A reminder for Obs members that our AGM is being held at the Obs at 4:30pm this Saturday evening - 8th July; buffet refreshments including a barbeque will be available after the meeting. An agenda for the meeting is available here
Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater 54 mainly w
Balearic Shearwater 10w
Common Scoter 13w
Mediterranean Gull 14
Sandwich Tern 3w
Grey Wagtail 1
Regular visitors to the Bill will have seen the huge numbers of mainly Herring Gulls gathered offshore in often dramatic feeding frenzies during recent summers. We've never been entirely clear what it is that's attracting them, save to say that it's presumably some sort of small fry-sized prey since whatever it is it's never visible in the bird's bills when they the surface from their dip-feeding frenzy. Very often there are Gannets feeding peripherally around the gull flocks that are diving for larger fish presumably attracted by the same prey that the gulls are after. Fishing boats are also often in attendance and thanks to Don Moxom and John Dadds we've been passed this amazing bit of drone video filmed by fisherman, Ryan Casey, of an enormous Bass shoal in the vicinity. Bass-fishing has always been a big deal off the Bill but we had no idea that the fish occurred in these sort of numbers!
