Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre

12th March

Overnight rain lingered on as showers after daybreak but these were enough to drop the overdue first 3 Wheatears of the season at the Bill. With the early rain restricting opportunities on the land the sea got more attention, with 240 Kittiwakes, 10 Red-throated Divers, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, a Manx Shearwater and a Black-headed Gull through off the Bill before the arrival of fairer weather eventually killed off the movement. An incoming Merlin was of note overhead but, the wheatears aside, 2 Chiffchaffs were the only other migrants of note on the ground at the Bill.

Just as we were starting to feel a little left out, the first migrant wheatears arrived at Portland Bill this morning. pic.twitter.com/5h05ctI6yd
— Jodie mae Henderson (@JodiemHenderson) March 12, 2022

11th March

Bucketloads of rain - at least for the duration of the morning - today joined the litany of excuses (...gales, sloth, incompetence and senility all spring readily to mind) we can provide for our continuing lack of a Wheatear - in fact no summer migrant featured on the day-list today! A fly-by party of Shoveler off the Bill did provide small compensation, with 3 Common Scoter and a single Red-throated Diver also passing by there; the only other report of note was of the 6 Bar-tailed Godwits still at Ferrybridge.

It might seem like a silly little simple pleasure but we were really excited to see the flock of Shoveler passing the Bill - in fact all the more so for the fact that they rounded Pulpit Rock within seconds of us arriving at the Obelisk and we then remained at the Bill tip for another half hour and saw absolutely nothing else of interest. We've seen umpteen Shoveler pass by over the years but we're pretty sure this is the first time that there's been the happy coincidence of them being close enough and us having a camera to hand © Martin Cade:

Considering what a shocker the morning had been, the afternoon was really quite pleasant albeit still pretty breezy © Martin Cade:

10th March

With the land continuing to underperform persistence with the sea again provided some numbers today, notably another 500 Kittiwakes, 30 Common Gulls, 24 Mediterranean Gulls, 12 Red-throated Divers and 10 Common Scoter through off the Bill. It wasn't entirely dead on the ground but the rewards from plenty of legwork were hardly fulsome, with the best a handful of single Chiffchaffs hear and there, 2 Redwings at Southwell and singles of Firecrest and Siskin still at Pennsylvania Castle; a very light trickle of incoming Meadow Pipits were also apparent overhead.

Four Bottle-nosed Dolphins were lingering in Portland Harbour.

9th March

The sea provided the numbers again on a day of blustery southerlies, with Kittiwakes in particular putting in a strong showing that saw 1385 logged heading east during a sample two hour count of what looked to be the peak of the movement at the Bill; 13 Common Scoter, 9 Red-throated Divers, 6 Manx Shearwaters and singles of Black-throated Diver, Great Skua and Arctic Skua provided some additional variety. Three Chiffchaffs and a Black Redstart made up the lowly tally on the ground there.

If ever a single image was unrepresentative of an event then this is it: the morning's Kittiwake passage consisted almost entirely of tight flocks of 20-30 shooting past at mid-distance in horribly bright light for photography/video; with everything else equally out of range it was left to poor old Billy no-mates here to satisfy our need for a blog photo! © Martin Cade:

We still haven't got round to filling in the missing daily reports from when we were away the week before last; there really wasn't much going on but this Brambling was a nice garden visitor at Weston during that period © Duncan Walbridge:

This Sparrowhawk was another garden visitor today © Geoff Orton:

8th March

The arrival of a noticeably milder onshore breeze saw spring sea passage kick off quite impressively with 29 Black-headed Gulls, 27 Mediterranean Gulls, 25 Common Scoter, 12 Teal, 9 Pintail, 8 Brent Geese, 7 Curlew, 5 Shelducks, 3 Red-throated Divers and singles of Black-throated Diver, Whimbrel and Great Skua constituting a decent return off Chesil; the Bill fared very poorly, with just 2 Red-throated Divers and a Brent Goose of note. Passerine migrants didn't respond at all, with just 2 grounded Chiffchaffs at the Bill. The day's only other reports of interest concerned one of the wintering Blackcaps still at Southwell and a Short-eared Owl over Weston.

The Southwell Barn Owl's now into its 14th week residing in its box - there have been others in the area but none seem to have struck up a promising friendship with this individual! © Nick Stantiford:

7th March

With the vicious easterly freshening all the time and gusting up around gale force by the afternoon birding opportunities - at least on the land - were again rather limited. A couple of single Chiffchaffs and an inbound Meadow Pipit made up the migrant tally at the Bill, 6 Purple Sandpipers were still there, 4 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver passed by on the sea and the Black Brant was back in at Ferrybridge.

Four Bottle-nosed Dolphins were lingering off the Bill.

6th March

The briskness of the easterly again dented enthusiasm for fieldwork and the only reports were of a Grey Wagtail and the odd single Chiffchaffs here and there on the ground at the Bill, 21 Common Scoter through offshore there, a reappearance of a Black Brant at Ferrybridge and an increase to 37 Oystercatchers there. It will get better but perhaps not for a few days!

5th March

Feeling chillier today in a brisk northeasterly. After of a night with virtually no detectable overhead passage it wasn't a surprise when grounded arrivals weren't at all conspicuous, with no more than a handful of Chiffchaffs and a Redwing at the Bill and a Siskin at Pennsylvania Castle to mention. The conditions were conducive for a dribble of visible passage to get going but, typically for this early in the season, this consisted of just Meadow Pipits heading up West Cliffs. Winterers on show included one of the Blackcaps at Southwell, the Great Spotted Woodpecker and Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle and the Red-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour. The only sea reports were of 9 Common Scoter and 3 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill.

4th March

After a really dreary, damp week it was a pleasure to at last have a day of almost unbroken sunshine even if the quality of the birding didn't improve in tandem. Migrant interest at the Bill consisted of 52 Redwings and a Curlew through overnight, single figure totals of Chiffchaffs, Redwings and seemingly new Stonechats on the ground by day and a couple of vismig Carrion Crows arriving in off the sea; 6 Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Black-headed Gulls through offshore - together with 6 Common Scoter and 3 Red-throated Divers - also looked to be passing migrants. In situ winterers included 7 Purple Sandpipers at the Bill and a Black Redstart at Blacknor.

The local inhabitants were looking good in the sunshine but there was little to excite by way of new arrivals today © Martin Cade:

3rd March

Another steady little overnight passage of Redwings - 184 calls logged at the Obs of which all bar 3 were between 21:25 when it stopped raining and 01:30 - didn't prove to be the precursors to an uptick in daytime migrant numbers, with 3 Redwings, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Siskin the sum total of the numbers at the Bill; 4 Purple Sandpipers and 4 Turnstones were also still there and 4 Black-headed Gulls passed by on the sea.

Moth interest certainly hasn't been to the fore just lately although, even without any moth-traps being operated, there have been the occasional signs of the onset of spring. Three Dotted Borders were a seasonable find in the Obs porch this morning © Martin Cade...

...whilst a Garden Carpet that flew in through an open door at the Obs one day whilst we were away last week had got well ahead of itself - the new Dorset moth website doesn't show any previous county records for the month of February © John Lucas:

2nd March

Since it again damped and drizzled until nearly lunchtime and a fresh easterly breeze was a less than enjoyable feature throughout there wasn't a lot to commend in the day's weather. However, there was just a little solace to be found in the birding, with 3 new Chiffchaffs and a Redwing grounded at the Bill, where 334 Gannets (a sample 90 minute total of presumed migrants heading up-Channel), 3 Black-headed Gulls, a Common Scoter, a Curlew and a Great Skua passed by on the sea.

The first 'pollened' Chiffchaff of the spring was a sure sign that at least some of the new arrivals were of distant origin © Peter Morgan:

1st March

The twelve hours of murky but drier conditions - midnight to midday - sandwiched between long spells of rain provided a few more signs of passage getting going at the Bill, with 83 Redwing calls logged by the nocmig recorder (nearly all between midnight and 4am), another 2 inbound Redwings during the morning, 2 more Siskins overhead and new singles of Robin and Chiffchaff trapped at the Obs. A lone Common Scoter passed by off the Bill and singles of Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Black-necked Grebe were still in Portland Harbour.

A warm welcome today to Jodie Henderson who took up her role as assistant warden for the season; Jodie comes to us after spending extended spells during the last few years on Skokholm Island, with exciting little interludes on the Azores and the Seychelles featuring amongst her other recent fieldwork experiences.

28th February

Not that the day's events really necessitate it but on the cusp of spring perhaps it's timely to finally return to narrative updates after a winter of less time-consuming daily lists. An increase in overnight cloud cover gave some hope on the migrant front but the only loggings of note concerned a Moorhen over the Obs during the hours of darkness, 2 Siskins overhead there during the morning and a lone Meadow Pipit watched arriving in off the sea at the Bill. Routine fare passing off the Bill included 4 Common Scoter and 2 Red-throated Divers.

The highlight - in fact it was the only bird logged! - from the year's first nocmig attempt at the Obs was this Moorhen overhead at 03:41:

20th - 27th February

20th February Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Common Scoter 4w, Black-headed Gull 1w.

21st February Portland Bill Redwing 1, Black Redstart 2.

22nd February Portland Bill Brent Goose 1e; Reap Lane Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 2; Portland Harbour Great Northern Diver 1.

23rd February Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e, Common Scoter 2w; Pennsylvania Castle Great Spotted Woodpecker 1; Church Ope Cove Black Redstart 1; Ferrybridge Black Brant 1.

24th February Portland Bill Purple Sandpiper 8, Chiffchaff 1, Brambling 1.

25th February Portland Bill Great Northern Diver 1w, Common Scoter 1e 1w, Water Rail 1, Purple Sandpiper 4; Weston Meadow Pipit 12n, Pied Wagtail 1n; Hamm Beach Sandwich Tern 2e.

26th February Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Great Northern Diver 1w, Merlin 1, Kittiwake 250e, Redwing 1, Black Redstart 1; Weston Raven 14, Brambling 2.

27th February Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 4w, Great Northern Diver 2w, Common Scoter 6e, Black-headed Gull 1e, Black Redstart 1; Reap Lane Blackcap 2; Weston Brambling 1; Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

17th February

A reminder that there's an InFocus field day at the Obs between 10am and 4pm this Sunday, 20th February.

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e, Chiffchaff 1.

Church Ope Cove Black Redstart 1.

Please note that we're going to be off the air for the next few days - normal service should resume at the end of the month.

16th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 3e.

Blacknor Rook 2.

15th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 1e.

Southwell Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 1.

Verne Common housing estate Blackcap 1, Siberian Chiffchaff 1 (evidently both have been present for a while).

14th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 2w, Common Scoter 1w, Purple Sandpiper 11, Chiffchaff 1, Rook 1.

Although there are probably more exciting harbingers of spring, for us the first Rook making it all the way out to the Bill from the mainland - so often a noisy individual like today's that ends up pitching in on the wires between the Obs and the Obs Quarry - usually substantially precedes the likes of the more iconic first Wheatear or Swallow and helps to make winter seem just that little bit shorter © Martin Cade:

13th February

Nothing to report on a very, very wet day.

12th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 2w.

11th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Great Northern Diver 1w, Common Scoter 6e, Chiffchaff 2; + Common Dolphin 6etc.

10th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 2w, Great Northern Diver 1etc, Black-headed Gull 2etc, Redwing 1, Chiffchaff 1.

9th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1e 1w, Common Scoter 3w, Chiffchaff 1.

Pennsylvania Castle Firecrest 1.

Church Ope Cove Black Redstart 1.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

The Barn Owl remains a regular performer at Southwell...

...and, even though it hasn't attracted anything of particular note, the winter wader selection at Ferrybridge still demands scrutiny © Pete Saunders:

8th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Manx Shearwater 1w, Common Scoter 1w, Purple Sandpiper 11, Black-headed Gull 1e, Chiffchaff 1.

Blacknor Siberian Chiffchaff 1.

You had to have had the benefit of staring at the pretty uneventful sea for a couple of months to have picked up on today's almost subliminal suggestion of spring movement getting underway: the steady westbound procession of small parties of Kittiwakes, Common Gulls and auks just looked that bit more purposeful than all the random activity we've been watching in recent weeks...

...whilst further hints at the imminent changing of the seasons came in the form of two firsts for the year on the wing at the Bill, Peacock and Common Quaker © Martin Cade:

7th February

Portland Bill Red-throated Diver 1w, Black-headed Gull 1e, Chiffchaff 1.

Church Ope Cove Black Redstart 1.

6th February

Portland Bill Common Scoter 6w, Chiffchaff 1.

Weston Siberian Chiffchaff 1.

Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brent 1, Bar-tailed Godwit 6.

Today's instalment of feather sample results concerns Portland's first genetically confirmed Scandinavian Chiffchaff P. c. abietinus - an individual trapped at the Obs on 26th October last year © Martin Cade:

In bygone times Scandinavian Chiffchaffs were considered routine and at times even quite numerous passage migrants at Portland but the folk in white coats have turned that conventional wisdom on its head, with their genetic studies showing that they're pretty scarce if not quite downright rare visitors to this part of the world (20 have been confirmed from c400 Chiffchaffs sampled in the UK, whilst a Dutch study identified 22 amongst a sample of 515 Chiffchaffs). These studies have also revealed that external features and voice offer no help when it comes to picking out a Scandinavian Chiffchaff - to all intents and purposes they're outwardly indistinguishable from nominate collybita Chiffchaff. For what it's worth, 'our' Scandinavian bird presumably conveyed an at least slightly subtly different look or feel for us to have taken the trouble to photograph it and retain a dislodged feather, but quite what our precise thought process was isn't immediately apparent from these photographs that appear to depict a bird that falls well within the cornucopia of Chiffchaff variation we're all too well accustomed to. As usual, many thanks indeed to Professor Martin Collinson and his team at the University of Aberdeen for their help.

5th February

Portland Bill Chiffchaff 1.

Blacknor Black Redstart 1.

We've also received some interesting feedback on various feather samples sent for analysis to Professor Martin Collinson and his team at the University of Aberdeen, most notably that the 'eastern' Lesser Whitethroat trapped at the Obs on 8th November 2020 was a Central Asian LWT C.c. halimodendri; although this subspecies has been suspected once or twice in the past this is the first genetically confirmed halimodendri for Portland and Dorset © Joe Stockwell (in hand top and in field) and Erin Taylor (in hand bottom):