11th June

The stir-up in the weather that's been so evident over recent days seems finally to be generating a few rewards on the bird front, with a Rosy Starling that dropped in at Southwell stealing the show today. From the spectacle point of view the day's highlight was actually a spectacular movement of Swifts associated with a band of intense rainfall just to the north of the island during the afternoon: many hundreds left out to sea ahead of the rain, with most later trailing back northward into the teeth of a brisk northeasterly that sprung up after the rain. Another small flurry of migrants on the ground included 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Willow Warbler at the Bill and 13 Sanderling, 9 Dunlin and a Bar-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge.

The first Convolvulus Hawkmoth of the year was trapped overnight at the Obs.

The Rosy Starling dropped in just long enough to allow for a snatched record photo © Nick Stantiford:


The Convolvulus Hawkmoth looks to be the earliest ever recorded at Portland - the previous earliest record we can find is of one on 15th June 2015 © Martin Cade:


With Alpine Swifts to the east and west of the island more scrutiny of the evening rush of Swifts might have paid dividends...


...laggards were till arriving in off the sea at the Bill as night fell, with several making attempts to find roosting spots on the window ledges of the Obs lighthouse tower © Martin Cade: