Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre

6th May

Weather-wise, a repeat of yesterday whilst on the bird front there was less in the way of both numbers and interest. A Red Kite over Ferrybridge and a Continental Coal Tit at the Bill were easily the best of the day's oddities, with 3 Little Ringed Plovers over Chesil also a belated addition to the year list. Wheatears topped 40 at the Bill but the two routine phylloscs were the only other common migrants even managing double figure totals there; 3 White Wagtails, 2 Redpolls and a Hobby were of minor note at the Bill, with a late Merlin of further interest over Chesil. In almost millpond calm conditions 3 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Skua and Arctic Skua passed through off the Bill, whilst 80 Whimbrel and 15 Sanderling were the best of a more varied passage off Chesil.

A single Brimstone butterfly flying north along West Cliffs at the Bill had all the look of being an immigrant.

A single Rusty-dot Pearl was the only immigrant moth trapped overnight at the Obs.

A window seat on a flight to Gibraltar provided a nice view of Portland bathed in sunshine today © Steve Copsey:

It's been a good spring for Coal Tits, with all those that have been sub-specifically identified - like today's bird on the Slopes at the Bill - proving to be ater Continental birds © Erin Taylor:

The warm sunshine has at last seen butterflies on the wing in some quantity, with Orange-tip and Holly Blue both featuring today © Ken Dolbear:

5th May

Whilst holidaymakers were lapping up the glorious sunshine and warmth of the start of the bank holiday weekend birders were left scratching around with only meagre fare for entertainment. A brief Red-rumped Swallow at High Angle Battery would have been very popular had it lingered and none of the other oddities putting in appearances, including singles of Coal Tit and Marsh Harrier at the Bill, were any more obliging. Routine migrants weren't at all plentiful but did include 40 each of Wheatear and Willow Warbler, 30 Chiffchaffs and 12 Whinchats grounded at the Bill, where 11 Yellow Wagtails, 8 Tree Pipits and 3 White Wagtails were amongst the steady flow of visible migrants overhead. Less common interest came in the form of a Firecrest at the Bill and 4 Hobbys and a Cuckoo through at points northward. Seawatching was almost completely unrewarding, with 70 commic terns through off the Bill and 7 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Whimbrel through off Chesil.

Whimbrel at the Bill today © Dan Law:

4th May

A something of nothing day with early cloud failing to drop migrants in any quantity at all; a rapid clearance saw hirundines get moving but even their passage was steady rather than spectacular. On the ground only Wheatear (50) and Willow Warbler (30) managed double figure totals at the Bill where Swallow sample counts got up to around 250/hour; Sand Martins were unexpectedly numerous, with 70 through along West Cliffs in 75 minutes, whilst Yellow Wagtails continued their good run with 7 more through at the Bill and others elsewhere. Very minor oddities included a Marsh Harrier over at the Bill and singles of Grasshopper Warbler and Bullfinch grounded there. The calm conditions were hardly conducive to rewarding seawatching, with 2 Great Skuas and singles of Red-throated Diver and Pomarine Skua through off the Bill and 137 commic terns, 27 Arctic Terns and singles of Great Skua and Arctic Skua through off Chesil.

A Harbour Porpoise was in Chesil Cove during the evening.

Three Clouded Yellows heading north at the Bill during the morning included one that was watched arriving in off the sea.

More for fun and to try and learn something new, just lately we've started tinkering around with remote nocturnal recording ourselves rather than always relying on the goodwill of Nick and Joe; our efforts aren't as diligent as these stalwarts in as much as we've rarely got enough time to do more than skim the recordings for the obvious close calls rather scour them in detail for all the faint distant stuff but it has been remarkably educational. Last night's nice overcast conditions saw plenty of wader passage overhead but also one slightly freaky thing when a Shelduck (a female if our reading of BWP is correct) passed over during the early hours:

3rd May

Too nice a day for much of an arrival on the ground today and most of what did pitch up didn't linger long. Willow Warbler topped the numbers with around 50 at the Bill but it was the variety of less frequent migrants that provided most of the interest, with 18 Yellow Wagtails, 8 Redstarts, 6 Whinchats, 5 Whimbrel, 2 Hobbys, 2 Pied Flycatchers and singles of Purple Sandpiper, Grasshopper Warbler and White Wagtail at the Bill; a similar selection elsewhere included additional quality in the form of 2 Coal Tits at Pennsylvania Castle. In the rather benign conditions the only reports of note from the sea were of singles of Great Northern Diver and Pomarine Skua through off the Bill.

With the spring having hitherto been pretty dismal for Grasshopper Warblers it was nice to hear one singing well in Top Fields today:

Whimbrel at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders...

...and Early Purple Orchid at the Bill © Joe Stockwell:

There can be few more agreeable spots for a vis-mig watch than the West Cliffs and this morning was no exception...

...all the better when the rewards include a Hobby and numerous Yellow Wagtails photos © Joe Stockwell:

Playing host today to Anita Rani and a BBC Countryfile crew © Peter Morgan and Countryfile:

2nd May

The proverbial day of two halves, with a horribly wet morning giving way to a gloriously sunny afternoon. The rain had begun relatively early in the night and looked to have put the block on most migration with only a relatively thin spread of new arrivals evident once the clearance arrived: the 2 Golden Orioles remained in Top Fields but 10 Redstarts was the only worthwhile migrant total logged at the Bill where a single passing Hobby was of additional note. An almost instant switch from a promising southeasterly to a hopeless northwesterly as the rain cleared restricted sea passage to little more than an hour of action when 124 commic terns, 3 Great Skuas, 2 each of Great Northern Diver and Arctic Skua, and singles of Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver and Pomarine Skua passed through off the Bill and 510 commic terns pulsed through at Chesil; later, 2 Pomarine Skuas and 2 Arctic Terns were off Chesil Cove.

1st May

A cool, breezy start to May but with enough on land and sea to keep visitors entertained. The 2 lingering Golden Orioles at the Bill attracted a steady trickle of admirers and although there was nothing else by way of a scarcity the spread of routine migrants included most of what might be expected at this stage of the season, with a Turtle Dove at Tout Quarry, a Pied Flycatcher at Wakeham and 6 Redstarts, 6 Whinchats, 4 Yellow Wagtails and singles of Hobby, Common Sandpiper and White Wagtail at Southwell/the Bill of note. Offshore, Manx Shearwaters dominated the numbers: sample counts suggested as many as 10000 passed the Bill through the day as a whole but with movement taking place in both directions it seems unlikely that there wasn't huge duplication; proper passage of other seabirds only really got going once the wind backed out of the north after midday, with 51 commic terns, 40 Bar-tailed Godwits, 11 Great Skuas, 9 Arctic Skuas, 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Pomarine Skuas and singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver eventually logged at the Bill.

Redstart at Southwell © Debby Saunders...

...and Great Northern Diver off the Bill © Ken King:

The Golden Orioles were rarely particularly close but at times they were showing really quite nicely © Martin Cade:

Maybe through having been around too long we can remember the times when evening seawatching at the obelisk used to be a popular activity at the Bill; sadly, interest's dwindled these days which is a shame since there's often just as much on the move as in the mornings © Martin Cade:

30th April

For the most part it was back down to earth with a bump today with the migrant tap reduced to little more than a drip; however, the 2 Golden Orioles remained in Top Fields and a/the Hoopoe seen at the Bill in almost identically subliminal circumstances to yesterday did introduce some quality to proceedings. There were pockets of action on the migrant front - for instance, Pennsylvania Castle was described as laden with Willow Warblers - but in most areas exposed to the full force of the raw northerly it was almost lifeless in comparison with yesterday's excesses: among the new arrivals at the Bill only Redstart, Wheatear, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff managed double figure totals on the ground, with 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Hobby, Turtle Dove, Firecrest (the long stayer resurfacing again) providing the only additional quality there; another Hobby also passed through at Blacknor.

Same time, same place, same circumstances as yesterday; it's hard to believe that the two Hoopoe sightings don't relate to the same individual but if that is the case then it's proving to be a remarkably elusive bird that vanishes into oblivion after flashing through the Crown Estate Field soon after dawn © Martin Cade:

Redstart and Chiffchaff at the Bill today © Simon Kidner:

29th April

This spring's migrant avalanche had got so delayed that it was probably always going to be a really big one when it did strike and today's conditions - heavily overcast with a brisk, cold northeasterly - were just the catalyst needed. The movement through was both rapid and on a very broad front but from point counts and the ringing efforts at the Obs it would seem that (probably conservative) estimates for the Bill area were something of the order of 2000 Willow Warblers, 750 Swallows, 300 Wheatears, 200 each of Blackcap, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler, 60 Redstarts, 50 each of Yellow Wagtail and Chiffchaff, 40 Spotted Flycatchers, 30 Tree Pipits, 25 each of Swift and Whinchat, 20 Reed Warblers, 15 each of Sedge Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 each of Short-eared Owl, Golden Oriole and Siskin and singles of Merlin and Hoopoe; with most of these birds patently moving rapidly northward it seems pointless mentioning the often excellent totals of a similar range of birds elsewhere since there must have been huge duplication, but singles of Hoopoe and Golden Oriole in the Grove area were the only scarcities reported. Although conditions were far from ideal for the sea there were a few odds and ends on the move off the Bill, including 80 Bar-tailed Godwits, 41 Common Scoter, 40 commic terns, 7 Great Northern Divers, 2 Red-throated Divers and singles of Great Skua, Pomarine Skua and Arctic Skua.

A few nice little videos that really give a feel for the events of the day © Dave Foot:

...and another one of the Golden Orioles © Martin Cade:

And some stills: Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat and Greenland Wheatear © Pete Saunders (Pied Fly), Debby Saunders (Whinchat) and Nick Hopper (Greenland Wheatear):

28th April

Dreary skies and little more than a waft of a northerly breeze saw another quite nice little arrival today. Scarcities consisted of nothing more than a Woodlark and the first Turtle Dove of the spring at the north of the island but the flurry of more routine fare at the Bill included 100 Willow Warblers, 40 Blackcaps and 30 each of Wheatear and Garden Warbler, with 2 Pied Flycatchers amongst the list of less common migrants. The seawatchers had to work hard to get any reward at the Bill where 2 Great Northern Divers and singles of Great Skua and Arctic Skua were the best on offer.

A Tree Pipit lurking at Easton this afternoon © Martin Cade:

27th April

With bands of rain a constant nuisance birding was never easy today but the stir-up in the weather that had seen the breeze freshen up from the east and heavy cloud roll in overnight downed a nice selection of migrants for the first time in a week. A Golden Oriole at Easton provided the best of the quality, whilst Swallows featured in their highest numbers so far this spring (including 800 arriving over Chesil in 20 minutes between rain bands during the morning) and 150 Willow Warblers and 40 Blackcaps at the Bill marked a return to expected numbers after the famine of recent days. There were few surprises amongst the arrivals but the first 2 Spotted Flycatchers of the spring, 3 Pied Flycatchers and a Hobby were at the Bill, a Cuckoo pitched up at Easton, another Pied Flycatcher was at Blacknor, a Hobby passed through on Chesil and 16 Bar-tailed Godwits dropped in at Ferrybridge. It seemed as though the rain in the Channel was putting the block on a lot of offshore sea passage, with 5 Great Skuas, a Great Northern Diver and a Pomarine Skua - along with another strong feeding movement of 1000 Manx Shearwaters - the best of it at the Bill, but a nice selection of closer to shore movers off Chesil included the first 2 Roseate Terns of the year, 38 Little Terns and an Arctic Skua.

Pied Flycatcher and Whinchat at Southwell and Bar-tailed Godwits at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders (Pied Fly and Barwits) and Pete Saunders (Whinchat):

26th April

With a brisk westerly still well established nocturnal migrants were again extremely thin on the ground, with the relatively good passage of hirundines during the daytime hours suggesting that perhaps a lot of birds are passing over at night without stopping - a brisk headwind or a profound change in the weather is much in demand! Swallows topped 500 at the Bill where Willow Warbler and Wheatear struggled into double figures on the ground and a passing Merlin and the long-staying Firecrest were the only very minor highlights amongst a meagre back up cast. The sea was hardly any better, with 6 Great Skuas and singles of Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver passing through off the Bill.

25th April

A reminder that there's an In Focus field event at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Saturday, 28th April.

Not that the conditions looked in any way suitable to have expected much to have happened, but this week's turn of events with migrants getting fewer by the day - just as they might have been expected to be reaching their seasonal peak numbers - has been dispiriting for those taking the trouble to be out looking. The single figure totals of the most routine species on offer at the Bill aren't really worth a mention, but singles of Merlin, Hobby, White Wagtail and Firecrest did provide a modicum of interest there. In the brisk and freshening westerly the sea came up with a little more including c1500 Manx Shearwaters, 12 Great Skuas, 2 each of Red-throated Diver and Pomarine Skua, and a single Arctic Skua.

Another one of yesterday's Cuckoo at Southwell © Nick Stantiford:

24th April

Still largely hopeless for common migrants today but one or two morsels of quality gave the list a hint of respectability. A Hoopoe - no doubt the bird seen briefly a couple of days ago - popped up equally briefly again at Southwell where a Cuckoo was the pick of the day's new arrivals; 3 Whinchats, 2 each of White Wagtail and Redstart, and singles of Common Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat and Firecrest were the best of the arrivals at the Bill where 35 Wheatears and 25 Willow Warblers were the only worthwhile common migrant totals. The spring's first Pomarine Skua was the highlight off the Bill where 7 Great Skuas and 6 Arctic Skuas also passed through.

Today's Cuckoo at Southwell © Nick Stantiford:

23rd April

Another very low key day, with migrant numbers showing few signs of picking up. Wheatears were more conspicuous, with 75 at the Bill alone, and Swallows were arriving in their highest numbers so far this spring (maybe 500 through in the day as a whole) but there were only just into double figures totals of both Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler there and 2 Common Sandpipers and singles of White Wagtail, Redstart and Pied Flycatcher were the best of the less frequents; elsewhere, singles of Yellow Wagtail and Black Redstart were at Reap Lane. A trickle on the sea included 4 Red-throated Divers, 2 Great Skuas and an Arctic Skua through off the Bill.

It's looking like the majority of Wheatears coming through now are big Greenland/Iceland breeders - this one was trapped today in the Crown Estate Field © Martin Cade:

Recent nocturnal recording efforts have been as unproductive as the daytime watching. Nick Hopper was with us at the weekend but both nights were disappointing poor: a Moorhen, a Bar-tailed Godwit, two flocks of Dunlin and 2 Robins on 19th/20th April and three parties of Common Scoter (distant so probably over the sea), a Whimbrel, two flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover on 20th/21st April

22nd April

What a difference a year makes: on this date last year 412 birds were ringed at the Obs (...and the previous day 300 had been ringed), today's total there was just 9! Yesterday's thunderstorms had continued to rumble through into the early hours and offered the possibility of migrants being grounded but in the event they'd more likely kept things from moving in the first place, with only single figure totals of even the commonest species in evidence at the Bill at daybreak; a Hoopoe briefly at Southwell was presumed to be a new arrival rather than a lingerer re-emerging but the only other oddity making the list was a Wood Warbler in Top Fields. The sea tantalised rather than excited, with 7 Great Skuas, 5 Arctic Skuas, 4 Little Gulls and 2 Velvet Scoter off the Bill and 59 Whimbrel, 5 Arctic Skuas, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Red-throated Divers and 2 Grey Plover off Chesil hinted at there being plenty on the move had poor visibility not restricted opportunities for long periods during the morning in particular.

The trouble with this time of year is trying to spirit up enough hours out of each day to get all the interesting jobs done and we've run out time again in our attempt to catch up in particular with most of the recordings from recent days; the one we did get round to sorting was the ater Coal Tit at the Bill lighthouse a couple of days ago; sadly, as had been the case with the birds at the Obs a couple of days previously, we contrived to miss most of the best song - although in the case of Coal Tit it does seem to be the calls that are the more interesting:

21st April

Today's parting of the thunderstorms as they approached the island was a thing of some marvel and ensured that the island stayed dry as intense rain fell frequently just a few miles away. Sadly, this good fortune didn't extend to the day's migrant happenings with it relatively quiet everywhere: variety wasn't too bad but the totals at the Bill of, for example, 50 Willow Warblers and 40 Wheatears on the ground and 300 Swallows through overhead were hardly impressive for the last third of April; 6 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Redstarts, 3 Firecrests, 2 each of White Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat and Redpoll, and singles of Merlin, Tree Pipit, Whinchat and Bullfinch were the best of the less frequent migrants there, whilst singles of Wood Warbler at Southwell and Weston were the highlights elsewhere. With the breeze remaining frustratingly just north of east the sea was never busy although a Sabine's Gull reported from the Bill would have been a nice highlight had it shown for more than its single observer; the pick of the more mundane fare were 6 Red-throated Divers, 3 Arctic Skuas and a Great Northern Diver through off the Bill and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Canada Geese through off Chesil.

Another dispersing Pine Beauty was the only moth of note from overnight trapping.

Before a couple of photos from today we'll go back to yesterday for a recording of the Mealy Redpoll; we've run out of time both yesterday and again tonight to be able to discuss this and the ater Coal Tit's vocalisations, so more on them later:

Willow Warbler and Wheatear were today's most conspicuous migrants on the ground © Nick Hopper:

20th April

Another gloriously hot and sunny day with the bonus of an unexpected flurry of migrants. Wheatears staged a strong arrival with at least 150 at the Bill, where 120 Willow Warblers and 30 Chiffchaffs made up the bulk of the rest of the numbers on the ground and Swallows - along with the first 2 Swifts of the spring - were moving through steadily overhead; 8 Whinchats, 5 Redstarts, 3 each of Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat, Redpoll (including a Mealy Redpoll) and Bullfinch, 2 each of Tree Pipit and Siskin and singles of Pied Flycatcher and Continental Coal Tit were among the less common migrants featuring there, with singles of Marsh Harrier, Black Redstart and Pied Flycatcher of note at other sites around the centre of the island. Two Mute Swans and singles of Red-throated Diver, Great Skua and Arctic Skua were as good as it got on the sea at the Bill.

A single Clouded Yellow was at the Bill, whilst Holly Blue and Wall Brown were both on the wing for the first time this year.

Singles of Diamond-back Moth and Dark Sword Grass at the Obs and Silver Y at the Grove made up the night's immigrant moth tally, with a Pine Beauty at the Obs a good local record.

As we've mentioned before, having seen all manner of intermediate birds we've never been great fans of splitting the redpolls but today's frosty adult male Mealy-type was as obvious as they come and as far removed as they come from the dowdy Lesser-types that make up the majority of birds trapped at Portland © Martin Cade (in-hand side) and Nick Hopper (in-hand front and in-field):

The ater Coal Tit was seen in particularly bizarre circumstances: whilst watching Wheatears in the Bill Quarry we became aware of the vaguely Yellow-browed Warbler-like calls of what we took to be a Continental Coal Tit high overhead. Assuming that it was an overflying migrant we looked up to try and locate it and discovered it was on the very top of the Bill lighthouse from where it parachuted down - by now in song - onto the chimneys of the lighthouse cottages; it continued to alternate between these two perches, sometimes also landing on the window ledges of the lighthouse tower and still calling and singing, for a couple of minutes before making off north © Martin Cade:

Lulls in the flow of visible migrants moving along West Cliffs can always be spent keeping your hand in at flight photography © Nick Hopper:

19th April

It seems churlish to find fault with what's been reported to be the warmest April day for 70 years but the glorious conditions did migrant-seekers few favours, with most of what might have pitched up on island most likely passing high overhead without stopping during the hours of darkness; whether this was the case will never be known although the peculiar dearth of visible passage in seemingly perfect conditions during the daylight hours perhaps hinted at there being a bit of a migration blockage elsewhere. The only oddity of the day was the lingering Hoopoe that was mobile in a wide area to the north of the Grove. A minor flurry of routine migrants at dawn included 30 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff at the Bill, where yesterday's 2 ater Coal Tits remained overnight but very quickly moved on and 2 Firecrests and a Bullfinch were the best of the new arrivals; interest elsewhere came in the form of a Grasshopper Warbler at Barleycrates Lane, 2 Canada Geese and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Grove and a Brambling at Blacknor. Sea passage was never conspicuous but included 5 Red-throated Divers and 4 Arctic Skuas through off the Bill.

Orange-tip and Green-veined White butterflies were both on the wing for the first time this year.

A seemingly endless procession of dog-walkers tempted out by the warmth of the evening saw to it that the Grove Hoopoe was extremely skittish and mobile - affording only a couple of brief settled views © Martin Cade:

18th April

Although the ongoing upturn in the weather was certainly inspiring, there was nothing particularly inspiring about the quality of the day's birding - at least not until a pair of Continental Coal Tits dropped in unexpectedly at the Obs during the afternoon. The Hoopoe lingered for another day at the Bill and a second individual popped up at the Grove but otherwise quality on the migrant front was limited to the year's first Cuckoo over Ferrybridge; there was a small improvement in overall numbers at the Bill where 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Yellow Wagtail and Firecrest were of interest, with a Ring Ouzel at Barleycrates Lane the best elsewhere. Much had been expected of the sea in a light southeasterly but in the event numbers there were hardly impressive with 58 Whimbrel, 56 commic terns, 31 Common Scoter, 12 Sandwich Terns, 4 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great Skuas and an Arctic Skua through off the Bill, 3 Great Skuas, 3 Arctic Terns, a Red-throated Diver and an Arctic Skua off Chesil and a lone Mute Swan logged at various times off Blacknor, the Bill and Chesil.

Speckled Wood at Culverwell and Clouded Yellow at Church Ope Cove were both first records for the year.

The vast majority of Portland Coal Tit records relate to individuals of the Continental form ater that's a tolerably frequent autumn stray - usually in small influxes every few years; spring records of this form are far rarer, with today's pair the first since March 2007 © Martin Cade:

Vagrant Coal Tits at Portland are often quite vocal and these birds - presumably since they were a pair - were giving all sorts of calls as they moved around together; before their capture the male did sing very briefly but due to our crass ineptness we failed to recognise it/record it and when a Great Tit flew out of the same trees dismissed the mystery song as something freakish from that bird's repertoire!

It was a glorious day of unbroken warm sunshine from dawn 'til dusk - rather too nice to have expected any sort of arrival of migrants but very welcome in the context of this year's cool, late spring © Emily Cade:

17th April

Although the Hoopoe remained at the Bill the land was otherwise a very distant second best to the sea today: the big swell running at the Bill hinted at the presence of a deep depression and its associated brisk southerly winds to the west of Britain and seabirds were certainly feeling the effects, with a steady passage past both Chesil and the Bill. Bill totals included 365 Common Scoter, 103 commic terns, 37 Whimbrel, 27 Great Skuas, 26 Sandwich Terns, 17 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 14 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 8 Arctic Skuas, 4 Red-throated Divers and singles of Shelduck, Gadwall, Velvet Scoter and Eider, as well as good but unquantified numbers of Manx Shearwaters (movement was again taking place in both directions but certainly involved a well into four figures total); higher totals of some species off Chesil included 41 Whimbrel and 31 Great Skuas. The land got plenty of coverage but, the Hoopoe aside, came up with nothing better than lingering singles of Short-eared Owl and Firecrest amongst the woefully low numbers of commoner migrants at the Bill.

A selection from today's seawatching at the Bill: Gadwall and Common Scoters © Ted Pressey (top photo) and Keith Pritchard (lower photo)...