Although the summering Wheatear at the Bill seems not to have bred - earlier in the summer it looked to have a mate and they were checking out a suitable nest site - it's still making its presence known amongst the local inhabitants © Debby Saunders:
And talking of things that haven't bred, there's more frustrating news on the Kittiwake front: where a fortnight ago this was the scene...
...now this is the view of the same nest...
...whilst more abandoned nests dot the whole of the cliff face:
We appreciate that a lot of local folk have really taken to the presence of virtually hand-tame Ravens at the Bill but all's not sweetness and light with them and in the breeding season they're devastating the seabird colony by taking so many eggs from first the Guillemots and later the Kittiwakes. The Guillemots are sufficiently numerous and tightly-packed in the colony that they benefit from a certain safety in numbers and still manage to fledge at least some young every year; however, the Kittiwakes are far less numerous and their more isolated nests are robbed almost as soon as the eggs are laid - in the three years since Kittiwakes reoccupied the cliffs we're not aware of a single egg that's even got as far as hatching, let along a youngster fledging. How long will it be before they just don't bother to come back and even attempt to breed? © Martin Cade
Migrant moth nos on the up again incl 15 Small Mottled Willows & 4 Small Marbled at the Obs. Night's best catches an Orache for @debbyseamist.bsky.social at Sweethill, a Striped Hawk for Duncan W at Weston and an Apple Marble E porphyrana at the Obs - latter rare or maybe even new for vc9 Dorset
— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) June 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
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