20th March
With it having been a really dry month at Portland it
came as quite a surprise to be on the receiving end of gathering cloud, a
freshening wind and, towards dusk, a decent dose of rain. The conditions perked
up seawatching a little, with 25 Common Scoter, 12 Red-throated Divers, 2 Manx
Shearwaters, and singles of Black-throated Diver, Arctic Skua and Sandwich Tern
through off the Bill and 8 Red-throated Divers through off Chesil Cove; what
was presumably one of lingering Iceland Gulls was also about again off the
Cove. A light scatter of Wheatears constituted the only numbers on the migrant
front, although singles of Black Redstart at Verne Common, Firecrest at
Southwell and White Wagtail at the Bill did provide some extra interest.