12th July

It was another low-key day with baking conditions by Portland standards seeing nearly all signs of migration melt away as the mercury rose. A single Balearic Shearwater and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were the only birds of note from a quiet seawatch, with 3 more Yellow-legged Gulls later grounded in the fields. A departing Grey Heron and a light trickle of Sand Martins accounted for the only vismig at the Bill, whilst an unseasonable Brent Goose at Ferrybridge was the only other sighting of note.

We're not sure if today's Brent Goose is the same individual that pitched in at Ferrybridge from time to time back in May - has it been summering further up the Fleet? Numbers of juvenile Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls also continue to rise at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders:

Whilst a common species on the mainland, records of Southern Hawker on Portland remain pretty infrequent with this one in the Obs garden the first record for several years © Jodie Henderson:

Either we've been extremely jammy since we certainly weren't specifically looking for them or Essex Skipper is more numerous/widespread on Portland than the published records suggest (for example, Living Record doesn't seem to have any records at all for Portland between 2000 and now): having found one beside the Beach Road a week ago, yesterday evening we happened upon another at Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve © Martin Cade:

Some woodland wanderers provided interest in last night's Obs garden moth-traps - things like Lesser-spotted Pinion, Black Arches and Engrailed all less than annual out here. Migrants included another wave of Willow Ermines + Small Marbled, Sm Mottled Willow & 3 Olive-tree Pearls

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 12, 2025 at 2:55 PM