16th September

A similar day to yesterday saw the lovely birding conditions of the morning gradually give way to an afternoon spoilt by some hefty showers tracking south from the mainland. Both the Wryneck at the Obs Quarry and the Hoopoe at Southwell were still about but the good spread of grounded and overflying Meadow Pipits and passing hirundines - the former numbered well into four figures at the Bill alone whilst the latter (amongst which all three species were well represented) included several strong pulses of hundreds at a time either side of midday - didn't give an altogether representative view of migration in general, since it remained decidedly quieter that might be hoped. Wheatears, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were quite well spread everywhere even if not especially numerous, but quality didn't get beyond the level of  single Hobbys over the Bill and Blacknor, single Ring Ouzels at the Bill and Bumpers Lane and 2 Little Stints at Ferrybridge.

With the conditions looking pretty unappealing for immigrant moths we've cut right back to running just two traps at the Obs and none at all at the Grove for the last week or so. The overnight immigrant tally at the Obs consisted of just 2 each of Rusty-dot Pearl and Rush Veneer, and singles of Pearly Underwing and Silver Y.

What is it with Wrynecks and the Obs Quarry? - surely there's no other single spot in Britain that's more of a magnet for long-staying, showy Wrynecks than this outwardly undistinguished location © Peter Moore petermooreblog:

More routine fare today included plenty of Wheatears © Peter Moore petermooreblog:

...and a handful of Whinchats © Pete Saunders: 

15th September

Weather-wise, the nicest day of the week by a margin: after a clear, chilly start in the gentle northerly it was feeling really warm by midday although some beefy showers did brew up late in the afternoon. September's a great month for variety and today excelled, with the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Wryneck and Hoopoe all still in situ at dawn (the Buff-breasted Sandpiper didn't last though and couldn't be found again after an early departure from its favourite field); another 3 Wrynecks showed up at the Bill where an Osprey and 5 Spoonbills that passed over added later spice to the mix. There were welcome signs of the recent migration hiatus coming to an end, with getting on for 1000 each of Meadow Pipit and Swallow through over the Bill, where grounded arrivals were more numerous than at any time this week even if the individual totals were generally a good deal lower than might be hoped for in mid-September. Migrant variety at the Bill included 30 Yellow Wagtails, 25 Grey Wagtails, 9 Chaffinches, 4 Tree Pipits, 2 White Wagtails, 2 Redstarts, a Hobby and a Ring Ouzel, whilst odds and ends on the sea there included 27 Common Scoter, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater.

By the end of the day it was looking very much like the Buff-breasted Sandpiper had moved on but it did show nicely for a while early in the morning © Tony Hovell:

It almost goes without saying that the Obs Quarry Wryneck was an ever-present crowd-pleaser © Tony Hovell:

You wouldn't think that large raptors could slip by unnoticed but high-flyers like today's Osprey seem these days to attract far less attention from the local gulls and crows than they once did and we often get the feel that many are only spotted due to a jammy looking up at just the right moment; has the avian early warning system got so used to Buzzards being in the air now that the latter are so well-established around the island that the gulls and crows don't get so worked up any more at the sight of large predators overhead? © Martin Cade:

Hardly a day goes by at the moment without a Barn Owl being spotted somewhere at the Bill - this one was in Top Fields this afternoon © Richard Phillips:

14th September

With routine passerine migration remaining less than riveting it was left to the sea and the trio of lingering goodies to the provide the day's action. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper on Bill Hill and the Wryneck at the Obs Quarry remained on station to entertain the steady stream of listers journeying out after scoring with the Stilt Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper at Lodmoor; the Hoopoe was also still about at Southwell but being tucked away in private gardens ensured it escaped the attention of the crowds. Despite the still fresh offshore blow the sea came up with several surprises at the Bill, notably involving at least 5 lingering Storm Petrels and a passing Black Tern; 6 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Arctic Terns, 3 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Sooty Shearwaters also passed through there. Although Meadow Pipits were moving overhead in modest numbers grounded arrivals weren't at all plentiful, with 75 Wheatears the only total worth a mention from the Bill. The summering Eider remained in Portland Harbour and singles of Common Scoter, Common Sandpiper and Kittiwake were of note at Ferrybridge.

The weather conditions just lately haven't been at all suitable for nocturnal sound-recording and Nick Hopper has only been able to make two visits to the Obs so far this month. The first session a fortnight ago was very quiet, with just four wader species logged (Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Knot) but it was a little busier this last Saturday night (9th-10th September) when the most interesting calls were from a Little Egret - a new species for Nick's recording project at Portland - at 04.18; the most numerous caller was Robin with 12 lots of calls, whilst there were additional loggings of Tree Pipit 10, Yellow Wagtail 2, Bar-tailed Godwit 3 flocks, Knot 2, Dunlin 2 flocks, Ringed Plover 2 flocks and Common Sandpiper 2.

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper performed nicely for the best part of the day © Mike Trew (upper two stills), Aidan Brown (lower still) and Dave Foot (videos):

The back garden Hoopoe at Southwell was an equally good performer even if it remained out of sight of the crowds © Gary White:

13th September

A lot of hard work today in an unrelenting blasting westerly eventually came up with a really decent list. The highlight came after dogged persistence tracked down a mystery wader seen briefly a couple of times in flight over the Bill: as half expected it turned out to be a Buff-breasted Sandpiper when it was eventually found settled late in the afternoon in a horse paddock on Bill Hill. After another very stormy night the sea had earlier come up with the best of the other newcomers: singles of Leach's Petrel and Sabine's Gull were the pick of the tally at the Bill that also included 13 Balearic Shearwaters, 12 Sandwich Terns, 7 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Great Skuas, 2 Little Gulls and singles of Storm Petrel, Whimbrel, Common Gull and Arctic Tern. Single Grey Phalaropes dropped in at Chesil Cove and Ferrybridge, with 2 Arctic Terns also fleeting visitors to the latter. On the land both the Obs Quarry Wryneck and the Southwell Hoopoe lingered on but there was little else of note or in quantity either on the ground or overhead.

With a hatful of suitable horse paddocks to scour it took a fair bit of searching before the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was eventually tracked down © Keith Pritchard (upper still), Pete Saunders (lower still) and Martin Cade (video):

A couple of views of the Hoopoe did at last show that it's ringed and so confirm it's last week's Bill bird © Gary White (upper) and Pete Saunders (lower):

These two Arctic Terns pitched in at Ferrybridge right at last light © Martin Cade:

12th September

Yesterday's wild winds hadn't diminished to nearly the degree that had been expected and it was still well beyond brisk at dawn, with the evening seeing the beginnings of what's promised to be another battering blow. Meadow Pipits, and to a lesser extent Wheatears, made up the bulk of the day's common migrant tally and two old faithfuls - the Obs Quarry Wryneck and the Southwell Hoopoe - again saved the day on the scarcity front. The morning's Meadow Pipit total at the Bill got up to around the 400 mark and accounted for the best part of the visible passage tally; the 70 or so Wheatears were easily the most conspicuous component of the grounded array that otherwise lacked virtually anything in the way of minor quality. For the most part the sea was quiet but a little flurry of late afternoon pre-rain passage saw 17 Balearic Shearwaters, 6 Sandwich Terns and a Sooty Shearwater logged at the Bill.

Two Dark Sword Grass and a single Hummingbird Hawkmoth were the only immigrant moths trapped overnight at the Obs.

The Hoopoe - at least we presume it's the individual that was at the Bill early last week and can't see any reason from these photos to suggest that it isn't - continues to pop up randomly and seemingly always quite briefly in a variety of birder's back gardens at Southwell. A few folk traipsed the streets looking for it today and all drew a blank so it seems as though it isn't disporting itself anywhere where it's accessible/visible when not tucked away behind the houses © Nick Stantiford (upper) and Gary White (lower):

11th September

The wild weather that blew in yesterday afternoon persisted throughout the night, with the wind barely abating until well into the afternoon. Storm-driven Grey Phalaropes are as near a cast iron certainty as you get in birding in these conditions and one was duly discovered soon after first light at Ferrybridge where it remained until early afternoon. Much more unexpected in the oddity stakes were the 2 Ospreys that flew south over Chesil Cove half an hour apart during the morning. The Obs Quarry Wryneck also popped up from time to time, with a presumed different individual seen briefly in the Obs garden. The sea got plenty of attention but rewards were scant, with 3 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Skua through off the Bill and 2 Great Skuas through off Chesil Cove. Migrant interest on the ground looked to be pretty minimal, with nothing in any numbers and singles of Common Sandpiper and White Wagtail the best on offer at the Bill.

The Grey Phalarope was showing very nicely at times © Pete Saunders (upper two stills), Keith Pritchard (lower two stills) and Martin Cade (video): 

And finally there was the matter of an evening dash to Lodmoor for a Stilt Sandpiper that gave us the wholly unexpected bonus of a Least Sandpiper © Martin Cade:

10th September

The relatively calm of dawn was short-lived and it wasn't long before a full-blown southwesterly gale sprung up. The Obs Quarry Wryneck continued to entertain and an early flurry of overhead passage saw both Swallow and Meadow Pipit get up to around the 500 mark at the Bill, but grounded migrant remained stubbornly thin on the ground with none reaching worthwhile totals at anywhere that received coverage. Sea interest increased as the wind freshened although neither quality nor quantity were anything special: Bill totals included 51 Manx Shearwaters, 18 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Teal, 3 Arctic Skuas, a Sooty Shearwater and a Great Skua, whilst 12 Manx Shearwaters and a Great Skua passed though off Chesil Cove and 6 Arctic Terns headed over Ferrybridge. Waders at Ferrybridge included 39 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Knot.

Two Scarce Bordered Straw at the Grove were the best of the night's immigrant moth catch.

The Obs Quarry Wryneck continued to attract a steady steam of photographers © Abi Jacobs (upper) and Simon Craft (lower): 

9th September

With a stiff northwesterly blowing there wasn't really much hope of quality newcomers and it was left to two elusive stayers - the Hoopoe at Southwell and the Wryneck at the Obs Quarry, both of which only showed once all day - to provide the best of the interest. Grounded commoner migrants were patchily spread and included 40 Chiffchaffs, 35 Wheatears, 15 Willow Warblers and 10 Blackcaps at the Bill/Southwell and 40 or more Blackcaps in the Grove/Easton area; amongst the also-rans a Short-eared Owl at the Bill was as good as it got. Visible passage fizzled out quite quickly at the Bill where there was an early pulse of 300 mixed hirundines, 200 Meadow Pipits, 27 Grey Wagtail and 20 Yellow Wagtails but little more once the threat of heavy showers looked to be materialising. The sea was almost devoid of passage, with just 2 Manx Shearwaters of note off the Bill.

Singles of Rusty-dot Pearl and Convolvulus Hawkmoth were the only immigrants amongst the very limited overnight catch of moths at the Obs.

8th September

The following entries appeared on the day-sheet today:
Bill: Balearic Shearwater 19, Common Scoter 19, C (commic, Common?) Tern 10, Manx Shearwater 41, Sabine's Gull 2, Storm Petrel 7, Leach's Petrel 3, Kittiwake 113, Great Skua 2, Arctic Skua 2, Wheatear 2.
Sweethill: Hoopoe 1.
Ferrybridge: Knot 12, Whimbrel 1, Sanderling 1.
Chesil Cove: Grey Phalarope 1, Balearic Shearwater 1, commic tern 1.

7th September

The big influx of Yellow Wagtails over the August bank holiday weekend aside, this autumn's been a real slow-burner to date; finally though, the presence of quantities of Meadow Pipits overhead and on the ground is giving the feel for passage really gaining some momentum. Today's pipit total topped 500 at the Bill, where the Wryneck remained - albeit very elusively for the most part - at the Obs Quarry and most of the expected mid-autumn common migrants put in appearances in mainly low numbers; the only reports from elsewhere were of a Hoopoe - presumably the Bill bird now ranging further afield? - making a quick fly-through visit to a garden at Southwell, and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a good count of 44 Oystercatchers at Ferrybridge. Despite the westerly wind freshening very conspicuously towards evening the only the only reports from the sea were of 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 8 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.

There was a noticeable increase in Painted Lady butterfly numbers; many were in less than perfect condition so were perhaps more likely new arrivals rather than a local hatch.

Immigrant moth numbers registered a small increase, with a Convolvulus Hawkmoth the best of the overnight quality at the Obs.

The Obs Quarry Wryneck went from being extremely accommodating yesterday to as good as invisible for most of its would-be viewers today, but it put in one brief appearance © Debby Saunders:

The long-staying Bar-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge at last attracted a friend © Pete Saunders: 

Whilst hardly matching our spring excesses the day's ringing rewards reflected the welcome increase in both numbers and variety that was obvious from wider fieldwork: the day's 52 new birds of 12 species contrasted with 11 of 4 species yesterday and just 3 of 3 species the day before; Tree Pipit and Whinchat were two of the more infrequently handled species that showed up in the nets © Brendan Sheils:

6th September

Clear skies and a brisk northwesterly saw Meadow Pipit passage get going for the first time this autumn but it remained very slow for grounded migrants. The day's tally of 3 Wrynecks at the Bill included a new arrival at the Obs Quarry (singles remained in the vicinity of Culverwell and in Top Fields) but, bar 3 White Wagtails, there was nothing else of particular note amongst the thin spread of grounded migrants. Meadow Pipits were heading through into the brisk breeze throughout the morning, with the day-sheet total of 250 over the Bill thought to be erring considerably on the conservative side; hirundines were also on the move in modest numbers, but 20 Grey Wagtails and 3 late-ish Swifts through over the Bill were the only other worthwhile overhead totals. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 21 Balearic Shearwaters and a lone Great Skua, whilst 4 Black-tailed Godwits and singles of Yellow-legged Gull and Whimbrel were at Ferrybridge.

Moth numbers took a tumble, with the immigrant tally at the Obs dropping back into single figures; a single White-speck was the only noteworthy capture there.

The 'new' Obs Quarry Wryneck © Tony Hovell (upper still), Martin King (lower still) and Martin Cade (video):

Also at the Bill, a White Wagtail from today and a Common Sandpiper from earlier in the week © Keith Pritchard:

5th September

A far drizzlier day than expected with the already fresh westerly strengthening markedly towards evening - not the sort of conditions likely to offer many rewards on the migrant front. The Hoopoe remained about - today almost exclusively at Culverwell - and a Wryneck that may or may not have been one of yesterday's individuals was in Top Fields, but new commoner migrants were very few and far between. Not surprisingly, the sea got a lot of looks and returned totals of 42 Balearic Shearwaters, 25 Common Scoter and 20 Manx Shearwaters through off the Bill; a Little Gull was also new in at Ferrybridge, where 60 Ringed Plover, 25 Dunlin, 4 Sanderling and a Bar-tailed Godwit made up the wader tally.

Immigrant moth numbers dropped right away, with just 4 Rush Veneer, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Silver Y and singles of Hummingbird Hawkmoth and Scarce Bordered Straw trapped overnight at the Obs.

It's been an almost uniformly poor year for Little Gulls around the island, with the total to date consisting of just 20 spring migrants through off the Bill, so this one dropping in at Ferrybridge was a welcome sight © Ian Lewington:

The brisk wind saw plenty of Gannets on the move off the Bill © Mike Trew:

4th September

A quite peculiar day with a nice flurry of scarcer migrants but very little in the way of more routine fare. After a drizzly, misty night there were high hopes that last evening's fleeting Hoopoe would show up again, which it duly did even if it was constantly skittish and mobile. An early morning Ortolan Bunting over the Slopes was a welcome sign that there were new arrivals to be found (the same or another was also later heard near Culverwell) and this proved to be the case when the first Wryneck of the autumn appeared in the Crown Estate Field, with it or another - together with a second individual - later showing up near Culverwell. It was commoner migrants that were the poor relation, with pretty dreadful numbers on the ground: the very light scatter at the Bill included little more of note than 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Redstarts and a Short-eared Owl. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 11 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters and 5 Arctic Skuas.

On a breezier night immigrant moth numbers dropped again, with 10 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Rush Veneer, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Pearly Underwing and a Silver Y making up the tally at the Obs.

For most observers, the Hoopoe afforded only flight views...

...although it did keep returning to the Obs garden where more than once it dropped out of the trees to feed along the footpaths...

...whilst these sort of things are never guaranteed, there did seem to be an inevitability that it would eventually stray into a mist-net; maybe surprisingly, it's the first Hoopoe to be ringed at Portland since 1982 and only the fourth ever © Martin Cade:

The autumn's first Wryneck was amusingly frustrating: we'd loosely furled the Crown Estate Field nets for a few minutes when a rain shower passed through and on returning to re-open them flushed the bird from beside the path - inevitably it flew straight at a shut net and proceeded to perch on it in full view! © Martin Cade:

...later in the morning, the same or another individual posed rather more aesthetically a few hundred metres away near Culverwell © Bruce Park:

Disappointingly for its stalwart watchers, Ferrybridge has gone off the boil just at the moment: a Baird's Sandpiper would be very welcome indeed but a solitary Sanderling was as good as it got today © Debby Saunders:

In the few spells of sunshine today it was very warm and humid, with plenty of insect activity - including several Hummingbird Hawkmoths - around the buddleia bushes at the Obs © Martin King:

Wasp Spiders are about in some numbers now; this one at the Obs today had snared a Small Tortoiseshell as its latest victim © Martin King:

3rd September

An absolute wash-out of a day ended in quite bizarre circumstances when, just before dusk, a fleeting view of something unfamiliar disappearing into a tree just off the Obs patio materialised on closer inspection into a Hoopoe; it remained in view for a few seconds before flying off - presumably to roost somewhere in the near vicinity. With the conditions precluding any other meaningful fieldwork on the land bar the discovery of the autumn's first 2 Purple Sandpipers settled at the Bill, the day's only other reports were of sporadic seawatching there that had come up with 33 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters, 5 Arctic Skuas, 2 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Great Skuas.

A conspicuously reduced overnight catch in the Obs garden moth-traps did include a small selection of immigrants: 13 Rush Veneer, 2 Delicates and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Pearly Underwing, White-speck, Small Mottled Willow, Scarce Bordered Straw and a Dioryctria sp (possibly not the usual abietella?)

2nd September

We keep thinking that each small downturn in the weather will mark the beginning of the end of summer but the warm, settled conditions just keep getting re-established - largely to the detriment of grounded migrant numbers; clear skies and hot sunshine remained the order of the day today but it'll be interesting to see whether tomorrow's - Yank-laden? - blip marks the arrival of conditions that'll perk up migrant numbers. Wheatear again topped the migrant chart today with at least 100 at the Bill, whilst Yellow Wagtail was no far behind on 80; sadly, nothing else came even close to those totals, with a Firecrest lingering at the Obs the best of the limited selection on offer at the Bill. The light offshore breeze offered little for the seawatchers who managed just 7 Balearic Shearwaters through off the Bill.

Apart from a shuffling of the numbers the immigrant moth situation was much as in recent nights, with 29 Rush Veneer, 6 Silver Y, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 5 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Vestal, 2 Pearly Underwing and a Red Admiral butterfly making up the totals from the Obs traps.

A nice fly-by from one of the Reap Lane Yellow Wagtails © Pete Saunders:

1st September

With the weather having reverted back to 'far too nice for a fall' conditions it wasn't at all surprising that with a couple of exceptions grounded migrants were pretty hard to come by in anything other than ones and twos. Another pulse of Yellow Wagtails did show up, with perhaps 100 dotted about at the Bill, whilst the Wheatear total there got past 50; beyond those two species it was downhill all the way, with the first Firecrest of the season the only minor highlight at the Bill. The light smattering of migrants elsewhere included a Greenshank of note at Ferrybridge.

Red Admiral butterflies increased very conspicuously, with a steady northbound passage apparent at the Bill and elsewhere (sample counts included about 1 a minute through along East Cliffs at the Bill and about 30 through in 2 hours at Reap Lane/Barleycrates Lane); totals of settled Red Admirals included more than 100 in the Obs garden.

Immigrant moth totals included 12 Rush Veneer, 11 Dark Sword Grass, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 6 Scarce Bordered Straw, 5 Silver Y, 4 Pearly Underwing and singles of Delicate and Ni Moth at the Obs.

Yellow Wagtail and Redstart at Southwell © Nick Stantiford:

Common Buzzard over Southwell and Bar-tailed Godwit at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders: