With the strength of the wind dwindling and heavy cloud cover rolling in overnight migrants were at last downed in some quantity today. The hours of darkness had seen a steady passage of Redwings develop - 151 calls were logged at the Obs with a strong peak in the couple of hours of darkness - and it was they that proved the harbingers of things to come as dawn broke when 45 greeted the early risers around the south of the island; 21 Fieldfare and 20 Blackbirds also made rapid departures at this time. Willow Warblers made up the bulk of the numbers amongst the summer migrants, with 150 at the Bill alone; also there, Chiffchaff and Blackcap reached 50 each, Wheatear was rather under-strength at just 40 and none of the other also-rans managed a double-figure total. Visible passage was surprisingly light but did include a Common Buzzard arriving in off the sea at the Bill. Sea passage continued to improve, with a year peak of 42 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill; 90 Common Scoter and singles of Brent Goose and Sandwich Tern were also of note there, whilst off Chesil singles of Black-throated Diver, Lapwing, Curlew and the season's first Little Ringed Plover added variety to the mix. Thirteen Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver were also still about at Portland Harbour.
Redwing, Blackcap and Redshank were among the migrants that featured today © Martin Cade, Debby Saunders and Joe Stockwell respectively:
It's many, many years since they've bred at Portland so, away from the Ferrybridge carpark, Rook is always a rather appreciated and strongly seasonal visitor to the island © Pete Saunders:
