2nd July

On what was apparently Portland's hottest day so far during the ongoing spell of glorious weather - probably not the best day to have chosen to be toiling over building the bulk of a permanent brick barbeque in the Obs garden! - there was a fair bit of early autumn passage afoot. Swifts were most conspicuous, with at least 90 through over the Obs, whilst sea passage off the Bill included 36 Manx Shearwaters, 11 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Mediterranean Gulls, 6 Common Scoter, 6 commic terns, 3 Whimbrel and singles of Teal, Curlew, Great Skua and Sandwich Tern. Other odds and ends of note included the first 3 Sand Martins of the season through at the Bill and 12 Dunlin, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, a Sanderling and a Curlew at Ferrybridge.

A Red-veined Darter was in the Bill Quarry during the morning.

The Large Tortoiseshell at Bottomcombe was still present for a while during the morning but couldn't be found later in the day.

The first Splendid Brocade of the year was the best of an improvemed catch of immigrant moths at the Obs, where 148 Diamond-back Moth, 23 Silver Y, 12 Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana, 2 European Corn-borer, 2 Water Veneer and singles of Willow Ermine, Dark Spectacle and Marbled White-spot were also trapped.