9th June

After the soaring temperatures of recent days a cool, foggy day came as a shock to the system and certainly subdued bird activity. It almost goes without saying that the Great Spotted Cuckoo successfully completed its fourth week in residence, even if it does continue to confound visitors with its unpredictable appearances. The day's list from the Bill otherwise consisted of just 2 Chiffchaffs (1 a new arrival), a Curlew and a very late Short-eared Owl.

Diamond-back Moth numbers increased again, with totals of 900 at the Grove and 563 at Sweethill (both in single traps) the highest counts during the present influx at both sites; the Obs garden total of 1115 from five traps nearly equalled the peak total of 1140 on 2nd June. Other immigrants were almost absent, but amongst the wanderers a total of 5 Orange Footman (2 at the Obs and singles at Weston, the Grove and Fortuneswell) were of note.

Puffin - Portland Bill, 8th June 2016 © Martin King

...sad to relate, but a distant white-faced blob is about as good as it gets this year on the Portland Puffin front: there still haven't been more than singletons recorded this spring/summer and this bird(s) is by no means regular in its appearances.