A largely uneventful end to the month, with no sign of passerine migration getting beyond the odds and ends of entirely expected fare; singles of Balearic Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater passing through off the Bill provided the day's only real interest.
Another day of westerly winds produced little to excite. Single figure totals of routine migrants on the land included nothing of any great interest, whilst 2 passing Great Skuas were the only worthwhile sightings off the Bill.
A fresh westerly wind was a feature today and saw to it that most of the interest was on the sea, with 60 Manx Shearwaters, 33 Common Scoter, 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Great Skuas and an Arctic Skua logged at the Bill. A very small arrival of new migrants on the land included 10 each of Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler at the Bill and 41 Dunlin and 3 Sanderling at Ferrybridge.
The busiest day of the autumn so far (...which isn't saying a lot since we've hardly been inundated in recent days) saw a small fall of 100 or so Willow Warblers make up the bulk of the numbers at the Bill; 10 Sedge Warblers and singles of Yellow-legged Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Yellow Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat were all expected fare there, whilst oddities included a fly-over Spotted Redshank at the Bill and a Wood Warbler at Southwell. Ten passing Balearic Shearwaters off the Bill provided the pick of the interest on the sea.
Bedstraw Hawk-moth - Portland Bill, 27th July 2012 © Martin Cade
...and of curiosity value, a duo of Wormwood Sharks from the Obs moth-traps this morning. This species is a minor local speciality, but one that we don't encounter very frequently at the Obs where it's usually only just about annual in the traps:
After a night when lightning was flickering for several hours out to the south above the Channel (although none of the forecast showers actually materialised) it wasn't a surprise that dawn saw a small arrival of migrants around the island. Totals of around 20 Willow Warblers, 10 Sedge Warblers, 2 Wheatears and singles of Ringed Plover, Yellow-legged Gull and Tree Pipit were logged in the Bill area, where 200 Swallows, 100 Swifts and 50 Sand Martins also gathered/passed through. The sea was a little quieter than of late, with 50 Manx Shearwaters and 5 Balearic Shearwaters through off the Bill
A party of about 10 Bottle-nosed Dolphins passed north off East Cliffs during the morning.
The muggy conditions overnight were especially favourable for moth-trapping, with rich and varied hauls reported from all the traps operated around the island; immigrants/wanderers at the Obs included 55 Diamond-back Moth, 28 Willow Ermine, 22 Silver Y, 5 Rush Veneer and singles of Bird-cherry Ermine, European Corn-borer, Brown China-mark, Bedstraw Hawk-moth and Miller, whilst the pick of the rarities elsewhere was a Four-spotted Footman at Reap Lane.
Finally, a mention that for the next week updates to the site (and to our Twitter feed) are likely to sporadic at best as we're away on family holiday - we'll endeavour to pass on some updates from the stalwarts left manning the Obs but they'll likely not be as frequent as usual.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - Ferrybridge, 26th July 2012 © Martin Cade
...the first intermedius that we've noticed this autumn. Also for the seagull buffs, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge this morning; presumably as a result of widespread failures of their breeding colonies, juveniles of both Med Gull and Black-headed Gull have been few and far between so far this autumn (© Pete Saunders):
...and a third calendar-year Yellow-legged Gull at the Bill yesterday (© Martin Cade):
And finally, a photo of a presumed Cistus Forester at King Barrow Quarry DWT reserve (© Martin Cade):
Visitors to the website will recall that this species was discovered for the first time last week by Caroline Kelly, a Butterfly Conservation surveyor. Following Caroline's sighting, two more adults were found and photographed at the site in subsequent days - clearly indicating that the moth is a hitherto overlooked resident there.
Another lovely day, with an easterly breeze a little more of a feature than it has been of late. Migrant numbers remained very low, with just 6 Willow Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers and singles of Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler and Crossbill at the Bill; elsewhere there were 34 Dunlin, 25 Mediterranean Gulls, 20 Ringed Plovers, 4 Sanderling and a Redshank at Ferrybridge. Relatively high numbers of Manx Shearwaters were still offshore, with 300 or more lingering off the Bill, where at least 6 Balearic Shearwaters were also logged.
By day, a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was at Tout Quarry, whilst overnight immigrants/wanderers making it into the moth-traps included 12 Silver Y, 3 Diamond-back Moth and singles of Rush Veneer, True Lover's Knot and Cream-bordered Green Pea at the Obs.
Finally, thanks to John Dadds, the Little Tern warden at Ferrybridge, for an update on events there: Sadly all the Little Terns have now left the area with the remaining 6 pairs that relaid having failed for a second time. So the final total is 9 fledglings from 21 pairs. When compared to the results for the last decade this is an excellent year and even since records began in 1976, it is still in the top 10 in terms of productivity; 21 pairs also represents a doubling of the breeding population since the recovery project started in 2009. However, for the second year running we have had poor weather and over 50% of eggs not hatching, and there is mounting evidence that Little Terns on Chesil do struggle to successfully brood eggs when cool windy conditions prevail, particularly during June. In the past this has been suspected but it was difficult to be sure as fox disturbance at night was often an issue. We are confident that we have again managed to keep foxes out of the compound through night wardening and the electric fence, but still the chilling has occurred. Hopefully next year we will have some good weather and a bumper crop of chicks. Then all we will have to do is keep the kestrels at bay, which incidentally was very successful this year with the staff at the Bridging Camp doing the bulk of the diversionary feeding. We believe we only lost one chick to kestrels this year. Our small but growing band of volunteers deserve a lot of credit this year particularly putting up, as they did, with almost constant awful weather. If anyone is interested in helping next year, please call into the Chesil Beach Centre next spring with contact details.
A little bit of variety today although, perhaps not surprisingly considering the glorious weather, not as much as might be hoped at this time. Migrants at the Bill included 50 Sand Martins, 50 Swallows, 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Yellow Wagtails and singles of Curlew, Whimbrel and Sedge Warbler, whilst elsewhere the autumn's first Garden Warbler was at Southwell. A very unseasonable passing Great Northern Diver off the Bill was the highlight from the sea; 300 Manx Shearwaters and 9 Balearic Shearwaters also passed through/lingered off there.
The warm conditions have seen a considerable surge in overnight moth numbers, but in the Obs garden traps immigration/dispersal activity was limited to 13 Silver Y, 6 Diamond-back Moth, a Dioryctria abietella and a Cream-bordered Green Pea; elsewhere, another Dioryctria abietella showed up at Southwell.
On a millpond-calm day and under continuing cloudless skies it was maybe a surprise that it was the sea that came up with pretty well all the interest, with a visiting watcher coming up with early morning totals of 563 Manx Shearwaters, 17 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Sooty Shearwaters passing through off the Bill; a few more Manx Shearwaters and 13 Common Scoter passed through on the odd occasions the sea was watched later in the morning. There was minimal migrant interest on the land, with singles of Wheatear and Willow Warbler being the only worthwhile reports from the Bill area; elsewhere a Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Pennsylvania Castle.
At least 1 Bottle-nosed Dolphin was off the Bill around midday.
Nineteen Silver Y were the only immigrants caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps; a Fen Wainscot in a garden trap at the Grove was the only unexpected wanderer making the list.
After an at times foggy night and very dewy dawn it didn't take long before the day itself became hotter than yesterday. The conditions were hardly suitable for any sort of arrival of common migrants, with the only worthwhile sightings from the Bill being of 3 Sand Martins, 2 Willow Warblers, an early Turtle Dove and presumably wandering local-bred singles of Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat; elsewhere there were 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Yellow-legged Gull at East Weare. The sea came up the rather unlikely highlight of the day in the form of a passing Goldeneye (seen off both East Weare and the Bill), whilst more routine fare off the Bill included 100 Manx Shearwaters, 26 Common Scoter and 4 Balearic Shearwaters.
Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 11 Silver Y, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl and 1 Dark Sword Grass.
A reminder that the next In Focus field event at the Obs takes place between 10am and 4pm tomorrow, Tuesday 24th July.
In unbroken sunshine and with the heat building by the day it can certainly be said that summer has at last arrived. Bird-wise, events are getting more autumnal by the day, with another decent little spread of departing migrants at the Bill: numbers remained on the low side, but variety included 2 each of Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler on the ground and 14 Oystercatchers, 11 Sand Martins, 2 Sanderling and singles of Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Redshank, Curlew, Whimbrel overhead; a wandering Green Woodpecker also showed up. The sea continued to be worth a look, with 200 or more Manx Shearwaters milling around offshore and 62 Common Scoter, 5 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Arctic Skuas passing by.
Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 26 Silver Y, 2 Diamond-back Moth and 1 Rush Veneer.
A really pleasant warm and sunny day that produced plenty of signs of autumn passage getting going. Sand Martins and Swifts were the only species in any decent numbers at the Bill, where 125 Sand Martins passed through in quick time early in the morning, and a steadier passage of Swifts was evident throughout the day; variety there was provided by singles of Grey Heron, Snipe, Curlew, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whimbrel, Wheatear, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Willow Warbler. The sea was still getting plenty of attention at the Bill, and returned totals of 300 Manx Shearwaters, 139 Common Scoter, 8 Sandwich Terns, 5 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Great Skuas.
A Pine Hawk-moth was an unexpected stray in a garden moth-traps at the Grove, whilst 9 Silver Y were the only immigrants in the Obs garden traps.
Southern Hawker - Portland Bill, 20th July 2012 © Martin Cade
...seemingly the first confirmed record for the Obs garden. The status of this species on Portland remains to be fully clarified: it's hard to believe that such a striking insect could be an overlooked resident, and it may well be that the rather random scatter of records that we're aware of refer to wanderers from the mainland.
The weather continues to improve, with today seeing the back of the brisk breeze that's been a feature for so much of this summer. The first departing young Willow Warbler was the only noteworthy migrant on the land at the Bill, from where the rest of the news was provided by the seawatchers: 57 Common Scoter and 2 Balearic Shearwaters passed by, whilst the small numbers of Manx Shearwaters included a flock of 50 that were settled offshore for a good part of the morning.
A Southern Hawker was in the Obs garden during the morning.
Six Silver Y were again the only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps.
A much nicer day, albeit still with a brisk westerly blowing for much of the morning. Odds and ends through on the sea at the Bill included 6 Balearic Shearwaters, 6 Common Scoter, 4 Sanderling and a Whimbrel, whilst a Yellow-legged Gull lingered amongst the fishing boats offshore for quite a while; a lone Sand Martin overhead was the only migrant of note on the land.
The Silver Y tally in the Obs garden moth traps increased to 6.
White Dapperling Leucoagaricus leucothites - Ferrybridge, 17th July 2012 © Ken Dolbear
...this first for Portland was found yesterday by Bryan Edwards; apparently there are only four previous records for Dorset.
Although there's reported to be some light at the end of the lousy weather tunnel, today's gloomy skies, drizzly showers and stiff westerly were much in keeping with what we've grown used to this summer. In the continuing absence of passerine migrants it was again the sea that came up with the day's news from the Bill: 200 or more Manx Shearwaters were still lingering offshore and 53 Common Scoter, 6 Balearic Shearwaters, a Pomarine Skua and an Arctic Skua also passed through.
A party of at least 6 Bottle-nosed Dolphins passed north off East Cliffs at the Bill during the morning.
A now customary single Silver Y was the night's only immigrant moth in the Obs garden traps.
West Cliffs and the Reedy Ditch waterfall - 8th July 2012 © Edgar Moxom
...we're always being reminded - particularly by visitors to the site from abroad who've not been to Portland - that we don't post nearly enough scenery photos. These two recently received - both taken just after our deluge of rain the weekend before last - were especially good. There's always been an area of seepages at Wallsend Cove, on West Cliffs, but it seems from the amount of dirt in the water there in the top photo that the rain might have caused more of a substantial landslip that weekend. The Reedy Ditch waterfall used to be a year-round feature, but latterly it's become something of rarity, restricted usually to the wettest periods of mid-winter.
Something of nothing today, with a good deal less than of late on the sea and a total lack of departing migrants on the land. Manx Shearwaters were ever present off the Bill, but with plenty of movement in both directions it was difficult to arrive at a firmer total than c250; 23 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Sanderling and 2 Mediterranean Gulls also passed through there.
A single Silver Y was the only immigrant caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps. A Cistus Forester seen during the day at King Barrow Quarry constitutes the first Portland record of this scarce inhabitant of chalk/limestone downland.
A constantly freshening westerly wind, together with the presence of quite decent numbers of birds in this part of the Channel, saw all the day's attention again given to the sea. The Bill was well covered, and produced totals of c800 Manx Shearwaters, 244 Common Scoter, 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel, a Redshank and a Great Skua, whilst 3 Great Skuas also passed through at Chesil Cove.
A lone Basking Shark lingered offshore at the Bill during the afternoon.
Dicranocephalus spurgebugs: D. medius and D. agilis - June/July 2012 © Ken Dolbear
...agilis is an uncommon resident on the island; medius has been recorded for the first time this summer.
The first departing Wheatear of the autumn provided some welcome interest on the land at the Bill, but it was still the sea that came up with all the numbers there: 70 or more Manx Shearwaters were milling around offshore during the morning, whilst 210 passed through ahead of the next arriving weather front during the evening; totals of 120 Common Scoter, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Pomarine Skuas and an Arctic Skua were also logged there. The day's other reports included singles of Little Egret and Great Spotted Woodpecker at East Weare.
Chalkhill Blues were on the wing for the first time this year at Westcliff and East Weare.
A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was on the wing at Southwell, whilst 5 Silver Y and a Rush Veneer made up the immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps.
In the absence of any worthwhile passerine interest it was again the sea that came up with all the day's news from the Bill: Manx Shearwaters remained a constant presence offshore, with more than 150 lingering/passing through during the morning, when 45 Common Scoter, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Arctic Skuas also passing by; the local breeding auks have all now departed but the light down-Channel passage of Guillemots that continues to take place included a single Puffin today. The only other reports were of 8 Dunlin, 5 Sanderling and a Knot settled at Ferrybridge and 21 Oystercatchers passing south overhead there.
A lone Silver Y was the only immigrant caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.
Slender-horned Leatherbug Ceraleptus lividus - Broadcroft BC Reserve, 10th July 2012 © Ken Dolbear
...evidently the first record for Portland and only the fourth record for Dorset.
The customary morning seawatches at the Bill are producing most of the interest at the moment, with today's Manx Shearwater total getting up to around 300; 19 Common Scoter and 8 Balearic Shearwaters also passed through there.
Singles of Diamond-back Moth and Silver Y were the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps.
Dunlin, Redshanks and Knot - Ferrybridge, 12th July 2012 © Pete Saunders
...and a Marbled White from yesterday (© Ken Dolbear):
A bit of a mixed day today, with nice sunshine to start before drizzle and later concerted rain set in. Seawatching at the Bill came up with c400 Manx Shearwaters, 53 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Sandwich Terns and a Yellow-legged Gull; the only other reports were of 2 Redshank, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Knot, a Dunlin and a Greenshank at Ferrybridge.
The rather paltry immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps consisted of just 2 Silver Y, a Diamond-back Moth and a Rush Veneer.
Finally, a diary date of interest: the refurbishment/enlargement of the Chesil Beach Centre is nearing completion and the centre is to hold an open afternoon on 21st July; click here for further details.
Knot - Ferrybridge, 11th July 2012 © Paul Baker The Bagsy Blog
The generally fair, westerly weather of the last few days continued and the birding remained at a samey level. Shearwaters were a constant presence off the Bill, where 170 Manx and 12 Balearics passed through during the morning, and plenty of both were milling around offshore throughout the afternoon; 2 Arctic Skuas and 2 Sandwich Terns also passed by, whilst during the afternoon there looked to be some passage of commic terns underway (Common Terns, presumably Lodmoor birds, have been ever present recently, but this afternoon's birds had the look of purposeful migrants). At Ferrybridge, yesterday's Knot remained, whilst a total of 79 Common Terns passing rapidly westwards during the morning also gave the impression of being on the move.
The first Painted Lady for a few days was at the Bill.
Ten Silver Y and a Rusty-dot Pearl were the only immigrants caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron and Little Tern - Southwell, Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, 10th July 2012 © Pete Saunders
More of the same today, with shearwaters still featuring offshore and a mixed bag of early migrants/dispersing youngsters on the land. A Great Spotted Woodpecker at Southwell was the only particularly unexpected new arrival, with the likes of 3 Sand Martins and singles of Grey Heron and Whimbrel at the Bill, along with a lone Knot at Ferrybridge, being more or less routine for this time; Blackcaps at East Weare (3) and Wakeham were presumably local breeders. Offshore, 150 Manx Shearwaters, 48 Common Scoter and 17 Balearic Shearwaters passed through off the Bill.
A dip in immigrant numbers saw the Obs moth-traps return totals of just 14 Silver Y and 5 Diamond-back Moth.
Also, thanks to John Dadds, the Little Tern warden at Ferrybridge, for an update on the colony: 'The season got off to a very promising start with 21 pairs nesting, 3 up on last year and double the number since the recovery project started 4 years ago. As with last year the majority of pairs laid 3 eggs. The terrible weather has had a big effect with 35 of the 50 eggs laid failing to hatch. Despite this set back there are currently 9 fledglings with 6 re-laying pairs on eggs with perhaps one or two more to settle. It remains to be seen how many if any of the remaining eggs hatch, but whatever the final tally the signs of recovery remain positive'.
Further rather quiet condtions were welcome, as well as being reasonably productive. It's beginning to get difficult to get a decent handle on Balearic Shearwater numbers, with lots of toing and froing off the Bill, but something around 30 seemed like a fair estimate again today; 40 Manx Shearwaters, 24 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua also passed through/lingered there, whilst singles of Knot, Sand Martin, Blackcap and Chiffchaff were logged on the land. The day's only other reports came from Ferrybridge, where there were 20 Dunlin and a Greenshank.
On the immigrant moth front Silver Ys remained conspicuous: trap counts included 69 at the Grove, 58 at the Obs and 14 at Reap Lane, whilst by day there were reports of decent numbers spread widely around the island; 6 Diamond-back Moth, a Buff Footman, a Dark Sword Grass and a Cream-bordered Green Pea made up the migrant/dispersing tally at the Obs.
A return to normality after yesterday's extreme conditions. The sea continued to receive most attention, with 85 Manx Shearwaters, 39 Common Scoter, 28 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Whimbrel, a Curlew, an Arctic Skua and a Black-headed Gull passing through off the Bill; a movement of at least 70 Swifts in off the sea there was presumably related to yesterday's events. As usual at this time of year there was less than comprehensive coverage of the land, but 2 Chiffchaffs and a Cuckoo were new arrivals at the Bill, and 2 Little Egrets were at East Weare.
Immigrant moth interest was maintained, with 47 Silver Y, 4 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Rush Veneer and a European Corn-borer caught in the Obs garden traps, and 61 Silver Y caught in a garden trap at the Grove.
After the spring and summer we've experienced to date you wouldn't have thought it could have got any worse, but after 36 hours of almost continuous rain it certainly has. The day's only bird observations were of 100 Manx Shearwaters, 36 Common Scoter and a single Great Skua through off the Bill during a brief dry spell late in the afternoon.
The Obs moth-traps were switched off overnight but 30 Silver Y were caught in a garden trap at the Grove.
Willow Warbler - Portland Bill, 5th July 2012 © Martin Cade
...since Willow Warbler doesn't breed at the Bill - in fact there have only been a handful of breeding records for the island as a whole - this bird, that first arrived on 25th June, is permitted us the novelty value of watching the progress of the complete summer moult.
Yesterday afternoon's promising little window of fair weather already seems like a distant memory, having been well and truly swept away by yet more continual and at times very heavy rain the set in much sooner than expected during the morning. Two Blackcaps were newcomers at the Bill, where the Willow Warbler remained and 120 Manx Shearwaters, 40 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns passed through/lingered on the sea.
A still, warm night saw moth numbers increase significantly in the Obs garden traps, but 8 Silver Y, 4 Diamond-back Moth and a Pearly Underwing were the only immigrants caught.
Fox - The Grove, 4th July 2012 © Martin Cade
...and a few photos (all © Martin Cade) from a foggy seawatch at the Bill yesterday; Balearic Shearwaters are now a daily fixture offshore:
This 'bridled' Guillemot is still feeding what must be one of the last youngsters left on the cliffs - we had a quick look this evening and the visible breeding ledges are all now empty:
...although the odd Puffin continues to be seen there have been no reports of any carrying food so it looks like if there was a breeding attempt this year it came to nothing:
A dreary start with a keen easterly breeze gave way to an unexpectedly fine, sunny afternoon and a lovely still, warm evening. The sea again came up with the day's numbers, with 100 Manx Shearwaters, 74 Common Scoter, 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Mediterranean Gulls logged at the Bill; another 5 Mediterranean Gulls, along with a Greenshank, were at Ferrybridge, whilst a long-staying Willow Warbler at the Bill was the pick of the bunch on the land.
A single Hummingbird Hawk-moth was in the Obs garden, where 3 Silver Y were the only immigrant moths caught overnight.
Maybe surprisingly, the day's only rain was a relatively brief shower early in the afternoon, however it was frequently foggy and remained soggy everywhere. Migrants on the land included a Hobby at Reap Lane and a Common Sandpiper at East Weare, whilst odds and ends through or lingering on the sea at the Bill included 25 Common Scoter, 17 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Balearic Shearwaters and 4 Sandwich Terns.
Even the commonest resident moths hardly featured in the Obs garden moth-traps, which attracted by way of immigrants just 2 Silver Y.
A second successive day of almost constant rain. At the Bill, slightly better visibility than yesterday at least allowed for more seawatching but it was soon apparent that there was little passage, with day totals of no more than 50 Manx Shearwaters, 41 Common Scoter and 4 Balearic Shearwaters; feeding Common Terns - presumably Lodmoor breeders - have been ever-present offshore over the last three weeks or so, with today's estimate of 50 birds being the highest total logged thus far.
A single Pearly Underwing was the only immigrant caught overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps.
One of these day it'll stop raining, but today wasn't that day: it was raining at dawn and, more than 10 hours later, it's still raining as we post this update. The only bird news was of what looked to be a constant (...at least on the few occasions we could see the sea) light trickle of Manx Shearwaters heading west past the Bill through the afternoon.
On the moth front a single Silver Y was the only immigrant of the night in the Obs garden traps.
Mediterranean Gull - Ferrybridge, 1st July 2012 © Paul Baker The Bagsy Blog
Windy weekends were the rule throughout June and, although today's brisk westerly was well short of gale force, it still saw July begin in a similar vein. It was again the sea that attracted most attention, with at least 15 Balearic Shearwaters heading west past the Bill through the morning; 120 Manx Shearwaters, 18 Common Scoter and 2 Arctic Skuas made up the rest of the numbers there. The only other reports were of 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Redshank at Ferrybridge.
Immigrant interest in the Obs moth-traps consisted of just 2 more Silver Y.