23rd April

Yet more clear skies and fresh easterlies saw visible migration continue at pace today, with a steady throughput of new arrivals that included in excess of 1000 Swallows plus lesser totals of 500 Sand Martins, 200 House Martins and just 10 Yellow Wagtails, with outbound singles of Merlin and Red Kite also logged. Whilst grounded migrants remained harder to quantify, an obvious increase in phylloscs included 60 Willow Warblers, 15 Chiffchaff and a bonus Wood Warbler trapped in the Obs garden, as well as singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Whinchat and Tree Pipit from the Bill area. A varied selection from both the Bill and the Chesil included totals of 235 Whimbrel, 154 Bar-tailed Godwit, 121 Common Scoter, 94 Sandwich Terns, 57 Grey Plover, 16 Little Gulls, 15 Dunlin, 14 Sanderling, 4 Shoveler, 6 Pomarine Skua and singles of Great Northern Diver, Arctic Tern and Knot. 

Totally inappropriate conditions for what's usually our rain bird: Wood Warbler trapped at the Obs under a crystal-clear blue sky

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 9:15 AM

A few migrant arrivals on a blustery Portland this morning. Two Whinchats (distant record pic of one), one Yellow Wagtail and many Swallows at Barleycrates Lane plus Willow Warbler at the Bill. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

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— Mike Hetherington (@mikemoths.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 3:13 PM

Bit of a varied day at the office today: seawatching, vismigging, a school visit, ringing - you name it, we managed to get a bit of it today...

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 11:29 PM

...and there was so much migration to get amongst:

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— Portland Bird Observatory (@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 11:31 PM