Whilst hopes are rarely high this late in the autumn there was some expectation of a few late arrivals when the day dawned overcast and with little more than a waft of a northerly breeze. Sadly, the early signs weren't at all promising, with just 3 Redwings and a Fieldfare through over the Obs, but later fieldwork did turn up new singles of Grey Heron, Little Egret, Snipe, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Greenfinch at the Bill and 2 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest at Sweethill; the oddest arrivals of the day though were 5 Egyptian Geese that flew north over the Bill. Additionally, 4 Red-throated Divers, 2 Brent Geese and a Great Northern Diver passed through off the Bill, 22 Common Scoter were still offshore, 4 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Black Redstarts, a Merlin and a Short-eared Owl were still dotted about at the Bill and 4 Great Northern Divers, 4 Black-necked Grebes and a Black-throated Diver were in Portland Harbour.
Not that the meanderings of some crappy introduction are of any great importance but Egyptian Goose remains a very infrequent visitor to Portland so these five heading north through the dawn sky were an unusual sight over the Bill © Martin Cade:
We're hoping that the old adage of providing for them and they'll come eventually works with Waxwings but for the moment we're having to make do with our apple offerings keeping the arriving Blackcaps sustained © Martin Cade:
Another odd sight was this Sparrowhawk with rodent prey - something we've never noticed before © Debby Saunders:
