Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre

31st October

Quality replaced quantity today as persistent, dreary low cloud reduced overhead passage to a trickle and looked to have put the block on overnight groundings of many nocturnal migrants. A Pallas's Warbler discovered at Weston Street by seekers of yesterday's now departed Siberian Stonechat was much appreciated, whilst a back-up cast of the likes of 7 Black Redstarts, 2 fly-by Grey Phalaropes, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and singles of Water Rail, Short-eared Owl, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest and the long-staying Snow Bunting ensured there was plenty to entertain the weekend visitors. There was still overhead passage taking place, with 5000 Wood Pigeons, 24 Redwings, 10 Bramblings, 5 Fieldfares and a Redpoll the best of it over the Bill, with Goldcrests and Robins making up the bulk of the new arrivals on the ground including reaching totals of 40 apiece at the Bill; a lone late Wheatear at Reap Lane was also of note amongst the grounded arrivals.

Always a pleasure to see - the first Pallas's Warbler of the autumn obliged by remaining in the same isolated tree beside Weston Street for the best part of the day © Jodie Henderson...

...and © Nick Hopper...

...and a little bit of one-third speed video - it was just too super-active at normal speed to either keep up with or to really appreciate all the features! © Martin Cade:

22:45 Cigarette break on the Obs front step from writing the blog and a Bittern has just flown south right overhead calling really loudly - fantastic!

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 31, 2026 at 10:58 PM

Today's Pallas's Warbler Weston Road, following this bird was challenging, a fast moving tiny ball of energy in a large shrubby Sycamore

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 31, 2026 at 6:52 PM

Really big influx of common migrant moths at the Obs last night incl 129 Rush Veneer, 93 Rusty-dot Pearl and 78 SY (+another 19 at the ORI lure); a Red-headed Chestnut best of the rares.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 31, 2026 at 11:46 AM

30th October

Lots more movement today, with another heavy passage of Wood Pigeons and others overhead but also - and not before time - a strong arrival of Goldcrests on the ground; however, the show was ultimately stolen by a Siberian Stonechat discovered during the afternoon a little off the beaten track beside Weston Street. Another big movement of departing Wood Pigeons saw 36000 more logged at the Bill, where other vismig totals included 800 Jackdaws, 465 Stock Doves, 330 Goldfinches, 310 Chaffinches, 260 Meadow Pipits, 200 Starlings, 200 Linnets, 80 Skylarks, 55 Pied Wagtails, 9 Siskins, 4 Redpolls and 3 Swallows. On the ground, the first good arrival of Goldcrests of the season dominated proceedings, with perhaps as many as 200 scattered around the southern half of the island; other newcomers were surprisingly sparsely spread, with barely into double figures of each of the likes of the thrushes, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, and just 3 Firecrests. The Snow Bunting also lingered on at the Bill as did the Whimbrel at Smallmouth, whilst 3 Ring Ouzels and 2 Black Redstarts were dotted around the north of the island.

With no more than the odd single Goldcrest having been logged all autumn, it was great to suddenly see the trees alive with them today © Jodie Henderson:

The Siberian Stonechat looked to be a first-winter male (it's obviously a male just from the amount of black around the face and the blackness of the underwing coverts, whilst the contrast between, for example, the densely black alula and adjacent feathers vs the more greyish-black primary coverts would certainly suggest it's a youngster). However, beyond that it was a bit of a chameleon with its appearance changing quite dramatically in different lights (...or with different camera settings). Our perception in life was of a quite cold-coloured bird with a startlingly pale rump and we had little doubt when watching it in the field that it conformed much more closely to Siberian maurus than it did to Amur stejnegeri; that said, this isn't entirely borne out by this series of photos that show a lot of warmth/saturation in some lights, even if the rump does always look extensively very pale and largely lacking the rich apricot colour that we'd associate with a good stejnegeri. Although its field appearance can be argued over, it'd be useful to catch this bird so that its subspecific identity can be established for certain. A smart bird and still a really good rarity at Portland with only just into double figures of records ever and none for a very long time © Martin Cade:

We're really not set up to be videographers or whatever the on-trend term for the various oddballs who're touting their wares about the ornithological web these days call themselves - within 15 seconds of turning our kiddie video camera on the battery died and the spare battery had no charge. Doh!

Portland - Ring Ouzel (The Verne), Black Redstart 2 (Chesil Cove) Whimbrel (Smallmouth Cove), Bar-tailed Godwit 6 (Ferrybridge), Purple Sandpiper (East Cliffs) @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

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— Dorset Bird Tours (@dorsetbirdtours.bsky.social) October 30, 2026 at 9:42 PM

It's been a long time since we've had Goldcrests in the garden; 4 today, Chiffchaff and Blackcap as well

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 30, 2026 at 8:56 PM

The Portland Siberian Stonechat this evening in fading light

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) October 30, 2026 at 8:53 PM

29th October

Whilst far from busy on the ground, today's amelioration in the weather brought forth a huge improvement over the meagre offerings of the last fortnight that, coupled with plenty more passage overhead and a few happenings on the sea, resulted in an enjoyable migration day. All the numbers were overhead, with 32700 Wood Pigeons, 580 Jackdaws, 550 Stock Doves, 480 Starlings, 360 Goldfinches, 230 Linnets, 200 Chaffinches, 140 Meadow Pipits, 80 Skylarks, 70 Pied Wagtails, 20 Greenfinches, 13 Redwings, 10 Reed Buntings, 8 Bramblings, 3 Swallows and few other ones and twos through at the Bill. The flurry on the ground included 40 Stonechats, 25 each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff, and singles of Siberian Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler and Bullfinch at the Bill, where 2 Dartford Warblers and singles of Water Rail, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler and Snow Bunting were all still in residence; the Ring Ouzel was also still about at the Verne Moat and a Black Redstart was at Blacknor. Two settled Grey Phalaropes off East Cliffs were the best from the sea at the Bill, where 28 Common Scoter, 20 Teal and a Great Northern Diver also passed by.

Pigeons are much maligned but such are their numbers at this time of year that they provide one of the few migration spectacles that impinges on the consciousness of the general public - some folk put two and two together and work out what they must be but each year we field a host of enquiries from curious bystanders who seem genuinely awed by the event and are keen to learn what's afoot © Martin Cade:

The wheeling, noisy flocks of Jackdaws were also quite a spectacle again today © Martin Cade:

In conditions that were distinctly more inviting than those on offer in recent days at Chesil Cove, the two Grey Phalaropes close in off East Cliffs at the Bill drew a steady trickle of admirers © Martin King:

The blink-and-you-missed-it Siberian Chiffchaff in the Crown Estate Field was the most active of migrants - it was as much as we could do to keep up with it on foot as it skipped from one bit of cover to the next and was soon lost disappearing up the valley towards Wallsend © Martin Cade:

This morning's ?putative Yellow-browed Warbler was one of those curiosities that you struggle for a minute to get your head around. We'd deployed the recorder on the Obs patio before we went out to open the CEF mist-nets and much later in the morning when reviewing the recording to check on another mystery call that had been heard came across what sounded like a pretty perfect single call from a close Yellow-browed Warbler recorded shortly after sunrise. It hadn't been heard by anyone who was about at the time, in fact nobody was even certain that anyone would have even been on the patio at that moment - perhaps folk were just indoors making a coffee. Could it have been a freakishly spot-on rendition of a Yellow-browed Warbler call by the Robin that's clearly audible in the vicinity? To us it sounds too good not to have been a Yellow-browed Warbler that presumably then left soon afterwards without ever being seen - and we're pretty certain that if, say, a single call like this had been heard in dense cover by a competent observer without the bird ever been seen it'd be logged as a Yellow-browed Warbler every time.

28th October

Slowly but surely a change is on the way and today's still less than inspiring conditions saw a lot of overhead passage get going even if it remained disappointingly quiet on the ground. Although a Ring Ouzel was a welcome discovery above the Verne Moat and a Short-eared Owl showed up at the Bill the almost complete absence of new thrushes, warblers and the like on the ground suggested it had still remained far too windy for much nocturnal migration. However, as dawn broke there was a veritable avalanche of movement overhead, including totals from the Bill of 50000 Wood Pigeons, 1550 Goldfinches, 600 Linnets, 520 Stock Doves (with no doubt many more tucked away amongst the distant pigeon flocks), 360 Starlings, 300 Jackdaws, 300 Chaffinches, 240 Meadow Pipits, 70 Skylarks and 21 Greenfinches, with 2 more Woodlarks amongst the miscellaneous tag-alongs. Lingerers dotted about on the land included the Snow Bunting and Cetti's Warbler at the Bill, Great Spotted Woodpeckers here and there, 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle and 2 Black Redstarts at Chiswell. Two Grey Phalaropes remained at Chesil Cove, with 56 Common Scoter through off the Bill their highest total for a while; elsewhere, the Brent Goose total at Ferrybridge reached four figures for the first time this season and one or more Great Northern Divers were in Portland Harbour.

Pigeon-filled skies over the Bill this morning © Martin Cade:

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Blackcaps emerging in the shelter at Sweethill © Pete Saunders:

One of the Chesil Cove Grey Phalaropes putting on a great show © Pete Saunders:

the photos of the ring ouzel were pretty grim before it disappeared into the gloom, no doubt will be more in the moat soon with the wind dropping.

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) October 28, 2026 at 3:46 PM

black redstarts in the little ship garden

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) October 28, 2026 at 3:50 PM

27th October

A mini wreck of Grey Phalaropes was the latest result from the relentless wind, with up 8 settled at Chesil Cove and another single through off the Bill; Little Gulls also featured again, although today with no more than just 2 off the Bill and a single at the Cove, but the sea was otherwise very quiet. Clear skies at dawn saw some overhead passage develop, with 500 Goldfinches and 470 Stock Doves making up the bulk of the numbers at the Bill. At least 1 Snow Bunting remained at the Bill where there wasn't a great deal of evidence of new arrivals on the ground save for singles of Ringed Plover, Whimbrel and Redwing.

Grey Phalarope and Little Gull past the Bill this morning...

...and one of the Grey Phalaropes at Chesil Cove © Pete Saunders:

There were some peculiar migration goings-on today, with almost all of the day's expected pigeon movement made up of single species flocks of Stock Doves that continued to trickle through until sunset © Jodie Henderson and Martin Cade:

26th October

The lousy weather might have continued but today was more rewarding, with the sea worth prolonged looks. A passing Little Auk was the highlight at the Bill, where 14 Little Gulls, 6 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua along with c100 Kittiwakes and c500 Gannets made up the numbers. Chesil Cove also got plenty of attention, with at least 2 Grey Phalaropes settled and at least 6 Little Gulls through. It remained hard work on the land but the Snow Bunting and Cetti's Warbler were still at the Bill where a Redwing was new.

Arctic Skua, some of the Little Gulls, juvenile Gannet © Martin Cade and Grey Seal © Jodie Henderson from the day's Bill seawatching:

Apart from the Little Auk the only other worthwhile sighting so far off the Bill has been a single Little Gull; ta to Ben Hawyard who's young enough to be far nimbler of mind and reaction than this crusty correspondent and managed a snatched record shot of the Little Auk

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 26, 2026 at 12:57 PM

25th October

At least it didn't rain today although in most other respects the day was a dud with the wind still firmly in the west and still far too strong for enjoyable or meaningful coverage. The East Cliffs Snow Bunting remained on station and Little Gulls were at Chesil Cove (2) and Ferrybridge, with a dead Grey Phalarope also discovered at the latter. Other than that, there was some limited overhead passage of routine finches and a Snipe passed by off the Bill.

24th October

The wildest of weather, including virtually day-long rain, put paid to most meaningful birding today. Intrepid searches amongst some shelter found 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle/Perryfields, whilst 710 Brent Geese and 41 Turnstones at Ferrybridge, and 2 Great Northern Divers off Hamm Beach were found from relative shelter further north. Extremely little seemed to be moving at sea, with singles of Great Northern Diver, Manx Shearwater, Fulmar, Great Skua and Arctic Skua the best of it off the Bill.

23rd October

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

22nd October

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

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

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

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

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Portland Day 10 - Ending on a high with a banger of a find in Water Pipit, a true Portland rare! 10 days of scrutinising pipits kind of paid off, a fly through Snow Bunting was found a short while after hopping around the bill like people didn't exist. A Woodlark and 2 Black Reds made for a nice day
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 5:36 PM

As ever my thanks must go to Martin and Jodie for their hospitality at the obs while I embark on this mad bird finding mission each October, Grahame Walbridge for the encouragement to keep going and Glen, Chris, Martin others for a few beers along the way, even if some were a bit early in the day!
— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 5:36 PM

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

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

21st October

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

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

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

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