With the brisk wind switching into the south-west there was some hope that sea interest might pick up but in the event the only reports from the Bill were of 59 Common Scoter, 5 Arctic Skuas, 4 commic terns and a Balearic Shearwater passing through during the morning. On the land the highlight came late in the day when the seventh Melodious Warbler of the autumn was trapped and ringed at the Obs; earlier the only interest had been singles of Grey Heron, Greenshank, Tree Pipit and Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill, Turtle Dove at Suckthumb Quarry and Merlin at Barleycrates Lane amongst very small numbers of commoner migrants.
In windy but quite muggy conditions overnight the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps were 43 Rush Veneer, 3 Pearly Underwing, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Striped Hawk-moth and a White-speck.
For the non-botanists even the recapture of the umpteenth Melodious Warbler of the autumn seemed a lot more interesting than what must be some of Britain's scrawniest specimens of Autumn Ladies Tresses - Portland Bill, August 30th 2006 © Martin Cade
The Woodchat Shrike remained in Top Fields and a Melodious Warbler retrapped in the Obs garden was found to be the individual ringed nine days ago and only seen on one date since then. There was some light passage overhead involving the likes of hirundines, Tree Pipits and Yellow and Grey Wagtails but grounded migrants at the Bill consisted of just small numbers of Wheatears and Willow Warblers along with the first 4 migrant Chiffchaffs of the autumn, 3 Whinchats, 2 Redstarts, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Merlin (also a first for the autumn), a Grasshopper Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat. Elsewhere the first Siskin of the autumn passed overhead at Avalanche Road and there were singles of Redstart and Whinchat at Barleycrates Lane. The only worthwhile reports from the sea were of singles of Balearic Shearwater, Great and Arctic Skua and Guillemot and Razorbill passing through off the Bill.
At least 197 spikes of Autumn Ladies Tresses were counted on some closely mown turf around beach huts on East Cliffs at the Bill.
The fresh north-westerlies again put paid to overnight moth-trapping at the Obs.
With blustery westerlies the order of the day it was quite a surprise when a Woodchat Shrike was found early in the morning in the hut fields next to the Obs garden; the bird proved to be very mobile and when last reported later in the morning was in the vicinity of the Admiralty Hedge in Top Fields. New commoner migrants were otherwise very thin on the ground, with all except Yellow Wagtails and passing hirundines reduced to low single figure totals. Two Balearic Shearwaters and a single Arctic Skua passed through on the sea at the Bill.
There was no overnight moth-trapping at the Obs.
Striped Hawk-moth and Clouded Yellow - Portland Bill, August 25th 2006 © Steve Menzie
Very lean times on the migrant front, with the Bill area providing not much more than 30 Yellow Wagtails, 25 Wheatears, 8 Willow Warblers, 4 Whinchats, 3 Sedge Warblers, 2 Reed Warblers, a Grey Wagtail, a Tree Pipit, a Redstart, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Garden Warbler; odds and sods elsewhere included 2 Spotted Flycatchers at Suckthumb Quarry. A single Balearic Shearwater passed through on the sea at the Bill.
Two Striped and a Convolvulus Hawk-moth were the best of the poor overnight catch of moths at the Obs, where more routine immigrants attracted to the traps included 29 Rush Veneer, 9 Silver Y, 4 Pearly Underwing, 3 Delicate, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Rusty-dot Pearl and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
Late news for yesterday: 3 Little Terns and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls were at Ferrybridge in the evening.
A ringed Melodious Warbler - presumably the bird last seen early last week - popped up for a couple of hours early in the morning beside the Obs garden before promptly disappearing for the rest of the day. Otherwise the land was quiet in the continuing brisk north-westerlies; Yellow Wagtails totalled over 70 at the Bill but the lean selection of other migrants there included nothing much better than 2 Redstarts, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Yellow-legged Gull and a fly-over Black-tailed Godwit. The fresh offshore wind restricted sea interest to 12 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a Black Tern passing through off the Bill. The late Little Tern remained at Ferrybridge along with singles of Knot, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit.
Striped Hawk-moth remained the moth of the moment at the Obs where 3 more were attracted to the traps overnight; other immigrants there included 111 Rush Veneer, 26 Silver Y, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 9 Pearly Underwing, 6 Scarce Bordered Straw, 5 Dark Sword Grass, a Delicate, a Small Mottled Willow and a Dark Spectacle.
Fresh north-westerlies returned today and migrant numbers fell back again. There were noteworthy counts of 100 Wheatears, 50 Yellow Wagtails, 10 Whinchats and 6 Redstarts at the Bill but otherwise the pick of the odd ones and twos of other species there were singles of Yellow-legged Gull, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Pied Flycatcher; additional single Yellow-legged Gulls were at Ferrybridge and Weston. Seawatching at the Bill produced 45 Common Scoter, 4 Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a Sooty Shearwater.
The breezy conditions spoilt overnight mothing although there were still fair numbers of immigrants on the wing. The Obs garden traps produced totals of 116 Rush Veneer, 29 Silver Y, 8 Scarce Bordered Straw, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Pearly Underwing, 2 Striped Hawk-moths and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Ancylosis oblitella, Maiden's Blush, Delicate, Small Mottled Willow and Bordered Straw, whilst trapping elsewhere on the island produced highlights that included 2 Striped Hawk-moths at Fortuneswell and 2 Palpita vitrealis, a Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a Striped Hawk-moth at Freshwater Bay.
MIgrant numbers picked up but with clear, sunny skies not much lingered for long. Counts from the Bill area included 60 Yellow Wagtails, 60 Willow Warblers, 50 Tree Pipits, 40 Wheatears and 10 Whinchats, along with smaller numbers of all the other typical late August migrants; the only slightly out of the ordinary sightings were of 10 Shelducks flying north and a single Greenshank overhead. Passing singles of Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua provided the only interest on the sea at the Bill, whilst 3 Redshank and singles of Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper were the pick of the waders at Ferrybridge.
Despite the clear and surprisingly chilly conditions overnight quite good numbers of immigrants were attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps: 163 Rush Veneer, 66 Silver Y, 15 Dark Sword Grass, 13 Pearly Underwing, 12 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Bordered Straw and singles of Striped Hawk-moth, White-speck, Cosmopolitan, Delicate and Small Mottled Willow.
A day of the dreaded north-westerlies - can anyone remember anything any good turning up at Portland with the wind in this direction? An Osprey flew south over Weston early in the morning but grounded migrants were extremely sparse, with nothing better at the Bill than 3 Whinchats, 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Pied Flycatchers and singles of Grey Heron, Little Egret, Turtle Dove, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler and Garden Warbler. Seawatching at the Bill produced just 2 passing Arctic Skuas.
Two more Convolvulus Hawk-moths and the first 2 White-speck of the autumn were attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight but immigrants otherwise consisted of just 46 Rush Veneer, 24 Silver Y, 8 Dark Sword Grass, 8 Scarce Bordered Straw, 7 Pearly Underwing, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Small Mottled Willow and Bordered Straw.
With the promised prolonged heavy rain amounting to little more than a half-hour shower there was plenty of opportunity for decent coverage of the land and sea. A fly-over Wood Sandpiper was a minor highlight at the Bill where it was otherwise apparent that commoner migrants were thin on the ground, with 8 Whinchat, 5 Tree Pipits, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, a Purple Sandpiper, a Grey Wagtail, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat the best in amongst a light scatter of Wheatears, Yellow Wagtails and Willow Warblers. The sea looked as though it ought to have produced more than the 58 Common Scoter, 12 commic terns, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Black Terns and 2 Arctic Skuas that were the less than impressive reward for a lot of watching at the Bill.
Another Porter's Rustic (the three from a couple of nights ago are still safely potted indoors in an attempt to secure eggs) was the pick of the overnight catch in the Obs garden moth-traps that also attracted 173 Rush Veneer, 21 Silver Y, 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Pearly Underwing, 2 Delicate, 1 Palpita vitrealis and 1 Small Mottled Willow; elsewhere 2 Striped Hawk-moths were caught overnight in a garden moth-trap at Fortuneswell.
A handful of hawk-moths - 2 Convolvulus and a Striped - and 3 Palpita vitrealis - Portland Bill, August 22nd 2006 © Martin Cade
The first still morning for several days was much more productive for common migrants, with 90 Sand Martins, 75 Willow Warblers, 50 Wheatears, 36 Tree Pipits, 15 Sedge Warblers, 8 Whinchats, 5 Ringed Plovers, 3 Garden Warblers, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Redstarts, 2 Pied Flycatchers and singles of Curlew, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Turnstone, Swift, Turtle Dove and Grasshopper Warbler grounded or overhead at the Bill. The only other report was of a single Balearic Shearwater passing through on the sea at the Bill.
Two Convolvulus Hawk-moths were notable new arrivals in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, whilst other immigrant totals there included 217 Rush Veneer, 49 Silver Y, 11 Dark Sword Grass, 11 Scarce Bordered Straw, 10 Pearly Underwing, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Palpita vitrealis, 2 Bordered Straw, 1 Striped Hawk-moth, 1 Delicate and 1 Cosmopolitan.
Melodious Warbler number 6 of the autumn, youngsters getting a close view of a Nightingale and flock of Porter's Rustics - Portland Bill, August 21st 2006 © Martin Cade
Quality rather than quantity today with a Nightingale and the sixth Melodious Warbler of the autumn trapped and ringed at the Obs but otherwise just 15 Wheatears, 10 Willow Warblers, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper, a Turnstone and a Reed Warbler by way of commoner migrants at the Bill. Passing singles of Great and Arctic Skua were the only noteworthy sightings on the sea at the Bill.
A Pale/Berger's Clouded Yellow was seen flying through the hut fields at the Bill during the afternoon.
On the moth front there was precious little evidence of an upsurge in immigration save for a remarkable total of 3 Porter's Rustics caught in the Obs garden traps; other immigrants in the traps there included 236 Rush Veneer, 24 Silver Y, 7 Diamond-back Moth, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Delicate, 3 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Cosmopolitan and singles of Ancylosis oblitella, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Pearly Underwing.
Although it was hardly possible for the land to be any quieter than yesterday the already brisk westerly wind freshened considerably overnight and made any quest for grounded migrants that might have arrived a pretty thankless task. With the conditions looking quite promising plenty of attention was paid to the sea but the only reports of note were of 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Balearic, a Sooty and a Manx Shearwater, 3 Arctic Terns and singles of Arctic Skua, Great Skua and Little Gull passing through off the Bill.
Immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 190 Rush Veneer, 29 Silver Y, 9 Dark Sword Grass, 7 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Pearly Underwing, 4 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Delicate, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Small Mottled Willow and singles of Palpita vitrealis, Ancylosis oblitella, Striped Hawk-moth, Cosmopolitan and Bordered Straw.
Knot - Ferrybridge, August 19th 2006 © Debby Saunders
It was sufficiently dire on the land today that it took nearly six hours of attempting to catch birds in the Obs garden mist-nets before a summer migrant was netted (and even that was a locally-bred Swallow rather than something from further afield). An overflying Greenshank was the only even faintly interesting sighting amongst the odd ones and twos of migrants in the Bill area, whilst wader numbers at Ferrybridge remained pretty static. The only other reports were of seawatching at the Bill where singles of Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Garganey, Arctic Skua and Great Skua passed by.
The Obs garden moth-traps were quieter than yesterday, with 2 more Striped Hawk-moths the most noteworthy capture; other totals of immigrants/wanderers included 78 Rush Veneer, 14 Scarce Bordered Straw, 14 Silver Y, 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 12 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Cosmopolitan, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Maiden's Blush and 1 Delicate.
Oak Processionary - Portland Bill, August 18th 2006 © Martin Cade
After a night when a succession of passing thunderstorms seemed to have kept migrants grounded there was only a thin selection of new arrivals at the Bill: 40 Willow Warblers, 30 Wheatears, 8 Tree Pipits, 6 Turnstones, 4 Grey Wagtails, a Yellow Wagtail, a Whinchat and a Spotted Flycatcher. Elsewhere, the identification of a distant harrier flying north over Verne Common during the morning couldn't be clinched although it looked likely to have been a Montagu's Harrier, whilst waders at Ferrybridge included 7 Sanderling, 3 Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit. The only seawatch reports came from the Bill where 7 Balearic and 5 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, a Little Egret and a Bar-tailed Godwit passed by.
The Obs garden moth-traps produced a quality highlight in the form of an Oak Processionary - another first record for the island - caught overnight; other totals of immigrants/wanderers included 88 Rush Veneer, 50 Small Mottled Willow, 38 Rusty-dot Pearl, 20 Scarce Bordered Straw, 19 Dark Sword Grass, 9 Silver Y, 4 Diamond-back Moth, 4 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 4 Pearly Underwing, 4 Bordered Straw, 3 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Gem, 2 Cosmopolitan and singles of Nephopterix angustella, Delicate, Dark Spectacle and Painted Lady butterfly.
The Obs Quarry Wryneck lingered on but new arrivals were at a premium on the land where the pick of a pretty poor selection of migrants were 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Whinchats and singles of Green Sandpiper, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler and Garden Warbler at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill produced 17 Manx Shearwaters, 12 Balearic Shearwaters and 3 Arctic Skuas, whilst waders and gulls at Ferrybridge included 200 Ringed Plover, 8 Sanderling, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Whimbrel.
Immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 12 Small Mottled Willow and 11 Scarce Bordered Straw.
Purple Heron - Portland Bill, August 16th 2006 © Martin Cade
There was a gripping start to the day when a Purple Heron - a long-awaited addition to the island bird list - flew in off the sea and spent half-an-hour roaming around the fields at the Bill early in the morning. The Obs Quarry Wryneck was also still present but amongst the commoner migrants new arrivals were distinctly thin on the ground; Wheatear numbers improved a little at the Bill, where about 40 were widely scattered, but otherwise the best on offer were two each of Grey Heron, Yellow Wagtail, Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler and singles of Yellow-legged Gull, Whinchat and Lesser Whitethroat at the Bill, a Turtle Dove at Reforne, a Green Sandpiper over Easton and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Knot at Ferrybridge. Despite the fresh onshore breeze the only sightings of note on the sea were of 5 Balearic Shearwaters and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill.
There was a noticeable decline in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps which attracted by way of quality just 4 Small Mottled Willow, a Palpita vitrealis, a Bordered Beauty and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Little Egrets - Weston, August 15th 2006 © Martin Cade
The Obs Quarry Wryneck remained from yesterday and there was again a fair variety of commoner migrants on view, with totals at the Bill that included 12 Tree Pipits, 7 Sedge Warblers, 4 Garden Warblers, 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Grey Wagtails and singles of Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher (along with the escaped Pin-tailed Whydah that has been residing at Culverwell for several days). Overhead, 8 Little Egrets arrived from the south (a single and a flock of 7), as did a total of 60 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The only seawatch reports were of 30 Common Scoter and 2 Balearic Shearwaters passing through off the Bill, whilst the selection of waders at Ferrybridge included 170 Ringed Plover, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Knot.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs wasn't quite as busy as yesterday but there were still plenty of immigrants on the wing: 64 Rush Veneer, 24 Silver Y, 13 Straw Dot, 11 Scarce Bordered Straw, 10 Small Mottled Willow, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Pearly Underwing, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 1 Ni Moth, 3 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Striped Hawk-moth, 1 Brown-veined Wainscot and 1 Bordered Straw, along with a single Red Admiral butterfly; second brood White-points are also now becoming very conspicuous with a total of 67 caught overnight (this species is now a relatively common breeding resident at the Bill).
Melodious Warbler, Wryneck and Yellow-legged Gull - Portland Bill, August 14th 2006 © Martin Cade
Plenty to see today with a respectable flurry of new common migrants and two decent scarcities in the form of the fifth Melodious Warbler of the autumn trapped and ringed at the Obs and an earlier than usual Wryneck that showed up in the Obs Quarry. For so early in the autumn it was the variety of commoner migrants that was as impressive as the numbers, with totals from the Bill area that included 15 Sedge Warblers, 12 Garden Warblers, 4 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Whinchats, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Hobby, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Redstart, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Blackcap; another 3 Pied Flycatchers were among a similarly good selection of birds in the Barleycrates Lane/Avalanche Road area, whilst the pick of the waders at Ferrybridge were singles of Little Ringed Plover and Knot. Two Garganey and a Shoveler passing through off the Bill were the best of the few seawatch reports.
Yesterday's improvement in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps proved not to be a flash in the pan, with last night's catch (in surprisingly still, overcast and muggy conditions) including totals of 143 Rush Veneer, 61 Silver Y, 18 Rusty-dot Pearl, 17 Scarce Bordered Straw, 12 Small Mottled Willow, 7 Dark Sword Grass, 6 Straw Dot, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Ni Moth, 1 Palpita vitrealis, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Southern Wainscot, 1 Delicate and 1 Bordered Straw.
More of the same today. At the Bill a similar sprinkle of common migrants as in recent days included 8 Tree Pipits, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers, a Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, a Yellow Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher, whilst 10 Manx and 5 Balearic Shearwaters, 8 Teal, an Arctic Skua and a Guillemot were the pick of what little passed through on the sea there.
Despite the seemingly very unfavourable prevailing conditions there was a noticeable increase in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, including 28 Silver Y, 19 Rush Veneer, 8 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Pearly Underwing, 4 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Straw Dot, 2 Bordered Straw and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Ancylosis oblitella, Oak Hook-tip and Small Mottled Willow.
With brisk northerly winds still firmly established there was precious little change on the bird front. Migrants grounded at the Bill included 30 Willow Warblers, 10 Wheatears, 7 Tree Pipits, 5 Sedge Warblers, 3 Garden Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Ringed Plover, a Snipe, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Redstart and a Reed Warbler, with seawatching there producing 5 Manx and a Balearic Shearwater.
The only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight were 6 Silver Y, 4 Scarce Bordered Straw 3 Diamond-back Moth, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl and 1 Dark Sword Grass.
Something of nothing today with no sign of yesterday's rarities and little of interest having arrived in their place. The light scatter of common migrants at the Bill included 25 Willow Warblers, 15 Wheatears, 4 Sedge Warblers, 4 Garden Warblers and singles of Hobby, Snipe, Whimbrel, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, whilst seawatching there came up with nothing better than 18 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Terns and 3 Manx Shearwaters passing by.
It was still slow on the moth front, with the Obs garden moth-traps attracting just singles of Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Small Mottled Willow, Bordered Straw and Scarce Bordered Straw by way of scarcer immigrants.
Kentish Plover - Ferrybridge, August 10th 2006 © Martin Cade
Yesterday's Melodious Warbler was retrapped in the Obs garden during the afternoon but more attention was paid to the Kentish Plover - a welcome year-tick after a blank spring for the species - that had shown up at Ferrybridge in the morning. Common migrants were not particularly plentiful on the land but did include most of the expected species along with a couple of Reed Warblers and a Yellow-legged Gull at the Bill and a Greenshank and a Mediterranean Gull at Ferrybridge. Odds and sods on the sea included 12 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and a Mediterranean Gull passing through off the Bill.
The Obs garden moth-traps remained fairly quiet, with 3 Bordered Straw, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 1 Hummingbird Hawk-moth and 1 Scarce Bordered Straw the only less common immigrants recorded.
Melodious Warbler and helice Clouded Yellow - Portland Bill, August 9th 2006 © James Lidster (Melodious Warbler) and Colin McEntee (Clouded Yellow)
Another day, another Melodious.....despite the continuing seemingly unsuitable weather conditions - northerly winds instead of the preferred south-westerlies - the fourth Melodious Warbler of the autumn was trapped and ringed early in the morning at the Obs. An overcast and at times showery night saw to it that commoner migrants didn't get moving in any quantity, with most species reduced to just single figure totals at the Bill; 5 Garden Warblers and singles of Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher were the only slightly scarcer species logged. Seawatching at the Bill produced 4 Balearic Shearwaters and a Great Skua passing by, whilst the 4 Yellow-legged Gulls grounded at the Bill included the first non-juvenile seen for nearly a month.
In less than suitable conditions for mothing immigrants and wanderers attracted to the Obs garden traps overnight included 34 Silver Y, 13 Diamond-back Moth, 9 Rush Veneer, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 7 Dark Sword Grass, 7 Straw Dot, 3 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Striped Hawk-moth, 2 Pearly Underwing, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Pempelia genistella, 1 Delicate, 1 Scarce Bordered Straw and 1 Bordered Straw, along with the third Harlequin Ladybird of the last fortnight.
Summer Fruit Tortrix and Barn Owl - Portland Bill and Coombefield Quarry, August 8th 2006 © Martin Cade
Quite different conditions today with yesterday's gloom replaced by blue skies and warm sunshine, but still plenty of common migrants to see. The Bill area produced 120 Willow Warblers, 25 Wheatears, 12 Sedge Warblers, 10 Garden Warblers, 5 Yellow-legged Gulls, 5 Tree Pipits, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Grey Herons, 3 Grey Wagtails, 2 Turnstones, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Redstarts and a Pied Flycatcher, whilst elsewhere there was an additional Pied Flycatcher at Avalanche Road, the first Whinchat of the autumn at Barleycrates Lane and a Barn Owl again in the Cheyne/Coombefield Quarry area (in flight it looks to be in very shoddy condition and seems likely to be of dubious origin!).
In cooler and breezy conditions overnight moth numbers in the Obs garden traps took a tumble although there were still more than a few morsels of quality, notably the first two Summer Fruit Tortrix Adoxophyes orana for the island and yet another Many-lined (the fifth this year and the eighth record for the island); other totals of immigrants/wanderers included 119 Silver Y, 40 Straw Dot, 38 Diamond-back Moth, 38 Rusty-dot Pearl, 30 Rush Veneer, 12 Dark Sword Grass, 7 Small Mottled Willow, 6 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Bordered Straw, 2 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Pearly Underwing and singles of Water Veneer, Oak Hook-tip, Twin-spotted Wainscot and Delicate. Another Harlequin Ladybird was also caught in the traps.
Striped Hawk-moths, Great Brocade, Donacaula forficella, Many-lined, Barn Owl and Melodious Warbler (with Willow Warbler in the lower photograph) - Cheyne and Portland Bill, August 5th-7th 2006 © Catherine Whitby (Barn Owl) and Martin Cade (Melodious Warbler and moths)
Bird highlights at the Bill were a decent fall of common migrants - including 150 Willow Warblers, 15 Sedge Warblers, 15 Garden Warblers, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Tree Pipits and a Pied Flycatcher - and the third Melodious Warbler of the autumn on the land and 4 Balearic Shearwaters passing through on the sea.
A single Basking Shark headed west about a mile off the Bill at midday.
The Obs garden moth-traps were again busy overnight with immigrants and wanderers, including ca300 Silver Y, 74 Rush Veneer, 61 Rusty-dot Pearl, 56 Straw Dot, 21 Diamond-back Moth, 16 Small Mottled Willow, 14 Dark Sword Grass, 8 Small Rufous, 6 Bordered Straw, 5 Ni Moth, 4 Pearly Underwing, 3 Ancylosis oblitella, 2 Maiden's Blush, 2 Striped Hawk-moth, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw and singles of Yponomeuta evonymella, Gem, Southern Wainscot, Crescent, Brown-veined Wainscot, Gold-spot and Small Marbled.
Late news for recent days: a Roe Deer was at Independent Quarry on Saturday (5th August) and a Barn Owl was at Cheyne yesterday.
A Red Kite that headed north over the Grove during the morning was the bird highlight of the day. At the Bill it was more of the same as in recent days, with 80 Willow Warblers, 12 Garden Warblers, 5 Sedge Warblers, a Green Sandpiper, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Pied Flycatcher on or overhead on the land and 138 Common Scoter, a Manx Shearwater and a Balearic Shearwater passing through on the sea. The only report from other sites was of a Grasshopper Warbler at Barleycrates Lane.
On the moth front a first and a second for the island were the pick of the catch in the Obs garden traps: a single Donacaula forficella was the new species whilst a Great Brocade was the first record since one was trapped at the Obs in August 1964. The traps were again very busy with other immigrants/wanderers that included ca500 Silver Y, 83 Rusty-dot Pearl, 80 Rush Veneer, 42 Straw Dot, 26 Dark Sword Grass, 19 Small Mottled Willow, 14 Diamond-back Moth, 6 Ni Moth, 5 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Bordered Straw, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Rosy Footman, 2 Southern Wainscot, 2 Crescent and singles of Palpita vitrealis, Ancylosis oblitella, Tawny-barred Angle, Black Arches, Brown-veined Wainscot and Small Rufous.
The pick of a pretty varied list of birds at the Bill today were 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Pied Flycatcher and a Treecreeper (yesterday's individual that was still present) on the land, 3 Little Egrets arriving in off the sea from the south and 430 Common Scoter, 6 Shoveler, 5 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and 2 Great Skuas passing through on the sea.
It was very busy again overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps with a Striped Hawk-moth and another Many-lined the pick of the oddities; other immigrants included 570 Silver Y, 91 Rush Veneer, 85 Rusty-dot Pearl, 33 Dark Sword Grass, 28 Diamond-back Moth, 16 Small Mottled Willow, 5 Scarce Bordered Straw, 5 Bordered Straw, 4 Pearly Underwing, 4 Southern Wainscot, 4 Ni Moth, 3 Ancylosis oblitella and 1 Gem.
Melodious Warbler and Treecreeper - Portland Bill, August 4th 2006 © Martin Cade
An overcast, muggy morning saw the best arrival of migrants so far this autumn. The scarcities of the day were a Treecreeper (the first island record of this species since autumn 2003) and a Melodious Warbler, both of which were trapped and ringed at the Obs, whilst the flurry of commoner migrants included 70 Willow Warblers, 8 Sedge Warblers, 7 Garden Warblers, 5 Wheatears, a Common Sandpiper, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill. Despite the light offshore breeze there were surprising numbers of birds on the move off the Bill, with 63 Common Scoter, 15 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Guillemots, 7 Razorbills, 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Curlew, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Manx Shearwater passing by during the morning.
The Obs garden moth-traps were busier than expected overnight; a single Many-lined was the rarity highlight, whilst other immigrants/wanderers included 63 Silver Y, 31 Rusty-dot Pearl, 16 Rush Veneer, 13 Dark Sword Grass, 1 Diamond-back Moth, 1 Ancylosis oblitella, 1 Brown-veined Wainscot, 1 Small Rufous, 1 Bordered Straw. The traps also attracted 2 Red Admirals, 1 Painted Lady and very large numbers of the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.
Still little more than a trickle of common migrants on the move: 30 Willow Warblers, 8 Sedge Warblers, 3 Shelducks, 2 Sand Martins, a Dunlin, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill, 49 Ringed Plovers, 22 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, 2 Redshank and a Whimbrel at Ferrybridge and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls at Weston. Seawatching at the Bill produced 36 Common Scoter, 3 commic terns, 2 Manx Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater and a Turnstone passing by.
Clouded Yellows were more conspicuous than of late, with a dozen or more scattered around the Bill area.
A single Maiden's Blush in a garden at Southwell was the only reward for the overnight moth-trapping effort.
Finally, for anyone wishing to help out there will be further stone-walling courses taking place at Helen's Fields tomorrow and on Saturday. The courses, under the supervision of a local stone-waller, will run from 10am to 4pm each day and will continue the restoration of the south-eastern boundary wall of the fields (the boundary wall on the ridge above the Culverwell Mesolithic site) that was begun last month. The courses are free but if possible please notify the Portland Ranger (on 07973 907760) beforehand if you're able to attend.
Myathropa florea another relatively common Portland hoverfly - The Grove, July 26th 2006 © Bob Ford Nature Portfolio Image Library
Still rather breezy but without the showers of recent days. Passage picked up a little on the land where there were 20 Willow Warblers, 6 Sedge Warblers, 4 Turnstones, 3 Wheatears, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and a Garden Warbler at the Bill and another 4 Yellow-legged Gulls at Reap Lane. The only seawatch reports were of 7 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Common Scoter and 2 Balearic Shearwaters passing through off the Bill.
It was still too windy to expect much reward from the moth-traps overnight, although the relative shelter of a garden at Southwell provided some quality in the form of singles of Vestal, Scarce Bordered Straw and Ni Moth.
Very thin pickings all round today: the wet and windy conditions overnight put paid to moth-trapping and saw to it that passerines didn't get moving but more surprising was the dearth of seabirds on the move offshore. Morning seawatching at the Bill produced just 6 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua, whilst there was nothing much more on the land than 6 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Willow Warblers and a Sedge Warbler at the Bill, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls at Weston and 135 Dunlin, 70 Ringed Plovers, 3 Dunlin and a Yellow-legged Gull at Ferrybridge. The only other news was of a Gannet in Portland Harbour.