There was so much going on today and nowhere near enough time to stop and photograph it all © Joe Stockwell and Martin Cade:
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:
There was so much going on today and nowhere near enough time to stop and photograph it all © Joe Stockwell and Martin Cade:
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
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 8:36 AM
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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!!
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 8:53 PM
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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
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 11:31 AM
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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
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:20 PM
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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
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:28 PM
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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
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:45 PM
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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.
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 5:35 PM
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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
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 10:09 PM
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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.
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 7:09 PM
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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
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 2:18 PM
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Small (7mm) but perfectly formed, the Small Marbled, an immigrant moth it will breed in the UK in a hot summer #MothsMatter
— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 11:50 AM
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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...
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 4:17 PM
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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!
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 5:33 PM
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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
— John Walters (@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 7:46 AM
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Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, Crown Estate Fields, @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social Dorset yesterday
— John Walters (@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 11:29 PM
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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
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 9:37 AM
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Ferrybridge this morning 116 Brent Geese, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Wheatear
— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM
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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.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 9:06 PM
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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
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 8:22 PM
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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.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM
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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.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
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6th October
It was another busy autumnal day with a plentiful spread of new arrivals that included several on-cue firsts for the season, with 1 or more Dartford Warblers at the Bill along with singles of Redwing and Ring Ouzel in the middle of the island. Whilst Blackcap numbers appear to have waned in the recent settled weather, the same could not be said for Chiffchaffs, with 400 recorded from the Bill alone and reports of many more from the denser vegetated patches further up island. A varied list of less frequents were also on offer, with 2 Pied Flycatchers, a lingering Cetti's Warbler plus singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Garden Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Whinchat and Common Sandpiper present as well as 3 Woodlarks, 2 Golden Plovers and a Hobby overhead. The sea was comparatively poor, with just 15 Dark Bellied Brent Geese of note.
One of two Pied Flycatchers present around the island today © Nick Hopper:
Cloud cover at dawn PBO @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social with 179 birds of 15 species ringed. Primarily CC 132, 18 Blacap, 7 Stonechat, 2 Song Th, 1 of GardenW, GrasshopperW, Whinchat,Goldcrest & Blackbird of note +Rtrp CettisW. Pond creation at PBO haven for bathing & preening migrants,Spring& Autumn.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 6, 2026 at 7:59 PM
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Portland - First Redwing of the Autumn near The Hump. Wheatear 3, Linnet 160, Goldfinch 75 Top Fields. Chiffchaff 100+, Grasshopper Warbler Culverwell ringing station. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
— Dorset Bird Tours (@dorsetbirdtours.bsky.social) October 6, 2026 at 9:10 PM
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Obs moth-traps quietened a little last night but still a pretty decent catch of migrants with a Toadflax Pearl catalaunalis the best of the new arrivals
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 6, 2026 at 11:43 PM
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5th October
A pretty ripping morning saw a good cloud cover and no more than a waft of a breeze drop a succession of scarce migrants that included 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, a Little Bunting, a Siberian Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler at the Bill and another Yellow-browed Warbler at Southwell; the long-staying Barred Warbler was also still at the Bill, whilst a further miscellany of irregulars around the island that included the likes of multiple Great Spotted Woodpeckers and singles of Hobby, Woodlark and Firecrest all added to the excitement. These goodies arrived in tandem with a hatful more Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps - including 300 and 150 respectively at the Bill alone - and lots of other grounded routine migrant variety, along with a steady if numbers-wise less impressive flow of visible migrants overhead; the tardy or interesting in other ways list from around and about included 4 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Redshanks, 2 Purple Sandpipers and singles of Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, White Wagtail and Whinchat. There were rather too many distractions for full attention to be paid to the sea but off the Bill a resurgence in departing Lesser Black-backed Gulls was noted along with the recently customary 2000 or more auks and singles of Sandwich Tern and Arctic Skua.
This morning's Little Bunting - small but very perfectly formed! © Martin Cade:
Full cloud cover and light W wind at dawn PBO. #Portlandbirdobservatory A fall resulted in 212 birds of 14 species+ 1 ssp ringed. CC 115+ SibCC, Blackcap 65,Other Sibs included Yellow browed warblers 3 and 1 Little Bunting. 7 Stonechat broke the year ringing record with 113 this year.(107 in 2025).
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 5, 2026 at 7:46 PM
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A third Yellow-browed Warbler of the day - this one for @slashercutts.bsky.social at Culverwell - all these are being colour-ringed as part of a national project to track their subsequent movements
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 5, 2026 at 12:40 PM
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Sadly the Sorcerers weren't on the wing for us last night but in all other respects it was an excellent night for migrant moths at the Obs, with a bumper catch of routine fare together with our second ever Southern Brindled Green + another Porter's Rustic
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
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...just realised we forgot to post the night's full totals
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 5, 2026 at 6:11 PM
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4th October
The loveliest of days to be out birding in unbroken sunshine and summer warmth - conditions that wouldn't usually be viewed as favourable for a good drop of migrants but in the event there were birds in quantity everywhere. The trio of Meadow Pipit, Chiffchaff and Blackcap accounted for a good proportion of the groundings - reaching totals of 1000, 300 and 200 respectively at the Bill alone - but there were strong showings of good range of other arrivals amongst which shorter-range migrants such as Dunnock, Robin and Stonechat were particularly prominent; thrushes have barely figured at all so far this autumn so the first Song Thrush of the season was hopefully the vanguard of plenty more to come. Overhead passage wasn't quite so prominent with hirundines rather oddly almost completely absent, but totals of 800 Meadow Pipits, 280 alba wagtails, 200 Linnets, 65 Skylarks and 35 Chaffinches were all worthwhile at the Bill, with singles of Great White Egret and Woodlark there and 2 Bramblings and a Ring-necked Parakeet over Coombefield adding some spice. Sea interest perked up a little, with 3000 auks, 40 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 18 Wigeon of note off the Bill.
Another Great White Egret was amongst today's overhead movers at the Bill © Jodie Henderson:
Lesser Emperors continue to be seen at the Bill - this was another posed after it had been successfully extracted from a mist-net in the Crown Estate Field © Martin Cade:
Light N wind and clear dawn saw migrant influx at PBO. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social 245 birds of 17 species ringed. Warblers, CC 98, Blckap 76 plus 1 of Sedge, Grasshopr, Lesser W, Whitethroat,2 WW. Dunnock 8, Robin 6, Stonechat & Great T 4. Pied, Grey Wagtail plus first Song Thrush of the Autumn.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 4, 2026 at 7:48 PM
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A selection of moths today from @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social - the rare Maize Wainscot, 1 of 2 Ni Moths seen and a fine purple Purple Marbled, all of which were trapped at the observatory:
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 4, 2026 at 10:43 PM
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Highlights from trapping overnight 3-4/10/26 at Freshwater Bay, @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social included a pristine Brindled Ochre (now very scarce in Dorset), 4 Golden Twinspot and a worn Silver-spotted Veneer (Euchromius ocellea); also here 15+ Palpita vitrealis, 1 Bordered Straw, 3 Vestal
— alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social (@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social) October 4, 2026 at 10:51 PM
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3rd October
A veil of light cloud overhead that marked the dreg end of a weak weather front departing very slowly southeast did us a favour today and dropped a steady arrival of a varied selection of mid-autumn migrants. Amongst the routine fare there were a couple of best-forgotten frustrations in the form of a likely non-British Yellow Wagtail flying straight through and a maybe Olive-backed Pipit heard and watched dropping into Culverwell but subsequently vanishing; scarcities that got a better grilling were limited to a presumed Siberian Lesser Whitethroat trapped at Culverwell and an Osprey departing to the south off the Bill, whilst less frequent migrants included 10 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Firecrest at the Bill and 2 Pied Flycatchers and a Woodlark around the centre of the island. Although the likes of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs weren't especially well represented there were a lot of other seasonable migrants to get amongst, including good groundings of alba wagtails and Meadow Pipits together with burgeoning flocks of off-passage Linnets and big increases in Robins and Dunnocks in particular. Overhead passage at the Bill included 700 Meadow Pipits, 220 Linnets, 130 alba wagtails, 24 Skylarks, 23 Chaffinches and 7 Greenfinches, whilst the sea remained quiet there with little more than 130 Mediterranean Gulls, a Red-throated Diver and an Arctic Skua to show.
Although there were one or two scarcer migrants on offer included the departing Osprey © Martin Cade and a couple of Pied Flycatchers © Joe Stockwell...
...today was mainly about getting amongst routine early October fare © Joe Stockwell:
Something of a really frustrating "one that got away" this morning. This Yellow Wagtail appeared to be tagging a flock of Skylark, giving quite an odd, buzzy type call, followed by more descending flava'ish calls. Immediate thought was thunbergi but sadly without better views it wasn't clinched.
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 3, 2026 at 4:13 PM
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Light SSW with some overcast at PBO @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social did the trick today with 190 birds of 19 species ringed. MeadowPip 81, Bcap 30 & CC 26 predominant. 10 LTTit unusual.Good variety with Skylark, Whinchat& Firecrest. Lesser White (sib?) ReedBunt,Dunnock & Greywag completes Autumn fare.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 3, 2026 at 8:20 PM
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Couldn't manage three nights running for Maize Wainscot but overall improved migrant numbers/variety at the Obs last night. Porter's Rustic the highlight + 2 Convolvulus Hawks, Ni Moth & Golden Twin-spot.
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 3, 2026 at 1:23 PM
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2nd October
No great change in our fortunes today, with overhead passage a little more conspicuous but grounded arrivals notably inconspicuous. Visible passage over the Bill included 600 Meadow Pipits, 310 Linnets and 130 alba wagtails, with 2 Merlins and a Hobby amongst the tag alongs; elsewhere, the autumn's first Redpoll was over Coombefield. The decidedly thin spread of arrivals on the ground included another autumn first in the form of a Short-eared Owl at the Bill, a Firecrest at Coombefield/Thumb Lane and a late Whimbrel at Ferrybridge but only very low totals of more routine fare; a brief Barred Warbler at the Bill was likely to be the lurking lingerer although it couldn't be established if it was a ringed bird or not. Auks and Kittiwakes totalling 1500 and 580 respectively made up most of the numbers off the Bill, with 3 Balearic Shearwaters the only particularly worthwhile sightings amongst them.
Stiffiish SW going more S overnight, with ..again a warm, sunny day did little for new birds at PBO. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social . A tardy total of 13 birds from CEF, with 5 from the garden! in 9 hrs! Robin4, MeadpIp 6, Blakcp2, CC 3, & Swallows 3. Retrap Robins order of the day and Grey Wagtail.
— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) October 2, 2026 at 8:44 PM
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The second Maize Wainscot in two nights from the Obs moth-traps this morning.
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 2, 2026 at 9:41 AM
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