December 2006

 

 

  Great Skua - Ferrybridge, December 31st 2006 © Pete Saunders

  December 31st

A good deal less to report today: a Golden Plover and a Redwing were at the Bill where 2 Great Skuas and a Red-throated Diver passed through on the sea, whilst elsewhere there were 2 Great Northern Divers and a Red-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua and a Little Gull at Ferrybridge, a Black Redstart at Portland Castle, 3 Black Redstarts at Weston and a Common Buzzard at Cheyne.

Late news for yesterday: 180 Dunlin, 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 2 Little Gulls were at Ferrybridge.

December 30th

A long list of sightings today with a pleasantly mild and sunny morning allowing for plenty of birding before wind and rain set in again early in the afternoon. After stormy conditions overnight plenty of attention to given to the sea, with 4 Red-throated, 2 Great Northern and a Black-throated Diver, 2 Great Skuas, a Mediterranean Gull and a Little Gull passing through off the Bill and 13 Little Gulls, 1-2 Grey Phalaropes, a Red-throated Diver and a Great Skua passing through or lingering in Chesil Cove. Portland Harbour produced 9 Great Northern Divers, 7 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes and single Common and Velvet Scoters, whilst elsewhere there were 5 Mediterranean Gulls, a Gannet and a Bar-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge, 5 Goldcrests at Easton, a Firecrest at St George's School and single Black Redstarts at Chesil Cove, Portland Castle, Haylands and Weston.

Late news for yesterday: a Great Skua lingered in Chesil Cove for much of the day.

 

    

  Little Gull - Ferrybridge, December 29th 2006 © Pete Saunders

  December 29th

The return of wet and windy weather kept reports to a minimum: 3 Great Skuas, a Red-throated Diver and a Red-breasted Merganser passed through off the Bill, the Velvet Scoter and at least 1 Great Northern Diver were still in Portland Harbour, 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, a Little Gull and a Kittiwake were at Ferrybridge and there was a Chiffchaff at Easton.

Late news for yesterday: 2 Black Redstarts were again at Weston and there was a Chiffchaff and a Yellowhammer at Easton.

December 28th

Much milder than of late and - for the first time in days - pleasantly sunny at times. Bird-wise there wasn't much change: the Velvet Scoter remained in Portland Harbour (along with 4 Great Northern Divers), 29 Mediterranean Gulls and 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were at Ferrybridge, a Black Redstart was again at Portland Castle and 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Little Gulls and a Great Skua passed through off the Bill.

 

       

   

  Velvet Scoter and a few of the Mediterranean Gulls - Portland Harbour and Ferrybridge, December 27th 2006 © Pete Saunders

  December 27th

A few snippets of interest again today, the best of which were the Velvet Scoter still in Portland Harbour and a wandering Gadwall - presumably the same individual in each case - that was seen twice at the Bill and once flying across Portland Harbour. The pick of the rest of the sightings were at least 20 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge, at least 6 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour, good numbers of Redwings at Weston at dawn, a Common Buzzard, a Lapwing, a Curlew, a Redwing and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and 6 Brent Geese, 3 Red-throated Divers and plenty of auks (between 50 and 100 per minute early in the morning) passing through off the Bill.

Late news for yesterday: a Pintail was at Ferrybridge.

Late news for 23rd December: a freshly dead Woodcock was found at the Grove.

 

  

  a different perspective on the Bill - December 17th 2006 © Rob Sawyer

  December 26th

The gloomy, anticyclonic conditions of recent days continued but those that did trouble to venture out were rewarded with a little more of interest, notably 2 Great Skuas and a Little Gull passing through off the Bill, 2 Gadwall and a Tufted Duck flying past Church Ope Cove and a Velvet Scoter settled in Portland Harbour. More routine fare included 6 Redwings, a Common Buzzard and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and Black Redstarts at Weston (2) and Portland Castle.

December 25th

A few cursory glances outdoors provided precious little of note at the Bill: a Common Buzzard and a Chiffchaff were still present on the land and 3 Wigeon passed through on the sea.

December 24th

The Mediterranean Gull record is being broken with increasing frequency: today saw a new peak of 33 at Ferrybridge in the morning that was exceeded only a few hours later by a count of 37 in Portland Harbour late in the afternoon. At the Bill there were 7 Purple Sandpipers, a Lapwing and a Chiffchaff on the land and 3 more Velvet Scoters passed through on the sea, whilst elsewhere there were 2 Black Redstarts (one of them a 'new' individual) at Weston.

A single Bottle-nosed Dolphin was again off the Bill this morning.

Late news for yesterday: a Snow Bunting flew south over Ferrybridge.

 

      

 

  Grey Seal - Portland Bill, December 23rd 2006 © Martin Cade

  December 23rd

Thoroughly miserable dull and chilly conditions today. Odds and ends passing through off the Bill included 4 Mediterranean Gulls, a Brent Goose, a Teal, a Shoveler and a Velvet Scoter; 2 Redwings and a Chiffchaff were the only birds of note on the land at the Bill. The Mediterranean Gull total at Ferrybridge reached at least 32 on one occasion during the morning when there were also 15 Little Egrets, 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Great Northern Divers and 2 Shelduck there.

A young Grey Seal hauled out on rocks near the Pulpit Rock at the Bill was not an individual that had been seen previously at the Bill; a lone Bottle-nosed Dolphin also passed through off the Bill.

December 22nd

The fog cleared again to leave plenty of pleasant sunshine today. Three Wigeon, a Red-throated Diver, a Mallard and a Mediterranean Gull passed through off the Bill, Ferrybridge produced 28 Mediterranean Gulls (there have been at least 31 different individuals there in the last two days) and 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Velvet Scoter flew over Portland Harbour, 3 Goldcrests were at Easton and single Chiffchaffs showed up at the Bill, Southwell and Easton.

December 21st

The fog finally crept out as far as Portland and curtailed the day's birding effort. The reports received included 24 Mediterranean Gulls, 7 Pale-bellied Brent Geese (with 350 Dark-bellied Brents) and a Grey Plover at Ferrybridge, 2 Goldcrests, a Golden Plover and a Purple Sandpiper at the Bill and single Black Redstarts at Easton and Weston.

Late news for yesterday: single Black Redstarts at St Georges Church and beside the coast path between Cheyne and Church Ope Cove were additions to the already quite long list of sites that have hosted this species so far this winter.

 

 

  Avocet - Ferrybridge, December 20th 2006 © Pete Saunders

  December 20th

A frosty dawn gave way to another day of unbroken sunshine as Portland again escaped the fog blanketing much of southern England. A crack of dawn Avocet was an unexpected new arrival at Ferrybridge although it didn't last more than a few minutes before being chased off by the local gulls; the regular 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were also still there along with 160 Dark-bellied Brents, 11 Little Egrets and 4 Mediterranean Gulls. The Bill area produced 10 Linnets, 2 Redwings, 2 Goldcrests, a Common Buzzard, a Brambling and a Yellowhammer on the land and 6 Red-throated Divers and plenty more auks passing through on the sea, whilst odds and ends elsewhere included 3 Goldcrests at Perryfields and 3 Goldcrests and 2 Redwings at Easton.

Late news for yesterday: single Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes were in Portland Harbour and the two resident Roe Deer were reported for the first time for several weeks at Suckthumb Quarry.

December 19th

Another pleasant sunny day although there was a keener edge to the easterly breeze. Good numbers of auks and gulls were being attracted by fish shoals off the Bill (occasional sample counts included 350 auks - mainly Razorbills - passing the Bill in 5 minutes early in the morning) but otherwise all the news came from the land, with 4 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones, 2 Goldcrests, a Common Buzzard, a Lapwing, a Redwing and a Reed Bunting at the Bill, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests, a Blackcap and a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and a Black Redstart at Reap Lane.

A Red Admiral was on the wing at Reap Lane.

December 18th

A damp morning put off most potential visitors which was a pity as the afternoon turned out to be pleasantly mild, sunny and still. Two Goldcrests, a Common Buzzard, a Water Rail and a Redwing were in the Bill area, 3 Red-throated Divers and a Brent Goose passed by on the sea off the Bill, there was a Chiffchaff at Reap Lane, Portland Harbour produced several Great Northern Divers and a Red-necked Grebe and the family party of 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were again at Ferrybridge.

December 17th

A few more late migrants early in the morning included 20 Redwings over Weston and a Redwing, a Brambling and a few extra Chaffinches at the Bill. Otherwise the only news was of 5 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones and 2 Goldcrests at the Bill, 8 more Red-throated Divers passing through on the sea there, at least 7 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour and 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Ferrybridge.

December 16th

The first really pleasant still and sunny morning for a long time produced a handful of late migrants, including 2 Redwings, a Lesser Redpoll and a Reed Bunting at the Bill; 2 Goldcrests and a Water Rail were also still there and 6 Red-throated Divers passed through on the sea. The only other reports were of 14 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour and a Black Redstart still at Portland Castle.

December 15th

Very routine fare today. Seawatching at the Bill produced 4 Red-throated Divers and a Brent Goose passing by along with a presumably post-roost movement of 275 Great Black-backed Gulls trickling south along East Cliffs. The only other reports were of 3 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour and 2 Black Redstart on the harbour shore near Portland Castle.

 

 

  poor views of what looks to be a good candidate for a Ring-billed Gull (...they're a lot more tricky as a fly-by at the Bill than they used to be when they were sitting on the mud at Radipole!) - Portland Bill, December 14th 2006 © Martin Cade

  December 14th

Another drab and breezy day. The Pale-bellied Brent Goose total at Ferrybridge increased to 9, there were Black Redstarts at both Blacknor (2) and Haylands and a lone Siskin flew over at Easton. The only reports from the Bill were of seawatching that produced 7 Red-throated Divers and a Great Skua passing by and 24 Common Scoter settled offshore.

 

 

  Balearic Shearwater - Portland Bill, December 13th 2006 © Martin Cade

  December 13th

Another single Balearic Shearwater - the fourth so far this month - passing through off the Bill was the pick of the morning's sightings (these have been the first December Balearics for the island and March is now left as the only month of the year without any records of the species off Portland). Seven Red-throated Divers, a Little Gull and a Mediterranean Gull also passed through off the Bill, the wintering flock of Common Scoter there increased to 24 and a Black Redstart was still at Weston.

A single Bottle-nosed Dolphin passed through off the Bill this morning.

 

 

  Pale-bellied Brent Geese - Ferrybridge, December 12th 2006 © Pete Saunders

  December 12th

A Siberian Chiffchaff (with the 'Common' Chiffchaff already present there) was a new arrival at Weston in the morning and  a family party of 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Ferrybridge were different individuals to those seen there previously this winter (one of which was also still present). Elsewhere 8 Red-throated Divers and a Mediterranean Gull passed through off the Bill, 15 Common Scoter were settled offshore there, a Little Gull lingered in Chesil Cove and single Black Redstarts were at Weston and Portland Castle.

 

      

       

 

      Three Little Gulls and a Kittiwake - Portland Bill, December 11th 2006 © Martin Cade

  December 11th

Overnight gales were followed by a morning when it didn't stop to rain before the weather cleared up a little in the afternoon. Another Leach's Petrel passed through Chesil Cove early in the morning and a Grey Phalarope lingered there for much of the day. At the Bill there was a small westward movement of 20 Little Gulls, 8 Red-throated Divers and a Mediterranean Gull as the rain stopped, but 7 Purple Sandpipers were the only other noteworthy sightings there. Portland Harbour produced at least 15 Great Northern Divers, with a single Black-throated Diver nearby at Ferrybridge.

December 10th

More wind and rain set in during the afternoon but not before a clear morning had allowed reasonable coverage of the Bill and Chesil Cove/Portland Harbour. Duck passage has been almost non-existent this autumn/winter so even a relatively minor movement of 50 Common Scoter, 10 Shoveler, 4 Velvet Scoter and a Goldeneye past the Bill was welcome; 16 Red-throated Divers, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Black-throated Divers and a Grey Plover also passed through there. Eleven Turnstones, 3 Redwing, a Purple Sandpiper and a Fieldfare were logged on the land at the Bill, whilst elsewhere there were 4 Red-throated Divers at Chesil Cove and 10 Great Northern Divers and a fly-over Pale-bellied Brent Goose at Portland Harbour.

December 9th

Clear skies and a fresh north-westerly wind this morning produced a little late movement at the Bill where 66 Chaffinches, 7 Fieldfares and 4 Redwings flew north; 2 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff were also lingering on there, whilst the first Barn Owl for a few weeks was seen beside the Bill Road at dawn. Seawatching at the Bill produced 11 Red-throated Divers, 3 Brent Geese and 2 Mediterranean Gulls passing by and 16 Common Scoter settled offshore. The only other news was of 9 Great Northern Divers, a Red-necked Grebe and a Black-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour, 2 Red-throated Divers, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Black Redstart at Chesil Cove and another Black Redstart at Reap Lane.

 

       

 

          Grey Phalarope and Triggerfish (the latter was found washed up amongst the debris at Chesil Cove; it is evidently a formerly rare visitor to the area that has increased in numbers and is now found quite commonly in the late summer around wrecks off Chesil Beach) - Chesil Cove, December 8th 2006 © Colin McEntee

  December 8th

A surprisingly good list for today with some seabirds still in evidence and, in much lighter winds, also a few birds surfacing on the land. A Grey Phalarope remained at Chesil Cove but the only Leach's Petrel still around was a forlorn single circling the middle of Portland Harbour; the Harbour also provided a good count of 19 Great Northern Divers, along with 2 Black-necked and a single Red-necked Grebe. Four Red-throated Divers, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Skua passed through off the Bill, 16 Common Scoter were settled offshore there, a very late Swallow lingered near the lighthouse, 35 Goldfinches flew south overhead and 3 Redwings, a Water Rail, a Fieldfare, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and a Brambling were seen on the land. Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart at Chesil Cove, 6 Redwings and a Fieldfare at Weston, 6 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff at Easton, 3 Goldcrests and 2 Chiffchaffs at Pennsylvania Castle and a Black Redstart at Haylands.

Late news for yesterday: a late report from the sea was of a Little Auk briefly at Chesil Cove at midday. Two Black Redstarts were also at the Cove and there were 3 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff at Easton.

 

  

 

          Grey Phalarope and Leach's Petrel - Chesil Cove and Ferrybridge, December 7th 2006 © Colin McEntee (Grey Phalarope) and Pete Saunders (Leach's Petrel)

  December 7th

More stormy weather, including some really ferocious squalls during the afternoon, produced plenty more Leach's Petrels. Chesil Cove was again the best site for petrels with a conservative estimate of more than 100 passing through during the day (dozens were lingering at times so this may be an underestimate), whilst shorter watches elsewhere produced 20 or more through Portland Harbour, 6 off the Bill and 4 through Ferrybridge. Two Grey Phalaropes and at least 2 Little Gulls were at Chesil Cove, another Grey Phalarope flew through Portland Harbour and 2 Balearic Shearwaters, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a Grey Plover passed the Bill.

December 6th

The weather improved enough that the supply of petrels had entirely dried-up and the only reports from the sea during the morning were of single Red-throated and Great Northern Divers passing through off Chesil Cove and 2 Red-throated Divers, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Balearic Shearwater passing the Bill. A Blackcap remained in the Obs garden and a total of 110 Goldfinches trickled south overhead at the Bill.

 

  

 

       

  The big Leach's day: the vigil at Chesil Cove, a fly-by at the Bill, some close views at Ferrybridge and Goose Barnacles washed ashore at Chesil Cove - December 5th 2006 © Pete Saunders (Ferrybridge petrels) and Martin Cade (all other photos)

  December 5th

With the weather remaining very stormy it had seemed only a matter of time before Leach's Petrels arrived in quantity and they were duly wrecked in numbers today after another severe gale overnight; Chesil Cove provided the lion's share of the petrels with a day total of more than 150, whilst elsewhere there were 20 past the Bill in an hour during the morning, 12 through Ferrybridge in the morning and several in Portland Harbour. A single Great Skua passed through at Chesil Cove but otherwise there was precious little else moving at sea, although at least 4 Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull were lingering in Chesil Cove, a few Kittiwakes passed through at Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour and there were 7 Great Northern Divers, 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Black-necked Grebes and an Eider in Portland Harbour. The only other news was of 2 Black Brants and at least 1 Pale-bellied Brent at Ferrybridge, 2 Black Redstarts at Chesil Cove and a Blackcap in the Obs garden.

Also of interest, Goose Barnacles are being washed ashore in numbers on flotsam at Chesil Cove.

December 4th

A pleasant if still rather windy morning gave way to yet more cloud and rain during the afternoon. There seemed to be no passage whatsoever on the sea, from where the only report was of a dozen Common Scoter still settled off the Bill. The usual 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 2 Black Brants were at Ferrybridge amongst 600 or so Dark-bellied Brents; a single Kittiwake was also there. The only other reports were of 2 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour, a Black Redstart at Osprey Quay, a Blackcap in the Obs garden and nearly 50 Goldfinches flying south at the Bill.

 

  

  Great Northern Diver - Portland Harbour, December 3rd 2006 © Colin McEntee

  December 3rd

Very stormy conditions saw the seawatchers head to Chesil Cove from where a Leach's Petrel and a Long-tailed Skua were the pick of the sightings; 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Little Gulls, a Great Northern Diver, a Long-tailed Duck, a Great Skua and a Yellow-legged Gull were also seen there during the course of the day. An additional Leach's Petrel was reported to have been seen in Portland Harbour, where there were also 6 Great Northern Divers and a Red-necked Grebe. At the Bill a Red-throated Diver, an Arctic Skua and a Little Gull passed through on the sea and a Redwing and a Blackcap were present on the land, whilst elsewhere single Black Redstarts were at Reap Lane and Portland Castle.

December 2nd

Much fairer conditions today and a lot more to report. The Bill area provided totals of 100 Goldfinches and 25 Chaffinches flying south overhead, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrests, a Snipe and a Reed Bunting on the ground, 15 Common Scoter settled offshore and 3 Velvet Scoters, a Red-throated Diver and a Great Northern Diver passing by on the sea. Elsewhere there were 7 Great Northern Divers, a Black-throated Diver and a Black-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour, a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge, 3 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff at Pennsylvania Castle, a Redwing and a Chiffchaff at Easton and a Chiffchaff at Weston.

At least 2 Bottle-nosed Dolphins were off East Cliffs at the Bill during the morning.

Several Red Admirals and a Painted Lady were on the wing at the Obs, whilst overnight moth-trapping there produced 7 Silver Y, 3 Pearly Underwing and a Diamond-back Moth.

December 1st

An absolutely miserable day of gloomy skies and constant rain or drizzle. The only reports were of 2 Goldcrests, a Water Rail, a Purple Sandpiper, a Redwing and a Blackcap at the Bill.

A fresh Silver Y flew in through on open window at the Obs at midday (....there was a light on indoors and it was dark enough outdoors to almost qualify as dusk!).

Late news for yesterday: additional reports included 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, a Black Brant and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge, a Black Redstart at Portland Castle, 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Goldcrests at Easton, a Chiffchaff at Weston and 3 Fieldfares and 2 Redwings at Southwell.