February 2014

28th February

The only changes of note on a disappointingly chilly day were the appearance of 12 new Stonechats at the Bill and a Manx Shearwater through on the sea there. Yesterday's Chesil Cove Iceland Gull was again in situ, 18 Black-necked Grebes were still in Portland Harbour and a Red-throated Diver passed by off the Bill.

      

   

  

  

   Iceland Gulls and Great Skua - Chesil Cove and Ferrybridge, 27th February 2014 © Joe Stockwell Yet another birding blog (top Iceland Gull - Chesil Cove), Keith Pritchard Birding Portland UK (middle Iceland Gull - Chesil Cove) and Pete Saunders (bottom Iceland Gull - Ferrybridge, and Great Skua)

27th February

Chesil Beach and Ferrybridge were again the spots to spend time today, with 2 Iceland Gulls doing the rounds and a Great Skua popping up from time to time; a Common Buzzard heading south over Ferrybridge was also of note. Elsewhere, the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour and 4 Red-throated Divers passed by off the Bill.

      

   

   Scaup - Ferrybridge, 26th February 2014 © Joe Stockwell Yet another birding blog

...and thanks to Ken Dolbear for a nice little selection of early spring bugs from the Obs garden today - from top to bottom, Green Shieldbug, Gorse Shieldbug and Hairy Shieldbug:

  

  

  

26th February

In terms of Portland rarity value today's highlight was certainly a Scaup which was discovered amongst the mergansers at Ferrybridge; nearby, a Great Skua was again on Chesil Beach, whilst Portland Harbour came up with 19 Black-necked Grebes, 6 Slavonian Grebes, 5 Great Northern Divers, 4 Red-necked Grebes and the 2 Black Guillemots. At the Bill a Merlin was the only new arrival of particular note, although a Sparrowhawk heading north at height was a presumed migrant, 3 Purple Sandpipers lingered on and 2 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver and a Great Northern Diver passed by on the sea. Migrants elsewhere included the first visible passage of Meadow Pipits, with 5 north along the West Cliffs at Blacknor.

25th February

A likely new Glaucous Gull that headed north off East Cliffs at the Bill was the bird of the day, but there were again signs of spring passage getting going: new Lesser Black-backed Gulls are beginning to appear everywhere, 3 Black-headed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull moved up-Channel off the Bill and a Grey Heron heading north up West Cliffs there. Making up the list, a Great Skua dropped in briefly at Ferrybridge, the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour, 2 Great Northern Divers were at Chesil Cove and 4 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill.

24th February

With a nice mild airflow still established today looked quite promising, but in the event migrant activity was limited to a handful of incoming Lesser Black-backed Gulls; a decent count of 14 Ravens together over Blacknor might also have included some newcomers. Events were otherwise much as in recent days, with the 2 Black Guillemots still in Portland Harbour, at least 1 Purple Sandpiper still at the Bill and 7 Red-throated Divers, 3 Common Scoter and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers through on the sea there.

      

   

   Glaucous Gull - Chesil Cove, 23rd February 2014 © Joe Stockwell Yet another birding blog

23rd February

Today's gull offering concerned a Glaucous Gull that spent a little while off Chesil Cove early in the morning. Two exceptionally early Manx Shearwaters provided the best of the sea interest off the Bill, where 6 Common Scoter, 5 Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver also passed by amongst a conspicuous westward passage of other common seabirds. Five Purple Sandpipers remained at the Bill, the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour and the Short-eared Owl popped up again at Ferrybridge, whilst yet another Puffin was found among the quantities of dead seabirds continuing to wash ashore on Chesil Beach.

      

   

  

Iceland Gull - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, 22nd February 2014 © Ted Pressey (top - off the Bill) and Pete Saunders (bottom - at Ferrybridge)

...the little patch of ?oil on the primaries of the right wing looks to confirm that the two sightings refer to the same individual.

22nd February

Good gulls are stealing the show just at the moment, with today's offering being an Iceland Gull that flew west past the Bill early in the morning and then passed through at Ferrybridge during the afternoon. The rest of the day's interest consisted of 8 Red-throated Divers and 2 Common Scoter through off the Bill, 2 more Puffins amongst a selection of dead seabirds washed up on Chesil and 3 Red-necked Grebes and the 2 Black Guillemots still in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

  

   Great Skuas and Glaucous Gull - Ferrybridge, 21st February 2014 © Pete Saunders (top Bonxie and Glaucous Gull) and Debby Saunders (lower Bonxie)

21st February

Ferrybridge was the place to sit and wait today, with 2 Great Skuas and a Glaucous Gull passing through at various times. A Chiffchaff - an early migrant? - was new at the Bill, where 3 Red-throated Divers and 2 Great Crested Grebes passed through on the sea and 3 of the wintering Purple Sandpipers were about.

      

   

   Guillemot - Ferrybridge, 20th February 2014 © Debby Saunders

...although the weather has quietened right down, weakened auks - quite a few, like this one on the saltmarsh at Ferrybridge, turning up in unlikely spots  - continue to feature in some quantity.

20th February

A Glaucous Gull through Chesil Cove in the morning was perhaps most likely a newcomer rather than one of the previous individuals reappearing. The rest of the day's events were more mundane, with a Red-throated Diver through off the Bill and singles of Mallard and Black Guillemot (along with relatively low numbers of divers and grebes) in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

  

   putative Kumlien's Gull - Portland Bill, 19th February 2014 © Martin Cade

...although first called - on a brief view into bright light - as an Iceland Gull, it was soon apparent when it reappeared a few minutes later in flatter light that the outer primaries were shaded darker and the tail was extensively dark; sadly, from the documentation point of view, these 500+m record shots are as good as it gets. Over the years, we've seen plenty of Iceland Gulls fly past the Bill in similar circumstances but have never got an impression other than of them having creamy/white, semi-translucent outer primaries and, at most, the faintest of tail-bands.

Also today, this Hummingbird Hawk-moth found flying in a garage at Southwell was the first immigrant moth recorded this year, even if it does seem most likely to be a hibernating 'left-over' from last year (photo © Paul Baker The Bagsy Blog):

  

19th February

Although a Firecrest was a decent discovery at Suckthumb Quarry, it was again the sea that got most attention: tantalisingly brief/distant views of what looked likely to be a Kumlien's Gull provided the main interest off the Bill, where a conspicuous westward passage of Common Gulls, a few Mediterranean Gulls on the move and 20 more Red-throated Divers were also of note. Four Purple Sandpipers remained at the Bill and the 2 Black Guillemots were also still in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

   dead Puffins - Chesil Cove, 17th February 2014 © Tom Gale

...two of yesterday's three dead Puffins; a look at the Cove today revealed a fair few more sorry-looking auks bobbing about just offshore - many no doubt destined to end up coming ashore before long.

18th February

Fairer conditions made a quick return and prompted a nice little flurry of movement on the sea, with 14 Red-throated Divers, 4 Little Gulls, 2 Wigeon and a Great Skua through off the Bill and singles of Red-throated Diver, Great Skua and Little Gull through off Chesil Cove. Yesterday's settled Great Skua was also still about for a while at the Bill, a Skylark arrived in from the south there, a Great Northern Diver was settled off Chesil Cove and the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

  

  

   Great Skuas and Mediterranean Gull - Portland Bill, Chesil Cove and Ferrybridge, 17th February 2014 © Martin Cade (top Bonxie - the Bill), Tom Gale (middle Bonxie - Chesil Cove), Pete Saunders (bottom Bonxie - Ferrybridge) and James Gale (Med Gull)

...and a bit of scene-setting video of the Bill Great Skua:

 

17th February

The weather quickly returned to form with dreary skies, showers and a fresh southerly throughout the day. Wrecked seabirds continued to feature, with grounded Great Skuas at the Bill and Chesil Cove, together with further passing singles off the Bill and at Ferrybridge; 3 more Puffins were amongst a varied haul of dead birds at Chesil Cove, whilst the constant trickle of Kittiwakes passing the Bill included a good many right along the shoreline or some even cutting across the land. A Long-tailed Duck was a new arrival off Chesil Cove, whilst other sightings of note included 2 Red-throated Divers and a Little Gull through off the Bill and the 2 Black Guillemots still in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

   Great Northern Diver and Shag - Portland Harbour and Ferrybridge, 16th February 2014 © Simon Johnson (Great Northern Diver) and Andrew Maynard (Shag)

16th February

Today was the perfect antidote to our recent weather travails: unbroken sunshine, barely a breeze, warm...need we go on. Bird-wise, 3 Yellowhammers and a Golden Plover heading north at the Bill provided a hint of spring round the corner, but there were few other changes: 6 Red-throated Divers, 2 Little Gulls, a Black-throated Diver and a Great Skua passed through off the Bill, 4 Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart were still about on the land there and the 2 Black Guillemots - together with the usual suite of divers and grebes - were still in Portland Harbour.

The first Small Tortoiseshell of the year was on the wing at the Obs.

      

   

   Leach's Petrel - Portland Harbour, 15th February 2014 © Dave Foot

...and another bit of storm action at the Bill:

 

Also from today at Portland Harbour, Red-necked and Black-necked Grebe (© Pete Saunders):

  

  

...and one of the Black Guillemots (© Keith Pritchard Birding Portland UK):

  

...and the Ferrybridge Short-eared Owl (© Brett Spencer Brett's Goosey Ganderings):

  

We've also been meaning to re-visit last week's White-billed Diver. We were quite surprised not to receive more comments on this bird as, to us, it really didn't seem that straightforward and we'd pondered for ages over the identification before uploading the photos: having been jammy enough to have seen a fly-by White-billed Diver in the past we had particular trouble reconciling the apparently dark neck of the Ferrybridge bird with our fading memory of the Bill bird that looked arrestingly pale-headed/necked as it flew by; that said, we were keen on the shape/colour of the bill, whilst the apparent pale shafts to the flight feathers looked to be the clinching feature. A few days ago Dan Brown kindly got in touch to query the identification; the gist of Dan's comments were as follows:

I'm pretty sure this is a pale GND. I appreciate that the bill looks pale but many do have very clean bills and this bird show a dark outer cutting edge and a thin dark culmen as well which WBD should never show. I would imagine that the dark culmen is more extensive but the angle prohibits checking it. The apparent pale primary shafts are actually sheen on the outer web, again GNDs frequently look like this and a WBD should have very obvious white shafts. I also think there is too much contrast between the underwing coverts and flight feathers. These are generally paler in WBD. And lastly the eye looks too large and not beady. I may of course be wrong as I didn't see the bird in the field but for me this a GND.

We got back to Dan expressing our view that pale shafts were clearly visible on the outermost primaries, even if it was hard to make out whether it was the shafts or the outer webs of each feather that were pale on the rest of the flight-feathers. Dan replied as follows:

Have looked at the pictures again and especially at the shafts and you are right the pale streaks change from outer to inner primaries. In the outers they do indeed appear to be pale shafts whilst in the inner primaries the pale panel appears to be the whole inner web. The outer shafts are still no where near as pale as they need to be and there some good example of GNDs showing this e.g.:

http://www.birdguides.com/picture?f=421649

http://www.birdguides.com/picture?f=421126

http://www.birdguides.com/picture?f=420113

http://www.birdguides.com/picture?f=414713 esp this with an obvious pale outer primary shaft but paler inner webs to inner primaries. If you look at the colour of the legs and compare it with how a white shaft should look it is still no where near pale enough.

As a reminder, here are the important bits of the Ferrybridge bird (© Pete Saunders):

  

  

...and, out of interest, here's a photo of the recent Brixham White-billed Diver for comparison (© Mark Darlaston):

  

...and here it is wing-flapping: https://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?v=1&f=419627 

...finally, a fly-by Great Northern Diver at the Bill from our archive (© Martin Cade):

  

If we have to be honest, we're struggling to see that the Ferrybridge bird has a dark culmen - or at least, it's no darker than that shown by the Brixham bird. The matter of the primary shafts is clearly crucial and we're still pondering on that subject - bearing in mind that the photos are heavily cropped and were taken in dreadful light (we're pretty sure it was pouring with raining at the time), are they not a wee bit too obvious and still don't rule out White-billed?

Many thanks to Dan for taking the trouble to comment so fully and for searching out some interesting reference photos.

15th February

The ferocity of the overnight storm was enough to drive an unseasonable Leach's Petrel into Portland Harbour, as well as wrecking at least 2 more Puffins at Chesil Cove; 5 Bonxies also passed through at the Cove, with a Little Gull and likely Arctic Skua through off the Bill. A Short-eared Owl was at Ferrybridge, the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour and the diver and grebe tally there included 17 Black-necked Grebes, 13 Great Northern Divers, 10 Slavonian Grebes, 6 Black-throated Divers and a Red-necked Grebe.

14th February

The only memorable events today concerned the weather - again: a morning of constant driving rain gave way to a slightly clearer afternoon before violently strong winds set in during the evening. The birding was certainly best forgotten: a Black Redstart was at Reap Lane and at least one of the Black Guillemots was still in Portland Harbour, but very little meaningful fieldwork was possible anywhere.

      

   

  

  

  

  

  Black Guillemot, Black Redstart, 'Atlantic' Cormorant, littoralis? Rock Pipit and Slavonian Grebe - Portland Harbour and Portland Bill, 13th February 2014 © Pete Saunders (Black Guillemot and Slavonian Grebe), David Rashley (Cormorant) and Joe Stockwell Yet another birding blog (Black Redstart and Rock Pipit)

13th February

In improved conditions there were one or two minor surprises, notably the appearance of a second Black Redstart at the Bill, where the Purple Sandpiper flock increased to 8. The day's other events were much as might be expected: 8 Red-throated Divers, 2 Common Scoter and a Great Skua passed by off the Bill, 11 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Slavonian Grebes and a Little Gull were at Ferrybridge and the 2 Black Guillemots were in Portland Harbour, where the diver and grebe totals included 21 Black-necked Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe.

      

   

   Glaucous Gull - Ferrybridge, 12th February 2014 © Pete Saunders

...and a bit of video from the sharp end of the storm at the Bill: 

 

12th February

Another day, another pretty ferocious storm. A Glaucous Gull was a nice early highlight at Ferrybridge before the rain set in and washed out the middle of the day. A sudden pulse of 3 Great Skuas through off the Bill marked the arrival of the clearance in mid-afternoon, after which a Little Gull through Ferrybridge, a dying/dead Puffin off the Bill and a host of Kittiwakes everywhere (including unlikely locations such as Barleycrates Lane) were the pick of the sightings. The 2 Black Guillemots were also still in Portland Harbour.

11th February

Today's dose of wind and rain was a short-lived affair that didn't last beyond mid-morning, with decent conditions for the rest of the day. The only newcomers of any note were a few Shelducks and Curlews: 6 Shelducks dropped in briefly at Ferrybridge and another 3 passed through off the Bill, whilst 13 Curlews at Ferrybridge was a higher count than usual. Elsewhere, the 2 Black Guillemots were still in Portland Harbour and a Little Gull passed though off Chesil Cove.

      

   

  

  Black Guillemot - Portland Harbour, 10th February 2014 © Pete Saunders

10th February

In altogether quieter conditions there were only a handful of reports. Plenty more auks, including at least 2 more Puffins, were washed up dead on Chesil Beach, whilst live sightings included the 2 Black Guillemots and a scatter of divers and grebes in Portland Harbour and 2 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill.

      

   

  

  

  

   Black Guillemots, Great Northern Diver and Continental Cormorant - Portland Castle, 9th February 2014 © Brett Spencer Brett's Goosey Ganderings

9th February

The calm after the storm certainly wasn't that benign, for although the sun was a more or less constant feature it remained very windy until well after dark. Wrecked seabirds again featured, with plenty of exhausted Kittiwakes sitting it out offshore and a Puffin amongst a miscellany of sickly, oiled and dead auks ashore on Chesil. The 2 Black Guillemots finally teamed up off Portland Castle, with at least 1 Sandwich Tern and a good total of 15 Great Northern Divers amongst the other reports from Portland Harbour. Elsewhere, the Glaucous Gull was settled briefly on Chesil, a Great Skua dropped in equally briefly at Ferrybridge and a Red-throated Diver passed through off the Bill.

      

   

   Little Gulls - Ferrybridge, 8th February 2014 © Brett Spencer Brett's Goosey Ganderings

8th February

The continuing stormy weather saw to it that it was again the sea that got pretty well all the attention. The sheer relentlessness of the wind looks to be getting to Kittiwakes in particular, with totals of well into the hundreds at both the Bill and Chesil Cove, as well as at least a three figure total through Ferrybridge; Little Gulls amongst them included at least 4 at Ferrybridge, 2 at Chesil Cove and a single off the Bill. Another wrecked Puffin (which was seemingly eventually killed by gulls) at Chesil Cove was of considerable interest, whilst further additions to the mix included Sandwich Terns at Chesil Cove and Portland Harbour, a Red-throated Diver through off the Bill and the Black Guillemot lingering on off Portland Castle.

      

   

  

  Slavonian Grebe and Razorbill - Portland Harbour, 7th February 2014 © Joe Stockwell Yet another birding blog

...and thanks to Pete Saunders for a slightly different angle on yesterday's White-billed Diver:

  

7th February

On a much brighter day pretty well all attention was given to Portland Harbour, where a second Black Guillemot (a flightier bird out towards the middle the harbour that was additional to the long-stayer off Portland Castle) was the pick of the new arrivals; other totals from there included 21 Black-necked Grebes, 10 Great Northern Divers, 8 Slavonian Grebes, 7 Black-throated Divers, 3 Red-necked Grebes and singles of Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern.

    

  

  

  

White-billed Diver - over Ferrybridge, 6th February 2014 © Pete Saunders

...our first reaction on receiving the top photo of a 'Great Northern Diver' was to think that it was surely a White-billed Diver: the bill shape looks OK and the bill doesn't appear to have a dark tip, the beady black eye stands out against the pale face etc, but then we realised it had really quite dark sides to the neck which maybe wasn't so good; the clinching feature looks to be the pale shafts to the flight feathers which, unless they're some sort of weird illusion, are diagnostic of White-billed.

6th February

The days are starting to vie with one another in some sort of miserableness stakes right now, with yesterday's violent storm being replaced by today's dawn 'til dusk rain. Fortunately there were still a few birds to be seen, with the identity of the best - what looks to be Portland's second record of a White-billed Diver that flew over Ferrybridge during the morning - only being realised on examination of a photograph during the evening; the adult Glaucous Gull off the Bill at dawn, an increase to 11 in the Great Northern Divers tally in Portland Harbour and Little Gulls at the Bill (a passing single), Ferrybridge and Chesil Cove (4 at each) were also of particular note. The Sandwich Tern and Black Guillemot remained in Portland Harbour, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a Sanderling were at Ferrybridge and 3 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill.

    

  

  

Slavonian Grebe and Kittiwake - Portland Harbour and Ferrybridge, 5th February 2014 © Pete Saunders

...and a great scene-setting video from Chesil Cove and Chiswell © Sean Foote The Portland Naturalist:

     

...events were considerably less dramatic at the Bill but there was still a good sea running there:

 

5th February

The storm that was brewing yesterday evening turned increasingly violent and, at least between Chesil Cove and Ferrybridge, caused general chaos. With the exception of another Puffin that passed through off the Bill and the adult Glaucous Gull that appeared in Chesil Cove, the birds were probably much as might have been expected: 9 Great Skuas passed through Chesil Cove, 3 Little Gulls went through Ferrybridge and 3 Red-throated Divers and 2 Little Gulls passed the Bill; Kittiwakes and Fulmars in particular were numerous offshore, with a trickle of the former also passing through at Ferrybridge.. The only other report of note was of the Black Guillemot still in Portland Harbour.

4th February

Not a sniff of a let-up in the stormy weather today, in fact by the evening the wind sounded to be stronger at the Obs than it has been at any time so far this winter. A Manx Shearwater through off Chesil Cove was, like the Puffin at the same site over the weekend, a very good mid-winter record; 6 more Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill, with another single settled at Chesil Cove. Portland Harbour was again busy, with totals that included 350 Red-breasted Mergansers (the highest count this winter), 7 Great Northern Divers, 5 Black-throated Divers, a Mallard and the Black Guillemot.

3rd February

With a south-easterly freshening all day ahead of the next weather front there were few opportunities for anything other than seawatching. Odds and ends of movement offshore included 12 each of Brent Goose and Teal through off Chesil Cove and a 'Blue' Fulmar and 6 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill. The Black Guillemot and 6 Black-throated Divers remained in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

  Black-necked Grebes and Bar-tailed Godits & Mediterranean Gulls - Ferrybridge, 2nd February 2014 © Brett Spencer Brett's Goosey Ganderings (Black-necked Grebes) and Debby Saunders (Bar-tailed Godwits and Mediterranean Gulls)

2nd February

Considerably more pleasant conditions than those we put up with yesterday allowed for wider coverage today. The Puffin was still in Chesil Cove at dawn, but sea interest otherwise consisted of just 2 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill; an adult Glaucous Gull over Chesil Beach at Ferrybridge was presumably the long-stayer making another excursion into the Portland recording area. Portland Harbour totals included 19 Black-necked Grebes, 16 Slavonian Grebes, 7 Black-throated Divers, 2 Red-necked Grebes, the Eider and the Black Guillemot, whilst on the land singles of Purple Sandpiper and Black Redstart were again at the Bill.

      

   

  Little Gull - Ferrybridge, 1st February 2014 © Pete Saunders

1st February

With the wind having increased to well into gale force it was another day for staring at the sea. A Puffin that appeared several times in Chesil Cove was a real surprise (although reported rather frequently over the years by visiting watchers, particularly off the Bill, we're actually aware of very few - if any? - multi-observer, mid-winter records of a live Puffin at Portland before this). Two Little Gulls also lingered in the Cove, with 2 Red-throated Divers passing through, whilst 29 Kittiwakes, 3 Sandwich Terns and a Little Gull passed through Ferrybridge (and the Bar-tailed Godwit tally there increased to 12); seawatching at the Bill came up with just singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver. The only other reports came from Portland Harbour, where the Black Guillemot and a variety of divers and grebes were still present.

January 2014

31st January

Despite it being a frost-free night (there still hasn't been a frost at the Obs this winter) the day itself felt bitterly cold in a stiff easterly and mainly dreary skies. The plover total at the Bill increased slightly to 30 Lapwings and 2 Golden Plovers, but the only other noteworthy reports from there were of 2 Red-throated Divers through on the sea and 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Chiffchaff on the land.

30th January

A thoroughly miserable day of constant light rain and a raw easterly. The only obvious cold weather refugees to make it to the island were 22 Lapwings at the Bill; also there, 2 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver passed through on the sea and the usual 4 Turnstones and 3 Purple Sandpipers were on the land.

Six Bottle-nosed Dolphins passed through off the Bill during the morning.

      

  

 Black-tailed Godwit - Ferrybridge, 29th January 2012 © Pete Saunders

  29th January

The Black Guillemot appeared off the Bill - settled for a while off East Cliffs - for the first time in three weeks and a Black-tailed Godwit was at Ferrybridge but otherwise the day's sightings were pretty routine: 11 Black-necked Grebes and a Great Northern Diver in Portland Harbour, single Black Redstarts at Portland Castle and the Bill, a Teal through off the Bill and singles of Ringed Plover and Purple Sandpiper at the Bill.

      

  

  Razorbill - Portland Harbour, 28th January 2012 © Pete Saunders

  28th January

Sufficiently sunny and pleasant that even the cool northerly breeze hardly spoilt what was a really fine day. Just for once the land returned most of the interest at the Bill, where the usual 4 Turnstones, 3 Purple Sandpipers and lone Black Redstart remained in situ and singles of Snipe and Reed Bunting were newcomers. The only other reports were of 15 Black-necked, a Slavonian Grebe and a Razorbill in Portland Harbour.

The first butterfly of the year - a Red Admiral - was on the wing in the Obs garden.

27th January

Just routine fare again today: 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart at the Bill and 11 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Black-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver in Portland Harbour.

26th January

Sunshine and some pretty beefy showers blown through on a fresh westerly today. A pre-dawn Barn Owl beside the road outside the Obs was a nice start to the day, but otherwise a fairly routine return from the Bill included 7 Common Scoter and 2 Great Skuas through on the sea and the 3 wintering Purple Sandpipers still present there.

      

  

  

Great Northern Diver and Red-throated Diver - Portland Bill, 25th January 2012 © Martin Cade

...and a photo to give at least some idea of the wealth of seabirds feeding off the Bill at the moment:

  

  25th January

Dreary and often damp but certainly mild for late January. The sea continued to get most of the attention, with 7 Red-throated Divers, 7 Common Scoter and a lone Great Northern Diver through off the Bill. Standard fare on the land there included 3 Turnstones, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest. Elsewhere there was a Yellow-legged Gull at Ferrybridge.

24th January

Rain throughout the morning kept nearly everyone indoors and the day's only sightings were of a Red-throated Diver through on the sea at the Bill and the wintering Chiffchaff still in the Obs garden.

23rd January

An altogether more pleasant day was ultimately spoilt by a succession of passing showers during the afternoon. A Lapwing arriving in off the sea at the Bill was a bit unexpected, but the real spectacle there was the enormous number of auks still present offshore: a sample 15 minute count that returned a total of 8000 was entirely representative of the situation throughout most the morning, although with huge flocks whirring about in all directions it was really difficult to get a handle on quite how many birds were offshore. Five Red-throated Divers and 2 Common Scoter also passed through there.

A Western Conifer Seed Bug was found on an outside wall at the Obs.

22nd January

Even windier than yesterday, with a good deal fewer birds of note: singles of Red-throated Diver and Common Scoter passed through off the Bill, the wintering trio of Purple Sandpiper, Black Redstart and Chiffchaff were all represented singly there on the land, whilst elsewhere 14 Black-necked Grebes and a Great Northern Diver were in Portland Harbour.

21st January

Another windy day when seawatching seemed like the best bet. Singles of Balearic Shearwater and Great Skua appeared - only quite briefly in each case - amongst the seabirds off the Bill, where 60 Brent Geese, 4 Red-throated Divers, 3 Common Scoter and a Golden Plover also passed through. Elsewhere there were 13 Black-necked and 2 Slavonian Grebes in Portland Harbour.

Four Bottle-nosed Dolphins headed west off the Bill during the morning.

20th January

On a day of pretty brisk north-westerlies the only reports were from the sea at the Bill, where a Balearic Shearwater was a notable newcomer amongst the feeding flocks offshore; 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver also passed by there.

      

  

Firecrest - Church Ope Cove, 19th January 2012 © Martin Cade

  19th January

Not too bad a day: the westerly breeze was a bit fresh at times but the forecast rain didn't amount to much. Off the Bill a Great Skua was still in residence amongst the feeding frenzy of routine seabirds around the tide race; 27 Brent Geese and singles of Red-throated Diver and Common Scoter also passed through on the sea and 4 Turnstones, 3 Purple Sandpipers and a Chiffchaff were still about on the land. Elsewhere there were 7 Black-necked Grebes and a Great Northern Diver in Portland Harbour and singles of Goldcrest and Firecrest at Church Ope Cove.

18th January

Mild but unfortunately also quite foggy which saw to it that the only reports were of a Chiffchaff still in the Obs garden and a lone Red-throated Diver through off the Bill. Also, thanks to Jon Illsley for sending through a recording of a Little Owl that's been particuarly vocal just lately at Avalanche Road - click here to have a listen.

17th January

A quieter, milder day. Two Little Gulls were newcomers amongst the melee of feeding seabirds off the Bill, which also again attracted a Great Skua; 9 Red-throated Divers, 5 Eider and 2 Common Scoter also passed through on the sea and singles of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest were still about on the land.

16th January

Still a chill in the air although not feeling too bad under constantly sunny skies. Three Redwings and a Golden Plover were newcomers at the Bill where 5 Common Scoter, 4 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a Great Skua passed through on the sea.

15th January

With the chilly easterlies still established it was only the sea that got much attention and the rewards were relatively scant. A party of 50 Brent Geese heading up-Channel off the Bill were of minor note, but otherwise nothing more than 6 Red-throated Divers and 4 Common Scoter passed by amongst the impressive numbers of auks and other routine seabirds still lingering offshore.

14th January

A veil of cloud and and an increasingly conspicuous easterly breeze saw the temperature drop a little more, with a few birds moving in reponse. The brisk breeze saw to it that most coverage was given to the sea, with watches at the Bill returning totals of ca15000 auks (again largely Razorbills), 50 Mediterranean Gulls, 24 Red-throated Divers, 10 Common Scoter, 6 Brent Geese, 5 Teal, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Black-throated Diver and a Great Skua. The only worthwhile report from the land was of a Lapwing at the Bill.

13th January

Unbroken sunshine again today although beginning to feel a fair bit cooler than earlier in the week. The day's reports were of 3 Chiffchaffs and a Black Redstart at the Bill, where singles of Red-throated Diver and Common Scoter also passed through on the sea, 400 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge and 10 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers and a Slavonian Grebe in Portland Harbour.

12th January

With the exceptions of a couple of minor additions today could easily have been another day when all we had to do was change the numbers on a January template of entirely routine fare. The additions were singles of Merlin and Redwing at the Bill and an Eider in Portland Harbour; otherwise it was very much a case of more of the same: 8 Red-throated Divers and 7 Common Scoter through off the Bill, where the auk total (seemingly mainly Razorbills) looked to somewhere around 10000, singles of Purple Sandpiper and Chiffchaff at the Bill, and 4 Black-necked Grebes and a Black-throated Diver in Portland Harbour.

Also something else from today: Mark Coller kindly sent us through a much better photo than we'd managed to get of the Richard's Pipit over at Wyke Regis, click here to have a look.

11th January

Another fabulous day of wall-to-wall sunshine, but with only a handful of observers out to enjoy it the day's sightings at the Bill consisted of just 12 Red-throated Divers, 4 Shelduck and 2 Common Scoter through on the sea and 4 Turnstones, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest on the land.

There were no noteworthy overnight captures in the moth-traps, but whilst on this subject it's worth mentioning some new Dorset macro-moth distribution maps that have recently been uploaded to the always fascinating Dorset Moths website; click here to have a look.

10th January

On what was probably the nicest day of the winter a rather samey selection at the Bill included 14 Brent Geese, 9 Red-throated Divers, 3 Common Scoter and an Eider through on the sea and 2 Turnstones, a Short-eared Owl and a Chiffchaff on the land. Elsewhere there were 11 Common Scoter, 10 Black-necked Grebes and 2 Slavonian Grebes in Portland Harbour.

The overnight moth catch at the Obs included a Dark Chestnut amongst an otherwise similar array to yesterday.

      

  

  

  

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Early Thorn and Rusty-dot Pearl - Portland Bill, 9th January 2012 © Martin Cade

  9th January

A little bit breezier and quite dreary but still very mild today. Most attention was given to the sea, where those searching for the Black Guillemot off the Bill were hindered by the sheer number of auks present offshore - described as mesmerizing by one rather lyrical correspondent; 49 Common Scoter, 20 Red-throated Divers and 2 Great Northern Divers were spotted passing by there.

A few surprises in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included a Rusty-dot Pearl - the first immigrant of the year - and a rather early Early Thorn; routine winter fare included Scrobipalpa costella, Light Brown Apple Moth, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla and Mottled Grey.

      

  

  

Short-eared Owl and Snow Bunting - Portland Bill, 7th/8th January 2012 © Ken Dolbear

  8th January

Pleasantly quiet conditions allowed for plenty of field work today, with the rewards including two additions to the year-list at the Bill: 3 Velvet Scoter passed through on the sea and a Short-eared Owl was in Top Fields; also there, the Black Guillemot was again spotted from time to time off East Cliffs and a Great Skua lingered there for a while, 58 Common Scoter and 13 Red-throated Divers passed through on the sea and the Snow Bunting was still present near the Privet Hedge. The only other report was of 9 Black-necked Grebes in Portland Harbour.

7th January

With fair conditions seemingly setting in for a few days it wasn't too unexpected to see a fair few Red-throated Divers - 52 in total (the highest count so far this winter) - heading round the Bill into Lyme Bay; the Black Guillemot again showed on occasions, and 13 Common Scoter, 2 Eider and a Great Northern Diver also passed by. On the land there, the Snow Bunting remained near the Privet Hedge and 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Redwing were logged.

6th January

The first relatively still day of the year was very welcome indeed and certainly permitted much more coverage of the Bill area. The sea continued to come up with most of the interest, including the Black Guillemot that eventually showed a couple more times off East Cliffs; 21 Red-throated Divers, 13 Common Scoter and a Shelduck also passed through there. On the land the Snow Bunting remained in situ near the Privet Hedge, and 2 Purple Sandpipers, a Lapwing and a Chiffchaff were also of note. Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart at Chesil Cove.

5th January

It almost goes without saying that it remained howlingly windy. The day's only report was of the Black Guillemot which was seen a couple of times during the morning off East Cliffs at the Bill.

      

  

Black Guillemot - Portland Bill, 4th January 2012 © Martin Cade

...at last, some semi-acceptable record shots of it - at least some in which it isn't quite in the 'could be anything' category. Today saw a surge in interest in looking for it, with coverage from the Obs and from the Bill itself throughout the morning, but unfortunately many observers had given up before it eventually appeared early in the afternoon (as on several other occasions it looked to be flying in from well up the East Cliffs so perhaps it's spending time further up towards Southwell or Church Ope Cove).

  4th January

Still windy but nothing like as severe as it had been yesterday. The Snow Bunting was still in residence near the Privet Hedge at the Bill, but the rest of the day's news was all of seawatching at the Bill, which produced the Black Guillemot, 14 Brent Geese, 7 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Northern Diver, Pomarine Skua and Great Skua.

      

  

Little Gull - Ferrybridge, 3rd January 2012 © Pete Saunders

...and the view from the Obs lounge during a downpour of almost biblical proportions late in the morning:

  

  3rd January

The most ferocious storm of the winter blew in overnight and restricted birding during the morning to watches from the car at Ferrybridge, where 8 Kittiwakes and a Little Gull passed through; 55 Dunlin and 12 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were also settled there. Having been unbirdable through the morning the Bill came up with smallish numbers of routine fare, along with 3 Wigeon and another fly-past by the Black Guillemot, during the afternoon.

 

Finally, a reminder to potential bookshop customers that the shop will be closed on Wednesdays throughout January and February; the shop will be open as usual on Saturdays and Sundays during this period.

      

  

  

  

  

   Snow Bunting, Little Egret and Red-breasted Merganser - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, 2nd January 2012 © Martin Cade (Snow Bunting) and Pete Saunders (Little Egret and Red-breasted Merganser)

...the Snow Bunting was close to the spot where one was seen a fortnight ago so was more than likely the same individual that's just been overlooked in the meanwhile.

  2nd January

On a bright but very breezy day the Black Guillemot was reported from the Bill again during the morning but rather more visible was a Snow Bunting that (re)appeared in the afternoon near the Privet Hedge. The rest of the day's news consisted of 2 Brent Geese and another 14 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill, 5 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Turnstones and a Black Redstart on the land there and 2 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour.

1st January

Considering that the afternoon was a complete washout the few birdable hours before midday actually came up with a reasonable list that included another brief reappearance of the Black Guillemot off the Bill; also there, 14 Red-throated Divers, 5 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Brent Geese and a Common Scoter passed through on the sea and 4 Purple Sandpipers, a Black Redstart and a Chiffchaff were logged on the land.

After a few blank nights in the moth-traps last night produced singles of Acleris hastiana and Winter Moth at the Obs.

December 2013

      

   

   Great Northern Diver - Portland Harbour, December 2013 © Jon Mercer

  31st December

Portland Harbour continued to provide all the highlights, with the Brunnich's Guillemot and Black Guillemot still in residence and totals of 18 Black-necked Grebes, 15 Great Northern Divers, 7 Slavonian Grebes, 3 Red-necked Grebes and singles of Long-tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter amongst the impressive back-up tally. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 10 Red-throated Divers, 8 Common Scoter and a Great Skua.

30th December

The soggy and windswept conditions of dawn did eventually give way to brighter skies although it remained blustery throughout. The Brunnich's Guillemot and Black Guillemot remained in Portland Harbour, but the only other news concerned 7 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver through off the Bill.

      

   

  

   Black Guillemot - Portland Harbour, 29th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  29th December

No change at Portland Harbour today, where the Brunnich's Guillemot and Black Guillemot remained on station and the variety/numbers of divers, grebes and seaduck were much as yesterday. Seawatching improved a little at the Bill, where 36 Red-throated Divers, 8 Common Scoter, 2 Eider, a Black-throated Diver and a Balearic Shearwater passed through; a wintering Reed Bunting also showed up at the Bill, where last night there had been a slightly unseasonable movement of Redwings passing overhead.

Also of interest in relation to the ongoing presence of the Brunnich's Guillemot, we have now gleaned the facts surrounding the sighting of it several days before it was properly identified: it was first seen briefly on 19th December when it popped up in front of the observer and then vanished in the vicinity of the yacht marina; although the salient features were seen their significance wasn't realised (the observer has confirmed it's certainly the same bird) and the sighting wasn't followed up. One that could so easily have got away!

28th December

Portland Harbour was again the place to be, with the Brunnich's Guillemot still about all day and a back-up cast that included, amongst others, the Black Guillemot, 16 Black-necked Grebes, 12 Great Northern Divers, 6 Slavonian Grebes, 3 Black-throated Divers, 2 Red-necked Grebes and singles of Eider and Long-tailed Duck; nearby the Iceland Gull paid a brief visit to Chesil Beach (where questions about its identity cropped up again but remained unresolved). The day's other reports included 3 Purple Sandpipers at the Bill and 19 Red-throated Divers through on the sea there.

      

   

  

  

  

  

   Iceland Gull and Kittiwake - Ferrybridge, 27th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

...not surprisingly, the Iceland Gull initially caused confusion as it dwarfed some nearby Herring Gulls; however, despite its seemingly exceptional size it did look in other respects to be 'just' a scaled-up Iceland and lacked the nasty look of a Glaucous. Later, we did get some really pretty poor video of it at a distance off Chesil, where again it looked to lack the heavy structure of a Glaucous:

 

  27th December

The Brunnich's Guillemot remained in Portland Harbour and attracted a good crowd all day; the Black Guillemot was also still there, along with at least 4 Black-throated Divers and 3 Great Northern Diver. Nearby, a white-winged gull initially at Ferrybridge and later lingering off Chesil Beach caused some confusion before being identified as an Iceland Gull, a Kittiwake also dropped in at Ferrybridge, whilst seawatching at the Bill came up with 2 Red-throated Divers and 2 Great Skuas.

      

   

  

   Brunnich's Guillemot - Osprey Quay, 26th December 2013 © Debby Saunders (top) and Pete Saunders (bottom)

  26th December

Our Christmas present arrived a day late but it was certainly worth waiting for: a Brunnich's Guillemot - a new bird for Portland and Dorset - was discovered early in the morning at Osprey Quay, where it remained all day (and we later learnt that it had been seen briefly there 'several days ago' but its identity not established at the time). The Black Guillemot and a selection of divers and grebes also remained in the harbour, whilst 15 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill.

25th December

As expected, only limited coverage today. The Black Guillemot, 2 Black-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a Slavonian Grebe remained in Portland Harbour, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were at Ferrybridge and a lone Red-throated Diver passed through off the Bill.  

      

   

   Black-throated Diver - Portland Harbour, 24th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  24th December

Still blustery and showery but at least the sun was out for a good part of the day. Divers continued to feature, with 5 Black-throateds and 2 Great Northerns again in Portland Harbour and 10 Red-throateds through off the Bill. The only other reports concerned 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Ferrybridge and singles of Black-necked Grebe and Slavonian Grebe in Portland Harbour.

      

   

   Black-throated Divers - Portland Harbour, 23rd December 2013 © Debby Saunders

  23rd December

We certainly weren't alone in having another day of shocking conditions, with constant driving rain and the wind gusting well beyond gale force, so perhaps the surprise of the day was that there was anything seen at all. A concerted seawatch session at the Bill after a Cory's Shearwater was seen heading our way from Weymouth Bay came up with a single Great Skua and a conspicuous passage of at least 120 Fulmars. Elsewhere the relatively sheltered waters of Portland Harbour came up with the Black Guillemot, 2 Great Northern Divers and, reflecting the decent run of records off the Bill just lately, a noteworthy total of 5 Black-throated Divers.

      

   

  

Black Guillemot - Portland Harbour, 22nd December 2013 © Pete Saunders

...far better images than we managed yesterday that, since they show it's a first-winter, put to bed suggestions that it's a returning individual from previous winters. Also from today a bit of scene-setting video:

 

  22nd December

The Portland Harbour Black Guillemot stole the show again today and, in much improved conditions, afforded considerably better views than yesterday; 16 Black-necked Grebes, 5 Great Northern Divers and singles of Black-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Eider and Long-tailed Duck were also logged in the harbour. A routine selection at the Bill included 16 Brent Geese and 3 Red-throated Divers through on the sea and 5 Purple Sandpipers settled along East Cliffs.

      

   

   Black Guillemot - Portland Harbour, 21st December 2013 © Martin Cade

...had it not been quite so near dusk, as well as pouring with rain and blowing a gale, it might just have been possible to capture a slightly more meaningful image - one in which it didn't look quite so like a buoy bobbing in the distance as it does here.

  21st December

Given the day's truly awful weather conditions - almost constant rain driven through on a south-westerly gale - a Black Guillemot was an excellent discovery in Portland Harbour, where it lingered off Portland Castle through the afternoon; 2 Slavonian Grebes, a Great Northern Diver and an Eider were also in the harbour. The day's only other report was of a single Red-throated Diver through off the Bill.

      

   

   Slavonian Grebe - Ferrybridge, 20th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  20th December

On another increasingly blustery day a Sooty Shearwater passing through off the Bill was an unseasonable highlight; 17 Brent Geese and 4 Red-throated Divers also passed by on the sea. The day's other reports included a Slavonian Grebe at Ferrybridge, a Chiffchaff at Southwell and a Purple Sandpiper at the Bill.

 

 

A reminder that the next In Focus field event at the Obs takes place between 10am and 4pm tomorrow, Saturday 21st December. 

 

      

   

   Great Northern Diver - Ferrybridge, 19th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  19th December

A Spoonbill was an unexpected dawn fly-over at Ferrybridge, whilst a Merlin in Top Fields was also good for mid-winter. However it was the sea that again came up with all the numbers, including 22 Red-throated Divers, 2 Black-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver through off the Bill and another Great Northern Diver overhead at Ferrybridge; also off the Bill, numbers of some of the commoner seabirds are beginning to increase with, for example, auks passing at getting on for 4000/hour during the morning.

18th December

Yesterday was indeed just a brief respite in the onslaught of wind and rain that returned with a vengeance today. The only reports were of 8 Red-throated Divers and a Black-throated Diver through off the Bill, and 11 Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and one of the Black Brants at Ferrybridge.

17th December

An at least brief lull in the wet and windy conditions of the last few days allowed for a fair bit of fieldwork. Divers in particular made the most of the quieter conditions, with 78 Red-throateds, 2 Black-throateds and 2 Great Northerns through off the Bill and another couple of Red-throateds through over Ferrybridge; wildfowl were also on the move, with 14 Wigeon and 10 Pintail over Ferrybridge and 8 Brent Geese and 7 Common Scoter through off the Bill. A Chiffchaff was a surprise newcomer at the Bill, with another individual at Southwell; a Black Redstart was still present at the Bill, whilst 1860 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Black Brants and a Redshank were at Ferrybridge. 

16th December

The day's only redeeming feature was that the rain that set in yesterday eventually fizzled out towards midday (although had returned before nightfall). The only reports were of 2 Black-throated Divers and a Black-headed Gull through off the Bill and singles of Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Shelduck amongst the brents at Ferrybridge.

15th December

A really grim day with rain from before dawn until well after dark. Seawatching from the shelter of the Obs revealed a noticeable increase in passing auks, along with 13 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver and a Great Skua; the only other reports were of a Redwing over the Obs and a Chiffchaff at Southwell.

      

   

  

  Pale-bellied Brent Geese and Red-breasted Merganser - Ferrybridge, 14th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  14th December

On a mild and breezy day there still wasn't a lot going on. The dawn goose-fest at Ferrybridge came up with 1200 Dark-bellied Brents, 2 Pale-bellied Brents and a Black Brant, a Great Northern Diver was in Portland Harbour, a Ringed Plover flew over at the Bill and a lone Red-throated Diver passed by on the sea there.

13th December

Although there was precious little incentive to go out for long on what was the first rainy day for some time it did nonetheless look to be pretty deadly everywhere. The only reports were of a Red-throated Diver through off the Bill and 16 Black-necked Grebes and an Eider in Portland Harbour.

      

   

Badger - Portland Bill, 12th December 2013

...a camera-trap image from the small hours of this morning in the Obs garden. Having noticed lots of little diggings on the footpaths in the garden we were aware there was likely to be a Badger about but, as in the last two winters, it required a camera-trap to actually confirm that fact. Amongst the miscellany of foxes, rabbits, blackbirds etc also captured on camera in various parts of the garden in recent days the wintering Water Rail cropped up once:

  

  12th December

If anything it's getting milder by the day although bird interest remains minimal. Today's sightings included a Black Redstart at the Bill, a Firecrest at Delhi Lane and a lone Red-throated Diver though off the Bill.

11th December

The day's only reports were of a Snipe over at the Bill, a Redwing at Avalanche Road and 15 Red-throated Divers through on the sea at the Bill.

10th December

Despite the breeze remaining in the south it didn't feel so pleasant today under frequently drearier skies. A flush of Little Egrets - 2 singles and 4 together - was unexpected at the Bill, where 8 Common Scoter and 8 Red-throated Divers passed through on the sea and a Black Redstart was about on the land. The Long-tailed Duck, 16 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Eider and Common Scoter remained in Portland Harbour.

9th December

A lovely mild, sunny day but pretty hopeless on the bird front. At the Bill 17 Red-throated Divers and 9 Common Scoter passed through on the sea, the wintering Firecrest was at the Obs and a Little Egret flew over.

8th December

Subtle changes in the weather look to be occurring, with it feeling appreciably milder as the breeze has shifted into the south-west. Bird-wise, the only obvious new arrival was a Long-tailed Duck in Portland Harbour, although 2 Great Skuas and a Great Crested Grebe through off the Bill were also of note. Routine fare included 24 Common Scoter and 6 Red-throated Divers also passing the Bill, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle, 4 Grey Plovers over Ferrybridge and 16 Black-necked Grebes and singles of Eider, Common Scoter and Grey Plover in Portland Harbour.

7th December

Quiet conditions and rather quiet birding again. The only new arrival of note at the Bill was a solitary Lapwing; a lingering Chiffchaff was also there, whilst 6 Red-throated Divers, a Brent Goose and a Bar-tailed Godwit passed through on the sea. Elsewhere a Firecrest remained at Pennsylvania Castle, singles of Great Northern Diver, Goldeneye and Grey Plover were at Ferrybridge and 14 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes, an Eider and a Common Scoter were in Portland Harbour.

      

   

  

  Goldeneye - Ferrybridge, 6th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  6th December

A lovely bright sunny day with no more than a breeze to contend with - sadly the birds didn't respond in any worthwhile fashion: singles of Red-throated Diver and Red-breasted Merganser passed through off the Bill, 16 Black-necked Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe were in Portland Harbour and a Goldeneye was at Ferrybridge.

      

   

  

  Bar-tailed Godwits and Black Brant - Ferrybridge, 5th December 2013 © Pete Saunders

  5th December

A windy day came as a shock to the system and discouraged serious fieldwork. Two Balearic Shearwaters, along with a Red-throated Diver, through off the Bill weren't too much of a surprise these days; also there, singles of Little Egret and Firecrest were of note and it was good to see some southbound passage still in progress, with 180 Goldfinches and a Merlin heading through during the morning. Elsewhere there were 11 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Black Brant at Ferrybridge.

4th December

Yesterday's relative excesses weren't maintained, with an altogether more paltry tally to show for today's efforts. All the report's came from the Bill where 75 Goldfinches and a Brambling were on the move overhead, a few new Blackbirds were in evidence on the ground, 1 of the wintering Purple Sandpipers showed up and 5 Velvet Scoters, a Red-throated Diver and a Black-throated Diver passed through on the sea.

      

   

  

  Black-necked Grebes and Yellow-browed Warbler - Portland Harbour and Avalanche Road, 3rd December 2013 © Will Bown (Black-necked Grebes) and Martin Cade (Yellow-browed Warbler)

...the relatively benign conditions just lately have seen to it that many of the sheltered spots around the centre of the island are still quite leafy - we haven't given up on there being something better to be found than Goldcrests:

  

  3rd December

Despite precious little change in the weather there was quite an upturn in the quality of the birding, with much more making the list than would usually be the case in early December. A Yellow-browed Warbler was an unexpected arrival at Avalanche Road, whilst 150 Starlings, 9 Redwings, 9 Fieldfares, 5 Lapwings, a Grey Wagtail and a Blackcap were all new at the Bill; a Firecrest there was the established winterer as doubtless were some of the scatter of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests around the centre of the island. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 6 Shoveler, 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, a Gadwall and a Great Skua, whilst 9 Black-necked Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe were in Portland Harbour.

2nd December

Still just about enough at the Bill to keep interest going. Four Fieldfares, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Lapwing and a Snipe were new on the land, whilst 16 Common Scoter, 6 Red-throated Divers, 2 Wigeon and singles of Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Skua passed through on the sea.

      

  1st December

The arrival of the new month saw a little bit more on offer, with overcast skies dropping a trickle of new thrushes in particular. A Mistle Thrush at Blacknor was of note amongst the handful of new Blackbirds, Redwings and Fieldfares; other newcomers at the Bill included 250 Starlings arriving in off the sea and a grounded Chiffchaff, whilst a lone Black Redstart was still about there. Seawatching at the Bill produced 9 Brent Geese, 3 Red-throated Divers and singles of Pintail and Great Skua.