19th August

Although there was a good deal of variety today, numbers remained well below par for this stage of the autumn. At the Bill only Wheatear (25), Willow Warbler (20) and Tree Pipit (11) made it into double figures, with a single overflying Golden Plover being the only oddity. Improved coverage of other island areas was particularly welcome and, amongst a similar spread of routine fare, came up with noteworthy sightings in the form of the long-staying Hooded Crow at Admiralty Quarry, a Little Ringed Plover and a Pied Flycatcher at Wakeham/Bumpers Lane and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Knot at Ferrybridge. Odds and ends through on the sea at the Bill included 49 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and a lone Great Skua.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths continued to increase, with it likely that 100 or more were present on the island today.

A party of c35 small cetaceans, most likely Common Dolphins, headed west off the Bill during the afternoon.

Ringed Plover and Great Black-backed Gull - Ferrybridge, 15th and 17th August 2014 © John Wall (Ringed Plover) and Martin Cade (GBBGull)

...these two colour-ringed/flagged birds were both at Ferrybridge in recent days. The Ringed Plover was first marked as a chick near Malmö in southern Sweden on 15th May 2013; it was also present in the same area during this summer's breeding season. The Great Black-backed Gull was first marked as a chick on Sark, Channel Isles, on 19th June 2011; it was subsequently sighted on nearby Guernsey in February and March 2012, and again in January and September 2013. Thanks to Peter Olsson and Paul Veron for replying so promptly with these details.

 

And little curiosity from today: at various times we'd heard what we took to be a Lesser Whitethroat calling from in and around the Obs garden so it was quite a surprise when the bird was finally mist-netted and turned out to be a Common Whitethroat - had it not have called as frequently in the hand as it had done in the field we'd have put money on the fact that there must have been two birds involved! Have a listen to some calls that Joe recorded whilst it was in the hand:

 

 

...and here's the bird - a moulting adult male - in the hand (© Martin Cade):

 

18th August

With a brisk north-westerly breeze still well established conditions were far from what we'd like to see at this time year; the day's only redeeming feature was the bright, sunny sky that at least made fieldwork more enjoyable than yesterday. There was a slight upturn in migrant variety at the Bill, where 25 Willow Warblers and 20 Wheatears made up the bulk of the numbers and 4 Tree Pipits and singles of Whinchat, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher provided a bit of interest; the first presumed migrant Blackcap of the autumn also showed up at Southwell. Variety and numbers changed little at Ferrybridge, where a lone Black-tailed Godwit was the pick of the oddities. At sea a feeding flock of up to 300 Gannets off the Bill - presumably attracted by shoaling mackerel - was of particular note, whilst 88 Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua also passed by.

Black-tailed Godwit - Ferrybridge, 18th August 2014 © Pete Saunders

17th August

Heros to zeros in quick time today, with not a sniff of a repeat of yesterday's excitement. In truth, just about anything could have been lurking at the Bill but the chances of finding it in the cool, overcast and very windy conditions were slim indeed; in the event, Wheatear just got into double figures but singles of Tree Pipit, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler and Willow Warbler were the only other grounded migrants logged. Another 9 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in at Ferrybridge - or are the recent records there just regular wanderers from Lodmoor/Radipole? - where 3 Sanderling and singles of Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Arctic Tern were amongst the continuing decent numbers of Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Common Terns. Seawatching at the Bill came up with a surprise in the form of a long-range Sabine's Gull, with 22 Manx Shearwaters, 16 Balearic Shearwaters, 13 Common Scoter and a Great Skua making up the back-up tally.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwits and Hummingbird Hawk-moths - Ferrybridge, Southwell and Portland Bill, 16th and 17th August 2014 © Matt Phipps (Bar-tailed Godwit), Debby Saunders (Black-tailed Godwit and upper Hummingbird Hawk-moth) and Mike Trew (lower Hummingbird Hawk-moth)

16th August

We're sure that we've said it before, but some rarity records really do defy ready explanation so we'll just dine out on the fact that a Western Bonelli's Warbler graced the Obs garden today - the first record there for 38 years - rather than dwell on why it should have turned up on a north-westerly after a week of wholly unpromising Atlantic weather; although enjoyed by those who were on hand to see it at close quarters after it had turned up in a mist-net, it proved far from easy to catch up with after release and remained extremely elusive for the rest of the day. The rest of the day's events paled by comparison, with grounded migrants a less than conspicuous feature after a very clear night. The Bill area did come up with a fair bit of visible passage, including 26 Cormorants heading in various directions, 11 Tree Pipits, 3 tardy Swifts and several hundred more departing Lesser Black-backed Gulls, but singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher amongst a handful of Sedge Warblers and Willow Warblers provided the only real interest on the ground; elsewhere a Little Egret passed over at Blacknor. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 33 Common Scoter, 16 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Sanderling and a Tufted Duck.

The Obs moth-traps were a little busier than might have been expected on a cool, clear night, but singles of Vagrant Piercer and Delicate provided the best of the immigrant interest. By day, Hummingbird Hawk-moths and Painted Ladies were both more conspicuous than in recent days, with several of both in the Obs garden and at other sites around the island.

 

Western Bonelli's Warbler - Portland Bill, 16th August 2014 © Joe Stockwell (upper) and Martin Cade (lower)

 

...with the bonelli's warbler species-pair these days considered almost inseparable on plumage features alone it was perhaps fortuitous that this individual should be first found in a mist-net and straight away reveal itself to possess a wing-formula seemingly typical of Western: the tip of the 2nd primary (the uppermost feather in the photos below) fell between the tips of the 6th and 7th (longer in Eastern, usually falling between the 5th and 6th), and the 6th primary was clearly emarginated (less clear/absent in Eastern). Eventually the bird was heard to call on several occasions - a disyllabic note (vaguely Willow Warbler-like on our one hearing at some distance) quite unlike the chipping call of Eastern.

 

15th August

In altogether quieter and more pleasant conditions there were hints of passage picking up a little. A Marsh Harrier over Blacknor constituted the day's only untoward sighting; among the commoner migrants, the Bill area returned totals that included 35 Wheatears, 30 Willow Warblers, 20 Whitethroats, 10 Robins, 10 Sedge Warblers, 5 Tree Pipits, 2 Ringed Plover and singles of Grasshopper Warbler, Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher, together with a trickle of Sand Martins and Swallows overhead, whilst 209 Ringed Plover, 200 Common Terns, 95 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling and singles of Redshank, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Arctic Tern and Little Tern were at Ferrybridge. In an offshore breeze sea interest dwindled, with no more than 7 Manx Shearwaters, 6 Common Scoter, 3 Sandwich Terns and singles of Arctic Skua, Great Skua and Yellow-legged Gull through off the Bill and a lone Common Scoter settled in Chesil Cove.

Overnight moth-trapping was not at all busy, although Portland's fifth Jersey Mocha was a nice highlight at Sweethill.

Arctic Tern - Ferrybridge, 15th August 2014  © Pete Saunders

14th August

Although the more or less constant threat of showery rain came to nothing there was nonetheless nothing to commend the conditions, with the brisk north-westerlies that look to be getting established being just about as hopeless as it gets at this time of year. Today's few new arrivals at the Bill barely deserve a mention, with 5 Tree Pipits and singles of Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail and Redstart providing the only interest amongst the handful of Wheatears and Willow Warblers; 21 Oystercatchers and 5 Knot were of note amongst the continuing decent variety of waders and terns at Ferrybridge. The only reports from the sea were of 20 Common Scoter, 5 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Balearic Shearwaters through off the Bill.

The prevailing conditions are as poor for overnight mothing as they are for daytime birding, with singles of Pearly Underwing and Dog's Tooth providing the only interest amongst the handful of immigrants at the Obs.

13th August

Although there were hints that the weather's beginning to settle down again it was still much too breezy and clear overnight to have expected much of an arrival of grounded migrants - and that's certainly how events panned out. At the Bill 2 Ringed Plover and singles of Yellow-legged Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler and Reed Warbler provided minor interest amongst the just into double figure numbers of Wheatear and Willow Warbler; a Tree Pipit was also new at Bumpers Lane, whilst increases at Ferrybridge saw totals of 160 Ringed Plover, 153 Dunlin and 11 Sanderling make the log. The sea still got a lot of attention although rewards were scant: 2 Arctic Skuas lingered off Chesil Cove, whilst 13 Manx Shearwaters and 5 Balearic Shearwaters passed through off the Bill.

Two Vagrant Piercer at the Obs were the first decent immigrant moths to make it into the traps for several nights. By day, Hummingbird Hawk-moths and, to a lesser extent, Clouded Yellow butterflies are being recorded in small numbers throughout the island at the moment.

Yellow-legged Gull, Common Terns and Wheatear - Portland Bill and Ferrybridge, 13th August 2013 © Joe Stockwell (Yellow-legged Gull), Debby Saunders (Common Terns) and Pete Saunders (Wheatear)

 

And, since some of our visitors might be suffering moth withdrawal symptoms, another of the local specials from recent nights, the Wormwood:

 

 

...after a lean couple of decades when we encountered this species very infrequently, it seems to be on the up once again with relatively frequent records, particularly from the garden traps at the Obs and the Grove; as far as we know, with the exception of one or two inland strays, Portland remains its only Dorset outpost.

 

Finally, this Vapourer larva found at the Obs today represents the first confirmed breeding record for the Bill area of this infrequently recorded species that hitherto we'd only got breeding records of for the odd spot around the centre and north of the island (moth photos © Martin Cade):

 

 

12th August

The sea continued to receive the lion's share of attention, for the most part only because the unrelenting wind prevented much serious fieldwork on the land. Watches at the Bill during the morning were startlingly unproductive, with little more than 45 Fulmars, 4 Common Scoter, a Manx Shearwater and a Whimbrel through, but movement picked up during the evening when 80 Manx Shearwaters and the autumn's fourth Cory's Shearwater passed by during the last hour of daylight. Ferrybridge came up with all the numbers on the land, including 250 Common Terns, 100 each of Ringed Plover and Dunlin, 12 Oystercatchers, 4 Sanderling, 2 Little Terns and a Redshank; the Bill couldn't muster more than 11 Wheatears, 3 Willow Warblers and singles of Ringed Plover and Turnstone.

Little Terns, Sandwich Terns and Common Tern - Ferrybridge, 12th August 2014 © Pete Saunders (Little Tern) and Debby Saunders (Sandwich Tern and settled terns)

11th August

With the wind having not died away to the extent that we'd anticipated/hoped today was another day of more or less constant seawatching. With the exception of a Cory's Shearwater reported by a visitor at the Bill the rewards were thin indeed, with further watches there coming up with no more than 6 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Whimbrel and singles of Balearic Shearwater and Pomarine Skua. Also at the Bill, southbound Lesser Black-backed Gulls were again departing in quantity, a lone Ringed Plover was new on the ground but passerines of note consisted of nothing more than a handful of Wheatears and Willow Warblers. The day's only other reports came from Ferrybridge, where 160 Common Terns, 5 Sanderling, a Redshank and a Little Tern were of note.

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Ringed Plover - Portland Bill, 11th August 2014 © Keith Pritchard Gulls and Terns

10th August

Why is it that the mere mention of the word gale brings a headlong rush of normally rational birders to the Bill in expectation of it being something akin to a poor man's Pendeen? Perhaps our memory is defective, but has the Bill actually got any heritage of good seawatches in a raging gale? Today's dreg ends of Hurricane Bertha brought with it a good overnight soaking and some unseasonably high seas and strong winds, but bird-wise it was as dead a loss as so many of its predecessors. Prolonged coverage at the Bill came up with nothing more than 35 Manx Shearwaters, 24 Common Scoter, 14 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Arctic Skua and Great Skua; additionally, a steady southbound passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was underway all day, with two sample hour-long counts during the apparent peak of the movement in the afternoon and evening that came up with a total of just shy of 150 indicating that the day-total would have been well in excess of 500. Grounded migrants were hard to get to grips with at the Bill but did include 2 Sanderling and a Whimbrel. Ferrybridge is a site that rarely disappoints in stormy weather, and today it returned totals of 136 Common Terns, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Sanderling and a Redshank.

Whimbrel and Little Egret - Ferrybridge and Portland  Harbour, 10th August 2014 © Pete Saunders and Matt Phipps

9th August

In a briskish wind and under mainly clear skies interest was relatively hard to come by today. Singles of White Wagtail and Redstart were the pick of the passerines at the Bill, where evidence suggested a fair few of the limited numbers of commoner fare on offer were lingers from recent days. New arrivals at Ferrybridge included singles of Golden Plover, Redshank and Common Sandpiper. The heightened interest in the sea ahead of tomorrow's depression came up with little more than 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and a trickle of Manx Shearwaters through off the Bill.

In comparison with recent weeks, overnight moth activity was very subdued, although a Tree-lichen Beauty at Sweethill was a notable highlight amongst otherwise paltry numbers of immigrants.

Gannet, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Golden Plover, Redshank, Emperor and Tree-lichen Beauty - Portland Bill, Reap Lane, Ferrybridge, Easton and Southwell, 9th August 2014 © Keith Pritchard Gulls and Terns (Gannet), Matt Phipps (LBBGull), Pete Saunders (Golden Plover), Ken Dolbear (Emperor) and Debby Saunders (Redshank and Tree-lichen Beauty)

8th August

In rather different conditions to yesterday - increasing cloud cover that eventually led to steady rainfall through the late afternoon and evening - passerine migration was again a feature, although it took a different form to yesterday, with the crops relatively empty of Sedge Warblers but the trees conspicuously busier with Willow Warblers. At the Bill, where the Stone Curlew remained - albeit rather elusively - for a second day, Willow Warblers totalled around 100 and outnumbered Sedge Warblers by at least 3:1; the variety of other arrivals there included 30 Wheatears, 10 Tree Pipits and a Yellow-legged Gull, whilst elsewhere a Pied Flycatcher was new in at Southwell and singles of Greenshank and Yellow-legged Gull were of note at Ferrybridge. In millpond-calm conditions at the Bill nothing had been expected of the sea so a sudden eastward movement in quick time during the morning of 500 Manx Shearwaters and 13 Balearic Shearwaters was a real surprise; 32 Common Scoter also passed through there. Finally, the Red-necked Grebe remained in Portland Harbour.

The highlight from overnight mothing was a Vagrant China-mark Diasemiopsis ramburialis at the Obs; also there, Silver Y numbers continued to increase (to 27), whilst oddities included 8 more Vagrant Piercer, 2 more Marbled Yellow Pearl and 2 Hummingbird Hawk-moths; elsewhere, 3 Vagrant Piercer were the best of the catch at Sweethill.

Manx Shearwaters, Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat - Portland Bill and Southwell, 8th August 2014 © Keith Pritchard Gulls and Terns (Manx Shearwaters), Debby Saunders (Pied Flycatcher) and Pete Saunders (Garden Warbler and Whitethroat)

 

...and after the quality photos, the dross in the form of dreadful record shots of a couple of the day's rarities - Stone Curlew and Vagrant China-mark (© Martin Cade):

 

 

And, finally, a couple of little video clips from the day:

 

7th August

It's fair to say that precious little was expected from the clear dawn that followed an equally clear and very moonlit night - great conditions for migration but far from great for grounding the migrants; however, the birds turned conventional wisdom on its head and dropped in easily their highest numbers so far this autumn. An over-flying Stone Curlew provided the quality at the Bill (towards evening it appeared again flying north over the Southwell Business Park), but the total of a minimum of 250 Sedge Warblers - an all-time record for Portland - was in many ways just as impressive; back-up totals included 300 Sand Martins, 100 Willow Warblers, 70 Swifts (a couple of days ago we clearly wrote them off for this year much too prematurely!), 30 Whitethroats, 25 Wheatears and single figure totals of a good variety of other largely expected species; a similar assortment elsewhere included another minor highlight in the form of a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Blacknor. The sea received little attention, although a lone Balearic Shearwater passing the Bill did make the tally.

The main interest from overnight mothing was another influx of Vagrant Piercer Cydia amplana, with 30 at the Obs, 7 at West Weare and a single at the Grove; the best of the other seemingly new immigrants included 12 Silver Y (the second highest total so far this year - it's been a shocking summer for this species) and singles of Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, Marbled Yellow Pearl Evergestis extimalis and Hoary Knot-horn Gynancyla canella at the Obs and Bordered Straw at the Grove.

 

  

Stone Curlew and Yellow-legged Gull - Portland Bill, 7th August 2014 © Martin Cade (Stone Curlew) and Keith Pritchard Gulls and Terns (Yellow-legged Gull)

 

...and a nice ringing recovery/sighting; this colour-ringed/flagged Sanderling was at Ferrybridge from last Sunday until at least yesterday (photo © Pete Saunders):

 

 

Jeroen Reneerkens has kindly let us know that it was first ringed in December 2010 at the Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania; it was there again during November 2011 but there had been no subsequent sightings until last Friday (1st August) when it pitched up at Start Point, Devon - two days before dropping in at Ferrybridge.

6th August

After a night of pretty well constant and at times heavy rain it was a bit of a surprise to find at least some new arrivals had made landfall; numbers were hardly spectacular but a concentration of 20 Sedge Warblers and 5 Grasshopper Warblers in the Crown Estate Field was of particular note. Although the sky was largely clear by dawn visible passage barely featured, with a handful of Swifts, 2 Redshank and a Greenshank the best on offer over the Bill. Yesterday's trickle of sea passage had dried up, with no more than 10 Common Scoter and a Great Skua through off the Bill during the morning, but a Long-tailed Skua that lingered offshore for a few minutes was a surprise bonus in the evening. Ferrybridge again came up with the best of the numbers, with Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Common Terns all well into three figures today.

Despite the grim overnight conditions immigrant numbers bounced back in the moth-traps, with 73 Marbled Piercer, 43 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Vagrant Piercer, 2 Rush Veneer and singles of Maiden's Blush, Cream-bordered Green Pea and Silver Y, together with 2 Common Darter dragonflies, logged at the Obs.

Finally, whilst away last week we missed the opportunity to pass on everyone's thanks to the staff and volunteers who oversaw such a stunningly successful breeding season for the Little Terns at Ferrybridge; John Dadds kindly passed us this summary: 'It has been another fantastic record breaking year with 33 pairs nesting (up from 25 last year) and producing between 50 and 60 fledglings 1.5-1.8 productivity) which as well as beating last years record breaking productivity of 1.2 is also the highest number of fledglings since records began, the previous best being around 40 when the colony was much bigger. The majority of birds settled on the sand patches provided and the rest had sand put under the eggs. This, along with the mostly good weather, lead to a very high hatching rate with 68 chicks. There were a few casualties to kestrels and herring gulls but the team of RSPB staff and 40 local volunteers helped keep losses down.' 

Common Terns - Ferrybridge, 6th August 2014 © Pete Saunders

5th August

What promise there looked to be after sufficient cloud had rolled in late in the night that there was a light post-dawn shower very quickly evaporated as it became apparent that grounded arrivals at the Bill consisted of little more than a handful of Wheatears, Sedge Warblers and Willow Warblers; overhead passage there was hardly more rewarding, although what might prove to be one of the year's last double figure totals of Swifts, along with a single Grey Heron, were of note. What promise there was on the sea came more from our knowledge of events on the other side of Lyme Bay than from what we ourselves were recording, even if the light but nonetheless constant down-Channel passage off the Bill - totalling 51 Manx Shearwaters, 47 Common Scoter, 3 Great Skuas and 2 Balearic Shearwaters - did hint at there being something afoot. Ferrybridge remained busy, with wader totals that included 5 each of Sanderling and Redshank, and a lone Whimbrel, whilst 50 Common Terns provided some variety. Finally, the Hooded Crow remained at Admiralty Quarry.

Small Clothes Ischnoscia borreonella - Sheat Quarry, 4th August 2014 © Joe Stockwell

 

...borreonella remains perhaps the chief prize amongst the indigenous lepidoptera of Portland: as far as we know there's only one 'off-Portland' record for the UK - a single at Torquay in 1926 - and we doubt whether more than ten living entomologists have even seen the species alive at Portland. First discovered here by the great Nelson Richardson in the late 1800s, the early stages remain unknown (at least in the UK) so this tiny, obscure species has to be sought as an adult in its haunts on the east side of the island. Sheat Quarry is currently the best-known locality, where with perseverance it can be discovered by torchlight at dusk as it flits about the deep crevices between loosely stacked blocks of Portland Stone; in this flash-lit view of the scene last evening the specimen above was netted towards the bottom right, a good couple of feet inside the void between two of the massive boulders:

 

4th August

With the weekend's brisk breeze having subsided overnight common migrants were a little more conspicuous at the Bill, where 50 Willow Warblers, 25 Sedge Warblers and 10 Wheatears accounted for the bulk of the numbers on the ground. Hirundines trickled through overhead, where 13 Cormorants also left to the south, whilst 59 Common Scoter passed through on the sea. The day's only other reports came from Ferrybridge, where waders included 125 Ringed Plovers, 115 Dunlin, 11 Sanderling and a Black-tailed Godwit.

There was some evidence of moth immigration getting going again - or maybe it was just that the improved weather conditions afforded better catching opportunities? - with the Obs traps coming up with totals of 47 Rusty-dot Pearl, 36 Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 6 Diamond-back Moth, 5 Vagrant Piercer Cydia amplana, 3 Silver Y, 2 Dark Sword Grass and singles of Marbled Yellow Pearl Evergestis extimalis, Tawny-barred Angle, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Dark Spectacle; oddities elsewhere included additional Vagrant Piercers at West Weare (2) and Sweethill (2).

Clouded Yellows included at least 3 at the Bill.

Meadow Pipit - Portland Bill, 4th August 2014 © Joe Stockwell

3rd August

Not even a hint of a repeat of yesterday's events, with just the thinnest smattering of entirely routine migrants today. The 20 or so Willow Warblers at the Bill represented the only double figure migrant total on the ground at the Bill, where a few Sand Martins trickled through overhead and 20 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Common Scoter and 2 Manx Shearwaters passed through on the sea. Wader totals - including 120 Dunlin, 90 Ringed Plover and 9 Sanderling - looked to be on the up at Ferrybridge, whilst the Red-necked Grebe remained in Portland Harbour.

Immigrant insect numbers have taken a real plunge in recent days, with the moth-traps in particular astonishingly quieter than they were just a few days ago; the night's only oddity was a lone Vagrant Piercer Cydia amplana at the Obs. A Black-tailed Skimmer found at Broadcroft Quarry was a presumed immigrant and the first island sighting that we've heard of since the demise of the colonies that existed more than a decade ago at the Obs and Yeolands Quarry.

Mediterranean Gull, Turnstone, Black-tailed Skimmer and Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria - Ferrybridge, Broadcroft Quarry and Bottomcombe, 3rd August 2014 © Pete Saunders (Mediterranean Gull), Debby Saunders (Turnstone) and Ken Dolbear (Black-tailed Skimmer and Hornet Hoverfly)

2nd August

A drop of rain had been long overdue and its arrival - in the form of a brief deluge rather than a shower - really did the trick in jazzing up the quality of the birding. The accompanying stiff breeze had promised to liven things up on the sea but the 2 Cory's Shearwaters that headed west past the Bill were a really unexpected and very welcome highlight; oddly, the back-up cast was none too impressive, with precious little mustered beyond 14 Common Scoter, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Balearic Shearwaters and a Great Skua. The gradual shift in wind direction in recent days toward a south-westerly had put Melodious Warbler firmly on the radar, and this autumn's first duly appeared in the Obs garden - where it was later trapped and ringed - once the rain had cleared through; passerines didn't otherwise feature particularly conspicuously, although there was another light spread of Wheatears, Sedge Warblers and Willow Warblers at the Bill. Portland Harbour's unseasonable Red-necked Grebe lingered on, whilst also making the list were a Yellow-legged Gull at the Bill and 8 Sanderling amongst the miscellany of waders at Ferrybridge.

Finally, many thanks to Joe for keeping things ticking over so smoothly at the Obs during our holiday absence, and to Sean Foote - assisted by Joe and John Lucas - for looking after the Obs moth-traps through the week.

Melodious Warbler - Portland Bill, 2nd August 2014 © Joe Stockwell

1st August

To start August it seems we have gone backwards, no sooner had we thought Autumn was getting going has it seemed to come to a complete halt. The sea received the most attention today with 27 Commic Tern, 10 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Balearic Shearwaters, 10 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Common Scoter and singles of Yellow-legged Gull and Arctic Skua. For what actually seemed a great deal more legwork today the land returned paltry totals of just 15 Willow Warblers and 5 Sedge Warbler. Ferrybridge numbers were a little better today with 120 Dunlin, 50 Ringed Plover, 52 Common Tern, 5 Sanderling and a Sandwich Tern.