9th March

Passage got going again today although a rained off afternoon did rather restrict coverage. Pretty well all the passerine movement was overhead, with a well into three figure total of inbound Meadow Pipits at the Bill further bolstered by a trickle of Pied Wagtails, 3 White Wagtails and a lone Grey Wagtail. Sea passage was limited but did include 33 Black-headed Gulls and 8 Red-throated Divers from the first Chesil watch of the season and 7 Red-throated Divers, 2 Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe from the Bill. A bit of variety from Ferrybridge included 253 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling and singles of Mute Swan, Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwit, 18 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes, 2 Mallards and a Red-necked Grebe were in Portland Harbour, whilst elsewhere there were singles of Blackcap at Wakeham and Black Redstart at Weston.

One of the Sanderling at Ferrybridge this morning © Debby Saunders:


...and the Slavonian Grebes and Mallards in Portland Harbour © Joe Stockwell: