Goldcrest and a bit of Dartford Warbler detail - Portland Bill, 31st October 2007 © Martin Cade
...before you ask, no we don't really know much about Dartford Warbler ageing and sexing but the capture of a first-year bird today prompted us to fish out the photographs of the presumed adult male caught earlier in the month and see how they compared. The first-year was very much the poor relation and looked distinctly dowdy and dull in comparison with the richly-coloured adult; the detail of the bare parts doesn't show up too well in these photos but in life the iris and orbital ring of the adult were distinctly brighter red than the orange-red orbital ring and brown iris of the first-year. First-year Dartfords are supposed to have a rather extensive post-juvenile moult and looking at the wing of today's bird we could only spot the longest tertial as an obviously 'left over' juvenile feather. Finally, the tails were well worth close inspection: the adult's fresh, glossy tail was markedly different to the already very worn, dull tail of the first-year; the latter had also replaced two outer feathers on one side and the clean white tips to these feathers contrasted strongly with the sullied brownish-white tip to the juvenile outer feather on the other side.
After a fairly clear dawn cloud gradually increased through the morning and there was less on the move overhead than yesterday. Grounded migrants were few and far between but did include a Continental Coal Tit at Barleycrates Lane, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Southwell and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill. Overhead, pigeon passage completely petered out but there was still a bit of other variety with the Bill producing 90 Jackdaws, 80 Chaffinches, 70 Siskins, 30 Redwings, 25 Skylarks, 23 Bramblings, 5 Redpolls, 4 Reed Buntings, 2 Fieldfares, 2 Swallows and a Great Northern Diver (the latter flying low over Southwell and Reap Lane!).
A milder night saw a better variety of immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps: 56 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 3 Silver Y, 2 Rush Veneer, 1 Gem, 1 Spruce Carpet and 1 White-speck (yesterday's Flame Brocade was also caught again).
Wood Pigeons, Flame Brocade and Hornet - Portland Bill, 30th October 2007 © Martin Cade
Clear skies and a brisk north-westerly saw plenty of movement overhead but with the exception of two notable oddities - a Yellow-browed Warbler at Ladymead, Easton, and a Richard's Pipit in Top Fields - not too much on the ground. Passage overhead was dominated by Wood Pigeons leaving to the south but there was a fair back-up list of other species; totals from the Bill for the first few hours of the morning included 11000 Wood Pigeons, 120 Jackdaws, 39 Redwings, 30 Fieldfares, 25 Siskins, 18 Bearded Tits, 17 Redpolls, 15 Bramblings, 8 Reed Buntings, 2 Mistle Thrushes, a Golden Plover and a Woodlark. Two Black Redstarts and a Bullfinch were also at the Bill and a Jay at Barleycrates Lane and 7 Bearded Tits over Reap Lane were the best of the sightings elsewhere.
A Hornet was an unexpected visitor to the Obs garden today (there would appear to be less than ten confirmed records of this species at Portland).
A Flame Brocade was the pick of the overnight moth catch at the Obs; the only other immigrants caught were 5 Rusty-dot Pearl and 4 White-speck.
Another change today: clear skies and a brisk, chilly north-westerly. There wasn't too much to be found on the ground but better numbers of birds were on the move overhead including 1260 Wood Pigeons over Weston and 300 Wood Pigeons, 23 Redpolls, 18 Siskins, 15 Bramblings, 10 Redwings, 4 Fieldfares, 2 Reed Buntings and a Lapland Bunting over the Bill. The pick of the grounded migrants were single Firecrests at Weston and Southwell, 2 Short-eared Owls and 2 Black Redstarts at the Bill and a couple of late records in the form of a Garden Warbler at the Bill and a Willow Warbler at Southwell School.
Another few immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps included 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 4 Silver Y and 3 White-speck.
We shouldn't have made such a fuss about needing a change in the weather. Today certainly brought that change but it was so profound - wind and rain all day - that next to nothing was seen! Seawatching was about the only birding possible and produced just 9 Common Scoter and a Balearic Shearwater at Chesil Cove and 9 Common Scoter and a Little Gull at the Bill. The only other report was of a Merlin at the Bill.
Despite the grim weather conditions a few immigrant moths were still on the wing at the Bill with 7 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Delicate, White-speck and Silver Y caught in the Obs garden traps.
The beginnings of a change in the weather saw a brisk south-west wind set in but if anything it was quieter for birds than in recent days. Odds and ends at the Bill included a Merlin, a Pheasant, a Golden Plover, a Short-eared Owl and a Black Redstart but overhead passage there largely petered out and nothing better than 7 Siskins, 2 Redwings, 2 Redpolls and a Reed Bunting passed through. The only other reports were from Ferrybridge where there were 760 Brent Geese and 11 Mediterranean Gulls.
Overnight mothing improved as the temperature rose and the immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps consisted of 44 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Silver Y, 2 Pearly Underwing and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Rush Veneer, Gem, Spruce Carpet and Delicate; a late Swallowtail Moth was also on the wing.
Yet more of the same today with another light passage of the expected thrushes and finches overhead and an even thinner sprinkle of grounded migrants everywhere. The pick of the oddities/scarce migrants were 4 Short-eared Owls, a Merlin, a Black Redstart, a Dartford Warbler and a Firecrest at the Bill, 2 Continental Coal Tits at Southwell, a Firecrest at Wakeham and a Black Redstart at Portland Castle. Among the commoner migrants 20 Redwings, 9 Redpolls, 8 Reed Buntings, 4 Fieldfares, 4 Bramblings and a Golden Plover passed over at the Bill.
Immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps consisted of 15 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Rush Veneer, Delicate and Silver Y.
Brambling detail - Portland Bill, 25th October 2007 © Martin Cade
Two first-year Bramblings were a nice capture right at the end of the day today (in truly dreadful light so apologies for the duff photographs). We're by no means Brambling experts as we're lucky if we handle half a dozen a year but this species usually seems to be pretty straightforward to age. The moult limit in the greater coverts is relatively easy to spot on both the open or closed wing (adults lack this discontinuity and also show little or no contrast in colour between the greater coverts and the primary coverts). As would be expected both these individuals exhibited nicely pointed tail feathers.
A very dreary and at times drizzly day. A fly-by Iceland Gull was reported by day-visitors at Ferrybridge early in the morning and the best of the other reports also involved near subliminal sightings: 2 Continental Coal Tits made one visit to the Obs garden bird table and at least 1 Bearded Tit flew north at Reap Lane. Thrushes and finches trickled through in small numbers everywhere but the only reports of any particular note from the ground were of 5 Short-eared Owls, a Merlin, a Woodcock, a Black Redstart, a Dartford Warbler and a Firecrest at the Bill, 2 more Firecrests at Wakeham, another 2 Black Redstarts at Tradecroft and 20 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge.
In slightly milder conditions overnight there was a slight improvement in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps: 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 7 Silver Y, 3 Delicate and 2 Pearly Underwing..
Continental Coal Tit and some Siskin detail - Southwell and Portland Bill, 24th October 2007 © Joe Cockram (Coal Tit) and Martin Cade (Siskins)
Siskin is another species we don't catch nearly enough of so this autumn's influx has been very welcome (most birds are fly-overs so although the record autumn bird-day total for the Bill stands at 5574 the highest annual total of birds trapped and ringed there is just 19). Sexing is straightforward but - perhaps due to our inexperience with the species? - we've struggled with the ageing of some of the birds we've been catching this autumn. The photos above show some well-marked specimens that exhibit the 'classic' ageing features but, for example, it doesn't seem to be at all unusual for all the greater-coverts to be replaced in the post-juvenile moult and in females any moult-limit in this tract can be surprisingly hard to spot as the old and new feathers can be confusingly similar. Tail feather shape can also be ambiguous: whilst adults usually have distinctly broader feathers than first-years they can appear quite pointed at the tips; it may be more helpful to assess the wear on the feather tips as the first year's tails are already looking quite ragged in comparison with the fresh tails of adults.
Highlight today was a Long-eared Owl that arrived in off the sea at the Bill early in the afternoon and two Continental Coal Tits at both Weston and Southwell. Among the commoner migrants Wood Pigeons were conspicuous overhead during the morning when 475 flew south at the Bill and another 750 passed over the centre of the island. The best of the rest were 100 Chaffinches, 40 Stock Doves, 32 Redwings, 25 Goldcrests, 15 House Martins, 11 Reed Buntings, 10 Swallows, 8 Redpolls, 7 Bramblings, 6 Fieldfares, 4 Siskins, 3 Wheatears, 2 Black Redstarts, a Water Rail, a Common Buzzard and a Mistle Thrush at the Bill, 20 Siskins at Wakeham and 2 Lapwings at Southwell.
In chilly and windy conditions overnight the only immigrants caught in the Obs garden moth-traps were 2 Rusty-dot Pearl and a White-speck.
...and still no great change in either the weather or the birds. The Yellow-browed Warbler remained at Reforne where there were also 4 Black Redstarts, whilst the best of the oddities elsewhere were 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Mute Swan, Merlin, Dartford Warbler, Firecrest and Continental Coal Tit at the Bill, a Lapland Bunting over Reap Lane, a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and 2 Ring Ouzels at Penn's Weare. Among more routine fare there was a very light passage of the expected thrushes and finches overhead but once again precious little grounded anywhere. Four Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Brent Geese passed through on the sea at the Bill.
The Obs garden moth-traps produced 23 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Pearly Underwing, a White-speck and a Silver Y along with the first Brick of the autumn.
Red sky in the morning and some close-ups of Black Redstart - Portland Bill, 22nd October 2007 © Martin Cade
...we don't catch Black Redstarts very often so it was good to have a decent look at a first-year bird trapped at the Obs today. This individual was relatively easily aged as a first-year by virtue of the moult-limits in the greater-coverts (the old juvenile outer feathers contrasting with the new inner feathers) and tertails and the presence of a conspicuously dark outer web and shaft towards the end of the outer tail-feather (an adult ought to have little or no dark in this area). Sexing this bird isn't so straightforward as first-year males evidently come in two forms: the rarer 'paradoxus' morph resembles an adult male although it retains juvenile wings and so lacks the white wing-panel, whilst the commoner 'cairii' morph is more or less like an adult female in plumage. As this individual is clearly female-like it could be either a male of the 'cairii' form or a female.
Quieter on the ground and overhead today but there was some quality in the form of 3 Yellow-browed Warblers at Easton and a Lapland Bunting over the Bill. The meagre numbers of commoner migrants included 30 Siskins and a Brambling at Easton and 11 Redpolls, 10 Siskins, 9 Redwings, 3 Black Redstarts, 3 Reed Buntings, a Turnstone, a Water Rail and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill. At least 3 Mediterranean Gulls lingered off the Bill and a lone Great Skua also passed through there.
Today's Obs garden moth-trap immigrant tally consisted of 48 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Rush Veneer, 2 Dark Sword Grass and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Pearly Underwing and Silver Y; also in the traps Yellow-line Quaker was new for the year.
It's becoming almost tedious to regurgitate the day before's species list with just a few changes in numbers but unfortunately that's the way of the world in what are essentially very settled conditions (perhaps if we mention that today there ought to have been a Red-flanked Bluetail then we won't have to type that name again in tomorrow's report when one actually shows up). Today's high spot was the discovery of a Yellow-browed Warbler at Reforne but otherwise there were precious few changes from recent days with just a thin scatter of birds on the ground and a disappointingly light passage overhead. The best of the scarcer migrants were 4 Firecrests, 2 Black Redstarts and 2 Dartford Warblers on the ground at the Bill and 2 Woodlarks passing overhead there. Among the commoner species there was a late Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and 13 Redpolls, 13 Siskins, 7 Bramblings and 2 Fieldfares passed overhead there amongst small numbers of other thrushes and finches. Odds and ends on the sea at the Bill included 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Teal and 2 Brent Geese.
The list of immigrants in Obs garden moth-traps included 5 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Gem, Pearly Underwing and White-speck.
Another clear night/dawn soon gave way to heavily overcast conditions that persisted for most of the day. Unfortunately the cloud came too late to drop much in the way of grounded migrants and soon put the block on whatever might have got moving overhead. Migrants were so thinly spread on the ground as to be barely worth a mention save to say that scarcer species included Black Redstarts at the Bill, Southwell School and Portland Castle, a Short-eared Owl at Barleycrates Lane and a Bullfinch at the Bill. The usual suspects were on the move overhead for at least a little while when, for example, 260 Wood Pigeons, 26 Siskins, 13 Redwings, 9 each of Redpoll and Reed Bunting, 6 Fieldfares, 3 Bramblings and a Mistle Thrush passed over the Bill. The brisk south-east wind might have been expected to perk up sea-passage but in the event 4 Brent Geese, 4 Wigeon, 3 Teal, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Shelduck were the only worthwhile sightings at the Bill. The only other reports were of 6 Mediterranean Gulls, a Grey Plover, a Little Stint and a Sanderling at Ferrybridge and a Little Grebe in Portland Harbour.
The list of immigrants in Obs garden moth-traps included 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate,2 Silver Y and singles of Rush Veneer, Dark Sword Grass and Pearly Underwing.
Glorious weather but very lean on the bird front today. Grounded migrants included 3 Black Redstart at Easton and a Black Redstart and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill but commoner species were limited to no more than the odd ones and twos of individuals everywhere. Overhead passage was very subdued in comparison with recent day and included nothing better at the Bill than 120 Wood Pigeons, 51 Jackdaws, 8 Stock Doves, 7 Redwings, 7 Reed Buntings, 5 Siskins, 4 Bramblings, 3 Fieldfares, 3 Redpolls, a Merlin, a Yellow Wagtail and trickle of tardy Swallows and House Martins. The only news from elsewhere was of a Little Stint at Ferrybridge.
With the temperature having dropped right away overnight mothing died a death at the Obs where the only immigrants logged were 3 each of Dark Sword Grass and Pearly Underwing, 2 each of Rusty-dot Pearl and Delicate and singles of Rush Veneer and Silver Y.
Slender Burnished Brass - Portland Bill, 18th October 2007 © Martin Cade
Bearing in mind what looked to be wholly unsuitable immigration conditions (a clear, chilly night with a light northery breeze) there was a nice and very unexpected highlight in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning in the form of the first Portland record of Slender Burnished Brass; the only other immigrants caught were 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 3 Rush Veneer, 2 Pearly Underwing and a Gem. In the light of this record it's worth mentioning something that we forgot to include in yesterday's report: at the Bill there was a marked immigration of Red Admirals (together with a few Painted Ladys and Clouded Yellows) with many seen arriving in off the sea and heading off north along the West Cliffs.
The pick of the day's birds were a Water Pipit reported from the Bill Common, single Continental Coal Tits at Pennsylvania Castle and Avalanche Road, a Woodlark over Perryfields and 4 Woodlarks, 3 Short-eared Owls, 2 Bearded Tits and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill. Grounded migrants were again not at all plentiful but there was a fair bit on the move overhead, with totals from the Bill that included 430 Wood Pigeons, 54 'new' Jackdaws, 29 Redpolls, 19 Siskins, 18 Reed Buntings, 6 Bramblings, 3 Merlins, a Grey Plover, a Golden Plover, a Fieldfare and a Bullfinch. Elsewhere there were another 350 Wood Pigeons over the middle of the island and a single Black Redstart at Reap Lane.
A very different day today with completely clear skies and a brisk northerly wind that died right away as the morning went on. Two Yellow-browed Warblers lingered on at Southwell and the best of the new arrivals were 2 more Yellow-browed Warblers at the Eight Kings Quarry, 7 Bearded Tits at Suckthumb Quarry and a Continental Coal Tit at Avalanche Road. Grounded migrants weren't too plentiful and overhead passage was a good deal lighter than might have been expected given the conditions; the pick of what was reported were 270 overflying Wood Pigeons, 75 Siskins, 18 Redpolls, 3 Merlins, 2 Bramblings and a Barn Owl at the Bill, 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Ring Ouzel and Firecrest at Southwell and a Merlin at East Weare.
Despite unfavourable conditions there were still a few immigrant moths on the wing at the Bill where the Obs garden traps produced 29 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Rush Veneer, 2 Delicate, 2 Silver Y and a Gem.
Although the day started wet and windy it cleared up much sooner than expected and the later promised rain held off until dusk. Unfortunately conditions were clearly not suitable for overnight arrivals as it much quieter everywhere than in recent days; sea passage was also disappointingly uneventful despite the brisk south-westerlies. Siskin and Goldcrest were the only species that were at all conspicuous at the Bill where there totals of 55 of the former and 30 of the latter; the only oddities there were a Firecrest and a Continental Coal Tit in the Obs garden. The only reports from elsewhere were of one of the Yellow-browed Warblers still at Southwell and a Firecrest at Easton. Seawatching at the Bill produced singles of Arctic Skua, Great Skua and Mediterranean Gull.
The windy conditions overnight were not at all helpful for mothing and the only immigrants in the Obs garden traps were 21 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Rush Veneer, 2 Diamond-back Moths, 2 Delicate and a Pearly Underwing.
yesterday's Pallas's Warbler - Southwell, 14th October 2007 © Joe Cockram
A murky, overcast dawn produced another fair arrival of common migrants although the day's rarity list didn't extend beyond 2 Yellow-browed Warblers that were still at Southwell and scarcer migrants were limited to 5 Black Redstarts, 2 Ring Ouzels, a Merlin, a Woodlark and a Continental Coal Tit at the Bill, 2 Ring Ouzels at New Ground, a Black Redstart at Avalanche Road and 2 Firecrests at Cheyne Weare. Among the commoner migrants at the Bill Siskins were particularly conspicuous with more than 160 passing over or lingering and the first small Wood Pigeon passage of the autumn occurred with more than 150 flying south.
The immigrant/wanderer tally in the Obs garden moth-traps consisted of 81 Rusty-dot Pearl, 8 Delicate, 6 Diamond-back Moths, 4 Rush Veneer, 4 Silver Y, 3 Dark Sword Grass and singles of Pearly Underwing, Brindled Green and Merveille du Jour.
Lots more of the same today along with the arrival of a Pallas's Warbler that showed up at Southwell during the afternoon. An impressive total of 7 Yellow-browed Warblers were scattered around the island (4 at Southwell and singles at the Obs, Top Fields and Weston), whilst scarce migrants included 3 Firecrests, 2 Black Redstarts, a Merlin, a Moorhen and a Ring Ouzel at the Bill and 4 Black Redstarts and 2 Ring Ouzels in the Southwell/Weston area. Common migrant totals from the Bill area included 100 Chaffinches, 90 Redwings, 80 Skylarks, 75 Song Thrushes, 75 Blackbirds, 50 Goldcrests, 40 Chiffchaffs, 30 Siskins, 10 Wheatears, 4 Fieldfares, 3 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Lapwings and 2 Tree Pipits.
Today's immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps: 33 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Delicate, 3 Diamond-back Moths, 3 Silver Y, 1 Gem and 1 White-speck.
Continental Coal Tit, Dartford Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler and Barred Sallow - Portland Bill, 13th October 2007 © Martin Cade
Another good species list today in damp, heavily overcast conditions. Yellow-browed Warbler maintained its near monopoly of the rarity tally with one spending most of the day in the Obs garden. Further noteworthy reports included 4 Short-eared Owls, 2 Woodlarks, 2 Black Redstarts, a Merlin, a Dartford Warbler and a Continental Coal Tit at the Bill, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Wakeham and a Black Redstart at Reap Lane. Among the commoner migrants there were fair numbers of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests everywhere and thrushes and finches dropped in or passed over in quantity, with 145 Siskins at Wakeham, 43 Siskins at the former Weston Craft Centre, 300 Chaffinches and 40 Redwings over the centre of the island and 300 Chaffinches, 80 Siskins, 40 Redwings, 35 Song Thrushes, 4 Fieldfares and 3 Bramblings at the Bill. Seawatching produced 35 Common Scoter, 5 Mediterranean Gulls, a Balearic Shearwater, a Brent Goose, a Wigeon and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill
For the first time in some weeks the Obs garden moth-traps produced a good highlight in the form of the first island record of Barred Sallow; the immigrant tally consisted of 34 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Delicate, 3 Silver Y, a Spruce Carpet, a Clancy's Rustic and a Red Admiral butterfly.
Grey Wagtail - Portland Bill, 12th October 2007 © Colin McEntee
With complete cloud cover all day there was a better arrival of grounded migrants along with a surprisingly decent passage overhead. Quality was provided by an Ortolan Bunting that showed up in the Bill Quarry early in the morning and 3 Yellow-browed Warblers found during the afternoon (two together at Avalanche Road and a single in the Obs garden) whilst the back-up list of scarce migrants included 2 Dartford Warblers, a Jack Snipe, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Mistle Thrush, a Ring Ouzel and a Black Redstart at the Bill, 3 more Ring Ouzels at the Grove, another Dartford Warbler at Barleycrates Lane and another Ring Ouzel at Suckthumb Quarry. Commoner migrants grounded or overhead at the Bill included 140 Chaffinches, 100 Chiffchaffs, 50 Song Thrushes, 43 Siskins, 28 Redwings, 25 Blackcaps, 7 Reed Buntings, 3 Fieldfares, a Snipe, a Redpoll and a Brambling, whilst a miscellany of late of late migrants included 3 Garden Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill and a Willow Warbler at Weston Street. Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour produced 14 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Grey Plovers, a Knot and a Common Tern.
The Obs garden moth-traps produced 21 Rusty-dot Pearl, 17 Delicate, 3 Silver Y and 2 Pearly Underwing along with the first Green-brindled Crescent and Red-line Quaker of the year.
Relatively quiet birding in quiet, anticyclonic weather conditions today. The pick of the scarcer migrants on view were 4 Ring Ouzels at Priory Corner and singles of Marsh Harrier, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Ring Ouzel and Dartford Warbler at the Bill. Grounded migrants were not at all plentiful after a very clear night but there was a little passage overhead including 100 Chaffinches, 80 Song Thrushes, 55 Siskins, 25 Redwings, 7 Reed Buntings, 5 Redpolls and a Brambling over the Bill.
Immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included 26 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Silver Y, 3 Delicate, a Red-green Carpet and an Autumnal Rustic.
Yellow-browed Warbler and Marsh Harrier - Portland Bill and Southwell, 10th October 2007 © Martin Cade
A Yellow-browed Warbler trapped and ringed at the Obs was the highlight of a day that otherwise produced a fair scatter of many of the expected early October migrants. Chiffchaffs were easily the most numerous of the grounded migrants (with counts that included 40 at the Bill and 25 in the Mermaid Inn/Penn's Weare area), whilst oddities included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers near the Mermaid Inn and another single at the Bill, singles of Hobby and Dartford Warbler also at the Bill and a Marsh Harrier that roamed around the south of the island towards dusk. A relatively light passage overhead included 120 Chaffinches, 16 Redpolls, 10 Siskins, 4 Reed Buntings, 3 Bramblings and a Snipe over the Bill.
Very little to report today with some overnight rain seemingly having come too early to have dropped many migrants. Odds and ends at the Bill in a dry couple of hours before the rain set in again included 6 Redwings, 4 Siskins, 2 Snipe, a Hobby, a Grey Plover, a Golden Plover and a Garden Warbler but commoner migrants were very thin on the ground; a single Balearic Shearwater also passed through on the sea at the Bill. Elsewhere there were 170 Brent Geese at Ferrybridge and a Golden Plover at Reap Lane.
Immigrants/wanderers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included 19 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Delicate, 2 Silver Y and singles of Deep-brown Dart, Scarce Bordered Straw and Red Admiral butterfly.
Yellow-browed Warbler, Wheatear and Hobby - Portland Bill, 8th October 2007 © Joe Cockram (Yellow-browed and Wheatear) and Martin Cade (Hobby)
Yellow-browed Warblers have been providing nearly all the rarity interest lately and today carried on in the same vein with one spending most of the day in the Obs garden. Scarcer migrants scattered around the island included 2 Hobbys, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Ring Ouzel at the Bill, 7 Ring Ouzels and a Lapland Bunting at Suckthumb Quarry and 4 Ring Ouzels at Priory Corner. It was relatively quiet for grounded commoner migrants with Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs making up the bulk of numbers everywhere, whilst overhead passage included 50 Chaffinches, 30 Siskins, 15 Redpolls, 12 Redwings, 9 Reed Buntings, 3 Yellow Wagtails and a Golden Plover at the Bill; 5 Common Buzzards over Wakeham were thought not to be local birds.
A slight improvement in immigrant/wanderer numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included totals of 14 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 4 Silver Y, 3 Clancy's Rustic, 2 Pearly Underwing, a Rush Veneer, a Spruce Carpet and a Dark Sword Grass; Mallow was new for the year.
Peregrine - Cheyne Weare, 7th October 2007 © Colin McEntee
A much more overcast morning produced disappointingly little on the ground but quite a bit more overhead. The morning's visible passage tally included 350 Chaffinches, 100 Skylarks, 70 each of Song Thrush and Redwing, 25 Siskins, 10 Redpolls, 7 Grey Wagtails, 6 Yellow Wagtails, 2 each of Mistle Thrush and Brambling and singles of Snipe, Golden Plover and Tree Pipit over the Bill. Migrants were pretty thinly spread on the ground but did include 2 each of Short-eared Owl, Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel and Dartford Warbler and singles of Merlin and Corn Bunting at the Bill, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Verne Common and the rarity highlight in the form of 2 Yellow-browed Warblers found late in the afternoon behind the former Weston Craft Centre. Two Wigeon were the pick of what little passed through on the sea at the Bill.
The immigrant list in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning included 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 2 Pearly Underwing and a Silver Y; Blair's Shoulder-knot and Large Wainscot were both year ticks.
A bit of Linnet detail - Portland Bill, 4th/5th October 2007 © Martin Cade
...in the absence of any rarities we've been reduced to taking a close look at Linnets. Sexing at this time of year is relatively straightforward in the hand (as long as you're not somewhat visually-challenged like the writer of these notes!) if not always so in the field: the breast pattern of the sexes is quite different although it's often necessary to part the feathering on males before the red feather bases are revealed; as a back up have a look at the extent of white on the bases of the inner primaries (white reaching or nearly reaching the feather shafts of primaries 7-9 on males but falling well short on females). Ageing can be much trickier: tail feather shape usually provides an immediate clue (rounded on adults, pointed on first years) but it is sometimes much more difficult to be certain of the presence/absence of a moult limit in the greater coverts as this tract often contains contrastingly patterned feathers; on the three wings shown above the adult male and first year female are relatively straightforward (uniform greater coverts on the adult male and just one innermost 'new' greater covert on the first year female) but the first year male is more difficult (we think that the outer three greater coverts are unmoulted but other ringers might place the moult limit elsewhere!)
Pretty much a repeat of yesterday with most of what movement there was taking place overhead. A grey shrike sp seen in flight at Priory Corner was easily the highlight of the day, with 2 Dartford Warblers at the Bill being the pick of a scarce migrant list that otherwise didn't extend much beyond 2 Short-eared Owls at the Bill and a lone Ring Ouzel at Priory Corner. Hirundines, particularly House Martins, were on the move in thousands during the first few hours of the day when 200 alba wagtails, 75 Siskins, 50 Chaffinches, 20 Skylarks, 13 Redwings, 12 Redpolls, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Grey Wagtails, a Tree Pipit, a Fieldfare and a Brambling also passed over at the Bill. Interest on the ground was extremely limited but there were small numbers of Wheatears, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs everywhere and a single Purple Sandpiper was at the Bill. Not much attention was paid to the sea but 5 Brent Geese, 3 Sandwich Terns and 2 Teal passed through off the Bill.
At least 3 Bottle-nosed Dolphins were off East Cliffs at the Bill during the morning.
Four Delicates and a Rusty-dot Pearl were the only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning.
Very thin pickings indeed today with high pressure firmly established and precious few migrants finding the need to drop in at Portland. Rather surprisingly the visible passage offerings were not too great either with 50 Siskins, 9 Redpolls, 3 Tree Pipits, 3 Bramblings, a Grey Plover and a Golden Plover the pick of a light passage over the Bill in the first couple of hours of the morning. On the ground there was a scatter of Chiffchaffs everywhere but most of the other expected early October migrants were either absent or present just in ones and twos; 2 Ring Ouzels at Priory Corner were the only scarcer migrants reported.
The clear conditions overnight were not great for moth-trapping and the only immigrants in the Obs garden traps were 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Pearly Underwing, 2 Silver Y and a Delicate.
Merlin and Woodlark - Portland Bill, 4th October 2007 © Joe Cockram
It might be a rarity-filled period elsewhere but Portland remained stubbornly vagrant-free, with the best on offer today being fly-over singles of Woodlark and Lapland Bunting at the Bill. The dawn cloud cover proved to be very short-lived and a good deal of the movement took place overhead with, for example, 200 alba wagtails, 90 Chaffinches, 80 Siskins, 5 Tree Pipits, 5 Bramblings, 4 Reed Buntings, 3 Redpolls and 2 Golden Plovers passing over at the Bill. On the ground there were in excess of 100 Chiffchaffs at the Bill where the back-up cast included singles of Merlin, Turtle Dove, Dartford Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Firecrest.
The immigrant tally in the Obs garden moth-traps included 14 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 3 Silver Y, 2 Pearly Underwing and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
One of today's Yellow-browed Warblers along with Turtle Dove and Yellow Wagtail from the last couple of days - Southwell and Portland Bill, 3rd October 2007 © Duncan Walbridge (Yellow-browed Warbler) and Pete Saunders (other photos)
After another drab, overcast start the cloud rapidly melted away to leave a day of pleasantly warm sunshine. Two Yellow-browed Warblers showed up (at Southwell and near the former Weston Craft Centre) but otherwise it was more of the same as in recent days. The pick of the scarcer migrants were 6 Ring Ouzels, 2 Dartford Warblers, a Merlin, a Golden Plover, a Turtle Dove and a Firecrest at the Bill, and 6 more Ring Ouzels scattered between Southwell and Priory Corner. The list of commoner migrants logged was long and varied but didn't include any great surprises for the time of year.
There was an encouraging increase in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps without there being any real highlights: 36 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Rush Veneer, Dark Sword Grass and Silver Y; Spruce Carpet and Pink-barred Sallow were both unusual wanderers attracted to the traps.
Quality was lacking again today with more of the same on the ground and nothing in any great quantity overhead. Wheatears, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs dominated on the ground although numbers were certainly nothing special. The back-up list contained most of the expected early October migrants but again numbers were on the low side and interest was really restricted to a few late migrants such as 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Garden Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, a Redstart, a Whinchat and a Sedge Warbler at the Bill, along with a sprinkle of scarcities that included 5 Firecrests and 2 Merlins at the Bill, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Southwell and a Black Redstart at Reap Lane. Hirundines and Meadow Pipits continued to dominate overhead where Chaffinch numbers also picked up a little (including 30 over the Bill) but nothing else was at all numerous. Odds and ends at Ferrybridge included 9 Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Grey Plovers.
A small increase in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps included totals of 8 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Silver Y and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Rush Veneer and Dark Sword Grass.
A bit of a washout today with steady rain for quite a bit of the morning and a damp, drizzly feel to the rest of the day. All the areas of sheltered trees held small numbers of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs but in terms of better quality there wasn't much on offer beyond 2 Firecrests, a Grey Heron, a Golden Plover, a Turtle Dove, a Tree Pipit and a Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill, another couple of Firecrests at Southwell and another Turtle Dove at Suckthumb Quarry.