A Red Admiral was on the wing at the Obs.
Stonechats were today's feature birds - this was one of the two on the harbour shore © Pete Saunders:
Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone on the shore at the Bill © Geoff Orton:
22nd February
The arrival of almost all-day sunshine and pleasant mildness prompted a welcome surge in fieldwork that was well-timed for it coincided with a small flurry of new arrivals. As they often are at this juncture, Stonechats were easily the most conspicuous of these newcomers, with 45 logged at the Bill and 2 also new along the harbour shore; Redwings would have been more numerous had many of the 108 logged by the nocmig recorder at the Obs dropped in, but in the event just 6 were found after daybreak. Also on the move were 3 Pied Wagtails and 2 Skylarks watched arrived in off the sea at the Bill. Other than that the land was relatively quiet: a selection of Chiffchaffs here and there included some that were presumed not to be winterers and a lingering Lapwing remained at the Bill but most of the other reports concerned routine long-stayers; belated news was also received of some more wintering Blackcaps: 2 visiting a garden at Verne Common have apparently been present all year and another visited a garden at Reforne earlier this month. Offshore, a Long-tailed Duck was new at Portland Harbour and 12 Red-throated Divers and 9 Black-headed Gulls passed through off the Bill.
