20th May

20th May: Apart from the day's sea happenings it was quiet on the migration front; hirundines continued to trickle thru with a single Hobby also arriving in off; 2 Spot Flys the only new grounded arrivals at the Bill; waders up a little at Ferrybridge including 40 Dunlin, 30 Sanderling & 8 Turnstone

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 20, 2026 at 10:26 PM

Still a bit of sea passage this mrng even if a lot of the views/photos were on the shoddy side in increasingly dreary/mizzly conditions; Bill totals: 9 Arctic Skuas, 2 GNDivers, singles of RtDiver, Balearic Shearwater & Pom Skua, Manx reduced to just a few dozens

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 20, 2026 at 12:35 PM

We've been really pleased just lately to receive several interesting updates on breeding birds in the Chesil/Portland Harbour area. Guy Hayden and his team who ring gull chicks on the harbour breakwaters have made several preliminary visits in recent weeks to keep an eye on happenings at this site that for obvious reasons gets pretty well no coverage from the wider birding public. Guy reports that on 20th April there were five active Canada Goose nests with eggs on the breakwaters but by 10th May only two of these were still occupied - one with three goslings and an egg, and the other with three eggs. Visits on 10th and 15th May also saw the discovery of two Shelduck nests (with 11 and 15 eggs respectively) and three active Oystercatcher nests.

Canada Goose nest containing three goslings and an egg...


...and the two Shelduck nests © Guy Hayden:


Meanwhile the Chesil Little Terns seem to be settling in well, with several three figure counts in the wider vicinity. Among the colour-ring sightings have been an individual - dark green 178 - that was ringed as an adult on 29th March this year at La Langue de Barbarie National Park, Senegal; we'd guess that by that date it would have been on the return leg of its journey back to Chesil from a wintering site further south in West Africa. Among the returnees at the colony this year are yellow PV0 that was first ringed as a nestling at Gronant, North Wales, in 2022, and dark green AP9 and AB9 that were both first ringed as nestlings at Kilcoole, Ireland, in 2021 - all three of these birds have been seen previously at Chesil in breeding seasons between 2023 and 2025. Many thanks to John Dadds for passing on the details of these sightings and for the photographs below of two of these individuals. As a further example of colony switching, Chantal Macleod-Nolan has passed us details of yellow Z02 that was ringed as a nesting at Chesil in 2017 and was seen again as an adult in the colony during the 2019 breeding season; however, in three subsequent seasons (2021, 2023 and again during April this year) it's been observed in a colony at Westkapelle, The Netherlands.


And finally some Little Tern video from @johnluk

19th May

19th May: mostly about seawatchihg today, apart from the Fea's type Petrel, c1000 Manx, 33 Com Scoter, 10 Sanderling, 3 GNDiver, 2 RtDiver, 2 Arctic Skua, 2 Pom Skua, singles GCGrebe, YLGull & Bonxie; 8 Spot Fly & 2 CC new on the land - very weirdly CC still running at twice the nos of WW this month

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 10:27 PM

A Fea's type Petrel east off the Bill at c09:00 - seen briefly but well going past mid-distance with a Manx but lost while then trying to photograph it. Being looked for constantly from the Bill and the Obs since then but still no further sign so presumed to have moved through rather than lingered.

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 9:48 AM

Four and half hours more at the Bill tip and no further sign of the Fea's Petrel - the way it suddenly/inexplicably vanished suggested it might have landed but if it did it seems not to have lingered. Constant trickle of sev hundred Manx throughout the watch mainly heading away west into Lyme Bay

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 2:09 PM

A flavour of this morning's seawatch...

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 2:30 PM

...and some of the skuas - unfortunately we missed the 2 Poms that were just before we arrived

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 2:32 PM

Evening seawatch - just in case: another c300 Manx Shearwaters with about equal movement in both directions but few actually lingering; passing Great Crested Grebe a bit of a Bill oddity.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 10:13 PM

18th May

18th May: waders slightly up incl 72 Dunlin, 42 Ringed Plovers, 42 Sanderling & 3 Barwits at Ferrybridge; passerine passage very subdued in indifferent damp and breezy conditions with 3 Spot Flys the best of it at the Bill; 2 GNDivers through off the Bill + c300 Manx milling around

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 18, 2026 at 9:56 PM

17th May

17th May: light scatter of Spotted Flycatchers made up the bulk of passerine arrivals; sea quiet until the evening when 300 Manx, 80 Kittiwakes and a Pomarine Skua passed the Bill; 25 Sanderlings at Ferrybridge.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 10:44 PM

Some riots of colour at Portland this weekend (staying at the bird obs as always) with Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) in Crown Estate Field and Thrift (Armeria maritima) on the slopes today. Bit late for #wildflowerhour camera issues!

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— John Martin (@pilning.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 9:12 PM

Some Portland specialities too (well I see more of them here than I do anywhere) - Pale Flax (Linum bienne) and Yellow Vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca) - both of which seem to be having a good year at the Bill. #wildflowerhour

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— John Martin (@pilning.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 9:22 PM

Decent amounts of sunshine at Portland despite the often chilly breeze so some nice butterflies seen including Adonis Blue, Wall, Dingy Skipper. Painted Lady, Small Heath and others. #mybutterflyyear #ukbutterflies #ukwildlife

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— John Martin (@pilning.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 9:31 PM

16th May


16th May: a fair bit of migration on all fronts; hirundines arriving all day along with singles of Marsh Harrier & Hobby also in off; grounded arrivals at the Bill included 6 Spot Flys & 5 Reed Ws, with 14 Sanderlings at Ferrybridge; 2 Arctic Skuas and singles GNDiver, BtDiver & Bonxie thru on sea.

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 16, 2026 at 11:22 PM

Haven't seen any mention of them in flower elsewhere on Portland yet this year but this evening a Bee Orchid on one of the roped-off grassland restoration plots in front of the Bill lighthouse

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 16, 2026 at 11:33 PM

After a complete moth migrant blank yesterday, last night a little better at the Obs with the year's first Delicate and the fourth White-speck in five nights of note amongst a handful of more routine things

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 16, 2026 at 8:42 AM

15th May

 

15th May: In the context of the spring as a whole, today's migrant arrival was pretty impressive and included Bill totals of 40 Reed Ws, 20 Spot Flys and 15 Sedge Ws on the ground and 300 Swallows and 50 House Martins through overhead; 3 GNDivers and a RtDiver through on the sea.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 15, 2026 at 10:27 PM

After a long migration hiatus, decent rewards on the ringing front today with 73 mainly migrants ringed at the Bill; plenty of variety incl 25 Reed Ws (+ 2 controls, both first ringed last yr in Devon), 9 Wthroats, 8 Sedge W, 7 Spot Flys, 4 CCs, 4 Bcaps, 3 WWs, 2 Garden Ws and a Lesser Wthroat

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 15, 2026 at 9:59 PM

Reed Warbler in full flow at the Obs just now - they're well into double figures this morning

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 15, 2026 at 7:24 AM


blacknor gully, adonis blue, common blue, holly blue, small blue, small copper, large white, small white, clouded yellow, painted lady, wall brown, small heath, dingy skipper, no lulworths yet, like large skipper always late in the gully.

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) May 15, 2026 at 9:57 PM

the raven's continuing their predation of guillemot eggs by the looks

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) May 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM

14th May

 

14th May: always chilly and by the afternoon quite showery to boot; migration-wise, arctic waders made up all the nos incl 79 Dunlin, 44 RPs & 24 Sanderling at Ferrybridge with sev of each also passing the Bill along with a GNDiver & a Mallard; grounded and vismig passerines pretty well absent.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 10:05 PM

13th May

 

13th May: brutal NW'ly made birding really hard work today; 3 Spot Flys the only grounded arrivals of note at the Bill, with Sanderlings increased to 50 at Ferrybridge; single Arctic Skua and c500 Manx through off the Bill.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 13, 2026 at 11:15 PM

And thanks to Alan Mayell for popping us through a couple of recent trail-cam photos from his garden at Southwell; Badgers are quite regular there so not a huge surprise but much better value was a Turtle Dove that dropped in last Sunday 10th (a day when human observers didn't see a Turtle Dove anywhere else but quite briefly in the Obs garden) - how long before we dip out on a really gripping rarity that get detected in these circumstances!:


12th May

12th May: apart from the Subalpine Warbler, quiet for grounded passerine arrivals today although waders increased at Ferrybridge incl 46 Sanderling; steady passage of arriving Swallows all day; 24 Sanderling and 1 RtDiver through on the sea; 14 migrants ringed with CCs still outnumbering WWs

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 12, 2026 at 10:52 PM

First-summer female Subalpine Warbler trapped at the Obs and just released in the Obs Quarry - if we had to put money on it it's a Western but tail mostly v worn juvenile so no help!

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 12, 2026 at 12:33 PM


A bit more detail on the Subalpine Warbler © Martin Cade: 




Not surprisingly considering the dip in temperature, overnight mothing at the Obs rather uneventful but the summers's first Pine Knot-horn a nice stray/migrant. Nice random find by day of the not often noticed but probably quite common day-flyer Fruitlet-mining Tortrix.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) May 12, 2026 at 10:42 PM

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:

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