July
31st |
A minor flurry of common migrants to end the month,
with totals from Southwell and the Bill of 30 Willow Warblers,
19 Sand Martins, 6 Wheatears, 4 Garden Warblers,
3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Bullfinches, a Robin, a Sedge
Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat. Seawatching at the Bill
produced 31 Common Scoter, 30 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Whimbrel
and a Great Skua, whilst waders at Ferrybridge included 108 Dunlin,
28 Ringed Plovers and 11 Sanderling.
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July
30th |
Although the day itself was dry and bright, the
weather overnight had remained pretty miserable and gave few
opportunities for migrants to get moving. The south of the island
produced just 3 Wheatears, 2 Willow Warblers, a Little
Egret, a Sedge Warbler and a Garden Warbler,
whilst seawatching at the Bill provided 20 Common Scoter,
3 Manx and a Balearic Shearwater, and 2 Great Skuas.
|
July
29th |
The recent spell of poor weather continued, with a
heavily overcast morning and a very wet and windy afternoon. New
arrivals in the Bill area included 5 Wheatears, 4 Willow
Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher,
whilst seawatching at the Bill produced 90 Common Scoter, 2 Manx
and a Balearic Shearwater, 2 Sandwich Terns, a Whimbrel
and an Arctic Skua.
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July
28th |
A few more early autumn migrants showed up at the Bill
and Southwell, where there were 4 Willow Warblers, 2 Little
Egrets, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Sedge Warbler and a
Chiffchaff; a party of 7 Ravens overhead at the Bill
constituted the highest count there this year. The sea remained rather
quiet, with just 5 Common Scoter, an Arctic Skua and a commic
tern passing the Bill.
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July
27th |
A little more interest today, with the highlight being
2 Crossbills at the Bill, where there were also 4 Willow
Warblers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 2 Wheatears,
2 Sedge Warblers and a Garden Warbler. Seawatching at
the Bill produced 12 Common Scoter, 3 Black-headed Gulls
and a Manx Shearwater.
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July
26th |
More wet and windy weather arrived soon after dawn and
kept interest to a minimum. Seawatching at the Bill produced 33 Common
Scoter, 3 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Sandwich Terns; a
couple of Sand Martins passed through at the Bill, and waders
at Ferrybridge included 3 Sanderling, a Whimbrel and a Curlew
Sandpiper.
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July
25th |
An unbirdable wet and windy morning gave way to a
brighter but still blustery afternoon, which saw a few Manx and
at least 2 Balearic Shearwaters lingering off the Bill. Waders
at Ferrybridge included 21 Sanderling and a Whimbrel.
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July
24th |
Very quiet again, with just a lone Willow Warbler
near the Obs and a single Arctic Skua passing through on the
sea at the Bill.
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Whimbrel
- Ferrybridge, July 23rd 2003 © Martin Cade |
July
23rd |
With hardly anyone birding on the island today, the
only news was of 6 Sanderling and 3 Whimbrel amongst the
commoner waders at Ferrybridge.
|
July
22nd |
After some false starts during the last couple of
weeks it looks like autumn passage of warblers may just be getting
going, with single Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Willow
Warbler in the Bill area today. Whimbrel increased to 4 at
Ferrybridge, where there were also 78 Dunlin, 54 Ringed
Plovers and 8 Sanderling, whilst seawatching at the Bill
produced 4 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Common Scoter and
an Eider.
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July
21st |
Two Whimbrel and a Curlew Sandpiper were
new arrivals at Ferrybridge, but the few birders in the field at the
Bill were rewarded with nothing more than 3 Sand Martins and a Chiffchaff.
|
July
20th |
Ten Manx and 6 Balearic Shearwaters
passed through off the Bill, and a lone Mistle Thrush showed up
at the Obs.
|
July
19th |
A Cuckoo at Verne
Common and 100 Dunlin
and 9 Sanderling at Ferrybridge were the best birds on the
land. Seawatching at the Bill produced 7 Manx and 5 Balearic
Shearwaters, 2 Black-headed Gulls, a Storm Petrel and a Great Skua.
After dark, single Green and Common Sandpipers were
heard calling over the Obs.
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July
18th |
With nothing of any note on the land it was left
to the sea to just about save the day, with watches from the Bill
producing 3 commic and 2 Sandwich Terns, a Manx
and a Balearic Shearwater, and a lone Common Scoter.
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July
17th |
The recent hot, muggy weather was well and truly
blown away by strong south-westerly winds that had sprung up
overnight. Interest on the land was confined to 8 Common Sandpipers on
the East Cliffs at the Bill. The sea was more productive, with 13
Common Scoter, 10 Balearic and 9 Manx Shearwaters, an
Arctic Skua and
a Black-headed Gull off the Bill.
|
July
16th |
Two Black-headed Gulls and a single Manx
Shearwater off the Bill, and 10 Dunlin and a Sanderling
at Ferrybridge were the only noteworthy entries in the
log today.
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July
15th |
Passage on the land remained at a standstill,
with a couple of Sand Martins being the only faintly interesting birds
logged at the Bill. Seawatching there produced 19 Common Scoter,
11 Black-headed Gulls
and a Balearic Shearwater.
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July
14th |
Six Sand Martins and 3 Common
Sandpipers were at the Bill, where 14 Black-headed Gulls
and 3 Sandwich Terns also passed through on the sea.
|
July
13th |
Seven Dunlin, 3 Sand Martins and a Yellow
Wagtail passed overhead at the Bill, where a lone Manx
Shearwater was the only worthwhile sighting on the sea.
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July
12th |
Odds and sods today included 18 Common Scoter,
4 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Manx and a Balearic
Shearwater, and 3 Sandwich Terns past the Bill. Nothing of
any note was reported on the land.
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July
11th |
Less than exciting again today, with
plenty of effort at the Bill producing just 2 Sand Martins on
the land, and a Manx Shearwater and a Curlew on the sea.
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July
10th |
Another 6 Storm Petrels were
tape-lured at the Bill overnight, but the only 'daylight hours' news
was of a Common Sandpiper, a Sand Martin, a Grey
Wagtail and a Bullfinch at the Bill.
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July
9th |
In the early hours of the morning 5 Storm
Petrels were trapped and ringed during a tape-luring session at
the Bill. Precious little to report otherwise, with a Buzzard
overhead at Weston, 7 Sand
Martins and a Grey Heron at the Bill, and 2 Sandwich
Terns and a lone Common Scoter passing through on the
sea there.
|
July
8th |
The only news today was of 132 Common Scoter and
a single Sandwich Tern passing the Bill, and 20 Dunlin
and 2 Whimbrel at Ferrybridge.
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Grasshopper
Warbler
- Portland Bill, July 7th 2003 © Martin Cade |
July
7th |
A trickle of passage again today, with 3 Grey
Wagtails, 2 Sand Martins, a Curlew and a Grasshopper
Warbler at the Bill. Offshore, Common Scoter were also
still on the move, with 35 passing down-Channel during the morning.
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Peregrine
- Southwell, July 6th 2003 © Simon Woolley & Julia Casson |
July
6th |
Early departing migrants at the Bill included 23 Sand
Martins, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Redstart
and a Whinchat, whilst seawatching there produced 82 Common
Scoter, 2 Balearic and a Manx Shearwater, 2 Sandwich
Terns and a Black-headed Gull.
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July
5th |
Two late arriving Reed Warblers were still
in song at the Bill, where there were also 2 Grey Herons, a Chiffchaff
and a Spotted Flycatcher; seawatching there produced 47 Common
Scoter, 8 Manx Shearwaters and a Balearic Shearwater.
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July
4th |
Three tardy singing Reed Warblers were in
the Bill area, where 4 Common Scoter and a lone Manx
Shearwater also passed by on the sea; the only other report was of
a singing Chiffchaff at Wakeham.
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July
3rd |
Just a few snippets again, with a Sand Martin,
a Grey Wagtail and a Reed Warbler at the Bill, and 2 Mediterranean
Gulls passing on the sea there
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July
2nd |
Precious little of note today, with a few Manx
Shearwaters and a Black-headed Gull passing on the sea at
the Bill, and 6 Sand Martins, a Whimbrel and a Yellow
Wagtail at Ferrybridge.
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Crossbill
- Portland Bill, July 1st 2003 © Martin Cade |
July
1st |
A little early taste of autumn today, with 2 Crossbills
dropping in for a
couple of minutes at the Obs garden and the first 2 returning Common
Sandpipers on the East Cliffs. A single Grey Heron was also
at the Bill, and 2 Arctic
Skuas, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Sandwich Terns and a Balearic Shearwater
passed through on the
sea there. A lone Mediterranean Gull was at Ferrybridge.
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