23rd August

Our current productive spell of migration continued nicely today, with plenty of common migrants on the move including 60 Willow Warblers, 15 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and singles of Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Firecrest at the Bill. Overhead migration was noticeably more sedate with just 40 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Tree Pipits and 3 Grey Wagtails through there. Elsewhere there was more of the same, with Redstarts at both the Admiralty Quarry and Avalanche Road as well as a Spotted Flycatcher and Lesser Whitethroat at the RN Cemetery. On the sea, a total of 25 Balearic Shearwaters and a single Great Skua passed by off the Bill.

We're sure that there'll be plenty more Firecrest photo opportunities in the coming weeks which is fortunate since today's first one of the autumn was a proper lurker that liked to stay tucked right away in the shadows © Martin Cade:

Bluefin Tuna are still a daily sight off the Bill and this evening we were fortunate to be at the Bill tip when one or more appeared hunting Garfish within 100m of the Obelisk. The first signs of the tuna appearing were when shoals of their prey broke the surface...

...and this was quite often followed by the tuna leaping right out of the water in pursuit

The action was a little too far away to get the full effect with a phone camera but you get the idea © Martin Cade:

Portland 23 Aug: Lesser Whitethroat and Hummingbird Hawkmoth at the Naval Cemetry. Redstart in Admiralty Quarry Single Knot at Ferrybridge among the usual suspects. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

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— Steve M (@steveweynature.bsky.social) August 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM

Amongst all the local-breds some small signs of new moth migration last night incl singles of Passenger (seventh for Portland) and Olive Spinner oleastrella (second for Portland, first for the Obs) at the Obs; 2 Striped Hawks and a Convolvulus Hawk amongst the routines.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 23, 2025 at 9:33 AM