With the latter half of the autumn being marked by prolonged periods of calm and dry conditions, there seemed to be quite a deal of anticipation for what Storm Bert might bring in the way of seabird activity. Whilst maybe not quite on the level that some would have hoped, the seawatching was still of a varied selection, including singles of both
Manx Shearwater and
Sooty Shearwater, 3
Great Skuas, 6
Common Scoter and an
Eider recorded off the Bill. Elsewhere, a
Leach's Petrel was seen briefly on the harbour-side of the causeway, with a total of 6
Shelduck, 5
Kittiwake, 4
Goosander, 4
Common Scoter and a single
Pale-bellied Brent Goose recorded at Ferrybridge.
Today's Leach's Petrel marked the first individual recorded off Portland this year © Pete Saunders
A lone Common Scoter passing the obelisk © Thomas Miller
In absence of a photo of either a Manx or Sooty gliding through the troughs (they were really quite far off!) we will instead leave you with a more scenic view of Portland under Storm Bert © Jodie Henderson
