31st July

A samey but nonetheless enjoyable end to a rewarding July. The grounded migrant tally benefitted from some good cloud cover overhead at dawn and the Willow Warbler tally likely again topped three figures at the Bill; the first 2 Redstarts of the autumn were a welcome addition to the variety there that otherwise consisted of a decent back-up spread of Sedge Warblers and singles of Yellow Wagtail and Reed Warbler. For the third morning in succession a distant feeding aggregation of c300 Gannets and lots of Common Dolphins off the Bill attracted some Storm Petrels - there appeared to be at least 4 but the action is so distant that it's difficult to be certain whether that included any duplication; overnight, another 5 Storm Petrels were also sound-lured and trapped at Bill tip. With shearwaters entirely absent it was left to a passage of 50 Kittiwakes and a lone Great Crested Grebe to provide the only other interest on the sea.

We've mentioned how good this July has been and the month's ringing total ended today on just shy of 900 birds - nearly 300 higher than any other July total during the last decade. Really good showings of several migrants - particularly Willow Warblers - have been notable, as has the success of a wide range of local breeding birds © Martin Cade:

A number of pairs of apparent breeding Shelducks were present on the Portland Harbour breakwaters this summer but it was uncertain whether today's youngsters at Ferrybridge originated from there © Pete Saunders:

A new species for the island rounded off what's also been a very rewarding month for moths. This Rufous Marble Celypha rufana was trapped in John Lucas' garden at Southwell the night before last; there's only one county record of this usually northern and western moth mentioned on Living Record although Phil Sterling tells us that there are at least two others, including one quite recently at Durlston © Martin Cade:

30th July

July's been pretty good to us and continued in that vein today, with a notable rarity in the form of a Black Kite that passed through over the Bill during the morning; later, a Chough over Southwell was actually a considerably rarer visitor to the island than the kite. It was also a decent day for migrants, with a nice three figure arrival of Willow Warblers at the Bill, where 70 Swifts, 50 Sand Martins, 25 Sedge Warblers, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Wheatears and singles of Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Dunlin and Curlew provided some variety. The Ferrybridge wader situation was relatively unchanged, with 10 Sanderlings and 5 Redshank amongst the commoner fare.  For the second successive day a distant feeding aggregation of Gannets and Common Dolphins off the Bill attracted a few Storm Petrels, with 20 Sandwich Terns, 14 Common Scoter, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and a Black Tern also passing through there.

The Black Kite was exciting and frustrating in equal measure: we were walking up the Obs drive to go across to check the nets in the Crown Estate Field when a dark raptor flashed past but was immediately lost to view behind the trees; a dash up to the roadside for some visibility revealed it looked to be a Black Kite and as we were running back into the Obs to alert others and grab a camera a call from Culverwell reported it had just flown past the ringers there as well. It was soon spotted from the Obs patio but afforded little more than rear-on views as it carried on very purposefully southwest and was soon lost to view behind the Coastguard Cottages as it headed on out to sea © Martin Cade:

To add to the raptor variety, fledged Peregrines are now straying fair distances - this bird was at Ferrybridge this morning © Pete Saunders:

yellow wagtail below culverwell, chough at bill quarry, sedge warbler also seen culverwell, wheatear just S of business park. wall lizard did a good job distracting a couple of kids on verge of a temper tantrum, plenty of painted lady in c.20 maybe.

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 8:11 PM

i thought this might have been a pale clouded yellow but general opinion is it is just an helice clouded yellow as originally assumed

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM

It's been coming, but for the first time Small Mottled Willow overtook Rush Veneer as most numerous migrant in last night's Obs moth-traps. Year's first Vestal +singles of Migrant Sable, Old World Webworm and Bordered Straw best of the rest

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 12:13 PM

Pine and Striped Hawkmoths from last night’s traps #mothsmatter

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) July 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM

29th July

More of the same today, with both passerines and waders still well-represented. The grounded migrant tally at the Bill included 60 Willow Warblers, 15 Sedge Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers and a Reed Warbler, with singles of Little Ringed Plover and Greenshank overhead. Ferrybridge chipped in with 75 Dunlin, 45 Ringed Plovers, 7 Sanderling and singles of Curlew, Whimbrel and Turnstone. Totals from the sea didn't amount to much, with just 17 Common Scoter, 11 Sandwich Terns, 7 Balearic Shearwaters and 3 Manx Shearwaters through off the Bill, although a distant feeding flock of 200 Gannets provided constant interest since a large group of Common Dolphins and at least 2 petrels were also in attendance   - the petrels were presumed from their behaviour to be Storm Petrels although at at least two miles range there was not a hope of resolving any other details!

Long-distance moth migration might have largely fizzled out in recent days but, as often happens at this time of year, there are shorter-distance dispersers or strays to get amongst that are frequently far rarer for us than many of the migrant rarities. Debby Saunders did well at Sweethill last night with singles of Italian Bark Moth and Toadflax Brocade that are their third and fourth island records respectively © Debby Saunders...

...whilst a very threadbare Chequered Pearl at Obs was the fifth island record © Martin Cade:

Finally, some more items for sale:

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28th July

A decent day for passerine migrants and an even better one for waders, with the latter showing up in by far their highest numbers so far this autumn. Perhaps the day's chief highlight actually came during the hours of darkness when another Storm Petrel luring session saw 10 birds trapped at the Bill tip and an impressively even higher number - reaching a peak of 14 in one scan with the thermal imager - seeming passing through offshore; sadly, this event didn't presage wider interest on the sea by day, when 3 Balearic Shearwaters were easily the highlight amongst other totals that included 150 Gannets, 120 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Common Scoter, 15 Sandwich Terns and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls. Waders included 102 Dunlin, 27 Ringed Plover, 13 Sanderling and singles of Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Redshank at Ferrybridge and 4 Ringed Plovers, 2 Turnstones, a Dunlin and a Green Sandpiper at the Bill. Willow and Sedge Warblers continued to make up bulk of the grounded migrant tally, with totals of 50 and 35 respectively at the Bill, where 5 Garden Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Reed Warbler were all that could be mustered by way of variety; overhead Swift and hirundine passage was almost non-existent.

Some of this morning's Sanderlings at Ferrybridge where before today the bird-day total for the month hadn't even reached double figures; in most recent years the bird-day for the month has been well up towards three figures and in 2023 reached well past 200 - hopefully, the low total this year reflects a good breeding season and most birds are still way up north in the Arctic © Pete Saunders:

A surprise on the ringing front was this Green Sandpiper - only the second ever ringed at the Bill - that was trapped in the Obs garden this morning © Martin Cade:

Migrant moth totals continue to drop but another Bedstraw Hawk amongst the meagre catch at the Obs last night. Also an addition for yesterday: when we eventually got round to our garden trap at the Grove it contained an Old World Webworm

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM

Striped Hawkmoth the only goodie here

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) July 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM

27th July

Perhaps surprisingly since the nice quiet, overcast conditions had looked promising for the land, there was a slight reversal of roles today with the hitherto empty sea scoring with a few birds and the land coming up with a less than impressive grounding of new arrivals. A total of 36 Balearic Shearwaters through off the Bill was the pick from the sea; a passing Tufted Duck was a decent Bill scarcity, whilst 55 Mediterranean Gulls, 15 Sandwich Terns, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and an Arctic Skua also passed by. The land wasn't entirely bereft of interest, but at the Bill 30 Willow Warblers and 10 Sedge Warblers were lower totals than had been expected.

26th July

Another nice little flurry of migrants saw totals of 40 Willow Warblers, 15 Sedge Warblers, 10 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Wheatears, 2 Common Sandpipers and singles of Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper, Turnstone and Garden Warbler logged at the Bill, where Swifts and hirundines again trickled through in small numbers. Ferrybridge chipped in a few more waders including 67 Dunlin, 19 Ringed Plovers, 8 Redshank and a Whimbrel. The sea was shocking, with not a single shearwater off the Bill where 7 Yellow-legged Gulls (the highest count so far this summer) and a lone Arctic Skua were the only worthwhile sightings.

Two of this morning's Redshank at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

Can't see the sea for the yachts: it was fortunate there wasn't much in the way of sea passage because many of the 444 yachts participating in today's Fastnet Race ground to a halt as they hit the fast-moving tide off the Bill and it was quite impossible to do a meaningful evening seawatch from the Obselisk! © Martin Cade:

Word received via @jodiemhenderson.bsky.social who's holidaying on Skokholm this week of a fantastic Storm Petrel recovery: one of the 20 caught here in the early hours of Friday morning (02.15am) was recaught at Skokholm at 03.00am this morning - c280 miles via the tip of Cornwall in 25 hours!

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 26, 2025 at 5:30 PM

Adonis, Common and Chalkhill Blues from Tout Quarry this afternoon - the latter in amazing quantity @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

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— Oli Mockridge (@yeovilbirder.bsky.social) July 26, 2025 at 7:09 PM

25th July

Today's weather was unexpectedly scorching and although the birding wasn't quite red-hot it certainly warmed up after the hitherto slowish start to autumn. Overnight action saw an impressive 20 Storm Petrels sound-lured and trapped at the Bill tip - easily the highest single night catch there for many years. Sadly, day-time sea interest was far lower key, with 14 presumed migrant Cormorants, 3 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and a selection of waders including 5 Ringed Plovers, 3 Sanderling and a Whimbrel the best of a bad job at the Bill. The land was considerably more productive, with 40 Sedge Warblers, 35 Willow Warblers, 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Wheatears, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Yellow Wagtail and a Chiffchaff scattered about at the Bill. 

A satisfactory ringing day provided us with our second highest day total of the year - not that difficult when there's only been one 100+ day so far this year: 87 new birds including 18 Storm Petrels overnight (+ another two bearing Jersey rings) and a surprise Goldfinch bearing a Paris ring.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM

A bevy of Bedstraw Hawkmoths the highlight from last night's moth-traps - one from the Obs and the other from John Lucas' garden at Southwell. Still plenty of migrant/disperser interest in the Obs traps incl year peaks to date of Diamond-back, Rush Veneer, Dark Sword Grass and Small Mottled Willow

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM

24th July

A nice lot of variety in pleasantly quiet conditions today including firsts for the autumn in the form of singles of Grasshopper Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, both at the Obs; sadly, the Bee-eater heard calling over Culverwell didn't oblige by either coming into view or lingering. On the ground at the Bill, Willow Warbler just about managed double figures, whilst a few Sedge Warblers and a single Garden Warbler were also logged along with 3 Greenfinches - the latter might be their highest count there this year! Overhead there, a Little Ringed Plover was the pick of a small passage of routine fare. Offshore, Balearic Shearwaters clearly aren't finding food in local waters and were reduced to just 3 all day; 61 Manx Shearwaters, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Arctic Skua also passed by but the surprise was a total of 210 auks - the local breeders are long gone and passing 'outsiders' rarely reach anything like this sort of total before late September.

Two firsts for the autumn from the Obs mist-nets this mrng: Pied Flycatcher and Grasshopper Warbler. Bee-eater heard calling over Culverwell at 09.30 but no sight/sound since. Just 1 Balearic thru off the Bill.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:33 AM

Slightly reduced migrant variety from the Obs moth-traps last night but the year's first Porter's Rustic, another Old World Webworm, first Bordered Straw for a while and the year's highest totals of Rush Veneer and Dark Sword Grass all of note

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 10:46 AM

A few phone pics of the more interesting moths from last night’s trap

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) July 24, 2025 at 2:48 PM

23rd July

Today's interest started early when another 5 Storm Petrels were sound-lured and ringed at the Bill either side of midnight. Daylight saw a few Balearic Shearwaters reappear offshore, with 48 logged through the day; the higher numbers there though consisted of the likes of 230 Mediterranean Gulls, 104 auks and 68 Kittiwakes, with 2 Arctic Skuas and a Yellow-legged Gull providing a bit of quality. Migrants on the ground and overhead were numerically far fewer but did include the first Garden Warbler of the autumn, 3 Little Egrets and a Kestrel arriving from the south and a handful of Sedge and Willow Warblers.

Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs a bit of a surprise package after a day of unpromising stiff W/NW winds. Singles of Old World Webworm and Migrant Sable the highlights, with plenty of other migrants and dispersers amongst a really busy catch.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 12:52 PM

22nd July

With it looking like Balearic Shearwaters were going to be in for the duration so they evaporated just as quickly as they'd arrived, with just 6 logged from the Bill today. However, the sea did salvage some interest for the day, with the first daylight sighting of a Storm Petrel this summer, along with 41 departing Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Arctic Skuas and a lingering Yellow-legged Gull amongst others; at least another 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were also loafing in the fields. Migration on the land was pretty pedestrian, with 6 Willow Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a few passing hirundines at the Bill and 3 Sanderlings, 3 Redshanks, a Whimbrel and the season's first Greenshank at Ferrybridge.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls haven't been particularly numerous so far this month and the current daily records have often come by dint of more searching for them than is usually required at this time of year © Pete Saunders:

Unpromising moth-trapping conditions overnight and only a limited range of migrants to show for the effort but they did include a Striped Hawk amongst increasing numbers of fresh/dark presumably home or near continent-bred specimens

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 22, 2025 at 11:05 AM

21st July

Yesterday's events suggested that Balearic Shearwaters were beginning to reoccupy local waters and that certainly came to pass today with a good showing off the Bill - numbers were debatable but 108 heading in one direction before a lot of toing and froing set in was the bare minimum. A strong westbound passage of 350 Kittiwakes was also of note, whilst 2 passing Great Crested Grebes added to their already good tally this summer; a minimum of 3 Yellow-legged Gulls were also kicking about. Passerine passage has been struggling to get any real momentum, with today's 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers and a Reed Warbler a poor showing on the ground at the Bill, where no more than a handful of hirundines and a single Ringed Plover passed overhead. Wader variety stalled, with 47 Dunlin, 7 Curlews, a Whimbrel and a Redshank the best of it at Ferrybridge.

20th July

After a night that saw the wind freshen up and the passing of the first substantial drop of rain for a while there were more positives on the bird front, with waders well represented at dawn: a Curlew Sandpiper was the pick of the bunch at Ferrybridge, where 65 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling, a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper also featured; additionally, 2 Sanderling passed by off the Bill. The sea also perked up with Balearic Shearwaters returning in numbers off the Bill - around 70 seemed a likely cumulative total for the day; a Sooty Shearwater also passed by along with a steady trickle of Manx Shearwaters, whilst a noticeable influx of Kittiwakes saw more than 200 linger off the Bill and another single drop in at Ferrybridge; at least 3 Yellow-legged Gulls were knocking about amongst the offshore and loafing gull flocks.

Portland's contribution to what was seemingly a geographically pretty widespread early flurry of Curlew Sandpipers was this nice-looking single at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

By the sound of it, a fair arrival of Balearic Shearwaters into local waters is in the offing and the vanguard showed up today, with 21 past the Bill during the morning and another 31 past in the evening, by which time discrete groups of c10 and c15 were also lingering offshore - 70 seemed like a fair guesstimate of their numbers for the log © Debby Saunders:

19th July

The dribble of early autumn migrants continued today. Waders have begun producing the best of the variety, with 33 Dunlin, 4 Whimbrel, 11 Ringed Plovers and singles of Sanderling and Redshank at Ferrybridge, and singles of Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper at the Bill. Grounded passerines were lower-key, with 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Willow Warblers and a Sedge Warbler all that could be mustered at the Bill, where a light trickle of Swallows and Sand Martins joined higher numbers of departing Swifts; a Grey Heron also trundled through overhead from Ferrybridge to the Bill. Sea interest at the Bill was limited to 10 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Common Sandpipers and singles of Manx and Balearic Shearwater.

The Grey Heron incurring the wrath of one of the local Herring Gulls over Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

18th July

It was another morning largely accompanied by the monotonous blasts from the lighthouse foghorn, with thick mist putting paid to any hopes of a decent seawatch; just 24 Common Scoter and a single Balearic Shearwater were logged during the briefest of sunny intervals. Whilst 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Ringed Plover passed by overhead, it was Sand Martins which made up the bulk of diurnal passage, with up to 50 lingering over the Crown Estate Field and more passing straight through. Around the Obs, singles of Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Greenfinch were present - who'd have thought the latter would ever get to the status of being mentioned in the same breath as interesting migrants but their numbers remain at an all-time low, with only one known breeding territory on the whole island this year. Variety at Ferrybridge remained on the up, with the first autumn Little Ringed Plover, 33 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 3 Whimbrel and a Redshank. 

This morning Little Ringed Plover at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders

Mixed weather,hot,then overcast and clear @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social with 23 birds of 8 species ringed.Few from garden most from CEF crops. Sand Martin and Linnet delighted 3 American visitors from the cruise ship today at Portland. Chief 'Dessert chief' Teri preparing one of 5 for AGM, BBQ.

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— Peter J Morgan (@pbo61.bsky.social) July 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM

There are plenty of young Rock Pipits around the bill at the moment, with those from second broods just beginning to emerge.

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— Jodie mae Henderson (@jodiemhenderson.bsky.social) July 18, 2025 at 7:44 PM

17th July

Despite mistiness coming and going throughout the day there were only positives from what fieldwork there was, with a few more passerine migrants showing up and waders distinctly better than they have been thus far this season. Two each of Sedge and Willow Warbler were new at the Bill, where 2 Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper provided the wader interest; with frequently limited visibility it was no surprise that the sea came up with little more than singles of Shelduck, Balearic Shearwater and Yellow-legged Gull. Ferrybridge was much improved, with 30 Dunlin, 7 Ringed Plover, 5 Turnstones and singles of Whimbrel, Knot and Redshank amongst the wader selection.

Whimbrel, Knot and Redshank at Ferrybridge this morning...

...where the local wacky Shelduck hybrid also put in a rare appearance © Pete Saunders:

After yesterday's first trapped WW of the autumn, today the first Sedge Warbler. Bit too misty and murky for the sea so just the one Balearic so far this mrng.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 17, 2025 at 10:59 AM

16th July

With the wind subsiding there was more enthusiasm for scrutiny of the land today, even if the welcome return of a gull flock off the Bill did deflect attention and actually provided most of the day's noteworthy sightings. After a brief false start last week when an early Willow Warbler showed up it's certainly hoped that the 2 new in at the Bill today marked the start of more concerted passerine action; besides these, a Teal at Ferrybridge, a Blackcap at Sweethill and 6 Sand Martins and a Ringed Plover overhead at the Bill provided the best of the non-seabird interest. A total of 21 Balearic Shearwaters through or occasionally lingering off the Bill marked a resurgence in their numbers, whilst 40 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua were amongst the other sea sightings from there.

The renewed presence of a feeding flock of gulls off the Bill attracted a few Manx and Balearic Shearwaters...

...and several skuas, including this Bonxie that was in flight feather moult and so demanded extra scrutiny - we presume it's a second calendar year bird © Martin Cade: 

15th July

Despite the westerly gusting up towards gale force by the afternoon nothing much was stirred up on the sea, with just 2 Balearic Shearwaters, a Whimbrel and an Arctic Skua enlivening the lightest of trickles of Manx Shearwaters on the move off the Bill. Two Yellow Wagtail over the Obs were the only birds of note on the the land.

14th July

Sad news received today of the recent death of Eileen White. Although not a keen birder herself, Eileen became well acquainted with our guests and visitors through running our bookshop on Sundays for many years. Eileen was a stalwart member of the local community who'll be much missed and we extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends.

With seabirds doggedly reluctant to return in quantity to local waters - even with the assistance of today's ever-freshening southwesterly - birding remained on the quiet side. A few shearwaters, including Manx passing at 50 an hour in the evening and a total of 4 Balearics through the day, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Puffin were logged at the Bill but the only numbers there concerned the upwards of 100 Mediterranean Gulls heading east; another 300 of the latter were also at Ferrybridge. The Yellow Wagtail remained at the Bill, a Whimbrel passed by there and 5 Dunlin were at Ferrybridge.

Several family parties of Sandwich Terns passed through at Ferrybridge this morning © Pete Saunders:

Variety continues to improve in the moth-traps with a good selection of short-range migrants/dispersers last night. Phoenix Knot-horn bistriatella for Duncan W at Weston best of the local oddities, with another 84 Willow Ermines and 15 Marbled Piercers amongst the catch at the Obs

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 14, 2025 at 1:32 PM

13th July

The beginnings of a cooling off of the last couple of days of heat didn't really have much effect on the birding with it remaining quiet everywhere. Coverage was limited but another 50 Sand Martins dribbled through overhead at the Bill, where a Yellow Wagtail was still about and odds and ends including a Little Egret also made the list. Elsewhere, a Whimbrel passed over at Ferrybridge.

The long-staying Bill Wheatear is now beginning its moult after its breeding attempt came to nothing © Pete Saunders:

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

11th July

 

Quieter bird-wise at the Bill today: a Balearic and a Whimbrel through on the sea, a Ringed Plover + a trickle of departing Swifts and hirundines overhead, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Yellow Wagtails on the land.

— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 11, 2025 at 10:23 PM

After an inexplicable/painful dip during the influx at the back end of June it was a surprise to catch a Scarce Spindle Ermine at the Obs last night; arrived in tandem with a small influx of 18 Willow Ermines and 3 Small Marbled, whilst a Large Birch Roller was an oddity for these parts

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 11, 2025 at 9:56 PM

10th July

It's not often this year that we've been able to praise the day, let alone both the day and the night as we can today. The night-time interest came in the form of a nice little catch of 7 Storm Petrels at the Bill tip - the most for us so far this summer - whilst by day a really strong passage of hirundines for so early in the autumn was quite a spectacle. The day's Sand Martin tally might easily have been into four figures - the steady procession of 500 leaving to the south from the Bill were easy enough to deal with but the potential throughput amongst the hundreds lingered over the fields as the day wore on was more difficult to contend with; even more of a surprise were the 200 or so extremely early Swallows amongst this passage, whilst 50 Swifts also made the score sheet. A Serin bombing about for a while over the Obs was a long-overdue first for the Bill this year - before today, a brief single at Wakeham back in the spring had been the island's only record this year - whilst both Yellow Wagtail and Willow Warbler were firsts for the season at the Bill. A miscellany from the sea at the Bill included 44 Kittiwakes, 21 Common Scoter, 18 Manx and a Balearic Shearwater, 5 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Shelducks, 3 Whimbrel and singles of Great Crested Grebe, Puffin and Arctic Skua.

The Serin calling over the Obs this morning - usually so familiar a call for us but far from it this year:

A bit of the day's Sand Martin action - and inaction © Martin Cade:

And a bonus Brimstone butterfly in the Obs garden - by no means a regular sight anywhere on the island © Martin Cade:

Don't pretend to be anything like on a par with the west coast headlands and islands but another 7 Storm Petrels trapped overnight at the Bill tip was the highest total so far this summer and a decent little return for Portland these days

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) July 10, 2025 at 7:37 AM

9th July

The fact that about five hours were spent staring at the sea early and late today without a single shearwater being logged tells you all you need to know about that facet of the day's birding; the now customary Mediterranean Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Puffin and a few more routines provided what little entertainment there was during these shearwater-free watches. The land hardly mustered much more, with a light trickle of Swifts and hirundines overhead and singles of Ringed Plover and Redshank by way of waders.

8th July

Migration gathered a little bit of momentum today, notably in the form of a decent movement of 170 Sand Martins and 40 Swallows over the Bill; Swifts weren't so well represented, whilst the only other observations from the land concerned the first Black-tailed Godwit of the autumn at Ferrybridge and the lingering Grey Wagtail at the Bill. A westbound passage of 140 Kittiwakes off the Bill was unexpected and perhaps suggested that some other breeding colonies have fared as poorly as the Bill birds; 80 Manx Shearwaters, 70 Mediterranean Gulls and 15 Common Scoter made up the rest of the numbers on the sea, with 3 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and an Arctic Skua providing some quality.

The autumn's first Black-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge - such good-looking birds © Debby Saunders:

still say 10-16 red Veined Darter at yeolands quarry pool today if not more

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) July 8, 2025 at 10:53 PM

7th July

A fresh northerly breeze and a veil of heavy cloud lingering overhead after the passage of a brief but surprisingly active rain front had passed through during the early hours gave quite an autumnal feel to early proceedings today, with the birds much in keeping with the conditions. A strong passage of Swifts included 360 from the viewpoint at the Obs, with 25 Sand Martins also through overhead. Ten Common Sandpipers rounding the Bill tip were a nice sight and 5 Dunlin pitched in at Ferrybridge, but the chief prize from the land came in the later heat of midday when a Crossbill dropped in to drink/bathe at Culverwell. The sea ticked over with routine fare, including 50 Mediterranean Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Arctic Skua along with a trickle of Manx Shearwaters, Common Scoter, Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Terns and commic terns.

Part of the flock of Common Sandpipers that rounded the Bill tip this morning; what's up with the amazing amount of variation in the strength of their wing-bars - is that usual? © Pete Saunders:

Save to say that they involved the authorized thieving of telecommunications materials and a well-timed call of nature, the sequence of events that led to the entirely serendipitous discovery of today's Crossbill are too peculiar to repeat for the upstanding citizens who drop in our blog; however, they show that you just never know when you're going to jam in on something interesting - and, just in case, it always pays to have a camera in the car. With so many coastal Crossbills about we've been perplexed as to why we haven't been getting any at Portland - hopefully, today's bird will prove to be the first of plenty more © Martin Cade:

 Recently fledged baby Whitethroats are a staple in the mist-nets at this time of year...

...and they have tails that look like this - thinnish and mainly grey-brown feathers with sullied, brown-washed outer feathers and no white tips to the penultimate feathers:

If anything, one of this morning's youngsters looked fluffier and even younger than the example above; however, it had a short, still-growing tail that was entirely adult pattern - broader, blacker feathers with pure white wedges on the outer feathers and broad white tips to the penultimate feathers. This bird had obviously lost its first juvenile pattern tail after some mishap or other and, even at this young age, is growing a new, adult pattern tail (this is seemingly a cast-iron rule in cases like this: the replacement feathers will be of adult pattern). Since they invite mis-ageing, birds like this can be quite a pitfall for ringers and field birders alike! © Martin Cade:

At least in terms of scarcities, migrant lepidoptera interest continued to dwindle away, although the moth-traps did produce the highest counts of the year of both Silver Y and Dark Sword Grass. By day, there also looked to be quite an increase in Red Admirals and Painted Ladys, the majority of which looked to be sparklingly fresh - might these be the progeny of the arrivals earlier in the summer? © Jodie Henderson:

6th July

A more rewarding day on the sea today, with the Sooty Shearwater reappearing off the Bill, where the first 2 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls of the summer showed up and an uptick in Balearic Shearwaters saw 26 logged; Mediterranean Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls increased to 71 and 26 respectively, the Puffin lingered on amongst what last few auks were about and 5 passing Arctic Skuas were of further note. The one report of note from the land concerned a Grey Wagtail over the Bill.

We do find Yellow-legged Gulls oddly compelling, as much because there's so much about them that we're puzzled about, not least the fact that we quite baffled as to why we didn't notice the summer arrival of juveniles until 15-20 years ago - they've certainly increased in recent years but were they occurring before that and we just overlooked them or couldn't identify them? Also, what on earth's the reason for them heading north to Britain anyway as they seem to disappear from these parts almost as quickly as they arrive - what's all that about? This evening's bird was very much a primary immigrant - on a watch at the Bill tip with what little movement there was involving birds heading either east or west, this was the only thing that looked to have come over the horizon from the due south and make a bee-line straight for the Bill before carrying on up West Cliffs © Martin Cade: