A slow start to the morning as the wind that picked up overnight had swung fully into the south west. The slightly disappointing dawn seawatch was interrupted in incongruous fashion by a Glossy Ibis heading over the Obs patio which then looped back amongst the gull flock before heading off to Lodmoor - it proved to be the forerunner of an influx into Dorset, with perhaps as many as 8 logged today. More conventional highlights on the sea included 5 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Bonxie and Great Northern Diver. The land was much quieter than previous days but a Woodcock flushed out of the Obs garden was the first for the autumn and two Firecrests accompanied the single figures of Goldcrests at the Bill. Elsewhere, the Rosy Starling lingered on at Easton, just 2 Yellow-browed Warblers remained at Old Hill and 2 Knot were new arrivals at Ferrybridge.
Glossy Ibis doesn't spring to mind as a particularly likely Portland rarity but today's is actually the fourth for the island: singles have dropped in briefly or flown over on two occasions at Ferrybridge and another single flew over the Bill in October 2013 © Martin Cade:
