16th December

No great change in either the birds or weather but plenty enough about to provide pretty decent entertainment for the middle of December. The Hume's Warbler remained on station with a Chiffchaff and a Siberian Chiffchaff also in the Avalanche area; 2 new Chiffchaffs were also at Sweethill where the Great Spotted Woodpecker remained. Redwings featured again: nocturnal passage had been much lighter but daytime sightings included 11 at the Bill, 12 at Southwell and at least 20 at Avalanche. Winterers included 5 Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart at the Bill and 13 Goosanders, 7 Black-necked Grebes and 3 Eider in Portland Harbour, whilst the sea came up with 10 Common Scoter and 2 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill.

Two Rusty-dot Pearl at the Grove were the night's only immigrant moth captures.

With perseverance the Hume's Warbler offered slightly better photo opportunities today © Mark Eggleton:

...and © Mike Trew:

And we managed a little bit of scene-setting video of it (...it does seem to be a past master at remaining just behind the first layer of branches and leaves wherever it's gleaning!):

The Siberian Chiffchaff also put in at least one appearance at Avalanche Road © Mike Trew:

Finally, Portland Harbour provided a Cormorant with ideas beyond its capabilities and the now seemingly well-settled Goosanders © Pete Saunders:

15th December

It was with great sadness that we learnt today of the death earlier this week of Max Seaford. Following National Service in the Royal Navy, Max embarked on a successful career in local banking that saw him move to within easy reach of Portland; he became a stalwart supporter of the Obs, including acting as honorary auditor and, after retirement, as a long-serving committee member. Max was a great character who didn't take himself, birding or life in general too seriously; he - and his seemingly endless supply of usually irreverent reminiscences, anecdotes and jokes - will be missed by all. We extend our sincere condolences to Max's family.

On a very dreary but again mild day the Hume's Warbler continued to entertain in the Avalanche Road area. A strong overnight passage of southbound Redwings resulted in fair numbers being grounded for a while after dawn, when 55 were at the Bill, at least 60 at Avalanche Road and 94 at the Craft Centre. Four Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill, a Black Redstart was still at Blacknor and 8 Goosander remained in Portland Harbour.

Despite seemingly favourable conditions immigrant moth interest remained pretty minimal, consisting of just a Silver Y at the Obs and 2 Rusty-dot Pearl at the Grove.

The Hume's Warbler ranged a little more widely today but although often vocal it rarely afforded prolonged views in the dreary conditions:

Finally, thanks to Mike Trew for sending us through some more photos from yesterday morning at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour:

14th December

December sprung a nice surprise today with the discovery of a Hume's Warbler at Avalanche Road, where a presumed Siberian Chiffchaff was also present. A few thrushes - including a Fieldfare over Blacknor and Redwings at the Bill (4) and Sweethill (15) - put in appearances, whilst single Chiffchaffs at the Obs and Blacknor were also new arrivals; additionally, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest were at Pennsylvania Castle. The only other reports were of singles of Brent Goose and Common Scoter through off the Bill.

What immigrant moth promise there was rather evaporated under a night sky that was so bright with the full moon that the moth-traps scarcely stood a chance of attracting anything; 3 Rusty-dot Pearls were the only captures at the Obs.

We hesitate to claim that the Hume's Warbler was a new arrival since we're not at all sure that anyone's birded the Avalanche Hump area for the last month! It was rarely really showy...

...but it did give itself away at regular intervals with decent bouts of calling:

We were somewhat distracted by the Hume's Warbler when the presumed Siberian Chiffchaff popped up quite close to it - the latter didn't call but it looked to be OK for a tristis in the flesh even if that might not be conveyed in our quick snap of it:

13th December

Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour provided most of the day's interest, at the former notably with a second Black Brant joining the individual that's been present throughout the winter; 5 Pale-bellied Brents were also there, whilst 8 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Eider and 3 Great Northern Divers were in the harbour. Three new Redwings dropped in at the Bill where both wintering Water Rails were still about and a Great Northern Diver passed through on the sea; elsewhere, a Chiffchaff was at Sweethill.

Despite promising looking conditions singles of Rusty-dot Pearl and Silver Y were the only immigrants that made it into the Obs moth-traps.

The two Black Brants © Debby Saunders:

Although there was a no-show on the rare immigrant front there was a little interest amongst the rest of the overnight moth catch; late singles of Brick and Black Rustic were of note at the Obs where a Mottled Umber was the pick of the catch - island records of this species are only just about annual:

A December Moth - only the fifth island record - was the best of the catch at the Grove:

12th December

An unexpectedly fulsome list from what started out as an uninspiringly dreary and drizzly but very mild day. New arrivals included 2 Blackcaps and a few extra Blackbirds at the Bill, 2 Redwings and a Fieldfare at Southwell, 8 more Redwings north over Blacknor and 4 Eider in Portland Harbour; the Goosander tally at Ferrybridge also crept up to what looks to be an island-record total of 16. As often, Ferrybridge returned the best of the numbers including 1500 Dark-bellied Brents, 2 Pale-bellied Brents, the Black Brant and 16 Bar-tailed Godwits; winterers dotted about elsewhere included 28 Linnets, 5 Turnstones and 2 Purple Sandpipers at the Bill, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Sweethill and a Black Redstart at Blacknor. The sea remained conspicuously empty of the customary mid-winter quantities of auks and the like but 7 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver did pass through off the Bill.

The milder air didn't arrive until late in the night and immigrant moth interest consisted of just 1 Silver Y at the Obs.

Despite the late date it was hard to believe that the Blackcaps were anything other than freshly arrived (central European?) migrants - both appeared within a few minutes of each other and were the first Blackcaps logged at the Obs for more than three weeks:

11th December

Fine, sunny conditions were welcome and saw a late Swallow put in a brief appearance over Weston Street; a few birds also got moving offshore, where 16 Brent Geese, 15 Common Scoter and 6 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill. Winterers making the list included 11 Black-necked Grebes and 3 Great Northern Divers in Portland Harbour and a Water Rail at the Bill.

Yesterday's Red-throated Diver at Smallmouth © Pete Saunders:

10th December

With rain holding of for much longer than forecast there was ample opportunity for quite decent coverage today. Not surprisingly so late in the year, new arrivals were few but did include 2 Redwings at the Bill and another 14 at Foundry Close. The Portland Harbour Goosanders topped at least 14, with 6 Black-necked Grebes, a Red-throated Diver and a Great Northern Diver also there. Two Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver passed through off the Bill.

Immigrant moths included 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, a Pearly Underwing and a Silver Y at the Obs and a White-speck at Sweethill.

9th December

Apologies for the lack of recent updates: although we'd intended to keep things going whilst we were away this proved not to be possible - we will try and cobble together a summary of what's been happening to post in the next couple of days.

The day's only worthwhile bird sighting was of a single Red-throated Diver through off the Bill.

Obs immigrant moths: 1 Rusty-dot Pearl and 1 White-speck.

21st November

Bearing in mind the unbirdable lashing rain and wind that was a feature for the best part of the day there were some decent birds on offer on the odd occasions it was possible to watch from shelter or venture outside. A Caspian Gull that showed up towards dusk amongst the storm-driven Great Black-backs below Culverwell was the pick of the new arrivals, with 3 Blackcaps and a Redwing also new in at the Bill and the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff still about there; offshore, Kittiwakes looked to be on the move in some numbers whenever the sea was visible. The Barn Owl was again at Southwell at dawn and 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 6 Pale-bellied Brents, the Black Brant and a Knot were at Ferrybridge.

A lone Rusty-dot Pearl provided the only immigrant interest amongst the handful of resident moths that made it into the Obs traps overnight.

Both the Barn Owl and Black Brant put on decent shows during the morning © Pete Saunders:

Unfortunately the Caspian Gull was discovered right at the end of the day when the light was failing and it was only possible to get some really long range record shots of it...

...and it chose to fly off just as it started belting down with rain for the umpteenth time:

20th November

The wild weather associated with the overnight passage of Storm Angus proved to be short-lived and in increasing benign conditions during daylight hours there was a fair scatter of worthwhile sightings. The Ferrybridge Goosanders had increased to 13 and further coverage there and at Portland Harbour came up with a fly-by Long-tailed Duck, 9 Black-necked Grebes, at least 4 Great Northern Divers and a Short-eared Owl. The improving conditions came too late for many late migrants to get moving at the Bill where a few flocks of Goldfinches headed south and a new Chiffchaff showed up on the ground; the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat and 5 Purple Sandpipers were also still about and a Red-throated Diver passed through on the sea. Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart at Chesil Cove, 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle and a scatter of presumably wintering Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in other areas of cover.

Barn Owls have been quite regular at dusk at the Bill just lately and one was on patrol at dawn today at Southwell © Pete Saunders:

The Ferrybridge Goosanders seem to getting more confiding as they settle in © Debby Saunders:

...and this Long-tailed Duck was a nice fly-by there this morning © Pete Saunders:

19th November

With heavy showers appreciably more frequent than anticipated the welcome reduction in wind strength didn't herald the arrival of as many late migrants as it might. Visible passage over the Bill included 145 Wood Pigeons, 75 Chaffinches and 3 Bramblings, but arrivals on the ground there didn't get any better than 4 Redwings, a Chiffchaff and a Reed Bunting; the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat also surfaced for the first time in several days and singles of Purple Sandpiper and Short-eared Owl were about. Seawatching there came up with 6 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers and singles of Red-breasted Merganser and Great Skua. The 12 Goosanders were again about at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour, with 6 Black-necked Grebes and a Great Northern Diver also in residence at the latter.

18th November

Although it did brighten up as the day went on, wind and rain had featured throughout the morning and limited enthusiasm for anything other than perfunctory coverage. A few small parties of Chaffinches and Goldfinches heading away to the south between the showers and grounded singles of Yellow-legged Gull and Redwing constituted the only evidence of new arrivals at the Bill where the sea was busy with established winterers but devoid of storm-driven newcomers. The only other news was of the 12 Goosanders through again at Ferrybridge.

17th November

 

A reminder that there's an In Focus field event at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Sunday, 20th November.

Wind and rain restricted opportunities for meaningful fieldwork today but there a few odds and ends about to keep interest going. The sea got plenty of attention although rewards were pretty meagre with just 8 Common Scoter and a Pomarine Skua through off the Bill and a Great Skua through at Chesil Cove. Ferrybridge was still extremely busy with Brent Geese and Mediterranean Gulls but 12 Goosanders that pitched in for a while and 8 Pintail that flew through were the only oddities on offer. The only reports from the land were of 10 Redwings, 7 Fieldfares and 2 Black Redstarts at Portland Castle and a Chiffchaff at Southwell.

There was plenty more Brent Goose action at Ferrybridge this morning © Pete Saunders:

16th November

If autumn passage had nearly fizzled out in recent days then today qualified as rock bottom since there wasn't a single entry for a new arrival on the day sheet or the ringing log at the Obs. Winterers there included singles of Water Rail and Black Redstart, whilst a constantly freshening westerly perked up numbers on the sea that included 2 lingering Great Skuas. Elsewhere the Ferrybridge Mediterranean Gull total got up to 650, with 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese also there and 2 Black-necked Grebes nearby in Portland Harbour.

The increasing breeze spoilt overnight mothing, with 12 Rusty-dot Pearl and a Silver Y the only immigrants trapped overnight at the Obs.

It's sometimes difficult to believe just how many birds manage to cram themselves into what's a very small space at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:

15th November

Sure signs of the end of autumn today with passage reduced to the point of being almost non-existent. The cumulative total of new thrushes didn't even get into double figures at the Bill where a handful of Chaffinches dropped in and a tardy Swallow passed through; 2 Firecrests at Pennsylvania Castle were perhaps more likely winterers than new arrivals. Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour remained busy with Goosanders increasing to 12 and 1750 Dark-bellied Brents, 500 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Pale-bellied Brents and singles of Great Northern Diver, Black Brant and Pintail also packed in there.

A breezier night saw immigrant moth numbers pegged back, with 41 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Rush Veneer, 2 White-speck and a Pearly Underwing trapped at the Obs; another White-speck was among the catch at Sweethill.

The Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour Goosanders continue to increase and mirror a similar influx during the 2010-11 winter when the highest count was 15 (which remains the island record) © Debby Saunders

14th November

Increasing amounts of cloud during the hours of darkness looked to have some promise for dropping a few arrivals but in the event virtually all the day's passage was again overhead, with some decent totals accrued at the Bill. In a light westerly, movement was taking place both to the north and the south, with the bulk of the morning's total consisting of 1400 Starlings, 800 Wood Pigeons, 400 Chaffinches, 200 Goldfinches and 175 Linnets; variety otherwise wasn't great but did include 13 Siskins, a Snipe and a Brambling. Newcomers on the ground were conspicuously few and far between, with even the likes of Blackbirds poorly represented; the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat was still about at the Obs, whilst a Black Redstart was also now a likely winterer there. Four Teal passed by off the Bill where the first returned Fulmar also showed up. Ferrybridge was again busy, with 370 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Redshank, the Black Brant and a Knot amongst the morning selection.

The quiet, mild and increasingly overcast conditions overnight favoured a decent moth catch, with immigrants being represented at the Obs by 85 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Rush Veneer, 2 Diamond-back Moth and singles of Radford's Flame Shoulder, White-speck and Silver Y.

In an autumn that's already produced 14 others between 29th September and 30th October it probably shouldn't have been a surprise that the immigrant moth highlight of the night was yet another Radford's Flame Shoulder; in contrast to these earlier records, this one actually conforms much more closely with our only other records before this year that occurred on 12th November (twice) and 1st December:

13th November

The raw cold of early last week has been gradually replaced by much milder air and in today's constant sunshine it felt positively balmy. Although the conditions were hardly conducive for any sort of arrival on the ground a Cetti's Warbler was a surprise newcomer at the Obs; another 4 Blackcaps were also new in there, whilst the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat remained in situ. Virtually all the other passage there was overhead, with 650 Wood Pigeons, 560 Starlings and 250 Chaffinches making up the bulk of the numbers; amongst the lower totals 18 Bramblings and singles of Bullfinch and Lapland Bunting were of note. Goosanders again showed up at Ferrybridge - increasing to 10 today - the Black Brant dropped in there for a while and 2 Wigeon and a Teal also passed through.

A modest increase in immigrant moth numbers saw 15 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Silver Y, 2 each of Diamond-back Moth and Rush Veneer, and a single Pearly Underwing trapped overnight at the Obs.

Having largely given Ferrybridge a miss last winter when there was just one sighting in late October the Black Brant - assuming it's the same individual - has returned to form just lately and shown up quite frequently © Debby Saunders:

Goosanders have also been quite reliable there in recent days, even if they've yet to settle for long © Debby Saunders:

Although there are now as many as 28 island records of Cetti's Warbler today's bird was the first since the long-stayer that remained throughout November 2010:

12th November

Overnight rain that lingered on into the morning eventually cleared to reveal some sea passage and a small arrival of grounded migrants. The sea was well worth attention, with 250 Kittiwakes, 20 Teal, 2 each of Arctic Skua and Great Skua, and a single Red-throated Diver through off the Bill. New thrushes were evident on the land, with particular concentrations of 30 Blackbirds in and around the Obs and 40 Redwings, 25 Blackbirds and a Mistle Thrush in the Foundry Close/Easton Fire Station area; also new were 4 Blackcaps, a Siberian Chiffchaff, a Chiffchaff and a Brambling at the Obs and 200 Starlings in off the sea at the Bill; the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat also remained at the Obs. Goosanders have been cropping up from time to time at Ferrybridge, with 3 through there today and 4 nearby in Portland Harbour; 2040 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 24 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Pale-bellied Brents, 2 Knot and the Black Brant were also at Ferrybridge.

Presumably another Siberian Chiffchaff: the one inflected note it gave on release wasn't the 'usual' plaintive call although it does conform closely to other recordings of autumn juveniles:

11th November

In lovely quiet, bright conditions there was a small resurgence in late passage today. There were no particular surprises amongst what was on off but the Bill came up with creditable totals 350 Wood Pigeons, 220 Chaffinches, 12 each of Brambling and Siskin, and 11 Redpolls, along with single figure totals of a decent range of other November regulars; the Siberian Lesser Whitethroat also remained there. Limited coverage elsewhere came up with 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 2 Firecrests at Avalanche Road, whilst the Black Brant put in another appearance at Ferrybridge.

After what's been a really duff autumn for Firecrests it was a slight surprise to come across two at Avalanche Road that are maybe now ensconced for winter:

At Ferrybridge there's endless entertainment to be had at this time of year with the 'Spot the oddity amongst the Dark-bellied Brents' game © Pete Saunders (Black Brant) and Debby Saunders (Pale-bellied Brent):

We've never been great fans of the redpoll split and have always continued to log them simply under an all-encompassing 'Redpoll' umbrella; that said, we can't remember handling an autumn bird that couldn't be pigeon-holed quite easily as a cabaret Lesser. So it came as quite a shock to find the bird below amongst a simultaneous catch of five Redpolls at the Obs this morning; this specimen stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other four completely ordinary-looking Lessers:

It looked far buffier about the face than we'd usually associate with Mealy Redpoll but, equally, much of the rest of its plumage was well outside the usual range we'd associate with Lesser. Although it appears larger than the accompanying Lesser in these photos that's no more than a photographic effect: it measured up to be precious little different to the Lessers in all ways except primary projection which did fall (just) outside the normal range of Lesser.

10th November

Whilst there's still more than enough time for autumn to have some action up its sleeve today had a depressingly end of season feel about it with, for example, nothing new trapped and ringed in several hours of trying at the Obs. What movement there was took place overhead, with 125 Chaffinches, 65 Linnets, 50 Goldfinches and a Brambling through at the Bill where, the lingering Siberian Lesser Whitethroat aside, a lone Redwing was the only obvious new arrival on the ground. The sea reverted to type, with nothing more than 6 Brent Geese through off the Bill. Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart at Church Ope Cove and 20 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Grey Plover amongst a routine selection at Ferrybridge.

A few immigrant moths still on the wing included 3 Silver Y, a Diamond-back Moth and a Rush Veneer caught overnight at the Obs.

9th November

After a wild, wet and windy night it took the best part of the day for the wind to abate. Seawatching was the order of the morning but in a north-westerly little more than 9 Common Scoter, 3 Great Skuas and a Pomarine Skua passed through off the Bill. The land got little coverage and the only worthwhile reports from the Bill were of 6 settled Purple Sandpipers, a Short-eared Owl in off the sea and singles of Mallard and Golden Plover through overhead.