8th November

Today's lovely sunshine and mildness were the prompt for plenty of fieldwork from which the rewards were certainly varied. After a clear, moonlit night grounded arrivals weren't hugely plentiful but amongst the light spread of routines at the Bill 4 Black Redstarts and singles of Hen Harrier, Woodcock, Siberian Chiffchaff and Hawfinch were of note; both the Snow Bunting at Southwell and the Yellow-browed Warbler at Wakeham also remained on station. It was considerably busier overhead, with 8500 Wood Pigeons, 2630 Starlings, 1530 Stock Doves and 450 Chaffinches the big totals over the Bill, where another Hawfinch and a Cirl Bunting provided some quality; single Crossbills also passed over at Thumb Lane and Wakeham.

Today's star turn was provided by this Crimson Speckled moth that proved to be twitchable for an hour or more once it settled after being serendipitously flushed up during our wanders around the Crown Estate Field mist-nets © Martin Cade:

Bird-wise, there was a varied return from the day's fieldwork but star turns weren't quite at the level that was hoped. A late Wheatear was nice but you'd have imagined it could just as easily have been a Desert or Pied © Nick Hopper...

...whilst, compared with the returns from a certain other South Coast bird observatory, our sprinkle of Chiffchaffs made us very much the poor relation in the phyllosc department © Jodie Henderson:

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 7:04 PM

This afternoon's Hen Harrier south over Southwell Quarries, Portland 8 Nov. And this morning's GWE west over Tidmoor, The Fleet - having come overland from Chafey's/Radipole direction. One day I really must try and take some sharp photos. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

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— Steve M (@steveweynature.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 5:39 PM