15th October

 

A reminder that the next In Focus field event at the Obs takes place between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 17th October 2015.
 

 A rarity clear-out today with even Yellow-browed Warbler an absentee, but plenty enough in the way of typical mid-October fare to keep the visitors entertained. By far the most conspicuous event of the day was a constant trickle of thrushes heading through into the brisk north-easterly: Redwings dominated with 500 over one watchpoint at Southwell, and likely more than 750 through over the island as a whole; at least 11 Fieldfares and 3 Ring Ouzels were mingled in at the Bill, but although Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were also on the move their numbers were relatively low. This diurnal passage had been a continuation of overnight events, since we later learnt from Nick Hopper that his recording equipment had logged 236 Redwings, 162 Song Thrushes and singles of Blackbird, Fieldfare and Dunnock between 19.15 and 23.00 (as usual, these totals refer to loggings of single calls rather than a number of individuals). Short-eared Owls were also a feature with a minimum of 7 at the Bill, whilst at least 5 Firecrests, 2 Water Rails, a Merlin and a Dartford Warbler were additional oddities there. Grounded migrants included 60 Chiffchaffs, 30 Blackcaps and 15 Goldcrests at the Bill but, thrushes aside, overhead passage wasn't really on a par with most recent days and largely consisted of Swallows and a miscellany of finches.

 

Redwing, Fieldfare and Short-eared Owl - Portland Bill and Southwell, 15th October 2015  © Martin Cade (Redwing head), Pete Saunders (Redwing flying) and Joe Stockwell (Fieldfare and Short-eared Owl)

14th October

The Waterthrush anniversary date is always hotly anticipated in the Portland calendar and although today didn't come up with anything quite so special there was still a fair bit going on. For a good part of the day it had looked as though it was all change on the birding front, with yesterday's scarcities having departed en masse, however a surprise late afternoon reappearance of the Olive-backed Pipit put a different complexion on events: it was first heard as it left the Hut Fields and after settling briefly in the Crown Estate Field and the Strips it was thought to have headed further on towards Top Fields. The pick of the newcomers were a Red-backed Shrike at Suckthumb Quarry and Yellow-browed Warblers at the Obs and Wakeham, whilst the general migration situation was, give or take differences in numbers, much as in recent days. Thrushes were conspicuous at dawn when 100 Redwings, the first Fieldfare of the autumn and a Ring Ouzel headed away north from the Bill, whilst Blackcap was, like yesterday, the most numerous warbler on the ground; Chiffchaff and Goldcrest switched positions in the numbers tally, with the latter coming out on top in most patches of cover. A decent array of less regular migrants included 5 Firecrests, 4 Short-eared Owls, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (including the incongruous sight of one settled in tamarisks at Ferrybridge), 2 Merlins, and singles of Dartford Warbler and Yellowhammer; late-ish singles of Redstart at the Bill and Sedge Warbler at Ferrybridge was also of note.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths and Clouded Yellows were still on the wing at the Bill during the afternoon.

Whilst immigrant moth numbers remained very low there were some surprises, with a Radford's Flame Shoulder (ID still to be confirmed) at the Grove and singles of Delicate, Cosmopolitan and Scarce Bordered Straw at the Obs.

 

Red-backed Shrike, Olive-backed Pipit and Redstart - Suckthumb Quarry and Portland Bill, 14th October 2015 © Joe Stockwell (Red-backed Shrike upper, Olive-backed Pipit and Redstart) and Mike Trew (Red-backed Shrike lower)

Today's little audio offerings are a short soundscape recorded in the Obs front garden in the half-light of dawn - for a moment it really did look like it was going to be a busy morning with Bramblings and Redwings lifting off out of the bushes and a Ring Ouzel chacking from cover, but with really clear skies overhead everything left pretty sharpish:

...and, thanks to Nick Hopper, another recording of the Olive-backed Pipit, this time capturing the subtle and easily overlooked (we weren't stood very far away from Nick but we didn't even pick up on it!) seet call:

13th October

Maybe not before time there was an exciting rush of both quality and quantity today. The crack of dawn highlight was an Olive-backed Pipit first heard and then tape-lured into a mist-net at Culverwell; it proved to be extremely furtive and after release at the Obs only showed again when it was retrapped later in the morning. A fine back-up cast included a Long-eared Owl well-settled and visible in the Hut Fields, a new Yellow-browed Warbler trapped and ringed at the Obs, a Corncrake flushed beside the footpath at Wallsend, singles of Woodlark, Tree Sparrow and Little Bunting flying over Culverwell, probably as many as 4 Dartford Warblers ranging about at the Bill, 2 Woodlarks over Barleycrates, a Marsh Harrier north over Top Fields, a Honey Buzzard north over Broadcroft and a Siberian Chiffchaff at Blacknor. Commoner migrant were also really well represented, with decent totals of 90 Blackcaps, 75 Chiffchaffs and 30 Goldcrests grounded at the Bill and 170 Chaffinches through overhead there; amongst the wide variety of lesser numbers there and elsewhere the likes of 7 Firecrests, 4 Short-eared Owls, 3 Bramblings, 2 each of Merlin, Ring Ouzel and Black Redstart, and a single Hobby were of note.

A party of around a dozen Bottle-nosed Dolphins were off East Cliffs at the Bill during the morning.

At least 2 Clouded Yellows were still on the wing at the Bill but the immigrant moth from traps operated at three sites didn't even reach double figures and included nothing of particular note.

Olive-backed Pipit, Long-eared Owl, Dartford Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler - Portland Bill, 13th October 2015 © Martin Cade

...and a bit more on the pipit:

We've always had a bit of a thing about distinguishing the flight call of Olive-backed Pipit from that Tree Pipit (...it stems from long ago jamming into 2 Olive-backed Pipits at the Obs which we've always remembered as being instantly identifiable on call - a judgement that our subsequent experiences abroad suggests might have had something to do with defective memory/wishful thinking) so we were really pleased that today's bird afforded the opportunity of a brief sound recording:
 

...and here's a Tree Pipit from the archives:

Whatever might be apparent to the ear (in these recording the Olive-backed Pipit was considerably closer than the 'high over the Obs patio' Tree Pipit) - to us the former sounds fuller with more of a rasping quality, whereas the latter is rather thinner - the more tangible evidence of the sonograms suggests that the two species can be remarkably alike:

In these cases Tree Pipit clearly leads in from a lower frequency and tails off to a lower frequency but the main body of the call looks to be at times extremely similar -  each individual's perception in the 'was that an Olive-backed Pipit that just called?' stakes will be different but it seems like it might be a brave call to make to claim one without getting a sound recording or subsequently seeing the bird on the deck.

12th October

A right old miscellany of sightings today under crystal clear skies and, once the early chill had passed, warm sunshine. Two Common Cranes that were first spotted over Ferrybridge and shortly afterwards departed out to sea from the Bill were, date-wise, so close to a similar occurrence last year that it was tempting to wonder if they might even have been the same individuals. At least 2 of the day's 3 Yellow-browed Warblers - at the Bill and Reap Lane - looked to be fresh in, whilst further interest came in the form of a Nightjar at dawn at the Obs, at least 4 Short-eared Owls, 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Water Rail, Merlin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Mistle Thrush, Dartford Warbler and Firecrest at the Bill, 2 Ring Ouzels and singles of Merlin, Short-eared Owl and Dartford Warbler at Barleycreates/Reap, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and a Black Redstart at Blacknor. Grounded migrants included plenty of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests (sample totals included 70 Chiffchaffs and 50 Goldcrests at the Bill, and 60 Chiffchaffs in the Pennsylvania Castle/Wakeham area) as well as the first general arrival of thrushes that included 25 Redwings amongst the more plentiful Blackbirds and Song Thrushes at the Bill. Visible passage was rather a non-event with no more than a trickle of expected fare everywhere, although the first Brambling of the autumn over the Bill was of note.

Common Cranes and Firecrest - Portland Bill, 12th October 2015 © Martin Cade (Cranes) and Joe Stockwell (Firecrest)

This autumn's Yellow-browed Warblers haven't - thus far at least - been particularly vocal, but today the appearance of a second individual joining one already present at the Obs prompted a decent little burst of calling:

11th October

With the fresh easterly wind now well established there were plenty of birds about but quality remained stubbornly hard to come by, with the best of the newcomers - a Red-backed Shrike at the Bill - only putting in a subliminal appearance. At least 4 Yellow-browed Warblers were again dotted about the island but further interest involved a step still further down the quality ladder to the likes of 3 Black Redstarts, 3 Firecrests, 2 Hobbys, a Merlin, a Jack Snipe and a Short-eared Owl. Robins and Chiffchaffs featured strongly amongst the commoner migrants, with totals that included 40 of the former at the Bill and perhaps more than 200 of the latter across the island as a whole; thrushes were also starting to get more conspicuous, with a scatter of the first few grounded Redwings amongst a good spread of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds. The Ferrybridge Brent Goose total increased to 550.

Two Delicates at the Obs were the only immigrant moths worth a mention from overnight trapping; single Hummingbird Hawk-moths continued to be seen by day at several sites.

10th October

A day that didn't live up to the billing with a brisk easterly and heavy cloud cover really not coming up with the anticipated goods. There was no change on the birding front with oddities not getting beyond the level of single Yellow-browed Warblers at the Bill and Weston, and 2 Marsh Harriers and a Dartford Warbler at the Bill; less frequent migrants included the likes of 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Snipe, Firecrest and Bullfinch at the Bill. Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests (the latter two getting to 40 each at the Bill, with lots more elsewhere) still dominated on the ground but overhead passage was distinctly subdued under the overcast skies. A tad more on the sea than of late included singles of Great Skua and Arctic Skua through off the Bill, whilst Brent Goose numbers at Ferrybridge got beyond 200 for the first time this autumn.

Three Delicates were the only immigrant moths of note at the Obs.

Goldcrest - Easton, 10th October 2015 © Martin Cade

 

Ringing at the Bill has been steady if unspectacular just lately, with a nice trio of controls - ringed birds from elsewhere - livening things up yesterday; none of these three species - Sparrowhawk, Meadow Pipit and Bearded Tit - are things that we've got much recovery information on so it'll be interesting to find out where they all came from:

 

9th October

Another thoroughly enjoyable day to be bumbling around the island, with a good spread of routine migrants to be enjoyed in very benign conditions. A rash of Yellow-browed Warbler sightings, with singles reported from 5 sites, provided entertainment around the middle of the island, whilst 5 Bearded Tits that dropped in at the Crown Estate Field maybe weren't too unexpected given the recent news of them erupting in numbers from the Weymouth reedbeds. These oddities aside, it was really a numbers day, with a band of rain and heavy cloud lingering to the west of the island at dawn probably helping to drop more birds than might have been expected in otherwise clear weather. At the Bill, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails featured strongly and numbered into the hundreds each, whilst other counts of note on the ground included 75 Chiffchaffs, 35 Goldcrests and 30 Dunnocks; as usual Blackcaps figured well around the middle of the island, where there was a minimum of a three figure total between Southwell and Weston. Swallows, Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails and a variety of finches again accounted for the bulk of overhead passage but numbers were relatively mundane.

After being thin on the ground for some while there was a conspicuous arrival of Painted Lady butterflies at the Bill during the afternoon, with more than a dozen in the Obs/Crown Estate Field area.

Immigrant moth interest was restricted to a total of 4 Delicates amongst lowish numbers of commoner fare in the various moth-traps.

Bearded Tits - Portland Bill, 9th October 2015 © Martin Cade

 

And hot on the heels of yesterday's report on nocturnal passage, Nick Hopper has just sent us through news of the other two nights of his last visit. A software glitch restricted coverage on 2nd/3rd October to just a three hour spell when 9 Robins, 3 Song Thrushes, a Skylark and a Black-headed Gull were logged. The equipment was back up and running on 3rd/4th which was fortuitous as it was a much busier night: the best captures were another Water Rail, a Ring Ouzel and three groups of Golden Plovers; Song Thrush calls were up to 88, whilst the 13 Robin calls were all logged in the first hour so were perhaps most likely migrants departing from nearby; another Black-headed Gull, a Common Sandpiper and a Yellow Wagtail were the best of the rest that have so far been conclusively identified.
 

 

 

8th October

A far more enjoyable day with plenty of common migrants about in calm, warm and sunny conditions. Quality wasn't a feature, with nothing better on the scarcity front than 3 Yellow-browed Warblers (2 briefly at Culverwell and another at Verne Common Road), and there certainly wasn't a general fall since some common species were very poorly represented - was there really only a single Wheatear in the whole Bill area? - but overall there was plenty about on the ground and overhead. The Bill area got the best of the coverage, with c400 Meadow Pipits, c200 Pied Wagtails, 75 Chiffchaffs, 25 Goldcrests and 10 Blackcaps making up the bulk of the numbers on the ground, and all the usual early October suspects including Skylarks, Reed Buntings and a variety of finches well represented overhead; less frequent species making the list included singles of Merlin, Snipe, Short-eared Owl, Lesser Whitethroat and Firecrest.

Several Hummingbird Hawk-moths were about by day but the overnight immigrant moth catch was very poor, with a single White-speck the only oddity at the Obs.

Pied Wagtail - Southwell, 8th October 2015 © Duncan Walbridge

...this rather boldly marked wagtail was seen briefly at long range at the Bill during the morning where the apparently wholly white wing panel and strong white edges to the tertials had attracted attention but few other features were seen before it flew off; it was found again during the afternoon in a horse paddock at Southwell where this and other photos revealing the presence of, for example, grey rear flanks and a dark line on the side of the neck served to confirm that it was just an extreme Pied Wagtail rather than something rarer like an Amur Wagtail.

Until today we hadn't gleaned much in the way of results from Nick Hopper's last stay with us, largely because it's now taking a lot longer to go through the recordings as the nights are getting longer and busier for birds, problem calls are proving difficult to sort out...and Nick's got to earn a living in his spare time. The first of a three night session at the end of last week (1st/2nd October) proved to be interesting with two oddities in terms of nocturnal recordings: singles of migrating Goldcrest and Dunnock; other birds included 19 Song Thrushes, 17 Robins, 4 Meadow Pipits and singles of Lapwing, Common Snipe, Sandwich Tern and Short-eared Owl:

 

7th October

Today's blasting north-westerly took a long time to ease down and again made birding on the land pretty hard work. It took a while before it was realised that there was a surprising amount on the move overhead(with - rather unusually - pulses of passage carrying on well into the afternoon) and even then there was no systematic coverage at the Bill, where odd sample count indicated a Linnet total of way into four figures and alba wagtails and Goldfinches into the high hundreds. Apart from being pretty quiet on the ground, trapping evidence indicated that much of what was about was lingering on from recent days; singles of Kingfisher and Firecrest were new at the Bill, with at least 2 more Firecrests in the Pennsylvania Castle area, but there was little else of interest on the ground. At least 2 Balearic Shearwaters were lingering at times off the Bill.

The strength of the wind knocked moth activity on the head, with singles of Convolvulus Hawk-moth and Bordered Straw the only immigrants of note amongst a poor catch at the Obs.

6th October

Frequent heavy showers continued to get in the way of concerted fieldwork but there was at least fair coverage of many areas. For once the sea provided some of the day's better birding, with 6 Arctic Skuas, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a Long-tailed Skua through off the Bill and a likely Long-tailed Skua through Portland Harbour. The weather wasn't at all favourable for overhead passage but the sprinkle of migrants on the ground included 5 Firecrests in the Pennsylvania Castle/Wakeham area and small numbers of Wheatears, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests everywhere; tardy earlier autumn migrants included a Whinchat at the Bill, 2 Garden Warblers and a Reed Warbler at Tilleycombe and singles of Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher at Portland Castle.

A Maize Moth Spoladea recurvalis was a nice but not altogether surprising rarity highlight in the Obs moth-traps; immigrant variety there also included 2 each of White-speck and Delicate.

Maize Moth - Portland Bill, 6th October 2015 © Martin Cade

 

...if we hadn't have been so fortunate as to have caught quite a few Maize Moths over the years we wouldn't have been quite so cocky as to attempt a record-shot of it with the phone to post as an early grip-off (...how crass is that?) - inevitably it flew off without being secured which served us right.

5th October

A thoroughly dispiriting day with meaningful fieldwork thwarted by constant pulses of rain or drizzle. Despite most probably arriving far too early in the night the claggy conditions had looked quite promising for dropping some migrants but what little coverage there was couldn't come up with much more than single Yellow-browed Warblers lingering on at Avalanche Road and Portland Castle and a thin scatter of commoner migrants at most spots that were covered; single Firecrests at the Obs and Pennsylvania Castle, and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill were the only other oddities reported. The fresh southerly wind did very little for the sea, with only 2 Great Skuas and a single Balearic Shearwater logged at the Bill.

Almost astonishingly considering how mild the air was not a single recognised immigrant moth was caught overnight at the Obs, although singles of Autumnal Rustic and Oak (or Eastern?) Nycteoline were good local records.

4th October

Although a lovely calm dawn looked to have plenty of promise with fair numbers of migrants soon apparent, things fizzled out as an ever increasing south-easterly set in and the trees emptied of birds in disappointingly quick time. It wasn't certain which if any of the 3 Yellow-browed Warblers on view - at the Obs, Avalanche Road and Portland Castle - were actually newcomers but they did provide the best of what little quality there was, with singles of Pintail, Woodlark and Firecrest at the Bill, a Yellow-legged Gull at Barleycrates Lane, a Black Redstart at Blacknor and a Firecrest and a flock of overflying Crossbills at Portland Castle about as good as it got for other oddities. Common migrant totals at the Bill included 15-25 each of Wheatear, Stonechat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest, but many other areas of cover were almost devoid of birds. A Balearic Shearwater off the Bill was the only worthwhile report from the sea.

3rd October

In very welcome quiet conditions there were still plenty of common migrants about, with the totals of the likes of 40 Chiffchaffs and 25 each of Blackcap and Goldcrest at the Bill being representative of numbers throughout the island. Variety was also still pretty good, with all-island totals of 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Hobbys, 2 Firecrests and singles of Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel and Dartford Warbler amongst a good spread of other expected fare. Overhead passage was quieter than for a few days but finches included 100 Chaffinches and 10 Redpolls through over the Bill and a small party of Crossbills over Verne Common. The sea has hardly had a mention in the recent spell of offshore winds and today's only worthwhile sighting was of the first 2 Common Gulls of the autumn through off the Bill.

Moth immigrants were again poorly represented, with singles of White-speck at the Obs and Scarce Bordered Straw at West Grove Terrace the best for the traps and single Hummingbird Hawk-moths at several sites the best by day.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Goldcrest and Meadow Pipit - Portland Castle and Southwell, 3rd October 2015 © Chris Patrick (Yellow-browed Warbler) and Nick Stantiford (Goldcrest and Meadow Pipit)

2nd October

It was about time a week of unrelenting easterlies bore fruit and today saw plenty of arrivals on the ground, a constant if unspectacular passage overhead and a nice selection of oddities. A very varied tally of scarcities included single Yellow-browed Warblers at the Obs and Perryfields, a Hoopoe in off the sea at the Bill, singles of Corncrake and Treecreeper at Suckthumb/Avalanche, a Dartford Warbler at Barleycrates Lane, a Marsh Harrier over Blacknor and the Bill and a Red Kite over Ferrybridge, whilst less frequent migrants included a wide scatter of at least 12 Firecrests, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Short-eared Owls and singles of Merlin, Hobby and Ring Ouzel. Commoner fare weren't to be outdone, with the centre and south of the island coming with minima of 150 Blackcaps, 100 Chiffchaffs, 50 each of Wheatear and Goldcrest, and 30 Stonechats; visible passage was relatively poorly covered but Meadow Pipits and hirundines in particular were trickling through in fair numbers throughout the morning.

At least 3 Red-veined Darters were scattered around the south of the island.

Immigrant moths were almost non-existent, with just singles of Rush Veneer and White-speck caught overnight at the Obs.

 

 

Dartford Warbler and Treecreeper - Barleycrates Lane and Avalanche Road, 2nd October 2015 © Nick Hopper (Dartford Warbler) and Chris Patrick (Treecreeper)

 

Apart from these two firsts for the year there were a hatful of other birds to get amongst today; thanks to Chris Patrick for this Sparrowhawk at Southwell:

 

 

...and to Kerry Beale for this Short-eared Owl at the Bill:

 

The Hoopoe arriving in off the sea would have made a great piece of video but sadly it was always miles too far away. We first spotted it several hundred metres off East Cliffs when attention was drawn to its presence by the mob of large gulls relentlessly chasing it as it made for land; they continued harrying it the whole way in and, since it couldn't be found after the melee disappeared from view somewhere on the Slopes, we wonder if they might have eventually caught it:

 

 

Finally, Ken Dolbear can always be relied on for some other wildlife: this Wasp Spider was at Church Ope Cove today:

 

 

...whilst this Spurgebug Dicranocephalus agilis - evidently only the third Portland record of this nationally scarce bug - was at the Obs earlier in the week:

 

1st October

A new month but the same old weather and not too much change in the birding (...or the mothing). Clear skies and a brisk easterly remained the order of the day but the volume of visible passage took quite a dive, with a mere trickle overhead at the Bill where yesterday there'd been so much; a Marsh Harrier leaving to the south was easily the pick of the passage there. On the ground 3 ater Coal Tits at Wakeham seemed almost overdue with so many showing up elsewhere, whilst Firecrests increased to at least 8 at the Bill. The day's tally otherwise included most species that would be expected, albeit with nothing in quantity or particularly worth a mention.

Singles of Bordered Straw and Scarce Bordered Straw at the Obs and White-speck at West Grove Terrace were the best of the few immigrant moths caught overnight.

Marsh Harrier and Lesser Whitethroat - Portland Bill, 1st October 2105 © Keith Pritchard (Marsh Harrier) and Martin Cade (LWT)

 

...blythi seems to have become the default ID of late September onwards LWTs but we wouldn't venture to suggest which this might be without recourse to more instructive photographs or, preferably, catching it.

 

 We mentioned Nick Hopper's most recent visit - on 28th/29th September - a couple of days ago, and Nick's now gone through the rest of that night's recordings. Although we've had hardly a sniff of thrush passage by day the recordings clearly show they've got going at night, with totals of 18 Song Thrushes, 3 Redwings, 3 Blackbirds and a Ring Ouzel logged on 28th/29th; amongst the other captures that night this Water Rail was of note:
 

30th September

A day of visible passage overload, with a veritable torrent of  migrants battling through overhead into the continuing stiff easterly. Numbers were impossible to quantify in full but an early morning 45 minute sample count at the Bill that came up with 800 House Martins, 650 Swallows, 400 Meadow Pipits, 250 Linnets, 80 Goldfinches, a Woodlark and a Siskin provided a mere snap-shot from just one spot of a passage that looked to be taking place on such a broad front that similar counts could have been made just about anywhere on the island; the pick of the quality overhead were 3 Spoonbills that flew east over the Bill before heading away north and later dropping in at Lodmoor, a Short-eared Owl at the Bill and a Lapland Bunting over Barleycrates Lane. There were perhaps slightly more grounded migrants about than in recent days but nothing was easy to get to grips with in the wind-lashed trees and the rewards got no better than at least 5 Firecrests and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Bill and another Firecrest at Southwell. The only seawatch report came from Chesil Cove where 15 Common Scoter, 14 Brent Geese and a Grey Plover passed by.

It goes without saying that moth interest dropped still further, with a Silver Y at the Obs and a White-speck at West Grove Terrace the only immigrants amongst the trap catches.

 

Spoonbills - Portland Bill, 30th September 2015 © Martin Cade

29th September

With there still being precious few reasons for migrants to drop out of the crystal clear night sky it remained largely quiet on the ground, where 2 new Firecrests at the Obs were a pretty minor highlight amongst small numbers of other very routine arrivals. It was considerably busier overhead with some strong pulses of Swallows and House Martins in particular heading through into the brisk easterly; all the expected pipits, wagtails and finches were also well represented, with higher quality coming in the form of a Red Kite that did a circuit of the island, 6 Crossbills over Suckthumb, a Hobby over Barleycrates and 2 Merlins, 2 Short-eared Owls and a Hobby over the Bill.

Moth interest diminished considerably, with the lowest immigrant total at the Obs - just 3 individuals - since 23rd June; the only scarcer species making the list were a Delicate at West Grove Terrace and a Convolvulus Hawk-moth visiting Nicotiana flowers there at dusk.

 

 

Red Kite and Convolvulus Hawk-moth - Chesil Cove and the Grove, 29th September 2015 © Matt Phipps (Red Kite) and Martin Cade (Convolvulus Hawk)

 

Although we'd imagined that migrants must have been streaming over during the recent clear nights it would seem from Nick Hopper's latest evidence that wasn't the case during the first few hours of last night. Up to the time of compiling this update Nick's only had a chance to go through his recordings made between dusk and midnight, but during that period he logged just 15 birds; interestingly though, these did include two species we haven't yet been seeing during the daylight hours: the first 3 Redwings of the autumn were particularly noteworthy: 

 

 

...whilst 10 Song Thrushes were hopefully also a sign of things to come as late autumn passage gathers momentum:

 

 

Finally, a few odds and ends from the Crown Estate Field today where through being less than burdened during net-rounds we were reduced to aimless meandering with the camera - Linnet, Greenland Wheatear, Hobby and Merlin all popped up at various times (all © Martin Cade):

 

28th September

With no change in the weather bar the wind racking up to an even more difficult blasting easterly today was not especially fruitful. A fly-by Ortolan Bunting at the Bill that didn't oblige by dropping in for general consumption provided the one moment of quality in conditions that saw to it all the day's numbers were also overhead, where hirundines, Meadow Pipits and a miscellany of wagtails and finches passed through in decent albeit unexceptional quantities. It was considerably quieter on the ground, where 2 Firecrests and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill were the only minor highlights amongst paltry numbers of commoner migrants.

The odd single Clouded Yellows and Hummingbird Hawk-moths were again reported at several sites.

Moth numbers dwindled as the wind increased, with a single Scarce Bordered Straw at the Obs the only immigrant of note.

27th September

The pretty low-key birding continued with a brisk easterly making it difficult to get amongst what few migrants there seemed to be on the ground. Overhead passage was as strong as yesterday but was mainly taking place on a narrower front along West Cliffs where House Martins in particular were prominent; a few sample counts indicated they were pulsing through at between 1500 and 2500 per hour for the best part of the morning at the Bill so a five figure total was likely reached there. Swallows and Meadow Pipits weren't so numerous today and other species were poorly recorded. Grounded migrants consisted of a very thin scatter of the likes of Wheatears, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, with singles of Turtle Dove at the Bill and Firecrest at Southwell about as good as it got by way of quality. Three Brent Geese and singles of Manx Shearwater and Great Skua passed through off the Bill.

Immigrant moth interest was limited to singles of Delicate and White-speck at the Obs, Olive-tree Pearl at Sweethill and Delicate at West Grove Terrace amongst low numbers of commoner species.

26th September

Another lovely warm, sunny day but with a freshening easterly wind becoming a feature. Grounded arrivals were a little more conspicuous than yesterday but totals from the Bill of, for example, 25 Wheatears, 20 Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps and 6 Goldcrests were indication enough that there really wasn't a great deal about, whilst quality there didn't get much better than singles of Woodlark and Black Redstart. Overhead passage was strong but tricky to count, with birds on the move on a broad front over the Bill; Swallow and Meadow Pipit were again getting towards four figure totals, whilst singles of Merlin, Hobby, Snipe, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper provided interest amongst the lesser totals there.

25th September

A scorching summer-like day with anticyclonic conditions seemingly now setting in for the foreseeable future. Maybe not surprisingly, the quantity of grounded migrants wasn't dissimilar to mid-summer, with precious little descending from the now really moonlit night sky; the one arrival of quality was a Yellow-browed Warbler - by the sound of events elsewhere it may prove to be the first of many - that spent the day in the Obs garden. There was a very thin spread of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests everywhere but some typical mid-autumn migrants - there was, for instance, just 1 Wheatear on the list for the Bill area - were pretty well absent; singles of Mistle Thrush and Firecrest at the Bill and another Firecrest at Pennslyvania Castle were about as good as it got for less frequent migrants. Under the clear sky it was considerably busier overhead, with Swallows well into four figures and Meadow Pipits in the high three figures; Siskins again topped 100 over the Bill, where 5 Redpolls and a Merlin were amongst other more routine fare overhead. The only noteworthy report from the sea was of 7 Balearic Shearwaters through off the Bill.

Single Hummingbird Hawk-moths continued to pop up here and there but nocturnal moth immigrants still weren't at all numerous, with singles of Delicate and White-speck the best amongst small numbers of the regulars at the Obs.

Yellow-browed Warbler - Portland Bill, 25th September 2015 © Martin Cade

24th September

A surprisingly dismal showing today, with pre-dawn showers dropping hardly anything in the way of new arrivals; one-off duff days like this crop up occasionally during any migration season, but three flops in apparently good conditions within the space of a week really does bring home to you - as so many surveys indicate these days - that there simply aren't the numbers of migrant birds about that there used to be. Fair coverage of a good deal of the south of the island revealed no more than a handful of the likes of Wheatear, Blackcap and Chiffchaff, whilst more uncommon fare was all but absent; visible passage was only a little stronger and that involved hardly anything beyond hirundines and Meadow Pipits. With the wind remaining north of west the only reports from the sea were of 4 Balearic Shearwaters, a Great Skua and an Arctic Tern through off the Bill.

23rd September

 

A reminder that the next In Focus field event at the Obs takes place between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 26th September 2015.

On a day of clear skies and a freshening westerly the numbers were overhead rather than on the ground. At the Bill a sample one hour count early in the morning came up with 600 Meadow Pipits, 140 Linnets, 90 Goldfinches and 49 alba wagtails, whilst full totals for the whole morning including 70 Siskins, 35 Chaffinches, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 7 Redpolls, 4 Grey Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, 2 Reed Buntings and a Merlin. Quality was hard to come by amongst the grounded arrivals, with single Firecrests at Southwell and Pennsylvania Castle about the best on offer; numbers included 30 or so each of Wheatear, Blackcap and Chiffchaff at the Bill. Not much attention was given to the sea, with singles of Red-throated Diver and Arctic Skua the only reports from the Bill. The only reports from elsewhere were of a Common Scoter in Portland Harbour and a Knot at Ferrybridge.

A Red-veined Darter was in the Crown Estate Field during the afternoon.

Singles of Delicate and White-speck were the only scarcer immigrant moths caught overnight at the Obs.

Red-veined Darter - Portland Bill, 23rd September 2015 © Martin Cade

Also today Nick Hopper sent us through a report and some recordings from his most recent visit last Friday night/Saturday morning (18th/19th). The main feature of the night was what sounded to be sizeable flocks of moving waders, amongst which Dunlin were prominent (seven parties of multiple birds):

...perhaps surprisingly, it was the first night this autumn when no Ringed Plover were logged. Other highlights included a Greenshank:

...two flocks of Turnstones (together with Dunlin in this recording):

...a Knot, three groups of Sandwich Terns, a Common Sandpiper, a Redshank, a Pied Flycatcher, 9 Robins, 8 Tree Pipits, 8 Yellow Wagtail and two calls from Skylarks. Additionally, this passerine calling and then giving a short snatch of song well after dark on the Friday evening caused considerable puzzlement; despite sounding as though it ought to be some sort of Sylvia, further research couldn't pin it down to any specifically. Magnus Robb's suggestion is that it's most probably a Wheatear, which, on second listening, sounds far more plausible - the chacking calls are rather like those we hear from migrant Wheatears, whilst the little burst of scratchy song could easily come from their wide repertoire:

22nd September

A blustery north-westerly made for an uneventful day, with grounded migrants at a premium. The few snippets of interest amongst otherwise low numbers of routine migrants included singles of Grasshopper Warbler and Firecrest at the Bill and another Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle; it was a tad busier overhead, where 60 Siskins passed over at the Bill amongst a light passage of Meadow Pipits and hirundines. Seawatching was uneventful in the offshore wind, with singles of Red-throated Diver, Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua the best of what little was on the move off the Bill.

Moth interest was as minimal as bird interest, with a single Delicate at West Grove Terrace the best of the low numbers of immigrants.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth - Portland Bill, 22nd September 2015 © Martin King