15th January

Improved weekend coverage today provided us with a longer list but no evidence of much changing. Seven Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart were at the Bill with 2 Red-throated Divers passing through on the sea there, singles of Black Redstart and Chiffchaff surfaced at Blacknor and Portland Castle respectively and 200 Dunlin, 48 Red-breasted Mergansers, 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Shelducks, 3 Great Northern Divers, 3 Eider and a Mute Swan were at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour.

The five Shelducks that are coming and going - either mob-handed like today or in ones and twos on other days - from Ferrybridge at the moment © Pete Saunders:


And a Snipe overhead at Ferrybridge last Wednesday © Pete Saunders:


There have been all sorts of interesting ocean-going creatures washed ashore - dead or alive - on Chesil during the recent stormy weather; this weekend's oddities included quite a few Portugese Man O'War © Steve Mansfield: