26th October

For the most part another vismig day, with the stiff wind a continuing irritation for both the ringers and the seekers of grounded migrants. A Richard's Pipit over the Obs was the highlight of the morning's overhead passage at the Bill, where 4650 Wood Pigeons, 430 Goldfinches, 235 Chaffinches, 105 Redpolls, 26 Siskins, 21 Bramblings, 20 Reed Buntings, 14 Crossbills and a Woodlark were the pick of the high totals and/or quality. Grounded arrivals weren't at all plentiful but a Caspian Gull provided some quality at the Bill, where singles of Cetti's Warbler and Firecrest were also new amongst the thin spread of commoner fare. Apart from reduced but still at times quite impressive gull numbers offshore there was little of note on the sea.

The Richard's Pipit flew quite low right over the Obs garden and the sound recorder picked up the single call it uttered really well; unfortunately, it was just a single call and those couple of seconds of the recording were bookended by all manner of noisy chit-chat from the birders/asylum inmates on the patio - here we've just copied the call three times to make it easier to take on board...

...by the time we grabbed a camera it was already most of the way over to the Pulpit Pub but you sort of get the idea © Martin Cade:

It's always been the case that the vast majority of Caspian Gulls at Portland are found by well-informed observers who takes the trouble to look for them - any number of other birders walk past the gull gatherings and maybe give the birds a cursory scan but they never seem to spot the Caspians! It only took Thomas a few scans through the Culverwell gulls this weekend before he spotted today's second winter bird this afternoon - we're not at all sure there's actually been a bird in this plumage at Portland before © Thomas Miller:

Amongst the day's vismig action another Woodlark was nice © Thomas Miller:

Our voyages around the Crown Estate Field mist-nets have become very stop-start affairs of late, what with having to carefully scrutinize every non-calling Reed Bunting that drops in or flies over for fear of overlooking a Black-faced Bunting! © Martin Cade:

Ferrybridge 26 Oct Knot 3, Bar-wit 3, Grey Plover 2, Curlew 1 Pale-bellied Brent 2 Colour Ringed Brent 4C Wheatear 1 on Chesil pushing west. Sea Campion and sea pinks still in flower. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

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— Steve M (@steveweynature.bsky.social) October 26, 2025 at 2:54 PM

Still slow on the ringing front - as much because the strength of wind restricted opportunities. Another Cetti's Warbler at Culverwell (photo Alan Pomroy) was the 5th ringed this autumn which is a new record annual total here (previous highest 4 in 2018 and 2022). Otherwise just 18 new birds today.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) October 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM

And so, another Portland autumn comes to an end... www.instagram.com/p/DQSG4DnjDJ...

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— Joe Stockwell (@joestockwell.bsky.social) October 26, 2025 at 6:44 PM