Yellow-legged Gull - Portland Bill, July 31st 2006 © Martin Cade
A relatively low-key end to the month in rather autumnal breezy and showery conditions. The sea was disappointingly quiet, with nothing much more than 11 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Balearic Shearwaters, 5 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill. Small gatherings of Yellow-legged Gulls at Reap Lane (6) and the Bill car park (5) may have involved some duplication but related to at least 7 different individuals, whilst an eighth bird at Ferrybridge was an individual that has been present there for over a week (identified by the fishing-line tangled around its body). The thin scatter of grounded passerines included 10 Willow Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill and another Grasshopper Warbler at Barleycrates Lane. Elsewhere there was a single Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge.
Not much was expected of the Obs garden moth-traps in poor conditions overnight so it was something of a surprise that two decent quality species - singles of Striped Hawk-moth and Four-spotted Footman - showed up; more routine fare attracted to the traps included 14 Silver Y, 10 Rush Veneer, 6 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Dark Sword Grass and 1 Small Mottled Willow.
Chalkhill Blues - Grove Point, July 30th 2006 © Ken Dolbear
Yesterday's fresh breeze and occasional showers didn't last and it was back to fairer conditions today. Most of the coverage was of the Bill area where 105 Common Scoter, 14 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Manx Shearwaters and a lone Whimbrel passed through on the sea and grounded migrants on the land included 30 Willow Warblers, 10 Sedge Warblers, 3 Grasshopper Warblers and a Garden Warbler. Ferrybridge provided total of 95 Dunlin, 64 Ringed Plover, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls and 3 Sanderling.
In inclement conditions overnight the only immigrants/wanderers attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps were 15 Silver Y, 6 Rush Veneer, 5 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Pempelia genistella, Latticed Heath, Dark Sword Grass and Small Mottled Willow.
Balearic Shearwaters - Portland Bill, July 29th 2006 © Martin Cade
With a fresh southerly wind picking up through the day quite a bit of attention was paid to the sea, which provided totals of 54 Common Scoter, 27 Balearic and 11 Manx Shearwaters, 6 Sanderling, 3 Great and an Arctic Skua and 2 Guillemots passing through off the Bill. There was also another small flurry of grounded migrants at the Bill, where 25 Willow Warblers, 8 Sedge Warblers, a Common Sandpiper and a Pied Flycatcher were logged, along with 2 Yellow-legged Gulls (one of which was picked up dead on the Bill Road). Most of the rest of the reports came from Ferrybridge where there were 90 Dunlin, 43 Ringed Plovers, 8 Sanderling, 3 Redshank and a Mediterranean Gull.
The Obs garden moth-traps were much quieter than in recent nights; immigrants included 91 Silver Y, 39 Diamond-back Moth, 29 Rush Veneer, 14 Rusty-dot Pearl, 8 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Small Mottled Willow and a Red Admiral butterfly, whilst the pick of the wanderers were singles of Nut-tree Tussock, Twin-spotted Wainscot and Small Rufous.
A cloudless dawn certainly didn't look likely to produce too much of a fall of migrants but there was still a scatter of birds at the Bill, including 25 Sand Martins, 20 Willow Warblers, 8 Sedge Warblers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Wheatears, a Moorhen and a Yellow-legged Gull; another Green Sandpiper also passed overhead at Easton. Ferrybridge provided totals of 88 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, a Mediterranean Gull, a Common Gull and a Yellow-legged Gull, whilst seawatcing at the Bill produced 14 Common Scoter, 6 commic terns, a Manx Shearwater and a Guillemot.
In decidedly fresher conditions overnight much more manageable numbers of moths were attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps, with totals of immigrants/wanderers that included 354 Diamond-back Moth, 165 Silver Y, 50 Rush Veneer, 14 Dark Sword Grass, 9 Small Mottled Willow, 8 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Bordered Straw, 3 Vestal, 3 Small Rufous and singles of Eudemis profundana, Calamotropha paludella, Birch Mocha (the second island record), Maiden's Blush, Pearly Underwing, Fen Wainscot, Mere Wainscot (the fourth island record) and Small Wainscot. Recent nights have been so busy on the moth front that a considerable backlog of unidentified micros has built up; one of yesterday's specimens has turned out to be another addition to the island list: the ash-feeder, Zelleria hepariella.
Harlequin Ladybird - Portland Bill, July 27th 2006 © Martin Cade
Today's assortment of migrants at the Bill included 15 Willow Warblers, 5 Sedge Warblers, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 Dunlin and singles of Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler and Garden Warbler on the land and 13 Common Scoter, 7 commic terns, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a tardy Guillemot passing by on the sea.
It was another very bust night in the Obs garden moth-traps with Silver Y (ca2000) and Diamond-back Moth (ca 1500) accounting for the bulk of the numbers; among the long and varied list of other immigrants/wanderers there were 72 Rush Veneer, 29 Dark Sword Grass, 10 Small Mottled Willow, 7 Small China-mark, 6 Vestal, 5 Bordered Straw, 5 Ni Moth, 4 Southern Wainscot, 4 Brown-veined Wainscot, 3 Coleophora salicorniae, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Small Rufous, 2 Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw and singles of Eulamprotes wilkella, Cydia amplana, Platytes alpinella, Evergestis extimalis, Loxostege sticticalis, Gymnancyla canella, Ancylosis oblitella, Pempelia genistella, Maiden's Blush, Gem, Rosy Footman, Double-lobed and Pearly Underwing. Also of interest in the moth-traps was the long-awaited first specimen of Harlequin Ladybird for the island.
Reed Dagger - Portland Bill, July 26th 2006 © Martin Cade
Early autumn passage remained at the ticking-over level, with the best on offer at the Bill being 60 Sand Martins, 5 Willow Warblers, 4 Dunlin, 3 Garden Warblers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Moorhen, a Green Sandpiper and a Yellow-legged Gull on or overhead on the land and 30 Common Scoter, 5 Balearic Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua past on the sea. Elsewhere there were more Yellow-legged Gulls at Weston Road (2) and Ferrybridge (at least 1) and a Manx Shearwater off Chesil Cove.
Although it hardly seems fair to describe a night that produced a new species for the island and more than 4000 immigrants as disappointing for moths it was nonetheless poorer than might have been expected. At dusk conditions looked near-perfect for top-notch immigrants (muggy, calm and with thunderstorms rolling across the Channel from northern France) and within minutes of the Obs garden moth-traps being switched on they were swathed in hundreds of Diamond-back Moths; however dawn revealed that the overnight catch didn't extend too far beyond very good numbers of Diamond-backs and Silver Ys. A Reed Dagger was a quality addition to the Portland list, whilst other immigrants included ca3500 Diamond-back Moth, ca 500 Silver Y, 44 Rush Veneer, 21 Rusty-dot Pearl, 18 Dark Sword Grass, 15 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Vestal, 1 Cydia amplana, 1 Small Marbled and 1 Scarce Bordered Straw, along with 6 Red Admirals, 3 Hummingbird Hawks, a Painted Lady and a Clouded Yellow in the traps. The best of the wanderers were 2 Platytes alpinella, 1 Pediasia contaminella, 1 Gymnancyla canella, 1 Lesser Cream Wave and 1 Small Rufous.
Pale Shoulder - Portland Bill, July 25th 2006 © Martin Cade
More of the same on the bird front today with the best at the Bill being 9 Balearic Shearwaters passing on the sea and 3 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Green Sandpiper on or overhead on the land.
There were slightly reduced numbers of commoner immigrants overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps but no lack of quality. Rarities included a Pale Shoulder (the third Portland record) and another Diasemiopsis ramburialis, whilst the pick of the wanderers was the second island record of Dingy Shears; best of the rest were 40 Rush Veneer, 16 Rusty-dot Pearl, 11 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Small China-mark, 1 European Corn-borer, 1 Gymnancyla canella, 1 Vestal, 1 Lappet, 1 Rosy Footman, 1 Pine Hawk-moth, 1 Southern Wainscot, 1 Webb's Wainscot and Brown-veined Wainscot. Elsewhere singles of Vestal and Cream-bordered Green Pea were caught in a garden trap at Southwell and a Langmaid's Yellow Underwing was caught by a visiting moth-trapper working Tout Quarry overnight.
Yellow-legged Gull (with apologies if you're getting fed up with pictures of them....the 'proper' birds will be along soon) and Diasemiopsis ramburialis - Portland Bill, July 24th 2006 © Martin Cade
Another fair selection of migrants at the Bill this morning, including 15 Sand Martins, 7 Willow Warblers, 4 Garganey, at least 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Grey Herons, a Dunlin, a Whimbrel, a Wheatear and a Sedge Warbler on or overhead on the land and 53 Common Scoter, 9 commic terns, 8 Black-headed Gulls, 8 Balearic and a Manx Shearwater, 2 Sanderling and a Mediterranean Gull passing through on the sea. The only reports from elsewhere were of 27 Dunlin and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs produced by way of rarities a Diasemiopsis ramburialis and another Small Marbled (the latter being the fifth in the last three nights) along with a slight increase in common immigrant numbers (for example 80 Rush Veneer, 20 Rusty-dot Pearl and 9 Dark Sword Grass), whilst wanderers included 2 Fen Wainscot and singles of Pempelia genistella, Calamotropha paludella, Rosy Footman, Slender Brindle and Brown-veined Wainscot.
Late news for 22nd July: a Barn Owl was seen at 11pm at Easton Lane.
Pin-tailed Whydah - Southwell, July 23rd 2006 © Pete Saunders
A surprisingly varied list of bird sightings today that kicked off with a good Portland rarity in the form of a Moorhen on the Obs garden pond early in the morning. New arrivals on the land otherwise consisted of 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Dunlin, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and a Tree Pipit at the Bill, whilst seawatching there produced 66 Common Scoter, 15 Manx and 6 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Arctic and a Great Skua, 2 Great Crested Grebes and a Mediterranean Gull passing by. Elsewhere there was a Yellow-legged Gull and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge and an escaped Pin-tailed Whydah visited a garden at Southwell.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs was hindered by a brisk south-westerly wind, Another Small Marbled was the pick of the catch, whilst other immigrants/wanderers included 2 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 1 Cydia amplana, 1 Gymnancyla canella and 1 Vestal; another Vestal was caught in a garden moth-trap at Southwell.
Melodious Warbler and Small Marbled flock - Portland Bill, July 22nd 2006 © Martin Cade
On the bird front a Melodious Warbler trapped and ringed at the Obs during the morning (the earliest autumn record for the island) was a rather predictable first rarity of the season. Commoner migrants included a trickle of Sand Martins, Swallows and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls overhead at the Bill, along with 4 Sedge Warblers, 4 Willow Warblers, 2 Wheatears, a Redshank, a Snipe, and a Grasshopper Warbler grounded there. Seawatching at the Bill produced 74 Common Scoter and 6 Balearic Shearwaters passing by. Elsewhere there were 6 Little Egrets, 4 Curlew and a Black-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge.
Not surprisingly considering the very muggy conditions the Obs garden moth-traps were pretty busy overnight. Among the wanderers a specimen of what looks to be Bactra lacteana (still to be confirmed) along with both Dingy Shell and Minor Shoulder-knot were highlights (the first, second and third island records respectively), whilst the cross-Channel immigrant tally increased and included 38 Rusty-dot Pearl, 20 Rush Veneer, 11 Small Mottled Willow, 6 Dark Sword Grass, 6 Scarce Bordered Straw, 5 Vestal, 3 Small Marbled, 1 Cydia amplana and 1 Striped Hawk-moth; other noteworthy captures included 5 Yponomeuta rorrella, 3 European Corn-borer, 2 Pempelia genistella and singles of Yponomeuta evonymella, Eucosma obumbratana, Maiden's Blush, Pine Hawk-moth and Fen Wainscot.
Sedge Warbler and Azure Damselflies - Portland Bill, July 21st 2006 © Martin Cade (Sedge Warbler) and Ken Dolbear (damselflies)
Another hot and humid day on the land, although fog lingered just offshore throughout the day to the extent that the sea wasn't visible from the Obs until late in the afternoon. The only new migrants reported were a couple of Sedge Warblers and a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge.
A Tree-lichen Beauty was a decent new arrival in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, but immigrants/wanderers otherwise consisted of just ca150 Diamond-back Moth, ca100 Silver Y, 14 Rush Veneer, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 European Corn-borer, 2 Vestal, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 1 Pempelia genistella and 1 Dark Spectacle.
Late news for yesterday: a Green Woodpecker was at Wakeham.
Cydia amplana, Psammotis pulveralis and Mediterranean Gull - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, July 20th 2006 © Martin Cade
The only new arrivals of note today were 2 Whimbrel and a fly-by Yellow-legged Gull at the Bill and another Whimbrel and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge.
In decent-looking conditions overnight there was just a hint of some cross-Channel immigration of moths, with the Obs garden traps attracting by way of quality 2 Psammotis pulveralis (there is just one previous record of this species for the island) and 1 Cydia amplana; other immigrants/wanderers included 5 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Rush Veneer, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Hoary Footman, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Eucosma obumbratana, 1 Calamotropha paludella, 1 Catoptria pinella, 1 European Corn-borer, 1 Phycita roborella, 1 Maiden's Blush, 1 Vestal, 1 Buff Footman and 1 Scarce Bordered Straw.
Still very warm and noticeably more humid today as a veil of high cloud pushed in from the south-west. Small numbers of Sand Martins continued to pass through but otherwise the best of a poor showing were singles of Yellow-legged Gull and Tree Pipit at the Bill, 11 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Terns and an Arctic Skua passing by on the sea at the Bill and 35 Dunlin, a Sanderling and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge.
The easterly breeze freshened again and reduced the overnight moth catch a little at the Obs where the pick of the immigrants/wanderers were 3 Yponomeuta evonymella, 3 European Corn-borer, 2 Eudemis profundana, and singles of Yponomeuta plumbella, Conobathra tumidana, Ancylosis oblitella, Horse Chestnut, Fen Wainscot and Webb's Wainscot; commoner immigrants consisted of little more than around 300 each of Diamond-back Moth and Silver Y.
Bordered Straw caterpillar - Easton, July 18th 2006 © Ken Dolbear
With Sand Martins reduced to a trickle today (just 20 passed through at the Bill) migrants were not so conspicuous but did include a Greenshank, a Curlew and a Willow Warbler at the Bill. The only other news was of 7 Common Scoter, 3 Sanderling, a Manx Shearwater and a Balearic Shearwater passing through on the sea at the Bill.
It was another busy night in the Obs garden moth-traps, although once again most of the interest involved species that were presumably wandering from the mainland in the hot weather rather than arriving from the Continent. The limited selection of immigrants included 4 Rush Veneer, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 1 European Corn-borer, 1 Gem and 1 Red Admiral butterfly, whilst the pick of the wanderers was a specimen of Ypsolopha ustella (the first 'modern' record of this oak-feeder for Portland; the species was reported to be common in the Victorian era although that claim should perhaps be viewed with some suspicion bearing in mind the lack of indigenous oak trees on the island). Other wanderers attracted to the traps included 2 Bird-cherry Ermine, 2 Zeiraphera isertana, 2 Platytes alpinella, 1 Limnaecia phragmitella, 1 Calamotropha paludella, 1 Catoptria pinella, 1 Grass Emerald, 1 Scallop Shell, 1 Lilac Beauty, 1 Southern Wainscot, 1 Green Silver-lines and 1 Marbled White-spot. Of further interest on the moth front, almost fully-fed caterpillars of Bordered Straw have been found on geraniums in a garden at Easton.
Yellow-legged Gull - Portland Bill, July 17th 2006 © Martin Cade
The hot spell of recent days continued and there was very little birding done other than early and late in the day. Sand Martin passage continued, with another 120 passing through at the Bill, but otherwise early autumn migrants consisted of just 2 Willow Warblers at Barleycrates Lane, a Mediterranean Gull in Portland Harbour, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Grey Heron, an unseasonable Common Gull, a Ringed Plover and a Lesser Whitethroat at the Bill and 31 Common Scoter and a Manx Shearwater passing through on the sea at the Bill
In much stiller and extremely warm conditions overnight the Obs garden moth-traps were very busy; Diamond-back Moth and Silver Y aside (many hundreds of each of these species were attracted to the traps and it's looking like both are becoming so numerous that it won't be possible to obtain full counts each day) the only immigrants were 12 Rush Veneers, 3 European Corn-borers and 1 Dark Sword Grass; however the list of wanderers showed a marked improvement on recent nights: 3 Bird-cherry Ermine, 2 Zeiraphera isertana, 2 Buff Footman, 1 Limnaecia phragmitella, 1 Lozotaenioides formosanus, 1 Hedya sacicella, 1 Gymnancyla canella, 2 Scarlet Tiger, 1 Grass Emerald, 1 Pine Hawk-moth, 1 Fen Wainscot, 1 Marbled White-spot and 1 Oak Nycteoline.
Six-belted Clearwing - Broadcroft Quarry BC reserve, July 16th 2006 © Bob Ford Nature Portfolio Image Library
Newcomers today included a Green Sandpiper and a Willow Warbler at Barleycrates Lane and a Whimbrel, a Greenshank, a Black Redstart and a Reed Warbler at the Bill; Sand Martins were again on the move with 400 passing through at the Bill, where 80 Swallows also passed through. The only reports from the sea were of 11 Black-headed Gulls and a Manx Shearwater passing through off the Bill. Elsewhere there were 35 Dunlin and a Sanderling at Ferrybridge and 500 Black-headed Gulls and 4 Mediterranean Gulls in Portland Harbour.
There was only a very limited range of immigrants/wanderers attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight: 88 Silver Y, 48 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Rush Veneer, 1 Catoptria pinella and 1 Grass Emerald.
Mediterranean Gull, Lesser and Great Black-backed Gull and Langmaid's Yellow Underwing - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, July 15th 2006 © Martin Cade
The only birds on the move in any quantity were Sand Martins, with 240 passing through at the Bill by mid-morning; other oddments there included 7 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Lesser Whitethroat on or overhead on the land and 24 Common Scoter, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, a Turnstone and a Mediterranean Gull passing through on the sea, whilst elsewhere there were 21 Dunlin and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge and a Common Sandpiper at Blacknor.
The overnight moth catch was again spoilt by a stiff easterly wind, to the extent that 86 Silver Y and 12 Diamond-back Moth were the only immigrants trapped in the Obs garden moth-traps; a single Langmaid's Yellow Underwing was also a noteworthy capture (2005 was a blank year for this species after a series of records in 2003 and 2004 hinted at it having become established at the Bill).
Relatively thin pickings today although 2 Yellow-legged Gulls on the school playing field beside Weston Road and another single at Ferrybridge, along with the first Green Sandpiper of the autumn and an unseasonable Redpoll both passing overhead at the Bill were noteworthy. The only other news was of a Knot and 12 Dunlin at Ferrybridge, 60 Sand Martins passing through at the Bill and 28 Common Scoter and 5 Black-headed Gulls passing by on the sea at the Bill.
By dawn a couple of the moth-traps in sheltered situations in the Obs garden were literally overflowing with moths but the stiff easterly wind that had sprung up during the night significantly reduced the catch in the rest of the traps in more exposed sites. Highlights were the first island record of Monochroa cytisella (a bracken-feeding species) and the second record of Ethmia dodecea, whilst other immigrants/wanderers included 467 Silver Y, 21 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Rush Veneer,1 Epiblema foenella, 1 Water Veneer, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Southern Wainscot and 1 Marbled White-spot. Elsewhere a single Catoptria pinella was a good record in a garden moth-trap at Fortuneswell.
Another fair sprinkle of migrants today, including a Tree Pipit at Barleycrates Lane and 150 Swifts, 2 Lapwings, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Grey Heron, a Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Sand Martin and a Lesser Whitethroat at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill produced 67 Common Scoter, 2 Black-headed Gulls and a Little Gull.
The Obs garden moth-traps were much busier than in recent nights, with the catch including a fair selection of infrequently recorded wanderers: 126 Silver Y, 22 Diamond-back Moth, 6 Rush Veneer, 2 Cream-bordered Green Pea, 1 Brown China-mark, 1 Water Veneer, 1 Pempelia formosa, 1 Royal Mantle, 1 Sandy Carpet, 1 Clouded Border, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Miller and 1 Delicate.
The bird list seems to be getting a little longer each day as autumn passage slowly gains momentum. A Goosander reported at Ferrybridge during the morning was a good summer sighting and the pick of the oddities. The Yellow-legged Gull tally increased to 5 (2 at Osprey Quay, 1 in the Bill car park, 1 feeding off the Bill and another that flew west past the Bill), whilst seawatching at the Bill also produced 85 Common Scoter, 9 Cormorants, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a commic tern passing by. Migrants on or overhead on the land included 52 Sand Martins, 2 Grey Herons, a Curlew, a Whimbrel and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and another Curlew at Ferrybridge.
Interest picked up a little in the Obs garden moth-traps, with 24 Silver Y, 8 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Rush Veneer and 2 Small Mottled Willow caught overnight.
Odds and sods today included 2 Yellow-legged Gulls still at the Bill car park early in the morning, a couple of Sand Martins passing overhead at the Bill and 40 Common Scoter, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 3 commic terns, a Balearic Shearwater and a Black-headed Gull passing through on the sea there.
Still not many moths on the wing overnight at the Obs, with the traps there producing by way of immigrants just 4 Silver Y, 1 Diamond-back Moth and 1 Rush Veneer.
The only reports today have been of 15 Manx Shearwaters, 12 Common Scoter and a commic tern passing through off the Bill, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls on the Bill car park and a Chiffchaff in the Obs garden.
Windy conditions overnight put paid to any moth-trapping in the Obs garden.
more Yellow-legged Gulls - Portland Bill, July 9th 2006 © Martin Cade
Quite a change in the weather saw most of the interest on the sea in brisk south-westerlies and, for the first few hours of the morning at least, occasional showery outbreaks. Seawatch totals at the Bill included 275 Gannets, 93 Common Scoter, 56 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Storm Petrels, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Sooty Shearwaters passing by. The only news from the land was of 3 Yellow-legged Gulls at the Bill.
In very inclement conditions the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight were 2 Silver Y and 1 Diamond-back Moth.
Yellow-legged Gull and Beautiful Hook-tip - Portland Bill, July 8th 2006 © Martin Cade
Another small flurry of migrants at the Bill today included at least 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Ringed Plover, a Cuckoo and a Chiffchaff on or overhead on the land and 46 Common Scoter, 5 commic terns, 2 Arctic Skuas, 2 Sandwich Terns, a Manx Shearwater and a Whimbrel passing through on the sea.
The fourth new species of the island in recent days - a Beautiful Hook-tip - was the best of the overnight catch in the Obs garden moth-traps; other immigrants/wanderers included 16 Diamond-back Moth, 19 Silver Y, 4 Rush Veneer, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Grass Emerald, 1 Delicate and 1 Small Mottled Willow.
Yellow-legged Gull - Osprey Quay, July 7th 2006 © Martin Cade
A couple of Balearic Shearwaters passing through off the Bill (along with 4 Manx Shearwaters) were the first for a few days but otherwise there were just a handful more typical early autumn migrants at the Bill: 2 Sand Martins, a Ringed Plover and a Whimbrel. Elsewhere there were 10 Dunlin at Ferrybridge and the recent run of Yellow-legged Gulls continued with 2 new individuals present at Osprey Quay.
Rather quiet again on the immigrant front in the Obs garden moth-traps with overnight totals of 99 Diamond-back Moth, 58 Silver Y, 13 Rush Veneer, 1 Bird-cherry Ermine, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Green Silver-lines and 1 Cream-bordered Green Pea.
Finally, anyone at a loose end tomorrow (Saturday 8th July) is welcome to come along to a stone-walling day, supervised by a local stone-waller, that will be taking place from 10am on the south-eastern boundary wall of Helen's Fields (the boundary wall on the ridge above the Culverwell Mesolithic site). Refreshments should be available and as the foundations of the wall have already been prepared the day should be one of building and creating without any of the rigmarole of preparation! These fields are owned by the PBO chairman, Helen Brotherton, and managed by the Obs so this will be a useful opportunity to tidy up part of 'our' land at the Bill.
Conobathra tumidana - Portland Bill, July 6th 2006 © Martin Cade
A Black Redstart at Weston and a Cuckoo at the Bill so far this morning.
Apart from a single Conobathra tumidana and a slight increase in Silver Y numbers to 58 the Obs garden moth-traps were relatively quiet with other immigrant/wanderer totals of just 53 Diamond-back Moth, 5 Rush Veneer, 3 Bird-cherry Ermine, 2 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 Tawny-barred Angle, 1 Pearly Underwingand 2 Delicate.
Yellow-legged Gull, Beautiful Snout and Orache Moth - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, July 5th 2006 © Martin Cade
The only bird news was of a Curlew and a Black-headed Gull at the Bill and 12 Dunlin and a Yellow-legged Gull at Ferrybridge.
Despite the slightly fresher conditions overnight (which saw to it that there were fewer moths on the wing than in recent nights) a Beautiful Snout - the third new species for the island in as many nights - was attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps; an Orache Moth (the third island record) was another quality immigrant, whilst other totals included 75 Diamond-back Moth, 17 Silver Y, 4 Bird-cherry Ermine, 4 Rush Veneer, 2 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Zeiraphera isertana, 1 Evergestis extimalis, 1 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 1 Pearly Underwing and 1 Dark Sword Grass.
Yellow-legged Gull, Pine Shoot Moth Rhyacionia buoliana and yesterday's Rhyacionia pinicolana - Portland Bill, July 4th 2006 © Martin Cade
Another small flurry of early autumn migrants today, including 27 Sand Martins, 5 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Whimbrel, a Curlew, a Mediterranean Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and 15 Dunlin at Ferrybridge.
There was another good selection of immigrants/wanderers attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight. A Pine Shoot Moth Rhyacionia buoliana was a first for the island, whilst other totals included 378 Diamond-back Moth, 24 Silver Y, 10 Ancylosis oblitella, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Small Mottled Willow, 3 European Corn-borer, 6 Zeiraphera isertana, 6 Rush Veneer, 1 Bird-cherry Ermine, 1 Green Oak Tortrix, 1 Platytes alpinella, 1 Evergestis extimalis, 1 Perinephela lancealis, 1 Pempelia genistella, 1 Figure of Eighty, 1 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 1 Green Arches, 1 Cream-bordered Green Pea, 1 Bordered Straw and 1 Dark Spectacle; a remarkable total of 31 Four-spotted were also caught.
Black-tailed Godwit, juvenile Guillemot leaping from the breeding ledges at the Bill and the view from above the auk colony at the time the young are leaving the cliffs around an hour after sunset (the lights of Weymouth in the distance) - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, July 2nd and 3rd 2006 © Martin Cade
A lone Black-tailed Godwit was an unusual visitor to Ferrybridge, where there were also 9 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper. More of the same at the Bill, with 30 Sand Martins, 10 Black-headed Gulls and a Curlew passing overhead on the land and 18 Common Scoter and a Manx Shearwater passing by on the sea. Also of interest at the Bill, the majority of young Guillemots successfully left their breeding ledges after sunset yesterday evening.
The best of the night's moth catch was an apparent Cosmopterix scribaiella - a very unexpected first for the island - in a garden moth-trap at Southwell. Immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 502 Diamond-back Moth, 22 Ancylosis oblitella, 28 Silver Y, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Small Mottled Willow, 4 European Corn-borer, 3 Zeiraphera isertana, 3 Pine Hawk-moth, 2 Rush Veneer, 2 Delicate, 2 Phycita roborella, 1 Rhyacionia pinicolana, 1 Pempelia genistella, 1 Dioryctria abietella, 1 Gem, 1 Grey Pine Carpet, 1 Tawny-barred Angle, 1 Cream-bordered Green Pea and 1 Green Silver-lines; among the local specialities a total of 10 Four-spotted was noteworthy.
Puffin, the - very distant! - family party of Shelducks and three scarce pyralid moths: Pediasia contaminella, Ancylosis oblitella and Nephopterix angustella - Portland Bill and Portland Harbour, July 2nd 2006 © Martin Cade
The only report from the land was of another half-a-dozen Sand Martins passing through at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill produced 11 Common Scoter, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 4 commic terns and 3 Black-headed Gulls. Nineteen Black-headed Gulls, 3 Dunlin and 3 Sandwich Terns were at Ferrybridge, whilst nearby a family party of Shelducks (4 young) in the centre of Portland Harbour during the evening had presumably originated from a nest on the harbour breakwaters and constituted only the second breeding record for the island (the previous record was of a family party off Blacknor in 1999).
Immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 151 Diamond-back Moth, 16 Silver Y, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Bordered Straw, 2 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Pediasia contaminella, 1 Rush Veneer, 1 Palpita vitrealis and 1 Nephopterix angustella,
July Belle - Portland Bill, July 1st 2006 © Martin Cade
A Serin at Southwell early in the morning was presumably the individual that has popped up from time to time all over the south of the island in recent weeks. Otherwise it largely business as usual with 7 Sand Martins, 4 Grey Herons, a Curlew and a Black-headed Gull at the Bill, and 24 commic terns, 11 Common Scoter, a Manx Shearwater, a Mallard and a Sandwich Tern passing through on the sea there.
In the Obs garden moth-traps the supply of long-distance immigrants seems to have dwindled, with most of the new arrivals being shorter-distance wanderers; a single July Belle (the fourth island record) was the pick of the overnight catch, whilst other totals included 56 Diamond-back Moth, 13 Silver Y, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Zeiraphera isertana, 2 Rush Veneer, 2 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 2 Delicate, 1 Pediasia contaminella, 1 European Corn-borer, 1 Nephopterix angustella, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Figure of Eighty, 1 Dark Sword Grass and 1 Bordered Straw.