11th May

 

11th May: nothing more than odd ones and twos of the commonest migrants grounded at the Bill today; yesterday's Firecrest still about at the Obs; good eastbound movement of c500 Manx developed offshore during the evening; 15 Sanderling amongst the waders at Ferrybridge.

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 10:35 PM

And folk wonder why we talk about ecological breakdowns: in the past on this sort of date, today's brisk, chilly headwind would have been a dead cert to produce a strong passage of Swifts and a good fall of migrants; today we logged 3 Swifts and 28 nets - many open for 10 hours - caught 5 migrants!

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 10:07 PM

A much reduced moth catch at the Obs on a much chillier night so an early migrant White-speck was unexpected; 10 Diamond-backs, 2 Tunips and singles of Rusty-dot Pearl and Silver Y the only other migrants.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 9:33 AM

Were probably hoping for a better 'first ever in a mist-net at Portland' but we'll take this Hairy Dragonfly from the Crown Estate Field nets just now - still a good rare here although expected to increase

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 12:17 PM

10th May


10th May. Turtle Dove still at the Obs today + an unseasonable new Firecrest. Inconclusive, long range views of might have been another Honey Buzzard. Roseate Tern and Balearic Shearwater off the Bill both firsts for the year. Grey Plover new amongst a small increase in waders at Ferrybridge.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 12:01 AM

9th May

On the back of another woefully inadequate tally of common migrants today actually managed to come good with a nice selection of local goodies: 3 Turtle Doves - singles at Sweethill, Tout Quarry and trapped at the Obs - was as large a day total of this increasingly rare migrant as has been recorded on the island for many years, a Honey Buzzard arriving in off at Freshwater Bay was the second earliest record ever for Portland and a Nightjar at dusk on Bill Hill was a nice sighting of a migrant that's only just about annual here; 2 Little Ringed Plovers arriving in off at the Bill also weren't to be sniffed at locally. Imaginative accounting might just about get Chiffchaff into double figures for the day at the Bill where the odd ones and twos of other usually routine arrivals included singles of Hobby, Yellow Wagtail and Reed Warbler; Ferrybridge chipped in with 16 Sanderlings amongst others. Despite continuing seemingly perfect conditions the sea remained hopeless, with 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Northern Divers and a Red-throated Diver the best off the Bill; another Great Northern Diver remained in Portland Harbour.

The Honey Buzzard passing over Freshwater Bay © Jodie Henderson:


The lingering Turtle Dove at Sweethill...


...some of the Sanderlings at Ferrybridge...


...and some Mad May Hares on Chesil at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:


The very long-staying Mandarin that's decidedly dodgy but occasionally mobile enough to stray as far as a garden pond at Sweethill © Nick Stantiford:


A beautifully pristine Adonis Blue at Tout Quarry this afternoon © Paul Pearson:


Adult Female Turtle Dove rung at @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social this afternoon. An absolutely stunning bird and my first for several years #UKBirding #DorsetBirds

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— Tim Phillips (@southhamsbirder.bsky.social) May 9, 2026 at 1:52 PM

8th May

Another day of bearing witness to the ecological breakdown. Ordinarily, there'd be high hopes for a day of easterlies on this date but as the years pass those hopes are increasingly being dashed and today certainly panned out well on the debit side. The sea perhaps promised most but utterly failed to deliver, with 3 Arctic Skuas, a Grey Plover, a Curlew and 9 Oystercatchers the best that could be mustered from plenty of looking off the Bill and Chesil. The conditions were rather too nice to have expected a big arrival on the land but a paltry 9 migrants trapped and ringed at the three Bill ringing sites was a fair reflection on how poor it was everywhere, with only 2 Turtle Doves at Sweethill and 2 Redpolls and a Yellowhammer at the Bill providing any reward from all the fieldwork.




7th May

This weeks migration returns have got poorer by the day, with little to shout about today beyond a Black Tern through at Ferrybridge, a Short-eared Owl at the Bill and the lingering Turtle Dove still at Sweethill. Chiffchaffs continued to top the grounded totals even though they only managed 25 at the Bill, where Swallows were arriving quite steadily and would likely have totalled 500 or more had their passage been fully quantified. Other than that there was little worthy of comment beyond another 2 Great Northern Divers through off the Bill.

For the most part it was bafflingly poor on the sea today - what more did we need on this date than a seemingly perfect gentle easterly? - although the sighting by someone who wasn't actually seawatching of this Black Tern passing over Ferrybridge suggests that perhaps Chesil rather than the Bill was the place to have been looking (...although in our attempt there this evening we logged next to nothing!) © John Dadds:


The day's most interesting new arrival at the Bill was this late Short-eared Owl © Martin Cade:



Little Tern fishing by the bridge at Ferrybridge early this morning

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 10:31 AM

6th May

Pretty quiet all round today, with hopes that early dampness and a distinct dip in the temperature might drop some migrants largely coming to nothing. With little in quantity or of particular note amongst the scatter of routines on the ground or overhead it was left to the lingering Turtle Dove at Sweethill to provide the land's highpoint; of interest amongst the common migrants was the continuing preponderance of Chiffchaffs over Willow Warblers - at the Bill today the ratio of 45 Chiffchaffs to 15 Willow Warbler was the reverse of what would usually be expected in early May. For the most part the sea was just as quiet, with 6 Great Northern Divers through off the Bill easily the highlight; elsewhere, the lingering Red-necked Grebe remained in Portland Harbour.

One of the six Great Northern Divers through off the Bill this morning - now in full summer plumage they're always one of the real highlights of early May migration © Pete Saunders:


Sadly rather too far out in Portland Harbour this evening to fully appreciate the beauty of its summer plumage, the lingering Red-necked Grebe off Sandsfoot Castle did nonetheless still look pretty decent through a scope © Martin Cade:


Rather more notable than most of the day's birds, this Hairy Dragonfly right at the Bill tip near Pulpit Rock is as far as we know only the third record for the island of a species that in recent years has increased dramatically on the nearby mainland © Jake Bailey:

5th May

A wide swathe of lingering rain along the Brittany and Normandy coasts seemingly put paid to our chances of quantities of grounded and overhead arrivals today. We were fortunate that one of the relatively few birds that did make it through was a Golden Oriole that made a fleeting visit to Culverwell during the morning; providing a bit of quality back up, the Sweethill Turtle Dove was also still about, as was a Cuckoo in the Church Ope area, although considerably more gripping was news received later of a Red-crested Pochard - only the second record for Portland - settled off Grove Point during the morning before flying off north. Quality and quantity were otherwise hard to come by: 30 Chiffchaffs provided the only double-figure common migrant total on the ground at the Bill where Swallows were reduced to a trickle overhead and 3 Great Northern Divers, 2 Red-throated Diver and an Arctic Skua were the pick of what little was on the move offshore.

Routine fare putting on good shows at the Bill include an abundance of singing Whitethroats...


...and plenty of Orange-tip butterflies © Geoff Orton:


Slightly sad state of affairs on two counts that today's green-and-yellow ringing highlight wasn't the Golden Oriole that briefly entered one of our ringing areas but this Greenfinch that's only the third ringed here this year - last year we only ringed one! Day's migrant tally down to just 36 birds

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM

Reduced numbers of migrant moths at the Obs last night: 71 Diamond-backs, 19 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Silver Y, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Turnip, 1 Small Mottled Willow; Maiden's Blush a stray of interest.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 5, 2026 at 10:24 AM

4th May

Decent returns again today, at least as long some early cloud persisted overhead - once that made way for blue skies and warm sunshine the migrants were on their way in haste. The chief rewards around the south of the island were 3 Cuckoos - 2 at the Bill and another at Southwell - a Turtle Dove at Sweethill and a Corn Bunting at the Bill. Totals from the Bill of more routine fare included 80 Whitethroats, 40 Chiffchaffs, 35 Willow Warblers, 12 Sedge Warblers, 10 Reed Warblers and 10 Garden Warblers, whilst waders at Ferrybridge included 14 Sanderling and 6 Bar-tailed Godwits. Overhead passage was very poorly covered and, judging by the number of Swallows still arriving over Chesil during the evening, a steady movement may well have been overlooked once the sky cleared; a lone Hobby over the Bill was the best of what was logged. Sporadic strong movements of Gannets have been a feature of this spring, with another 570 through off the Bill during the morning; singles of Red-throated Diver and Pomarine Skua were best of what little else was on the move offshore.

There were only two records of Cuckoo on Portland last year so the four in the last two days have been very well received © Jodie Henderson:


And these days any Turtle Doves are very welcome indeed - this one was at the traditional hotspot of the lawn of a private garden at Sweethill © Debby Saunders:


Sedge Warbler © Martin Cade and Greenland/Iceland Wheatear © Nick Hopper at the Bill this morning:



Quite rewarding on the ringing front again today, particularly under patchy cloud at dawn - sadly, the migrants upped and left very quickly as soon as the sky cleared a couple of hours into the morning. Bill total of 81 included 26 Whitethroats, 16 CCs, 13 WWs, 6 Sedge W, 5 Reed W & 5 Garden W.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 4, 2026 at 9:52 PM

Big increase in common migrant moths at the Obs last night: 147 Diamond-backs, 13 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Small Mottled Willow, 4 Rush Veneer, 4 Silver Y, 4 Turnip, 3 Dark Sword Grass + 2 Painted Ladies; Painted Ladies abundant around the Bill area this morning.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 4, 2026 at 12:02 PM

think i got to 12 species for certain, almost sure i had a very brief glimpse of a lulworth too and probably common blue in flight.

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) May 4, 2026 at 10:11 PM

mainly butterflies today but a late wheatear through tout, barn owl and little owl at verne moat and a couple of lesser whitethroat belting it out, this one along the moat perimeter fence

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) May 4, 2026 at 10:07 PM

3rd May

A huge improvement today with heavily overcast skies and millpond calmness dropping a succession of migrants that included the year's first Turtle Doves (singles at the Bill and Sweethill) and Cuckoo (one at France Quarry). Migrant totals from the Bill area included 60 Whitethroats, 40 Willow Warblers, 20 each of Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff, and 15 Wheatears with most of the other early May species represented in lower numbers; wader arrivals included 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Sanderling, 6 Whimbrel and a Grey Plover at Ferrybridge. Returns from the sea included 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Pomarine Skuas and 2 Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.

The first of today's two Turtle Doves © Nick Hopper (top) and Peter Saunders (bottom):



And a fine specimen of a Pomarine Skua through off the Bill © Pete Saunders:


Bit of a sea change on the ringing front at the Bill today - about time too! 79 new birds with the total of 19 species the highest so far this year. Whitethroats strongly to the fore on 22, Willow Warbler next best on 14.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 3, 2026 at 6:39 PM

A Brindled Beauty from the Grove the pick of last night's moth catch - still fewer the 10 records for the island. Migrant totals at the Obs: 55 Diamond-backs, 18 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Silver Y, 2Turnip, 1 Small Mottled Willow. Despite cloudy skies Painted Ladies everywhere about the island by day.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 3, 2026 at 10:31 PM

And a little bit of nocmig action from last night: we actually happened to step outside to see if there was anything audible just as this flock of Ringed Plovers and Dunlins were circling around over the Obs - it had fogged up at the time (the Bill lighthouse fog signal is sounding every 20 seconds during this recording) and the bright lights of the Obs garden moth-traps were illuminating the fog enough that it seemed like the waders were temporarily disorientated and whirring around just overhead:

2nd May

Really quite depressing outcomes from today's proceedings, with the transition to more unsettled conditions - it even rained for a couple of hours during the afternoon - producing the poorest of returns on all fronts. The fact that just 8 migrants were trapped and ringed at our three trapping sites at the Bill in outwardly perfect mist-netting conditions spoke volumes for the paucity of new arrivals on the ground, with only ones or twos of Whinchat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher providing any interest for the fieldworkers in the wider area. The inexorable progress through the morning of a rain band arriving off the Channel likely stopped diurnal passage, with a single Hobby over Chesil after the rain had cleared the only migrant of note overhead. The sea was crushingly duff during the morning when 2 Arctic Skuas provided the only interest off the Bill; a flurry of activity after the rain saw a small movement of Manx Shearwaters develop and 21 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Whimbrel pass over Chesil.

1st May

Not the most auspicious of starts to the new month, with the beginnings of the first major change in the overall weather pattern for several weeks not delivering anywhere near as much as might have been hoped - maybe the further changes reported to be afoot will offer more for us? Grounded migrant numbers did pick up, with Chiffchaffs surprisingly still well ahead of Willow Warblers - 50:30 at the Bill - everywhere; the disappointment was the lack of a varied supporting cast, with little of particular note amongst the odd ones and two of expected fare. A more Yellow Wagtails and singles of Hobby and Redpoll passed over at the Bill but even the return of blazing sunshine by the afternoon didn't really perk hirundine numbers up. One again the sea offered a fair bit of salvation with a steady eastbound passage of Kittiwakes a surprise development - 285 passed through off the Bill during the morning with unquantified movement continuing there during the afternoon and off Chesil during the evening; 18 Whimbrel, 4 (Dark-bellied?) Brent Geese, 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Great Northern Diver were among the other movers offshore. Also on the water, a late Red-necked Grebe was a new arrival in Portland Harbour.

Sedge Warbler at Sweethill today © Debby Saunders:

30th April

With the exception of occasional assemblages of Wheatears and wagtails on the freshly ploughed ground at the Bill there looked to be few new grounded passerine arrivals in today continuing blasting easterly. It was also quieter overhead where singles of Hobby and Redpoll were the pick of some otherwise uninspiring vismig over the Bill. The sea was the day's honourable exception on the numbers front, with some good totals of waders in particular accumulated from Chesil and the Bill that included 212 Bar-tailed Godwits, 107 Whimbrel, 50 Sanderling, 35 Dunlin, 10 Grey Plovers and a Little Ringed Plover; 55 Common Scoter, 4 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Shoveler and 2 Arctic Skuas also passed by offshore. Waders pitching in at Ferrybridge included 4 Sanderlings and a Grey Plover.

Quite how Portland managed just four Pomarine Skuas - and these didn't pass until really late in the evening - out of what's likely to prove to be this spring's 'Pom Day' in the English Channel was one of the peculiarities of the day; however, it is an odd thing that we've noticed many times before that conditions that are particularly favourable for Poms further up Channel are often not those that bring them close to shore at Portland/Chesil © Jodie Henderson:

Waders featured throughout the day and were still passing over Chesil as dusk coincided with moonrise © Pete Saunders (top two) and Martin Cade (bottom two):




The Crown Estate Field tillage was still worth attention, with this White Wagtail amongst numerous Yellow Wagtails and Wheatears again today © Martin Cade:


Amazing numbers of Little Tern off Chesil, I counted 100+ in one sweep. Part of the swarm in the photo! Decent enough otherwise with 80+ Barwit, 45+ Whimbrel, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Shoveler, 15 Sanderling, 25 Scoter. Sadly no Skuas today. Best from a very poor trap was this nfy Seraphim.


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— Paul Harris (@paulupwey.bsky.social) April 30, 2026 at 11:01 AM

Sure sign it's poor for birds when the local school call in on us and there are so few migrants coming from the mist-nets that for some hands-on natural history we're reduced to pond-dipping for newts with them!

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 30, 2026 at 2:44 PM

29th April

To some extent, it wasn't certain whether today's lacklustre show on the ground was down to a lack of migrants or the strength of the blasting easterly keeping things hidden. The feel from the few mist-nets it was possible to open at the Obs was that warblers and the like were in short supply (the day's ringing total there was the lowest of the month), but nice afternoon gatherings of Wheatears and Yellow Wagtails in places out in the open suggested maybe diurnal arrivals were still dropping in. Aerial action was noticeably greater than it had been yesterday, with the steady passage of Swifts and hirundines having 3 Hobbies tagging along. The sea was as tricky to fathom as the land, with 40 Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 Black Terns, 2 each of Shoveler, Arctic Skua and Pomarine Skua, and singles of Red-throated, Black-throated and Great Northern Diver amounting to a decent tally off the Bill where there still seemed to be long spells when next to nothing was passing. A Greenshank was the pick of a limited selection of new arrivals at Ferrybridge, whilst an extremely late Black-necked Grebe was in Portland Harbour off Sandsfoot Castle.

Passing Swifts featured more strongly than they have done on any day so far this spring © Martin Cade:


Bar-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge and Spotted Flycatcher at Southwell were among the day's grounded migrants © Pete Saunders:



We're not at all sure for how much longer we'll qualify for Government largesse what with there being wholesale changes afoot in the manner in which they support conservation initiatives in the countryside but we're very happy to accept their funding of our land management programme via a Mid-tier Stewardship agreement while that structure still exists. This week our contractor has been working on the fields in preparation for planting the latest rotation of wildlife-friendly sacrificial crops - we're particularly keen on this period since at least for a few weeks we have many acres of plough and, before the crops germinate, open ground to scrutinise for wagtails, Wheatears, chats and, for example, the likes of Short-toed Lark and Tawny Pipit that are just two of the rares that have put in appearances over the years during this window of opportunity:


This year the habitat looks particularly enticing because there's a nice mix of fresh plough and well-established crops to keep an eye on - often in the past the previous year's crops have not been of good enough quality to leave in situ but this year some patches still look superb and will not be replaced:


The open ground certainly acts like a magnet for migrants and was today festooned with Yellow and White Wagtails, Greenland Wheatears, Whinchats and the like © Martin Cade:


28th April

Dawn looked to again be disappointingly quiet but a cloudier and drab spell that unfolded a little way into the morning saw migrants drop in steadily, with 40 Wheatears and 30 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff joined by the first 10 Spotted Flycatchers of the spring along with a varied selection of less frequents that included 10 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Sedge Warblers, 5 Garden Warblers, 2 Redstarts and singles of White Wagtail, Whinchat, Reed Warbler and Ring Ouzel; overhead arrivals at this time included 40 Swifts, 2 Hobbies and an Osprey although the usually commoner diurnal migrants like hirundines were oddly few. The sea was also rather quiet, with 200 Manx Shearwaters, 14 Common Scoter, 3 Great Northern Divers and 3 Arctic Skua logged at the Bill and 20 Whimbrel through at Chesil where the lingering Mediterranean Gull total topped three figures. 

Lesser Whitethroats were really well represented in today's arrival of migrants - this one was visiting a garden at Sweethill © Pete Saunders:

Suggestions of a little bit more happening so far this morning in much cooler, drabber and breezier conditions: first Spotted Flycatcher of the season, 2 LWTs and 2 Sedge Warblers from the mist-nets; a Ring Ouzel seen at Culverwell

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 28, 2026 at 10:09 AM

27th April

Measly returns again on all fronts today in conditions - at least by the afternoon - more akin to high summer than mid-spring. Five Yellow Wagtails, 4 Whinchats, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers and singles of Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat provided a modicum of variety amongst the thin spread of Wheatears and phylloscs at the Bill, where overhead passage was a surprise non-event, consisting of little more than the lightest of trickles of Swallows and House Martins. The sea fared no better, with 28 Bar-tailed Godwits, 26 Common Scoter, 25 Whimbrel, 4 Shelducks, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua the best of a very bad job at the Bill.

Beautiful vistas, enticing habitat but conditions still way, way too nice today to drop many migrants - this Redstart one of the few of note amongst the meagre dozen trapped between the Obs and the Crown Estate Field this morning

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 2:12 PM

4 or 5 small blue at the church ope cove end of bottomcombe today , a dingy skipper there was also nfy for me today and more bizarrely red admiral. several wall brown at yeolands quarry pool but no dragons of any sort.

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 6:51 PM

always think of ivy broomrape as the portland plant, this one at church ope cove today

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 6:48 PM

26th April

A day that won't live long in the memory for anyone but the two seawatchers who were in the right spot at the right moment when an early morning Surf Scoter passed by close off the Bill; we can't say we didn't feel there was some poetic justice in it being missed by the seawatchers on the Obs patio since we're always banging on to folk to get out and do some fieldwork away from the patio - in this case we're sure the scoter looked beautiful as it rounded the Obelisk at close range with its big white nape patch shining like a beacon in the early morning sun! In all other respects the day's seawatching was pretty grim, with 48 Common Scoter, 40 Bar-tailed Godwits, 23 Whimbrel, 6 Red-throated Divers, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua the pick from plenty of hours of watching at Chesil and the Bill. The land was certainly no better, with the most modest of arrivals of phylloscs containing in their midst little of note beyond 2 Lesser Whitethroats and a Common Sandpiper.

It's great to see the Little Terns back in such strength in the vicinity of their breeding colony on Chesil © Pete Saunders:


After a slow start, Whimbrels have been a featuring in really good numbers over the last fortnight both on active passage offshore or taking a break at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

At the well today, a very cool recovery of a Willow Warbler previously ringed in Norway. More details to follow once we know them. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social #culverwell #birdringing

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— Mark Cutts (@slashercutts.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 10:28 AM

It was fab to be back bird ringing at Culverwell with @slashercutts.bsky.social this morning. Not many birds but exciting to recover a Willow Warbler previously ringed in Norway as well as a couple of other warblers.

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— Clare Simm (@claraesse.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 11:18 AM

25th April

Diminishing returns really have kicked in and despite the wind abating it remained firmly in the east to continue the recent run of sameyness that migrants have no doubt got entirely accustomed to. It was quiet on all fronts today, with 2 Pomarine Skuas through off the Bill the only highlight. Grounded arrivals were at a premium, with Chiffchaffs outnumbering Willow Warbler amongst the meagre spread of phylloscs and one or two Whinchats the only less regulars on offer at the Bill. Numbers also declined overhead, with 3 Yellow Wagtails and a White Wagtail providing some of the only interest amongst the hirundines. Aside from the Pomarine Skuas, cumulative sea totals from the Bill and Chesil included 120 Whimbrel, 110 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Little Gulls, 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Arctic Skuas.

Today's Ferrybridge miscellany included Shelducks, Mute Swans and a Curlew © Pete Saunders:




Since we happened to mention a few posts ago the frequency with which Coots and Moorhens are logged by the nocmig recorder at the Obs, there was a particularly nice recording of a Coot from a quarter to midnight last night - by the sound of it it flew right over the Obs. To put this in perspective, whilst we have umpteen loggings every year of them passing overhead at night, the last daytime sighting of a Coot at the Bill was eleven years ago and the vast majority of active fieldworkers there don't even have Coot on their Bill list!

24th April

The current spell of easterlies began to lose their shine a little today, with a great deal of the momentum accrued over recent days gradually tapering away under the samey conditions. Overhead migration took the biggest hit, with reduced totals of c500 Swallows, c100 Sand Martins and 13 Yellow Wagtails (coverage was decidedly limited so these totals were very much minima) as well as singles of Kestrel, Merlin and Hobby in-off along the west side. Grounded migrants remained fairly inconspicuous but did include another pulse of 60 Willow Warblers at the Bill plus 2 Whinchats at Reap Lane and a Grasshopper Warbler at the Verne. It was therefore left to the sea to provide the day's chief numbers and variety with an impressive selection from both the Bill and Chesil watchpoints that included 300 Whimbrel, 98 Common Scoter, 38 Grey Plovers, 25 Bar-tailed Godwits, 24 Sanderling, 18 Knot, 10 Little Gulls, 5 Pomarine Skuas, 4 Curlews, 2 Velvet Scoter, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Arctic Skuas and an Eider. The day's chief oddity came during a lull in a seawatching when a Bonaparte's Gull was noticed behind Chesil on the oysterbeds west of Ferrybridge.

A couple of the more interesting sea sightings included these Velvet Scoters and Little Gulls through off the Bill © Martin Cade:



For us, the most frustrating event of the day was finding this evening's Bonaparte's Gull but not really managing to get any meaningful photographs of it. We weren't tapping into much passing off Chesil during our watch from above Ferrybridge so had a look behind us to scope the sandflats for waders; it was then that we noticed a few terns and small gulls flittering about around the abandoned oysterbeds up past the Little Tern colony and on zooming the magnification right up suddenly noticed the unmistakable underwing pattern of a Bonaparte's Gull among them (we just checked on a map and the distance is about 1100m so the views were very, very long range!). It was obviously necessary to get closer which we eventually did after a really knackering slog over the shingle that was made even longer by having to skirt the tern colony. On eventual arrival at a better viewpoint we were initially blindsided by latching onto a settled first-summer Black-headed Gull and being mystified by the features not looking right for Bonaparte's before the bird took flight to reveal it really was just a perfectly obvious Black-headed Gull - you don't half make some stupid decisions when you're in a bit of a flap. A further scan quickly revealed the equally perfectly obvious Bonaparte's - clearly in first-summer plumage but with what in this quick first glance looked to be a complete black hood - that almost instantly took flight and headed away west off up the Fleet. What with still being quite out of breath and with the camera still slung over our back we weren't at all ready for this and by the time we composed ourselves enough to get the rapidly disappearing bird in the frame the results were shocking - with a bit of imagination you can maybe just about make out a well-defined trailing edge to the upperwing and perhaps get the feel for the very pale overall appearance of the wings in flight but that's about it - really frustrating! © Martin Cade:


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