16th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1, Purple Sandpiper 8.

Ferrybridge Mute Swan 2e, Pale-bellied Brent 1e, Grey Plover 1e.

Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 1, Red-necked Grebe 1, Slavonian Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 6.

The Pale-bellied Brent over Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

15th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 5, Redwing 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Southwell Chiffchaff 2.

Easton Redwing 1.

One of the Chiffchaffs at Southwell was showing so well that it was possible to read enough of the ring number to discover that it was an individual ringed at the Obs between 7th and 11th October last autumn - with any luck it'll linger long enough for the number to be read in full © Debby Saunders:


14th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e, Redwing 1, Chiffchaff 1. 

13th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Purple Sandpiper 5, Chiffchaff 2; Common Dolphin 8.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Pennsylvania Castle Chiffchaff 1, Goldcrest 2; Red Admiral 1.

Hamm Beach Great Northern Diver 1e.

The Great Northern Diver over Hamm Beach © Pete Saunders...


...and the Red Admiral at Pennsylvania Castle © Martin Cade:

12th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 5w, Great Northern Diver 1, Common Scoter 1etc, Purple Sandpiper 4, Short-eared Owl 2.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 2.

Ferrybridge Goosander 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 2, Great Northern Diver 3, Red-necked Grebe 1, Slavonian Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 8.

11th January

Portland Bill Purple Sandpiper 8, Redwing 1.

Ferrybridge Knot 5e.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 3, Great Northern Diver 2, Slavonian Grebe 2, Black-necked Grebe 1, Curlew 1.


 

10th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 6w, Common Scoter 2w, Short-eared Owl 2, Redwing 1.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

One of the Southwell Barn Owls that's now into its fifth week in residence in its box © Nick Stantiford:

9th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 2e, Common Scoter 1etc, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 9, Short-eared Owl 2.

Pennsylvania Castle Firecrest 1.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Ferrybridge Shelduck 1, Bar-tailed Godwit 5, Kittiwakes 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 2, Great Northern Diver 1, Red-necked Grebe 1, Slavonian Grebe 1 Black-necked Grebe 8, Red-breasted Merganser 70.


Purple Sandpiper action at the Bill © Pete Saunders and the rather unwell-looking Kittiwake at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders:




8th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 2etc, Merlin 1.

7th January

Portland Bill Common Scoter 5w.

Pennsylvania Castle Firecrest 1. 

6th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 30w, Great Northern Diver 1w, Brent Goose 2w, Chiffchaff 1.

Pennsylvania Castle Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Goldcrest 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 1, Slavonian Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 1.

Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brent 3. 

5th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 3etc, Merlin 1, Short-eared Owl 2, Chiffchaff 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 2, Slavonian Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 4.

4th January

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e, Common Scoter 3etc, Purple Sandpiper 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 2.

3rd January

BOOKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT Back in December we posted a message regarding our plans for a wholesale change of direction with our bookshop and have now got the bit between our teeth with this project. We contacted everyone that we believed still had stock in the shop for sale on a commission basis and several folk got in touch regarding putting their books aside for later collection; if you haven't got in touch but wish us to put your books aside please let us know by the end of this week at the latest or we'll assume that you don't want them. Sad to relate, it's looking like an awful lot of the secondhand stock we have left is all but unsaleable 'rubbish' so it will end up in a skip rather than stay on the shelves for another ten years, however, if you want your books do let us know now!

Portland Bill Common Scoter 3etc, Purple Sandpiper 5, Chiffchaff 1.

Easton Jay 2, Brambling 1.

Chesil Cove Black Redstart 1.

Portland Harbour Red-throated Diver 1, Black-throated Diver 1, Black-necked Grebe 4, Gannet 1, Pale-bellied Brent 1, Goosander 1, Kittiwake 1, Razorbill 6, Guillemot 1.

Black-throated Diver and Goosander at Portland Harbour © Pete Saunders:




Purple Sandpiper at the Bill © Geoff Orton:


And gleaned from a local Facebook page news of both Jay and Brambling in a garden at Easton today (...makes you wonder what else might be lurking out of view in private gardens!) © Joanna Dolbear:

2nd January

Portland Bill Common Scoter 4, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 6, Turnstone 1, Black-headed Gull 1e, Chiffchaff 1.

Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brent 1, Shelduck 1, Bar-tailed Godwit 5, Short-eared Owl 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 2, Great Northern Diver 1.

1st January 2022

Portland Bill Common Scoter 3etc, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 3, Kittiwake >1000, Short-eared Owl 2, Chiffchaff 1.

Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 2, Slavonian Grebe 3, Black-necked Grebe 5.

31st December

Portland Bill Redwing 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Southwell Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brent 1, Shelduck 3, Dunlin 235, Bar-tailed Godwit 5.

Click below for our 2021 Ringing Report:

30th December

Portland Bill diver sp 1, Common Scoter 3etc, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 7, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 1, Slavonian Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 1.

A little selection from the Bill today: Common Scoters, Merlin, Purple Sandpiper, Kittiwakes and Grey Seal © Matthew Barfield






29th December

Portland Bill Common SAcoter 3etc, Merlin 1, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Easton Jay 1.

28th December

Portland Bill Common Scoter 3etc, Blackcap 1. 

Bar-tailed Godwits and Dunlin at Ferrybridge this morning © Roy Norris:




27th December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 3etc, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Southwell Blackcap 2.

26th December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 4etc, Merlin 1, Black Redstart 1, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Ferrybridge Dark-bellied Brent 90, Pale-bellied Brent 4, Shelduck 2, Bar-tailed Godwit 6.

It looks rather like the four resident Bar-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge still haven't taken to suddenly being joined by two of their congeners © Pete Saunders:


John Martin's kindly sent us through this photo of a Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly settled beside the 'new' pool in the Crown Estate Field back at the end of August. Although largely confined in Dorset to sites around the Poole Basin, this species has persisted at times at several sites around Weymouth and even once for a few years in the early 1990s at Yeolands Quarry. It seems to favour poorly vegetated ephemeral pools and wet flushes so it'll be interesting to see if it persists in this spot © John Martin:

25th December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 4e 1w, Brent Goose 2e, Common Scoter 2e 4etc, Redwing 1, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Portland Harbour Goosander 1.

24th December

Portland Bill Black Redstart 2, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 1, Black-necked Grebe 8, Goosander 1.

This morning's Goosander over Hamm Beach © Pete Saunders:


23rd December

Portland Bill Wigeon 4w, Common Scoter 4 etc, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Southwell Blackcap 1.

22nd December

Portland Bill Common Scoter 4etc, Merlin 1, Short-eared Owl 2, Redwing 1, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 2.

Southwell Blackcap 3.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

21st December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 2e, Brent Goose 7e, Merlin 1, Purple Sandpiper 1, Redwing 4, Black Redstart 3, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

20th December

Portland Bill Brent Goose 1, Merlin 1, Redwing 1, Fieldfare 3, Black Redstart 1, Blackcap 1.

Weston Fieldfare 2.

It's nearly three weeks since the last Blackcap was logged at the Bill but even this far into the winter new arrivals can still drop in © Martin Cade:

With an array of interesting grey geese turning up both east and west of us there were any number of possibilities for the solitary goose that hove into view this morning before pitching into the East Cliff fields - sadly, it didn't even turn out to be grey © Martin Cade:

19th December

Portland Bill Common Scoter 3 etc, Merlin1, Lapwing 1, Purple Sandpiper 5, Redwing 5, Fieldfare 1, Black Redstart 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Southwell Black Redstart 1.

Barleycrates Lane Merlin 1.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 1.

18th December

 

A reminder that there's an InFocus field day at the Obs between 10am and 4pm tomorrow, Sunday 19th December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e, Short-eared Owl 3, Black Redstart 3, Chiffchaff 1.

Ferrybridge Black Brant 1, Pale-bellied Brent 5, Dark-bellied Brent 200, Bar-tailed Godwit 4.

It's beginning to look like the Black Brant and this Dark-bellied Brent are paired up © Pete Saunders:


Male Black Redstart at Portland Bill. @PortlandBirdObs @DorsetWildlife @Natures_Voice @BBCSpringwatch #TwitterNatureCommunity pic.twitter.com/Y1p6YSOTtj

17th December

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 3e 7w, Shelduck 1, Common Scoter 2e 4w, Red-breasted Merganser 1, Black Redstart 3, Chiffchaff 2, Brambling 1.

Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brent Goose 5, Sandwich Tern 1.

Portland Harbour Black-throated Diver 1, Black-necked Grebe 10.

Seemingly mixed pairs of Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied Brents have been noted several times at Ferrybridge in recent years, with family parties present during three winters; this winter there are at least two 'dodgy-looking' adults in the flock that might well be a couple of these now grown up youngsters © Pete Saunders:



One of the Southwell Barn Owls from a few days ago © Pete Saunders:


As we'd already mentioned on the daily reports, the run of calm nights this week gave us the first opportunity for a while to run the nocmig recorder at the Obs and a real feature of the night's results was the amount of owl activity. The Short-eared Owls were always a bit distant so to get some better recordings last night we left another microphone across the road in the Crown Estate Field; this revealed plenty of activity that peaked around dusk and included a typically varied repertoire as in this selection distilled down from the half hour between 16:45 and 15:15



The Obs seems to fall right on the boundary between two Little Owl territories so their calls are an 
ever-present feature - this is the routine advertising call of the Obs Quarry male: 



We've never quite worked out what's going on when the monotonous calling descends into these 
crescendos of wild shrieks but it's presumably some sort of territorial matter and it happens really quite often:



Outside the breeding season there's hardly a night goes by when the nocmig recorder doesn't pick up a 
passing Barn Owl:


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)