PBO Trustees are pleased to announce that following the latest government guidelines for
England the self-contained Cottage will re-open for guests from Monday 13th
July. Those who have booked previously will be contacted with new guidelines
which are also available here.
Unfortunately, Government guidelines concerning
premises with shared facilities preclude the opening of accommodation in the
main observatory building and annexe and these will remain closed until further
notice.
Day visitors are reminded that although the observatory car park and viewing terrace are now open and toilet facilities are available in the annexe, the main building including lounge, kitchen, toilets and lighthouse tower remain strictly out of bounds; appropriate social distance should be maintained at all times on the viewing terrace. Our COVID-19 instructions are provided to ensure your wellbeing as well as that of our staff - please adhere to them during your visit.
An unexpectedly decent day for the first of July saw a couple of island (if not national) rarities. A Roseate Tern at Lodmoor was on the radar early on, and its escapade out to sea with the feeding, breeding Common Terns saw it venture within the Portland boundaries when it passed over Ferrybridge. Perhaps expectedly, the second good bird of the day was the return of the male Serin, first in a garden in Southwell, then returning for a couple of loops around the Obs before heading back to the Eight Kings Quarry. The third island rare came with a Great Egret that managed to sneak almost entirely under the radar as it flew up the East Cliffs before heading north, away from the awaiting birders. The sea also provided some further interest with the first summer record of Pomarine Skua, a Bonxie and five Balearic Shearwaters.
An update on the Ferrybridge Oystercatchers as two of the brood have reached a really healthy size © Debby Saunders:
Balearic Shearwaters continued to feature on and off all day © Keith Pritchard:
