12th August

Hard work in blazing sun and increasing heat today - especially as there didn't seem to be a lot about to make the toil worthwhile. Decent numbers of Swifts - including at least 100 over the Bill - passed through overhead, but amongst the passerines only Wheatear managed a double figure total at the Bill; a Redstart dropped in at Sweethill and a Knot was new at Ferrybridge but there was little else of note amongst the thin scatter of other migrants. Three Balearics and a single Manx Shearwater were the highlights from some very slow seawatching.

Redstart © Debby Saunders...

...and Knot © Pete Saunders were the best of today's migrants:

We've touched on this before what a great little crossroads Ferrybridge is right in the midst of all manner of migrant wader comings and goings: this Ringed Plover that was there yesterday was ringed as a large nestling on 28 May this year at Wilhelminapolder in the southwest Netherlands; we still get really excited by the fact that other ring-readings there have shown us that, for example, amongst the 100 or so Ringed Plovers on the mud at Ferrybridge during August there might be birds present that hatched in nests at Ferrybridge itself but also in other places as far apart as a glacier-carved valley in Arctic Canada and a polder in the Netherlands - isn't that fantastic? Thanks Sander Lilipaly for being so prompt with the ringing details of yesterday's bird © Pete Saunders: 

11th August

A nice selection of migrants on offer again today although numbers were a little down on yesterday and activities were somewhat curtailed when heavy cloud rolled in during the afternoon that led eventually to a showery and even at times thundery evening. The likes of 5 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 Tree Pipits and singles of Greenshank, Grasshopper Warbler and Reed Warbler were the best of the grounded/overflying selection at the Bill, where 80 Swallows and 50 Sand Martins provided the two highest totals on offer. Despite seemingly suitable conditions for an arrival, wader numbers remained stubbornly static at Ferrybridge. At the Bill, an impromptu Storm Petrel luring session after midnight - 4 were trapped and plenty more seen - revealed their continuing presence offshore but by day the sea the quiet, with 40 Sandwich Terns and an Arctic Skua the best of the migrants; a random Black Swan also floated past close inshore off East Cliffs.

We're hoping that the dearth of wader passage is further evidence of a good breeding season but for the time being those that are about at Ferrybridge like these Sanderlings are well settled and showing nicely in the current balmy conditions © Pete Saunders:

watched this tree pipit feeding to the sides of the track down to the RN cemetery. very little in the way of birds there or the common, just a single migrant willow warbler

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) August 11, 2025 at 3:48 PM

looks like autumn ladies tresses have been out for a few days already at verne common, reasonable numbers but not great specimens on the parched field

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) August 11, 2025 at 3:50 PM

10th August

A decent little flurry of migrants today that were enjoyed in the most pleasant calm, sunny and warm conditions - what was not to like! The day's oddest event came early when a party of 14 Greylag Geese arrived in off the sea at the Bill before the sun had even risen. Grounded and overflying migrants were quickly in evidence, with final totals from the Bill that included 65 Swallows, 54 Sand Martins, 50 Swifts, 40 Willow Warblers, 30 Wheatears, 25 Sedge Warblers, 10 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Sanderlings, 4 Ringed Plovers, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Tree Pipits, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Dunlin and a Turnstone. Further up island a Serin was a very unexpected fly-by at Sweethill - we can't recollect a previous August record for the island - whilst, bar a modest increase in Ringed Plovers, the Ferrybridge waders totals remained much as they have done for the last week or more. In near-millpond conditions not much was expected from the sea and the only rewards off the Bill were 34 Sandwich Terns, 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Mallards and a Manx Shearwater.

9th August

There's nowt so strange as how migration often unfolds at 'out on a limb' places like Portland and today provided yet another example when the second Melodious Warbler of the week pitched up at the Obs on a day that was one of the poorest for commoner migrant so far this early autumn. What limited arrivals there were there included 12 Wheatears, 9 Willow Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails, a Ringed Plover and a Tree Pipit, with 5 grounded Yellow-legged Gulls of which at least some were clearly lingerers. The sea wasn't a lot better: 150 Kittiwakes made up the bulk of the numbers, with 13 Balearic Shearwaters and 4 Arctic Skuas the best of the quality.

Another Melodious Warbler just trapped at the Obs. Only the second migrant trapped all morning - quite happy if the scarce ratio remains at this level all autumn.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:53 AM

5 juv Yellow-legged Gulls at Portland Bill below Culverwell this afternoon. Pics of 2 individuals.

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— luvaducksbutt.bsky.social (@luvaducksbutt.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM

First presumed home-bred Small Marbled the pick of a modest selection of migrants in the Obs moth-traps - many of the others migrants also fresh and dark so likely not to be coming from very far away

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 9, 2025 at 10:18 AM

8th August

Migration action's ebbed away a little as this week's gone on and today's migrant tally from the Bill that included Wheatear and Willow Warbler on 25 apiece, 20 Sand Martins, 5 Whitethroats, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 each of Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipit was nothing to get excited about. The sea fared little better, with 11 Balearic Shearwaters and 3 Arctic Skuas off the Bill hardly compensated for some all too long profoundly dead spells. It will get better again.

Visitors to the blog might recall that a little while ago (25th-28th July) we were fortunate enough to trap some Bedstraw Hawkmoths - two at the Obs and another in John Lucas' garden at Southwell. At least one of them looked as though it was a female so we kept them confined for a while and eggs were duly laid before the moths were released:

The eggs begun hatching after about a week, with the first instar caterpillars being c3mm long:

After five more days the first caterpillars have now moulted and have grown to c7mm. We'll keep you posted as their development proceeds © Martin Cade:

Still only slowly ticking over for migrant moths - last night's Obs totals typical of the week as the whole although a Convolvulus Hawk was an on cue first for the year

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 8, 2025 at 11:23 AM

7th August

A day best forgotten: the cool, dreary and increasingly blustery conditions were completely uninspiring and did nothing for the quality of the birding. There were a handful of grounded migrants about including 5 Yellow-legged Gulls at the Bill, but amongst the commoner fare only Wheatear and Willow Warbler managed double figure totals on the ground there, with a single Tree Pipit all there was of note overhead. An early flurry of 33 Balearic and 2 Sooty Shearwaters through off the Bill gave hope for sea but interest there entirely fizzled out as the day went on.

The daily sight of Bluefin Tuna has added a hitherto undreamt of dimension to autumn seawatching at the Bill; however, they remain staggeringly difficult to get a decent photo of so this effort today is certainly to be commended © Duncan Walbridge:

Yellow-legged Gull fix from this evening. 1 of 3 seen below Culverwell at Portland Bill. There had been 5 seen earlier, before I got there. Very much scarcer this Autumn in our area, so far. A smart individual this. Plus, cracking views of Barn Owl later on.

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— luvaducksbutt.bsky.social (@luvaducksbutt.bsky.social) August 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM

Wakeham this afternoon and my first ever Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi). More videos and photos on portandwey.blogspot.com/2025/08/7-au...

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— Port and Wey (@portandwey.bsky.social) August 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM

6th August

It was certainly a pleasure to be out birding on such a nice still day and there was the added bonus of there actually being a few birds to get amongst. The departure of Willow Warblers in particular continued apace, with a good 100 at the Bill where other migrant activity was a little subdued but did include firsts for the season in the form of 2 Tree Pipits and the first 2 juvenile Sparrowhawks; overhead passage was very disappointing, with most Swifts probably already having gone and hirundines choosing not to make the most of apparently suitable conditions. An uptick in our seawatch wellbeing was occasioned by an arrival of Balearic Shearwaters off the Bill - there are still an awful lot more across on the other side of Lyme Bay but a minimum of 110 through to the east and some rafting during the evening were a welcome sight. Gannets continued to feature in unexpected numbers, with 2000 or more through, whilst 80 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Arctic Skuas and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were of further note offshore.

Two likely Risso's Dolphins off the Bill weren't in view quite long enough to be fully clinched but, bearing in mind that so many dolphins have been lingering about this summer, will be well worth keeping an eye out for.

A few of the Balearic Shearwaters and a bonus group of Common Dolphins off the Bill this evening ©  Martin Cade:

Nice morning at the Bill: 2 Tree Pipits and a juv Sparrowhawk - both quite early firsts for the autumn; good drop of Willow Warblers on the ground + 1000 Gannets and 50 Balearics thru on the sea.

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) August 6, 2025 at 8:23 AM

5th August

The fact that the day had been pretty much of a dud rather paled into insignificance when, late in the afternoon, the first Melodious Warbler for a couple of years popped up in a mist-net at the Obs. With yesterday's turbulence being slow to completely clear through, the day's other migrant interest at the Bill consisted of no more than 40 Willow Warblers, 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 5 Wheatears, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Turnstone; there were equally slim pickings elsewhere with, for example, 8 Sanderlings and another Yellow-legged Gull the best on offer at Ferrybridge. The sea was even quieter, with just singles of Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua through off the Bill.

Today's Melodious Warbler - Portland's classic 'hot, sunny afternoon in August' bird. Since the island's first in 1954 - which at that time was only about the tenth for Britain - there have been a minimum of 236 more here. Although that works out at an average of a little over three per year, the stats tell us that numbers gradually increased to reach a peak in the late 70s/early 80s when there were several annual totals of well into double figures; however, since that time numbers have steadily fallen away again © Martin Cade:

And something that you get the impression hadn't even evolved in 1954 - did Yellow-legged Gulls occur back then but nobody noticed them or realised what they were? This is this morning's bird at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

5th August

What a difference a year makes: this time last year local waters were awash with shearwaters, with every minor blow producing the likes of Cory's Shearwaters amongst multitudes of Manx and Balearics. In disappointing contrast, this autumn's first decent blow - Storm Floris hit way to the north but its influence saw the wind gusting up towards gale force far a time during the afternoon - did just about nothing for us, with 15 Manx and 5 Balearic Shearwaters about as good as it got off the Bill; Gannets did start moving in quantity, with up to 500 per hour heading east during the peak of the wind, but little else of any note troubled the scorers. There were birds about on the land but it was difficult to get amongst them and a lone lingering Reed Warbler provided the only interest amongst the scatter of commoner fare at the Bill.

3rd August

Increasingly blustery westerlies seemed to have put the block on things today and it was quiet on land and sea. A sprinkle of new arrivals on the ground at the Bill included 20 Willow Warblers and 5 Sedge Warblers, whilst a lingering Redstart from a couple of days ago also popped up again; waders were largely unchanged, with 10 Sanderlings the best at Ferrybridge where a Yellow-legged Gull also dropped in and a Canada Goose passed over. Sea passage was almost non-existent, with little more off the Bill than 13 Common Scoter and a Balearic Shearwater.

All of the Yellow-legged Gulls in recent weeks have been juveniles so this older bird at Ferrybridge today was something a bit different © Pete Saunders:

a neatly coloured adonis blue from tout today

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— andylportland.bsky.social (@andylportland.bsky.social) August 2, 2025 at 8:31 PM

I couldn't agree more with @mariposanature.bsky.social - this week's #wildflowerhour challenge just HAD to include ice-cream!! Also enjoyed Golden and Rock Samphire, Greater Sea-spurrey, Common Restharrow, Sea Mayweed and one pink Thrift flower hidden amongst deadheads at Portland Bill. #bythesea

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— Sarah (@sarahfaulkner.bsky.social) August 3, 2025 at 8:04 PM

2nd August

Passerine migrants continue to drop in quite plentifully, with today's tally at the Bill consisting of 45 Willow Warblers, 25 Sedge Warblers, 15 Wheatears (their first double figure total this autumn), 4 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers and a Grasshopper Warbler. In contrast, wader passage seems to have ground to a halt, with very little change in the Ferrybridge selection for several days and just singles of Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling at the Bill today. A strong movement of 225 Kittiwakes made up most of the numbers on the sea, with 15 departing Cormorants, 4 Balearic Shearwaters and a Yellow-legged Gull of note amongst what little else was moving.

Sleep deprivation had really begun to take hold earlier this week, what with trying to get amongst an apparent surge in Storm Petrel numbers at the same time as finding ourselves in both a decent vein of early passerine passage and a good run of migrant moths that necessitated more moth-traps being deployed. Whether we manage another Storm Petrel night or two is open to question now that the passerine season is well underway, but the last one during the early hours of Thursday was a bit of a novelty since it was sufficiently blustery that we had to forsake our usual trapping spot near Pulpit Rock for the shelter of the tiny cove under the east side of the Trinity House obelisk. This spot isn't for the faint-hearted since it's full of huge boulders and looks like the recipe for a broken leg when you're stumbling around in the dark; however, since the trapping attempt is at virtually sea level it did afford fantastic thermal imager views of the petrels:

It was also good to be able to glance back and see the Obs lighthouse tower brightly illuminated by the light from the moth-traps © Martin Cade:

1st August

You do wonder just how much more would have been found over the last fortnight or so had there have been anything even approaching adequate coverage of the island as a whole; as it is, the mist-nets at the Bill and cursory attention given to odd hotspots like Ferrybridge have been tapping into one of the best starts to autumn passage for many years and continued to do so today. The only passerine reports came from the Bill/Sweethill, where the season's first Spotted Flycatcher and second Crossbill were the best of the bunch amongst an arrival that also included 60 Willow Warblers, 30 Sedge Warblers and 2 Pied Flycatchers. The sea didn't provide rewards appropriate for the lengthy attention given to it, with 4 Balearic Shearwaters, a Teal and a Sanderling easily the highlights amongst an otherwise very mundane selection from the Bill.

Young have successfully fledged from one Barn Owl breeding site on the island in the last week and we're hoping this adult at another site might also have young about to emerge © Verity Hill:

Couldn't resist this Sanderling in the early morning light at Ferrybridge

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 5:02 PM

It was distant and through a window but this is the 1st Spotted Flycatcher that we've seen in the garden this year

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— Debra Saunders (@debbyseamist.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 4:58 PM

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:

Vaughan Ashby – BIRDFINDERS selling the following surplus items, contact telephone: 01258-839066, 07768-691997 or birdfinders@hotmail.com

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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