14th September

The briefest of respites from the constant wind of recent weeks was extremely welcome even if it lasted just a few hours. It did permit the most extensive coverage of the land for a while although, disappointingly, it was overhead passage rather than a flurry of grounded arrivals that provided the numbers, with 400 Meadow Pipits, 63 Yellow Wagtails, 48 Grey Wagtails, 11 Tree Pipits, 9 Chaffinches and a Marsh Harrier amongst the returns at the Bill. Meagre fare on the ground included 25 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers and singles of Little Egret, Caspian Gull, White Wagtail, Garden Warbler and Pied Flycatcher at the Bill and 2 Little Stints and singles of Caspian Gull and Little Tern at Ferrybridge. Two phases of Balearic Shearwater movement off the Bill - first during the calm and later in the increasing wind of the afternoon - totalled 302, with 110 Kittiwakes and 2 Arctic Skuas amongst the also-rans there.

Red sky in the morning and all that - the old adage proved to be very prescient since dawn might have been lovely and still but by late morning the wind was howling again and it wasn't long after that before yet more rain set in © Martin Cade:

The Marsh Harrier spent a little while quartering the stewardship crops in the Crown Estate Field...

...where it did us a small favour by putting the frighteners on the Red-legged Partridge that had hitherto only been seen about four times in the four months or so that it's been here! © Martin Cade: 

The Ferrybridge Little Stints have become more obliging as their residence has continued © Joe Stockwell:

The first of today's two Caspian Gulls was a pretty standard 'sat in a field doing nothing in particular' view in the East Cliff fields below Culverwell...

...however, the views of the second bird at Ferrybridge was super useful since it was flying around for 10 minutes or more and accorded much more with the sort of long range seawatch view that we reckon we must be overlooking off the Bill; we hadn't really taken on board before quite how much they look like giant first winter Med Gulls - the white underwing coverts, crisp tail pattern, black primaries and black secondary bar all came together to convey a real Med Gull look to this bird. Nice! © Martin Cade:

Much improved overnight mothing on a calm night at the Obs although the feeling was that most of the migrant catch involved things surfacing after recent inclement weather rather than new arrivals; 9 Convolvulus Hawks the pick of the catch, 285 Rush Veneers their highest total of the year.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) September 14, 2025 at 11:32 AM

13th September

Another windswept day that could so easily have been written off as yet more of the same had it not been for the dogged perseverance of those out in the field revealing small pockets of migrants among the sheltered spots around the island. Whilst not in any real quantity, a total of 2 Spotted Flycatchers at Broadcroft, 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle and a noticeable uptick in Chiffchaffs everywhere all hinted at some recent arrival, with a Whinchat on the Slopes and the lingering Pied Flycatcher at Culverwell the only other grounded migrants of note. Further scrutiny of the gull flock below Culverwell revealed 2 more Caspian Gulls and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, with the former assumed to be another 2 birds not previously encountered, whilst 3 more Caspian Gulls dropped in at Ferrybridge later in the day. At sea, totals of 193 Kittiwakes, 102 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Bonxie were logged at the Bill, with a Grey Phalarope appearing at Chesil Cove. Turn over in the Ferrybridge waders looked to have ground to a halt, with 6 Knot, 4 Sanderlings, 2 Little Stints and a Curlew Sandpiper again the best on offer.

Today's passerine migrant encounters were very welcome after another barren period, with these Spotted Flycatchers showing particularly well at Broadcroft © Martin Cade:

With a bit of perseverance today's Grey Phalarope was spotted by most folk who had a look for it - whether it's a long-term but elusive lingerer or a new arrival remains to be seen © Pete Saunders:

This evening's Arctic Tern at Ferrybridge © Thomas Miller:

Today's Caspian Gulls included a Netherlands-ringed bird in the Culverwell gull flock © Martin Cade...

...and three birds that dropped in separately during an extended late afternoon watch at Ferrybridge; one of these was also colour-ringed so may or may not have been the Bill bird from earlier in the day ©  Thomas Miller:

Our weekly visit to Yeolands Quarry revealed plenty - probably several dozen in total - of Red-veined Darters still in residence © Martin Cade:

12th September

With the land still too blown out to reveal much in the way of passerine migration, it was of some consolation that there were rewards to be had from staring out to sea, with the undoubted highlight being a juvenile Sabine's Gull settled close in off Chesil Cove. At the Bill, totals of 63 Balearic Shearwaters, 27 Kittiwakes and an Arctic Skua were the best from the morning seawatch, with a renewed pulse of movement in the evening seeing a further 175 Balearics, 45 Kittiwakes, 20 Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua pass through. Elsewhere, a Pied Flycatcher remained at Culverwell, 2 Common Sandpipers were at the Bill, a Grey Phalarope joined the Sabine's Gull off the Cove and 2 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Yellow-legged Gull were at Ferrybridge.

The Sabine's Gull was showing very nicely at Chesil Cove © Pete Saunders (stills) and Martin Cade (video):

Whilst it helps to have a Caspian Gull afficionado in your midst - German science probably has an appealing compound word for this sort of practitioner, something along the lines of Ein Autistischenverstandfurcacchinnans - it does seem that there's some sort of cachinnans event going on since all three of today's settled birds looked to be different to the six logged over the last two days. In this series of photos the settled birds are the three individuals in the fields below Culverwell, with a flight shot of one of these - or even another? - from an earlier seawatch © Thomas Miller:

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) September 12, 2025 at 12:36 PM

Very quiet moth-trapping at the Obs this week but still odd morsels of migrant interest incl 3 Convolvulus Hawks last night, Toadflax Pearl and Pediasis contaminella yesterday 11th and 2 Striped Hawks on Tuesday 9th

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) September 12, 2025 at 11:58 AM

11th September

The less said about the current weather the better, save to remark that the ongoing battering westerlies are already getting really tiresome. The day's high spot concerned the appearance of 3 more Caspian Gulls - one at the Bill and 2 at Ferrybridge - taking their tally to 6 in two days. The sea was very quiet: a quick fire 47 Balearic Shearwaters after dawn gave hope but both they and anything else quickly fizzled out, with just 12 more Balearics and an Arctic Skua of note through the rest of the day. Swallows, Sand Martins and a few Grey Wagtails were attempting to depart overhead throughout the morning but the only grounded passerine reports of note concerned the lingering Dartford Warbler, 2 Pied Flycatchers and singles of Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher scattered between the Bill and Pennsylvania Castle. Ferrybridge was far busier, with 5 Yellow-legged Gulls, 7 Knot, 3 Sanderling, 2 Little Stints and a Curlew Sandpiper amongst the variety.

Thanks to the attentiveness of Thomas Miller the Caspian Gull tally advanced by another three today; this one was in the Culverwell gull flock...

...and these two were at Ferrybridge © Thomas Miller:

This lone Curlew Sandpiper was the pick of the day's waders at Ferrybridge © Martin Cade:

This Gannet labouring through over Ferrybridge was a sad sight - it looks very much as though it's managed to ingest part of a lump of monofilament fishing net © Pete Saunders:

10th September

An increasingly unpleasantly showery and windy day after a not too bad start had allowed for plenty of coverage that revealed there had been next to no improvement in the parlous migrant situation. Three Caspian Gulls were notable arrivals, but passerine numbers really were dismal, with 5 Whinchats and the lingering Dartford Warbler the only reports of note amongst the low single figure totals of commoner species at the Bill; overhead there, a flock of 19 departing Grey Herons were quite a spectacle but no more than a handful of Swallows were logged heading out to sea. The sea was well-watched with a subliminal Sabine's Gull through off the Bill the chief reward; 101 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Arctic Skuas, the first Great Northern Diver of the autumn and a Bar-tailed Godwit were the best of the rest. Ferrybridge was busy: the Sandwich Tern influx continued with up to 104 lingering, 13 Bar-tailed Godwits arrived and 36 Oystercatchers, 5 Sanderling, 4 Knot and 2 Little Stints were amongst the commoner waders.

The flock of Bar-tailed Godwits that dropped in at Ferrybridge were watched arriving from over the harbour and coincided closely with a single passing through to the west off the Bill (where they're not at all regular in autumn) © Pete Saunders:

After some earlier false starts and/or bouts of ID ineptitude so far this autumn, today's mini-influx of Caspian Gulls afforded some nice opportunities for close scrutinization - this one flew past the Bill © Thomas Miller...

...whilst this one was in the Culverwell gull flock:

There's been at least one occasion in the past when there have been two Caspian Gulls at Bill on the same day but they were well separated and we don't think that, before today, there has ever been two in the Culverwell gull flock at the same time © Martin Cade:

9th September

A distinct autumnal coolness in the air at dawn didn't herald any change in the migrant situation, in fact without either of yesterday's scarcities in evidence it was soon brought into sharp focus just how little was  going on - a fact further evidenced by several hours of blank net rounds and downbeat trudging around the Bill. Seven Wheatears, 2 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Pied Flycatcher on the ground at the Bill really weren't the stuff of September dreams; an equally sedate overhead passage of 55 Swallows, 27 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Grey Wagtails and 16 Tree Pipits was also hugely disappointing. The sea again helped out by providing the bulk of the day's numbers, including 75 Kittiwakes, 65 Balearic Shearwaters, 20 Manx Shearwaters, 9 Arctic Skua, 9 Sandwich Terns and 9 Arctic Terns through off the Bill. An uptick to 42 Sandwich Terns was of interest at Ferrybridge, where waders included 12 Knot, 6 Sanderlings and 2 Little Stints.

In the absence of anything much else in numbers on the ground the increase in Sandwich Terns at Ferrybridge was of note...

...the two Little Stints also remained there © Pete Saunders:

Among many migrant species on a downer at the moment, Tree Pipit numbers have been dismal - today's 16 over the Bill was a very sub-par tally for a bright morning in early September © Martin Cade:

8th September

This autumn's ratio of rare/scarce migrants to more routine fare was already something to be envied and the events of today served only to improve it, with first a Wryneck showing up at Culverwell before a Booted Warbler was discovered in the Crown Estate Field; with a back-up cast that included singles of Osprey (over Verne Common) and Marsh Harrier (over the Bill) overhead, the autumn's first Merlin at the Bill, 2 Little Stints at Ferrybridge and another 150 Balearic Shearwaters through/lingering offshore there was plenty to commend. The common migrant situation was far less positive, with variety not too bad but numbers far below what might be expected in mid-September, to the extent that visible passage of hirundines was almost non-existent and the likes of totals of just 22 Yellow Wagtails, 15 Grey Wagtails and 2 Tree Pipits overhead at the Bill were frankly pitiful for seemingly perfect conditions. With the night sky dominated by an enormous full moon a worthwhile arrival on the ground was never likely, so the scatter of 4 Reed Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Grasshopper Warbler amongst not a great deal else were welcome. With the exception of the Balearic Shearwaters and some good gatherings of gulls the sea was quiet, with 2 Arctic Skuas and a Little Gull the best off the Bill.

The Booted Warbler was a nice little event: at midday we were actually closing the Crown Estate Field nets having had little reward all morning when on getting to one in a low weedy crop a small, ghostly-pale warbler flushed out from close to the net; a judicious walk through the crop saw it fly out into an adjacent hedge where the ID as a likely Booted Warbler became more obvious:

A few more hands were gathered from the Obs and before long the bird had been chivvied into the mist-net it had first been found beside. In the hand it seemed both in appearance and biometrics to conform in every way to Booted, with the possibility of Sykes's looking to be safely eliminated. On release in the Obs Quarry it showed remarkably well for a while and continued to pop up quite regularly for the arriving listers before eventually leaving the quarry and being lost:

And some of the finer details in the hand. Of esoteric interest, we weren't entirely certain what age the bird was: the presence of some prominent fault bars on some of the middle tail feathers invited hasty categorization as a youngster (although there are other possible explanations for this and, besides, the fault bars didn't extent across the whole tail) but on close examination some feathers in tracts such as the tertials, the smaller wing coverts and the tail looked to be unexpectedly heavily worn for a youngster and there was some sort of strange moult activity going on in the inner secondaries; in contrast to all this, the primaries looked to be way too fresh for it to be an adult. So, it's probably best left unaged until we've received some more informed input on this subject:

This was Portland's fifth Booted Warbler but the first for 23 years; the previous records were of singles in the Obs garden and an adjacent weedy field on 22nd-23rd September 1980, in the Obs Quarry Field and Pulpit bushes on 13th September 1987, at Barleycrates Lane on 13th-14th September 1999 and in the hut fields and Obs garden on 15th-19th August 2002 © Martin Cade:

Some more random migrant action from the day - Marsh Harrier, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail and Wryneck at the Bill © Martin Cade...

...and the Little Stints at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders: