Yet another overnight frost gave way to an unexpectedly pleasant day of unbroken sunshine and hardly a breath of wind. Four Rooks and a Lapwing were new arrivals at the Bill where a Red-throated Diver passed through on the sea and one of the now-resident island Pheasants showed signs of spring wanderlust by turning up at Culverwell for the first time this year. Elsewhere there was a Chiffchaff at Easton.
Still very cold and relatively birdless. Three Purple Sandpipers and a Redwing were at the Bill, a Common Buzzard was at Verne Common and there were at least 3 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour. Late news for yesterday: Nine Mediterranean Gulls were in Portland Harbour during the afternoon and a Chiffchaff was at the Grove.
The only news today was of a Chiffchaff at Weston, a Redwing at Easton, 2 Turnstones, a Purple Sandpiper and Redwing at the Bill and 2 Red-throated Divers passing through off the Bill.
A blasting easterly wind made it feel really raw but apart from the odd few flakes of snow during the afternoon it remained dry. Mediterranean Gulls continued to provide just about the only interest, with at least 10 in Portland Harbour at low tide during the afternoon; a lone Purple Sandpiper at the Bill was the only other sighting of note.
Mediterranean Gulls - Ferrybridge, February 24th 2005 © Martin Cade
Chilly again but the cloud that built up as the day went on brought not the forecast snow but just light rain showers. It remained deadly quiet at the Bill and the only reports from elsewhere were of Mediterranean Gulls: 8 were at Ferrybridge during the morning, 11 were in Portland Harbour at low tide during the afternoon and 12 were roosting in the Harbour with 1070 Black-headed Gulls in the evening; these reports involved at least 13 different individuals (12 had apparently been reported from Ferrybridge yesterday).
Still very cold with a hard frost overnight and the odd few flakes of snow during the day. Despite the chilly conditions there wasn't even the faintest hint of any cold weather movement - indeed there wasn't a single noteworthy bird sighting reported all day! The only other news was of a lone Bottle-nosed Dolphin off the Bill during the afternoon.
A stiff east wind and further flurries of sheet and snow made it much more unpleasant today. The only news was of 80 Brent Geese at Ferrybridge, 5 Purple Sandpipers at the Bill and 4 Common Scoter settled off East Cliffs.
A day of contrasts: the pleasantly sunny morning seemed quite mild with the recent stiff north wind having died right away but by the end of the afternoon heavy cloud had built up and there were occasional flurries of sleet and snow. Bird interest was as pitiful as in recent days, with the only reports being of the 2 Long-tailed Tits still in the Obs garden and 1 Purple Sandpiper at the Bill.
Very little news again today. The 2 Long-tailed Tits remained in the Obs garden, 2 Purple Sandpipers were at the Bill, 4 Common Scoter were offshore there and a Mistle Thrush was at the Grove. Late news for yesterday: after dark a Short-eared or Long-eared Owl was seen briefly beside the Bill Road.
Long-tailed Tits - Portland Bill, February 19th 2005 © Martin Cade
The 2 Long-tailed Tits remained in the Obs garden, with the Bill area also producing 6 Purple Sandpipers and a Redwing. Nine Mediterranean Gulls were in the Portland Harbour gull roost with 3 Eider and 2 Black-necked Grebes also in the Harbour, whilst elsewhere there was a Pheasant at Cheyne.
Another hint of some spring movement again today. A small influx of new tits at the Obs included 2 Long-tailed Tits, the first Rook of the year at the Bill flew overhead at the Obs where a party of 6 Ravens also passed over. The only other report was of a single Purple Sandpiper at the Bill.
Little Egret - Ferrybridge, February 17th 2005 © Martin Cade
Unusual winter/early spring reports today included 3 Grey Herons over the Obs, 3 Grey Wagtails together at Easton, a Great Crested Grebe passing through off the Bill and a Merlin at Ferrybridge. Other news included a Redwing at the Bill, 5 Common Scoter still settled offshore and a Red-throated Diver passing through there, a Buzzard at East Weare, 2 Rooks at Portland Heights, 2 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge, 4 Teal and 3 Eider in Portland Harbour and 7 Mediterranean Gulls in the evening gull roost there. Late news for yesterday: 9 Mediterranean Gulls and 770 Black-headed Gulls were counted in the gull roost at Portland Harbour in the evening.
With clear skies and much lighter winds there was a welcome sign of spring movement this afternoon with a handful of Meadow Pipits trickling in off the sea at the Bill. Otherwise it was just routine fare with 7 Purple Sandpipers, a Redwing and a Fieldfare at the Bill, 5 Common Scoter still settled offshore there and a single Chiffchaff again at Weston.
Little Owl - Portland Bill, February 15th 2005 © Martin Cade
A keen northerly wind spoilt what was otherwise a really nice sunny day and seemed to have kept most people indoors again. The only reports were of 7 Common Scoter and 2 Red-throated Divers passing through off the Bill and 3 Eider, a Black-necked Grebe and a Mediterranean Gull in Portland Harbour. Late news for yesterday: 1 or 2 Red-necked Grebes were in Portland Harbour.
A typically mediocre mid-February selection of birds again today, with 8 Mediterranean Gulls at roost in Portland Harbour in the evening (along with another single that flew through on its way to roost in Weymouth Bay), 2 Mediterranean Gulls earlier in the day at Ferrybridge, 3 Eider and a Slavonian Grebe also in the Harbour, a Redwing at the Bill, 5 Common Scoter settled off the Bill and a single Red-throated Diver passing through on the sea there.
The weather remained pretty grim - a blasting, chilly north-westerly wind and frequent heavy rain showers - and, with the notable exception of plenty of Mediterranean Gulls, the birding was not a lot better. Three Mediterranean Gulls were again at Ferrybridge and late in the afternoon 9 were discovered at roost with a few hundred Black-headed Gulls in the north-east corner of Portland Harbour. The only other reports were of 6 Common Scoter settled off the Bill and a single Eider in Portland Harbour.
Skies had cleared today but there was an unpleasantly strong north-west wind blowing all day. Reports from Ferrybridge included up to 8 Mediterranean Gulls and a Yellow-legged Herring Gull, whilst nearby there was still a Black-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour. Elsewhere the only news was of a Firecrest at Reforne. Late news for yesterday: single Chiffchaffs were at both Easton and Weston and there were still 2 Redwings at Easton.
Mediterranean Gull - Ferrybridge, February 11th 2005 © Martin Cade
A mild end to the week but very drab and drizzly. At least 7 Mediterranean Gulls were still at Ferrybridge where there were also 52 Brent Geese; 2 Black-necked Grebes were nearby in Portland Harbour. Seven Purple Sandpipers were at Bill where 8 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Red-throated Divers and 2 Common Scoter passed through on the sea.
Iceland Gull - Portland Bill, February 10th 2005 © Martin Cade
There was a surprise early morning rarity today in the form of an adult Iceland Gull that flew south along the East Cliffs past the Obs before heading away to the north up the West Cliffs. Elsewhere there were 60 Dunlin, 25 Brent Geese and 9 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge and 3 Redwings and a Chiffchaff at Easton. Late news for yesterday: some good counts from Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour included 200 Common Gulls, 71 Turnstones and 10 Mediterranean Gulls; the Red-necked Grebe was also still in Portland Harbour.
A little bit more to report today, with the pick of the bunch being a Merlin - the first reported so far this year - at Ferrybridge; a Mediterranean Gull was also at Ferrybridge and a single Black-necked Grebe was in Portland Harbour. Six Purple Sandpipers were at the Bill, where the wintering Scoter flock offshore seems to have dwindled to just 4 birds; 3 Red-throated and a Black-throated Diver also passed through on the sea. Elsewhere there were 3 Redwings and a Goldcrest at Easton, whilst all around the island Meadow Pipit numbers seem to have increased in the last couple of days suggesting that a few new arrivals may have started to trickle in. Some late news for yesterday: 3 Eider, a Red-throated Diver and a Black-necked Grebe were in Portland Harbour, a single diver sp. passed through off the Bill and the first butterfly of the year - a Small Tortoiseshell at Culverwell - was seen on the wing.
Mottled Grey - Portland Bill, February 8th 2005 © Martin Cade
A repeat of yesterday with clear skies and warm sunshine but precious little in the way of birds: 2 Turnstones, a Black Redstart and a Fieldfare were at the Bill where 2 Common Scoter and a Black-headed Gull passed through on the sea; elsewhere there was a Chiffchaff at the Grove.
The occasional attempts at moth-trapping at the Obs lately have been a dead loss although after dark Mottled Greys are beginning to appear in small numbers amongst the more plentiful Winter Moths that are often attracted to the lit windows of the Obs lounge.
The resident birds were making the most of pleasant, spring-like conditions but the only interest otherwise was still distinctly wintery: a single Fieldfare at the Bill and 2 Red-throated Divers passing through offshore.
Back to quiet, dry conditions again today but still not much change on the bird front. Portland Harbour produced 12 Great Crested and 3 Black-necked Grebes, 3 Eider and 2 Black-throated Divers, 6 Purple Sandpipers, a Snipe and a Turnstone were at the Bill, 12 Common Scoter were settled off East Cliffs and 3 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill.
After some quite heavy rain overnight the day started dry although it wasn't long before rain showers materialised once again and spoilt any later birding. A Redpoll was a good mid-winter record at Southwell but the only other reports were of 2 Eider and a Red-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour and a Chiffchaff at Weston.
A group of at least 7 Bottle-nosed Dolphins passed south close inshore along East Cliffs at the Bill this morning.
Another mild day but still pretty drab and overcast. A millpond-calm Portland Harbour produced 4 Wigeon, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 3 Eider, 2 Black-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver, whilst nearby there were 4 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge. Little change at the Bill where there were 4 Purple Sandpipers and a Redwing on the land, 11 Common Scoter still off East Cliffs and 2 Red-throated Divers passing through on the sea.
A overcast, drizzly day that saw very little birding activity. Seven Purple Sandpipers were at the Bill, 11 Common Scoter were off East Cliffs, 2 Red-throated Divers passed through off the Bill and 10 Redwings and a Chiffchaff were at Easton..
Quiet again; the only reports were of 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Redwing at the Bill, 11 Common Scoter settled off East Cliffs and 2 Red-throated Divers passing through offshore.
A really pleasant still and mild day but pretty birdless compared to the last couple of days. There was no sign of the Waxwing during the morning and the only other reports were of a Red-throated Diver passing through off the Bill, a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle, a Buzzard at East Weare and 2 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge.