3rd March

A perfectly nice day to be out there looking but, with the notable exception of 2 Woodlarks that dropped in at Barleycrates Lane, the rewards in terms of early migrants were pretty scant, with the only other obvious new arrivals being 2 Pintail through at Portland Harbour and a handful of in-bound visible migrants - 3 Meadow Pipits, a Wood Pigeon and a Redwing - at the Bill. The increasingly quiet conditions allowed for good looks at Portland Harbour, where 12 Black-necked Grebes, 4 each of a Great Northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe, and a single Black-throated Diver made up the quality; singles of Red-throated Diver and Black-throated Diver, together with 4 Common Scoter, also passed through off the Bill. The day's other reports concerned a few of long-stayers, including 2 Firecrests, a Short-eared Owl and a Dartford Warbler, still about at the Bill.