November
30th |
A party of 100 Starlings arriving
from the south at the Bill gave some hope that perhaps everything
hasn't quite finished for winter, although on the land the only sign
of anything in the way of new arrivals were a handful of 'extra' Song
Thrushes and a single Snipe. Two Blackcaps
lingered on in the Obs garden, 25 Common and 2 Velvet
Scoter were still offshore, 2 Little Gulls were amongst
the feeding gulls off the Bill and 5 Eider, a Red-throated
Diver and a Brent Goose passed through on the sea. |
November
29th |
The only news today was from the Bill
where a Blackcap was still in the Obs garden, 2 Velvet
Scoters and a Mediterranean Gull were still offshore and
2 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Red-throated Diver
passed by on the sea. |
Blackcap
- Portland Bill,
November 28th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
28th |
A chillier day than of late but it was more of the same bird-wise.
Two Fieldfares, 2 Blackcaps (one of them a new
arrival) and a Redwing were the only noteworthy sightings on
the land at the Bill, where the Common and Velvet Scoters
remained offshore along with a Mediterranean Gull and 4 passing Little
Gulls. Portland Harbour produced 2 Mute Swans, 2 Eider,
2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Black-throated Diver and a Slavonian
Grebe, whilst there were 830 Brent Geese at Ferrybridge. Late
news for yesterday: 2 Ruddy Shelducks were settled on a
sandbank in Portland Harbour briefly in the afternoon before flying
off west over Chesil Beach, 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were
at Ferrybridge and a Firecrest was at Southwell. |
November
27th |
Uneventful winter birding today, with the last vestiges of autumn
movement seemingly now ceased. The Bill area produced 6 Purple
Sandpipers, 2 Water Rails, 2 Blackcaps, a Fieldfare
and a Goldcrest on the land, 6 Tufted Ducks passing
through on the sea and 30 Common Scoter, 2 Velvet Scoter
and a Mediterranean Gull lingering offshore. Three Eider,
3 Black-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a Slavonian
Grebe were in Portland Harbour. |
November
26th |
The Goosander remained in Portland Harbour where there were
also 3 Eider, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and a Black-throated
Diver. The only reports from other sites were of 2 Blackcaps,
a Short-eared Owl and a Redwing at the Bill, a Red-throated Diver
passing through on the sea there and 25 Common and 2 Velvet
Scoter still settled off the East Cliffs. |
November
25th |
For the most part another fine and warm
day although gathering cloud during the afternoon hinted at a change
on the way. Yesterday's Pallas's Warbler was searched for
but couldn't be found and there was not a great deal else on view
anywhere on the land although a Goosander in Portland Harbour
(off Sandsfoot Castle) was a quality record for the area. Odds and sods at the Bill included 5 Redwings, 2 Fieldfares,
a Chiffchaff, a Blackcap and a Goldcrest, with
32 Goldfinches and 4 Skylarks leaving out to the south
overhead; elsewhere there were 2 Black Redstarts at Southwell.
Seven Red-throated Divers and a Mediterranean Gull
passed through off the Bill, where the settled flock of Common
and Velvet Scoter were also still present. Late news for
yesterday: single Firecrests were at Southwell and on the
Grove undercliff. |
Pallas's
Warbler - Portland Bill,
November 24th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
24th |
Early morning cloud cleared away to leave almost
summer-like blue skies and warm sunshine for the rest of the day.
Late migrants were hardly conspicuous so a major surprise was the
discovery of a Pallas's Warbler at the Higher Lighthouse at the Bill;
it was present for an hour feeding in low rose bushes early in the
afternoon but subsequent searches for it there drew a blank. The
Bill area otherwise produced 11 Redwings, 3 Fieldfares,
2 Water Rails, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a Siskin,
a Brambling and a Reed Bunting, as well as another 60 Starlings
arriving in off the sea. A single Red-throated Diver passed
through on the sea. |
November
23rd |
There was plenty of incentive to get out
in the field today in pleasantly mild, still conditions and there
were quite a few sightings to show for the effort made. The
highlight was a Snow Bunting that dropped in briefly near the
Bill lighthouse, whilst other new arrivals around the Bill included
10 Redwings, 2 Reed Buntings, a Golden Plover,
a Woodcock, a Fieldfare and a Blackcap; another
Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and Goldcrest were also
still lingering on there from previous days. Overhead a total of at
least 500 Starlings arrived from the south and carried on
northwards. The only movement on the sea involved 3 passing Red-throated
Divers although the settled Common and Velvet Scoters
were also still offshore. Portland Harbour produced 3 Eider,
2 Black-throated Divers and a Slavonian Grebe. |
November
22nd |
Yesterday's minor flurry of interest proved to be nothing more than
a flash in the pan and it was right back to normal service today. A
couple of small parties of Starlings arrived in off the sea
at the Bill but the only worthwhile new arrivals on the land were a Siskin
at the Bill and a Brambling at the Grove; 2 Blackcaps
and a Chiffchaff also at the Bill were left-overs from
yesterday, whilst the Water Rail and Goldcrest there
look to be attempting to winter at Culverwell and the Obs garden
respectively. The Common Scoter flock off the Bill declined
to fewer than 40 but the 2 Velvet Scoter were still offshore
as was a lone Mediterranean Gull. |
November
21st |
November's reputation as a reliable month
for late passage and good rarities has taken quite a dent this year
but much milder conditions today at least produced a suggestion of a
few more birds getting moving again, with the Bill area provided new
arrivals including 16 Redwings, 10 Blackcaps, 4 Lapwings,
2 Chiffchaffs, a Snipe and a Brambling. The Scoter
flock, including 2 Velvets, was still offshore, 3 Red-throated
Divers passed by and 2 Mediterranean Gulls were lingering
amongst the feeding flock of gulls offshore. Ferrybridge provided an
excellent count of 1300 Brent Geese, whilst 3 Eider, 3
Black-throated and 2 Great Northern Divers and 2 Slavonian
Grebes were in Portland Harbour. |
November
20th |
A really grim morning with constant rain or drizzle
blown in on a raw south-east breeze. New arrivals at the Bill
included 4 Redwings, 3 Golden Plover, 2 Fieldfares
and a Snipe, whilst the sea provided 3 passing Red-throated
Divers and the lingering Scoter flock offshore (that
included 2 Velvet Scoter again). |
November
19th |
The gloomy skies of recent days gave way
to clearer, chillier conditions and there was just a hint of late
movement, with 230 Starlings and a Snow Bunting
arriving in off the sea at the Bill and a handful of Redwings
and Chaffinches dropping in through the morning. The flock of
50 Common Scoter remained off the Bill but only 1 of the 2 Velvet
Scoters could be seen there. Portland Harbour produced 2 Black-throated
and a Great Northern Diver and single Slavonian and Black-necked
Grebes. |
November
18th |
The only news today was from the Bill
where there were 2 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones, 2 Redwings and a Goldcrest on the
land, the settled Common and Velvet Scoters were still
offshore and a single Red-throated Diver passed by. |
November
17th |
Another very quiet day. A few small
parties of Goldfinches left to the south from the Bill but
the only noteworthy birds reported on the ground were 4 Blackcaps
and 2 Goldcrests at Pennsylvania Castle and a Redwing,
a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest at the Bill. The Common
and Velvet Scoters were still off the Bill, where a lone Red-throated
Diver also passed by. |
November
16th |
No sign of a resurgence in passage today,
with a Grey Wagtail and a Redwing the only new
arrivals at the Bill and the handful of Blackcaps and Goldcrests
lingering on in sheltered spots looking likely to be attempting to
winter on the island. Fifty Common and 2 Velvet Scoter
remained off the Bill, a Black-throated Diver and a Great
Skua passed by there, 4 Mediterranean Gulls were at
Ferrybridge and a Sandwich Tern was in Portland Harbour. |
Sparrowhawk
- Portland Bill,
November 15th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
15th |
Autumn continues to run out of steam,
with the only new arrivals at the Bill today being 70 Starlings
in off the sea, 11 Redwings, 4 Fieldfares, 2 Goldcrests
and a Lapland Bunting; elsewhere there was a small increase
in Goldcrest numbers at Pennsylvania Castle. Three Purple
Sandpipers and a Black Redstart remained at the Bill,
where the Common and Velvet Scoters were still
offshore and single Red-throated and Black-throated Divers
passed by. Portland Harbour produced 4 Black-throated and a Great
Northern Diver, 4 Eider and 3 Mediterranean Gulls. |
November
14th |
More of the same weather and more of the
same birds. The best the Bill area could muster were 5 Purple
Sandpipers, 4 Blackcaps, 3 Snipe, 2 Turnstones,
2 Goldcrests, a Grey Heron, a Ringed Plover, a Swallow,
a Redwing, a Fieldfare and a Chiffchaff. The Common
and Velvet Scoters were still settled offshore and 3 Red-throated
Divers, 2 Brent Geese, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers,
a Great Northern Diver and a Mediterranean Gull passed
by. |
Buzzard
- Portland Bill,
November 13th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
13th |
Crisp, clear weather didn't look likely
to produce much on the ground and surprisingly didn't produce much overhead
either. Single Lapland Buntings were reported near Verne
Prison and on the East Cliffs near Southwell, a Buzzard
toured the south of the island during the afternoon and a Merlin
arrived in off the sea at the Bill, but in the way of commoner
migrants the only new arrivals were 6 Blackcaps, 2 Redwings,
2 Reed Buntings, a Snipe and a Swallow at the
Bill. The resident flock of Common Scoter and 2 Velvet
Scoter remained off the
Bill, where 5 Eider, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Pintail
also passed through. |
November
12th |
An overcast early morning saw quite a
bit of movement at the Bill, with 200 Linnets, 120 Redwings,
40 Blackbirds, 40 Chaffinches, 20 Fieldfares, 3
Brambling, 2 Siskin, 2 Reed Buntings and a Lapwing
passing through soon after dawn and 1100 Starlings arriving
in off the sea a little later. Skies soon cleared and more extensive
searching of the island revealed precious few new arrivals on the
ground beyond a handful of Blackcaps and Goldcrests; a
single presumably now wintering Black Redstart was still at the
Bill. Sixty Common and 2 Velvet Scoter were still
settled off the Bill and 2 Red-throated Divers passed through
there. |
Black
Redstart - Portland Bill,
November 11th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
11th |
Despite plenty of legwork in very fair
weather there was poor reward all around the island today. The
customary trickle of thrushes and finches passing overhead at the
Bill included 3 Bramblings, but otherwise there was nothing
much more interesting there than 4 Lapwings, a Merlin,
a Short-eared Owl, a Swallow and a Black Redstart.
Elsewhere there were 2 Firecrests and a Chiffchaff at
Cheyne Weare and another Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle.
The 2 Velvet Scoter remained off the Bill where 2 Red-throated
Divers also passed through. |
Yellow-browed
Warbler - Portland Bill,
November 10th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
10th |
A subtle change in the weather saw the
wind remain in the north but pick up to a stiff breeze as skies
cleared and the temperature dropped considerably. Whilst the change
had little effect on migrant numbers it produced two good scarcities
in the form of a Yellow-browed Warbler that was trapped and
ringed in the Obs garden at dawn and a Serin that made a
typically fleeting visit to the same site early in the afternoon. If
anything commoner migrants were even more thinly spread than in
recent days, with a handful of thrushes and finches, 4
Snipe, 2 Lapwings, a Short-eared Owl, a Black
Redstart and a late Wheatear the best on offer at the
Bill. The 2 Velvet Scoter remained off the East Cliffs and 2 Wigeon
passed by off the Bill. |
Redstart
- Portland Bill,
November 9th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
9th |
The prevailing gloomy, quiet weather
continued to reduce late movement to no more than a trickle. Small
numbers of thrushes, Blackcaps, Goldcrests and finches
made up what numbers there were today, with the only quality being a
Jack Snipe, a Woodcock and late Swallow and Redstart
at the Bill; 2 probable Twite overhead at Wakeham would have
been birds of the day had they have been pinned down. The Common
Scoter flock off the Bill increased to 70 again, the 2 Velvet
Scoter were still present and a Great Northern Diver and
a Brent Goose passed by there. |
Yellowhammer
and migrating Starlings - Portland Bill,
November 8th 2004 © Martin Cade |
November
8th |
Precious little change today with only a
handful of new arrivals on the ground and not much more passing
overhead. Under heavily overcast skies at the Bill there was a
constant trickle of ones and twos of thrushes arriving in off
the sea all morning, whilst around midday a pulse of more than 600 Starlings
passed through in quick time; 3 Lapwings, a Golden Plover,
a Short-eared Owl and a Woodlark also passed through
there and a late Swallow was at Ferrybridge. Apart from a handful of Blackcaps and Goldcrests
the only obvious new arrivals on the ground were a party of 7 Yellowhammers
at the Bill; 2 Black Redstarts and a Merlin were also
still present there and another Black Redstart was at Church
Ope Cove. Fifty Common and 2 Velvet Scoter were still
settled offshore and 2 Red-throated and a Black-throated
Diver also passed through. Belated news for yesterday: a Dartford
Warbler was in Top Fields and a male Redstart
(reported as showing features of the eastern form samamisicus)
was seen near the Higher Light at the Bill. |
Fieldfare -
Portland Bill, November 7th 2004 © Martin Cade
|
November
7th |
Still
very quiet on the late migrant front with nothing much more than a
trickle of Blackcaps, thrushes and finches
passing through at the Bill. Two Black Redstarts and a Short-eared
Owl were the pick of the scarcer species there, whilst the
wintering group of Purple Sandpipers had increased to 8 birds
and the 2 lingering Velvet Scoter remained off the East Cliffs.
Elsewhere there were 4 Eider and 2 Great Northern Divers
in Portland Harbour. |
no birds but
the fireworks were great - Southwell, November 6th 2004 © Martin
Cade
|
November
6th |
Today's
rarity interest was provided by a Yellow-browed Warbler reported
from Pennsylvania Castle early in the morning and a Tree Sparrow that
wandered between the Obs garden and the Coastguard gardens later in
the morning. Commoner migrants were again extremely thin on the
ground, with the only worthwhile reports being of a 3 late Swallows,
2 Bramblings, a Dartford Warbler and a Corn Bunting at
the Bill and a Merlin at Barleycrates Lane. The 2 Velvet
Scoters remained off the Bill where 2 Red-throated and a Great
Northern Diver and a Little Egret also passed through. |
Long-eared Owl
- Portland Bill, November 5th 2004 © Martin Cade
|
November
5th |
A
great start to the day saw a Long-eared Owl trapped and ringed
in the Obs garden at dawn. Unfortunately the clear anticyclonic
conditions otherwise delivered next to nothing in the way of grounded
migrants and an ominous wintery silence had descended on all the areas
of sheltered cover around the island. It was also surprisingly quiet
overhead with just 140 Wood Pigeons, 10 Reed Buntings, 4
Redpolls, a Swallow, a Siskin and small numbers
of commoner finches passing over the Bill. Offshore there were
still 40 Common and 2 Velvet Scoter lingering off the
East Cliffs. Belated news for yesterday: a Little Auk
was seen close inshore off Pulpit Rock at the Bill late in the
afternoon. |
November
4th |
Overnight
there were plenty of thrushes on the move in overcast, damp conditions
but although it was still raining at dawn most passage had petered out
and the only grounded new arrivals at the Bill were a few Goldcrests;
at least 5 Black Redstarts and a Merlin were still
lingering on there from previous days. Despite the initially gloomy
conditions there was quite a bit of visible passage overhead as the
morning went on, with 400 Linnets, 250 Goldfinches, 70 Meadow
Pipits, 40 Chaffinches, 25 Skylarks, 20 alba
wagtails, 4 Swallows, 2 Reed Buntings, a Lapwing,
a Snipe, a Siskin, a Lapland Bunting and a Corn
Bunting over the Bill and a Snow Bunting over Weston
Street. The only birds of note on the sea were a settled flock of 25 Common
and 1 Velvet Scoter off the Bill. The Pale-bellied Brent
Goose was again at Ferrybridge where there have been over 900 Dark-bellied
Brents in recent days. |
November
3rd |
More
of the same today with small numbers of thrushes, Goldcrests
and finches still passing through. The best on offer on the
land included a scatter of Firecrests everywhere as well as 9 Black
Redstarts, 2 Short-eared Owls and a Merlin at the
Bill and another Short-eared Owl at Weston Street; late
migrants included 2 Wheatears and 2 Swallows at the Bill
and another Swallow at the Grove. The Velvet Scoters off
the Bill increased to 3 where there also 40 settled Common Scoter
and 2 Red-throated Divers and 2 Shelduck flying past. |
Velvet Scoter
- Portland Bill, November 2nd 2004 © Martin Cade
|
November
2nd |
Another
very heavily overcast day with occasional showery rain and a moderate
south-east wind: seemingly promising conditions at this time of year
although clearly the birds didn't seem to think so. A Great Grey
Shrike seen briefly near the Portland Heights Hotel was the one
quality find of the day, with the only other oddities reported on the
land being 5 Black Redstarts, 2 Firecrests, a Merlin,
a Woodcock and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill. Thrushes
continued to trickle through but there was precious little else of
note in the way of commoner migrants. At sea, the 2 Velvet Scoter
continued to linger off the Bill, where 2 Brent Geese, 2 Red-breasted
Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver and a Pintail also
passed through. |
November
1st |
Yesterday's
excesses proved to be something of a flash in the pan with
similar-looking conditions today providing much more mundane numbers
of birds. Thrushes were still conspicuous but numbered in the
low hundreds as opposed to the thousands, and Goldcrests and a
few of the commoner finches were the only other migrants that
were even faintly numerous. Oddities included 10 Black Redstarts,
3 Firecrests, 4 Short-eared Owls, 3 Dartford Warblers,
a Merlin, a Woodcock, a Ring Ouzel and a Lapland
Bunting at the Bill and the same or another Lapland Bunting
over Reap Lane, whilst late migrants included several House Martins
and Swallows, a Hobby, a Wheatear and a Reed
Warbler at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill provided a settled
flock of 30 Common and a Velvet Scoter, as well as 5 Red-throated
Divers, a Brent Goose and a Red-breasted Merganser
passing by. |