8th February

There were no gripes about today's weather: unbroken sunshine, calm and a double-digit temperature. Red-throated Divers seem to be particularly fond of relocating to new feeding sites on calm days, and this morning's conditions proved perfect for them with this winter's highest total to date of 98 passing through off the Bill. Apart from 4 Mallards that showed up at Ferrybridge there was little else new to report from land or sea, although plenty of long-stayers putting in appearances included 6 Purple Sandpipers and 2 Blackcaps at the Bill, a Chiffchaff at Southwell, the Hooded Crow at the Grove pig farm, a Black Redstart at Portland Castle and 16 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Red-necked Grebes and the Black Guillemot in Portland Harbour.




Common Gull and Mediterranean Gulls - Ferrybridge, 8th February 2015 © Pete Saunders