arrivals on the ground included the first Woodcock of the season at the Verne, a Siberian Chiffchaff at Thumb Lane and at least 4 Firecrests; 3 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Black Redstarts and 2 Dartford Warblers were all likely or certain lingerers. The sea continued to provide some interest, with 37 Common Scoter, 10 Brent Geese, 7 Teal, 5 Tufted Ducks, 3 Arctic Skuas and 2 Great Northern Divers through off the Bill.

The Woodcock grounded in a garden at Weare Close this morning © Barbara Sergison:



Portland Day 8 - The less said about that the better...

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 19, 2026 at 6:29 PM

Disappointment aside, during the rain there was actually some really cool migration, 500 Starling arrived in 30 minutes, W'pigeons appeared from the clouds. A'noon session and there were multiple Firecrests, Dartfords, Chiffs, 2 Black Reds, 2 Merlins. 21k steps and multiple loops still no biggie!

— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 19, 2026 at 6:42 PM

Ferrybridge - This afternoon on The Fleet: Bar-tailed Godwit 4, Sanderling, Turnstone, Ringed Plover 63, Dunlin 41, Brent Goose 85 @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

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— Dorset Bird Tours (@dorsetbirdtours.bsky.social) October 19, 2026 at 7:10 PM

18th October

There's some really fun birding afoot at the moment, with today offering a hatful more overhead passage and some surprisingly good waterfowl movement on the sea; grounded arrivals weren't a huge feature but the first multiple arrival of Firecrests of the season was nice. In the continuing brisk and chilly northeasterly thrushes arrived in quantity for the first time this autumn, with 300 Redwings, 100 Song Thrushes, 50 Blackbirds, 10 Fieldfares, 3 Ring Ouzels and 2 Mistle Thrushes through at the Bill, where 4950 Wood Pigeons, 430 Jackdaws, 150 Chaffinches and lower totals of many of the other typical seasonable movers were logged; singles of Hobby and Lapland Bunting were the best of the oddities there, with a Red Kite over Verne Common and Crossbill over Church Ope also both firsts for the autumn. Ten Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle and another 2 at the Bill were the pick of the day's grounded arrivals, with a scatter of 5 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 4 Dartford Warblers continuing their recent good runs. The sea was the day's surprise package, with 18 Dark-bellied and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 15 Wigeon, 12 Shoveler, 9 Pintail, 7 Teal, a Red-breasted Merganser and a Long-tailed Duck through off the Bill.

Portland Day 7 - Another bumper day of migration with a Lapland Bunting the highlight, 3 Dartfords, loads of Redwing, Song Thrush, Blackbird, 7 Fieldfare, 2 Mistle Thrush and a Ring Ouzel, birds arriving all day up to the time I headed home, brilliant stuff! The big one still awaits...

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 18, 2026 at 7:44 PM

Just one of the 10+ firecrest seen today whilst out with paul rendell, best supporting was a male crossbill diving into the penn

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— dunccrip.bsky.social (@dunccrip.bsky.social) October 18, 2026 at 10:19 PM

17th October

Quite a ripper of a day with the migration tap well and truly opening as birds streamed through into a brisk and - for the first time this autumn - really chilly headwind; not that any of this made for particularly easy birding, with a lot of overhead passage taking place at considerable height and a lot of the groundings being brief at best, with several of the day's more consequential reports still requiring scrutiny of photographs or sound recordings and remaining to be fully resolved. Rather few of the day's migrants actually dropped in in a traditional 'fall' manner, with most moving through very rapidly; conservative totals from the Bill included 10860 Wood Pigeons, 800 Jackdaws, 200 each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff, 190 Chaffinches, 180 Meadow Pipits and 100 alba wagtails, with 23 Redwings, 20 Siskins, 17 Bramblings, 10 Woodlarks, 5 Lapwings, 4 Golden Plovers and 2 Greylag Geese amongst the very varied list of tag-alongs, whilst odds and ends including 47 Redwings, 7 Fieldfares and singles of Cattle Egret and Corn Bunting popped up elsewhere. Amongst the grounded arrivals oddities included 5 Dartford Warblers, yet another Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Black Redstart and a late Reed Warbler at the Bill, another Black Redstart at Southwell and a Ring Ouzel at Thumb Lane. The offshore wind was no help for the seawatchers but singles of Pochard and Little Gull were of note off the Bill.

There was so much going on today and nowhere near enough time to stop and photograph it all © Joe Stockwell and Martin Cade:







Portland Day 6 - A ripping day of migration saw birds arriving pre-sunrise and didn't really let up until the mid afternoon. More Woodlarks, constant Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Meadow Pipits and Pigeons. Redwings trickling in, with some oddities like Dartford Warbler and some forgettable Geese!

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 5:48 PM

16th October

Quite an oddity of a day, with the complexion being set early when the first two warblers out of the mist-nets at the Bill were both Yellow-browed Warblers; however, the less said about what followed on the ground the better, since it was pitifully quiet for new arrivals everywhere with only the long-staying Red-backed Shrike salvaging the day for most visitors. Fortunately, overhead passage was far stronger and included a record total of 13 Woodlarks over the Bill. Further interest was provided by bugs, with the Monarch butterfly watched seemingly arriving in off the sea at the Bill tip a fine highlight and a Vagrant Emperor dragonfly also showing up during the hunt for the Monarch. Whether a Yellow-browed Warbler heard later in the day at Southwell was one of the Bill birds moving on wasn't established, but further interest around and about included 2 each of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Dartford Warbler, along with singles of Water Rail, Merlin, Black Redstart, Cetti's Warbler and Siberian Chiffchaff - the latter two both lingerers rather than new arrivals. The day's numbers were all overhead, with Bill totals form the morning of 4500 Wood Pigeons, 550 Meadow Pipits, 400 Linnets, 390 alba wagtails, 82 Skylarks, 70 Stock Doves, 70 Chaffinches, 25 Greenfinches, 15 Siskins and plenty of randoms including a lone Marsh Harrier. 

Two Yellow-browed Warblers from the first looks at the Obs and CEF nets this mrng

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 8:36 AM

Portland Day 5 - much promise did almost deliver. A personal best of 13 Woodlark over, Yellow-browed Warbler dropping out of the sky onto a fence (earlier ringed at the obs) great vismig of Pigeons, Stock Doves etc. Black Red in the bill quarry, we continue!! First post birding pub visit, superb!!

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 8:53 PM

Last night's Obs garden mothing didn't really hit the mark - plenty of routine migrants on the wing but a Toadflax Pearl the only notable oddity

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 11:31 AM

Portland bill when tuna watching: an ”is that a bat ???” round the obelisk turned out to be a Monarch which moved north low over the roped off area & lost as I faffed with the camera c15:00 @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social Still plenty of clouded yellows inc helice

— Steve M (@steveweynature.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 9:27 PM

Freshwater Bay @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social overnight 14/15 Oct. with 2 MV, 1 actinic and 1 Lepi-LED -highlights were a very worn Gem, 1 Tebenna micalis and 1 Small Marbled (first for a few weeks); also 3 Vestal, 3 SBS, 1 Clancy's Rustic. 4 P. vitrealis @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

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— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:20 PM

Freshwater Bay @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social overnight 15/16 Oct. with 2 MV, 1 Lepi-LED, 1 ORI lure - highlights were 2 Slender Burnished Brass (to ORI) and my second E. ocellea in two weeks; also 4 Vestal, 4 SBS, 1 White-speck, 2 Pearly Underwing, 3 P. vitrealis @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

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— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:28 PM

As always, @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social delivered some good scarcities during 14-16/10 with a remarkably well marked Porter's Rustic, the gangly Toadflax Pearl (A. catalaunalis) and Slender Burnished Brass (to ORI, two days prior) - my fifth of this stunner in a week! @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

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— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:45 PM

15th October

After early signs that didn't look at all promising in a brisk and dreary southwesterly today actually ended up passing off quite successfully, with single Yellow-browed Warblers at Avalanche Road and the Grove and singles of Siberian Chiffchaff, Caspian Gull, Dartford Warbler and the lingering Red-backed Shrike and Cetti's Warbler at the Bill, with further lustre provided by a spread of less regulars that included 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Firecrests and singles of Sooty Shearwater, Merlin and Black Redstart. Apart from the odd patch with Chiffchaffs still in plenty commoner migrants weren't much of a feature although 7 Redwings represented their highest total so far this month.

The Bill Siberian Chiffchaff © Martin Cade and Grove Yellow-browed Warbler © Joe Stockwell:



Portland Day 4 - A late start today as I had my little girl for a while in the morning. Managed to get out for a few hours after and pretty soon jammed in to my first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn, a good session in the Grove area also revealed a Firecrest, lots of Chiffs, Blackcaps etc.

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 5:35 PM

Fair numbers of migrants from the Obs moth-traps again last night with singles of Beautiful Twitcher T micalis and Porter's Rustic the best of the new arrivals; Autumnal Rustic nice for us as it was the first for 8 years and only the 13th ever

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 10:09 PM

With the nights drawing in and some noticeably cooler weather on the horizon, it's hard not to find your mind wandering back to the balmy nights of summer and what was another successful season of Storm Petrel ringing at the Bill. Across 11 sessions (and one or two duds early and late in the season when we tried but didn't actually catch anything!), a total of 52 new birds were ringed, marking the third highest annual total after 121 in 1994 and 66 in 2025. The high encounter rate of Storm Petrels after ringing always produces fascinating movement data and this year was no exception, with 12 birds captured already sporting rings from elsewhere - 5 from Alderney, 4 from Skokholm, 2 from France and 1 from the Isles of Scilly; in addition, 14 Portland ringed birds were recaptured away from the island, with 12 from Alderney, 1 from the Isles of Scilly and 1 from St Abbs Head.  



14th October

Plenty of movement afoot today although the majority of it concerned overhead passage and grounded arrivals were decidedly fewer than might have been hoped. The vismig over the Bill was pretty decent and included 4060 Wood Pigeons, 490 Linnets, 450 Meadow Pipits, 220 alba wagtails, 150 Skylarks, 120 Goldfinches, 110 Chaffinches, 92 Stock Doves, 62 Jackdaws, 42 Greenfinches (...remind us when we last had a total as high as this?!), 7 Siskins, 3 Bramblings and a Woodlark. Sadly, numbers on the ground were far, far lower with 4 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Dartford Warblers, a Corn Bunting and the lingering Red-backed Shrike and Cetti's Warbler the best of it at the Bill amongst the thin spread of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and other routines. Were it not for the continuing constant presence of Bluefin Tuna, a lone Sooty Shearwater would have stolen the show offshore.

Not that we were trying to, but this morning we inadvertently recaught the Red-backed Shrike on one of our rounds of the Crown Estate Field mist-nets; pleasingly, this revealed it has been replenishing reserves quite well and had increased its weight from 31.9g when it first arrived six days ago to 33.8g today © Martin Cade:


Portland Day 3 - Wasn't great! Although the standout highlight was the Red-backed Shrike re-trapped, my first seen in hand since a female I caught in 2013. A Corn Bunting, quite a good number of Stonechat, Robins and Dunnocks revealed some movement afoot but little esle to show for the legwork.

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 7:09 PM

After a quiet-ish few nights for migrant moths there was a big improvement last night in numbers at the Obs gdn moth-traps + a Slender Burnished Brass to the ORI lure donated to us by @alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social. Our first ever October Little Grass-moth P cerussella was an out of season oddball

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 2:18 PM

Small (7mm) but perfectly formed, the Small Marbled, an immigrant moth it will breed in the UK in a hot summer #MothsMatter

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 11:50 AM

13th October

A murky, damp and very windy night - conditions that dragged on for a while after dawn - didn't look at all likely to have done us any favours and once the clearance arrived fieldwork largely drew a blank. The Red-backed Shrike did resurface at the Bill, with a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Cetti's Warbler also likely to be lingerers but a Merlin, a Reed Bunting and fair numbers of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were all that could be mustered on the ground. It was just as slow overhead, with a handful of Siskins the only variety amongst the trickle of departing Swallows and Linnets. With the wind quickly veering into the northwest the only worthwhile rewards from the sea were 3 Arctic Terns and 2 Arctic Skuas.

After being missed yesterday the Red-backed Shrike resurfaced in today's pleasantly warm sunshine ©  Mark Eggleton:


Two Arctic Skuas passing the Bill in the altogether grimmer conditions immediately after dawn © Debby Saunders:

Portland Day 2 - Note the scenic image of where an American Pipit should have been! One of the many coves and mini-beaches checked after a very unproductive morning seawatch. The leafier areas around Wakeham/Mermaid looked superb this afternoon but equally as quiet for now...

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 4:17 PM

12th October

For a day that dawned downright miserably - windy, mizzly and with almost no visibility - and promised nothing more than a nice lie-in, being salvaged by a half-decent seawatch seemed like a pretty good result, with totals of 2500 auks, 1000 Kittiwakes, 14 Arctic Skuas, 13 Sooty Shearwaters, 12 Common Scoter, 2 Great Skuas and singles of Great Northern Diver, Common Tern and Arctic Tern accumulated at the Bill. There were a few new arrivals on the land that included 4 Redwings and 10 Song Thrushes amongst the light scatter of Wheatears, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs at the Bill.

Portland Day 1 - Yes, I'm at it again! A slow start with strong S wind + stubborn drizzle, eventually a few hundred meters of sea became visible so that was the order of the day! 13 Sooty, 9 Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Arctic and Common Tern, GN Diver, 2k Auks, 800 Kittiwake, better than expected!

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 5:33 PM

Good to chat with Martin Cade watch Red-backed Shrike & a 2 mm long extremophile beetle Octhebius lejolisii, somehow it survives in splash zone pools with extremes of heat and dessication, true survivors that will probably still be going strong when we are all gone! @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

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— John Walters (@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 7:46 AM

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, Crown Estate Fields, @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social Dorset yesterday

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— John Walters (@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 11:29 PM

11th October

The return of quiet conditions was welcome and produced plenty of passage although perhaps not quite the quantity of grounded arrivals that might have been hoped after a turbulent interlude. The day's numbers were overhead, with 2450 Wood Pigeons, 420 Linnets, 200 Meadow Pipits, 140 alba wagtails, 70 Goldfinches, 60 Skylarks, 45 Chaffinches and 24 Stock Doves the higher totals amongst the morning movers over the Bill. On the ground, 100 Chiffchaffs and 40 Blackcaps made up the bulk of the Bill totals, with the lingering Red-backed Shrike and Cetti's Warbler, at least 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Dartford Warblers and 2 Long-tailed Tits providing the best of the quality there; at least another 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were elsewhere on the island. Two Wigeon, a Brent Goose and an Arctic Skua were the pick from some unrewarding seawatching at the Bill.

Redstart at Sweethill and Reed Bunting at the Bill amongst the day's grounded arrivals Pete Saunders & Martin Cade:



This Great Spotted Woodpecker trapped at the Obs was the eighth ringed this year - an all-time record for Portland © Martin Cade: 

10th October

What with a nagging, stiff northwesterly a constant feature routine birding wasn't easy again today but there was some movement to tap into, notably including the first signs of Wood Pigeons getting going, with 360 leaving to the south at the Bill. The Red-backed Shrike lingered on to entertain weekend visitors, with a continuing Short-eared Owl also on offer at the Bill. Sheltered spots still harboured plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs but beyond these and the likes of a Redstart and a Goldcrest at the Bill there wasn't really much to excite in the common migrant line. A lone Balearic Shearwater was the only worthwhile sighting on the sea.

9th October

A stiff westerly that set in overnight freshened towards gale force as the day went on and scuppered most serious fieldwork today. The Red-backed Shrike was still present in the Crown Estate Field, singles of Merlin and Short-eared Owl were new at the Bill and 2 Purple Sandpipers were still present there but otherwise little more was logged on the land than a scatter of Chiffchaffs in sheltered spots and the Ferrybridge Brent Goose flock that had increased to 116. Singles of Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua passed through on the sea at the Bill.

A settled Short-eared Owl in Top Fields a nice find for Verity on her way down to the Obs this morning; ta to Jack Crowe for the photo

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 9:37 AM

Ferrybridge this morning 116 Brent Geese, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Wheatear

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM

Strong SW winds and rain overnight with gale force winds aii day at PBO @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social curtailed any mist netting and ringing. In this my last missive before return to Cardiff I must thank 'birdwhisperer' Martin Cade & Jodie Mae Henderson for company & the pictures used over 13 days.

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— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 9:06 PM

Southern Bridled Green @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social photographed 08/10/26 with a Brindled Green for comparison taken on the same day at Dartford, thanks to @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social - a handful of records from Dorset and a recent one from Scilly. @saturdaycatbird.bsky.social

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— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 8:22 PM

8th October

While quantity was again a feature, with Blackcap and Chiffchaff both topping 150 on the ground at the Bill alone and lots of overhead passage to get amongst, quality won out today with a new Red-backed Shrike trapped in the Crown Estate Field stealing the show. As has been the case so far this month, Meadow Pipit, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Linnet dominated the grounded totals, but further interest at the Bill included singles of Snipe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler and Dartford Warbler. Overhead totals at the Bill included 850 Meadow Pipits, 375 alba wagtails, 360 Linnets, 140 Goldfinches, 50 Chaffinches, 35 Skylarks and 16 Song Thrushes, with a lone Woodlark the best of the oddities. Offshore, 2000 auks and 400 Mediterranean Gulls passed the Bill but there was precious little else of note.

On the ground, Chiffchaffs are still pretty abundant and are popping up all over the place, often well away from their usual haunts in the trees...


...but, scarcities aside, a lot of today's interest came from overhead passage with, amongst others, the strongest passages of alba wagtails and Song Thrushes so far this autumn and yet another Great Spotted Woodpecker © Martin Cade:


Red-backed Shrike and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the hand this morning © Nick Hopper:



Dawn at PBO @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social with lightish N wind saw an exciting day of ringing with a 1stYm Dartford Warbler followed by a 1Y Red backed Shrike then Comm Snipe and GS Woodpkr. 133 birds of 14 species.incl 60CC, 53 Blcp, 3Song Th. were ringed. Oct. total now is 1061 birds of 36 spcs.

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— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM

7th October

Today saw a rather unhelpful set of conditions to contend with as persistent bands of rain for the better half of the morning were gradually replaced by an increasingly blustery and cold northwest wind. Despite this, it was clear that the overnight rain had dropped a few migrants our way, with Chiffchaffs once again in bountiful supply as well as a single Redwing from the Obs garden and, from the comparative shelter of private gardens at Southwell and Weston respectively, new arrivals in the form of both Barred Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler. Whilst the looming grey clouds seemed to dissuade many of the routine diurnal movers from departing over the island, several scarcer birds were recorded overhead with singles of Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Short-eared Owl and Marsh Harrier at the Bill/Southwell. Unsurprisingly there were those that decided to stick it out in the dreary weather, with the lingering Cetti's Warbler still at Culverwell and yesterday's Hobby continuing its aerial assault on the migrant Red Admirals.

This morning's Cattle Egret over the Bill - still nowhere near frequent enough here not to demand attention © Jodie Henderson:
  

Heavy rain overnight not clearing until noon was followed by gusty N/NW winds at PBO. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social Limited to only a few nets 32 birds eventually ringed, 22 CC, 8 Blackcap, 1 Wren & 1 Song Thrush. Crown Estate field with cover and two new ponds excavated. Hobby obs bird of the day.

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— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
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