15th June

Blistering blue skies and barely a breathe of wind did wonders for the veg patch after the recent rain, but the birding day got off to a slow start. Three singing male Reed Warblers at Culverwell were a sign that passage had not fully ground to a halt and this was confirmed soon afterwards when a Golden Oriole showed briefly for one fortunate observer at the Merchant's Incline (remarkably this is the first record for the year - the poorest spring showing since 2016). The sea was not eventful, with double figures of both Common Scoter and Mediterranean Gull as good as it got.

Back to yesterday for another exciting if slightly obscure little discovery by Will Langton during his Large Tortoiseshell exploration at Church Ope Cove. This tiny blotch mine on a honeysuckle leaf contains a larva of the Honeysuckle Dwarf Perittia obscurepunctella - the first record for Portland. Although described as widely distributed in England, this species appears on the basis of the few county records to be very rare in Dorset as a whole - it's a small, insignificant-looking early season flyer so we'll take a punt on it actually being more widespread in the county but largely overlooked © Will Langdon: