Ruff and Rose-coloured Starling - Ferrybridge and Portland Bill, September 30th 2006 © Pete Saunders (Ruff) and Martin Cade (Rosy Starling)
A blusterly day but less showery than forecast. The Rose-coloured Starling was on the Bill common for a while during the morning and on the Southwell School playing-field in the evening but the only new arrivals of any quality were a couple of Ruff that dropped in briefly at Ferrybridge. Most of the routine movement was overhead with, for example, a sample 40 minute count at the Bill during the morning producing totals of 1220 Meadow Pipits, 160 Linnets and 65 Swallows passing through; 2 Hobbys and a Mute Swan also passed through there during the course of the day and a Merlin and a Short-eared Owl were seen from time to time hunting over the fields. Three Sooty Shearwaters and a single Great Skua passed through on the sea at the Bill.
Overnight moth-trapping at the Obs was again blighted by the strength of the wind; a single Brindled Green - the first record for the island - was the pick of the catch, whilst immigrants included 41 Rush Veneer, 29 Delicate, 5 Pearly Underwing, 5 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Rusty-dot Pearl and singles of Palpita vitrealis, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, White-speck, Clancy's Rustic and Silver Y.
It's a bad job when you're reduced to looking at seagulls in late September: two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and two Yellow-legged Gulls - Portland Bill, September 29th 2006 © Martin Cade
Quite a grim day with frequent heavy showers blown in on an ever-freshening south-westerly wind. The Rose-coloured Starling was still around but seemed to be showing signs of wanderlust, with sightings from as far afield as the Bill lighthouse and Weston as well as around Southwell. Up to 3 Yellow-legged Gulls were in the Bill car park but there was nothing particularly noteworthy amongst the few new passerines in the Bill area. Seawatching at the Bill produced 3 Arctic Skuas and singles of Balearic and Sooty Shearwater.
It wasn't a bad looking night for moth-trapping but in the Obs garden traps there weren't too many signs of new arrivals over and above what was already present; the tally of immigrants/wanderers included 69 Rush Veneer, 58 Delicate, 6 Pearly Underwing, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Palpita vitrealis, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Gem and singles of Uresiphita polygonalis, Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Dark Sword Grass, Cosmopolitan, Flounced Chestnut, Small Mottled Willow and Clancy's Rustic.
Rusty-dot Pearl and Antigastra catalaunalis, and White and Pied Wagtails - Portland Bill and Southwell, September 28th and 27th 2006 © Martin Cade
Something of a repeat of yesterday, albeit with the addition of a handful more common migrants. The Rose-coloured Starling was still at Southwell, whilst the best of the rest were 2 Merlins, 2 Firecrests, a Hen Harrier, a Hobby, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Short-eared Owl and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill and the first 8 returning Brent Geese at Ferrybridge. Seawatching there produced 20 Common Scoter, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater.
It was overcast and quite muggy overnight but the strength of the wind again hindered moth-trapping at the Obs where another Antigastra catalaunalis was the only quality immigrant attracted to the traps; other immigrant totals there included 48 Rush Veneer, 30 Delicate, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Small Mottled Willow and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Vestal, Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Dark Sword Grass.
Rose-coloured Starling - Southwell, September 27th 2006 © Martin Cade
The Rose-coloured Starling remained at Southwell but otherwise it was, to quote one stalwart visitor, 'the poorest day of the autumn so far'. At the Bill there was precious little grounded and, Swallows aside, not much more passing overhead. A Merlin at the Bill and a Firecrest at Pennsylvania Castle were the only slightly uncommon migrants reported. Despite the wind freshening and backing into the south the only news from the sea was of 3 Eider, a Balearic Shearwater and an Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill.
Despite quite calm conditions overnight the Obs garden moth-traps were not at all busy, with the immigrant tally consisting of 143 Rush Veneer, 63 Delicate, 18 Pearly Underwing, 5 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Silver Y and singles of Gem, Vestal, Convolvulus Hawk-moth and Deep-brown Dart as well as another Red Admiral butterfly.
Another blazing, summer-like day. The Rose-coloured Starling remained at Southwell but the only new arrival of any quality was a Yellow-browed Warbler that was heard calling from an inaccessible part of the Portland Port complex during the early afternoon. As with yesterday the majority of movement was overhead, where there was plenty more passage of typical late September fare. Grounded migrants were more thinly spread, but did include 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Firecrests, a Merlin and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Short-eared Owl at Reap Lane/Barleycrates Lane, a Pied Flycatcher at Avalanche Road and a Firecrest at Suckthumb Quarry.
On the moth-front there was another good influx of Pearly Underwings overnight; the full immigrant totals in the Obs garden traps were 107 Rush Veneer, 88 Delicate, 76 Pearly Underwing, 12 Scarce Bordered Straw, 9 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 5 Silver Y, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Small Mottled Willow and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl, Uresiphita polygonalis, Four-spotted Footman, Clancy's Rustic, Bordered Straw and Red Admiral butterfly.
The Red-breasted Flycatcher and the Rose-coloured Starling remained at the Obs and Southwell respectively but the only new arrivals of any quality were not very co-operative: a Tree Sparrow was heard calling from the hut fields beside the Obs garden and a distant large raptor - thought to be another Honey Buzzard - flew south over Southwell. The bulk of the numbers of commoner migrants were made up of fly-overs, with hirundines, wagtails and pipits (the latter included a good count of 27 Tree Pipits over the Bill) well represented, along with signs of Skylarks (40 over the Bill), Chaffinches (35 over the Bill) and Reed Buntings (7 over the Bill) also getting going. The sprinkle of birds on the ground included 4 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Firecrests, a Merlin and a Short-eared Owl at the Bill and another Pied Flycatcher at Old Hill.
There were better numbers of immigrant moths attracted to the Obs garden traps in calmer conditions overnight: 180 Rush Veneer, 76 Delicate, 17 Scarce Bordered Straw, 9 Pearly Underwing, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 4 Silver Y, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 2 White-speck and singles of Uresiphita polygonalis, Cosmopolitan, Small Mottled Willow, Clancy's Rustic, Bordered Straw and Dark Spectacle, along with 2 Peacock butterflies (caught in different traps) which are thought to be the first records of this species at light at the Obs.
Rose-coloured Starling, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Honey Buzzard - Southwell and Portland Bill, September 24th 2006 © Martin Cade (all except HB left) and James Lidster (HB left)
For once the promising-looking showery south-easterlies overnight delivered some quality: a flighty Tawny Pipit was seen several times during the morning between the Bill and Reap Lane, a Richard's Pipits passed overhead on East Cliffs at the Bill, a Wryneck was seen briefly near the barns in Top Fields, a Honey Buzzard flew south over Verne Common and the Bill, a Rose-coloured Starling ranged around Southwell during the afternoon and a Red-breasted Flycatcher was trapped and ringed at the Obs. Commoner migrants were not really as plentiful as might have been hoped: hirundines, pipits and wagtails passed overhead in moderate numbers, whilst on the ground Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears and Whinchats were numerous everywhere, but among the sparse scatter of other species the best that could be mustered were 6 Firecrests, 3 Short-eared Owls, 3 Turtle Doves and the long-staying Barn Owl at the Bill and further singles of Turtle Dove and Firecrest at Southwell. Odds and sods on the sea included singles of Balearic Shearwater, Pochard and Arctic Skua passing through off the Bill, where a Black Tern was also lingering offshore.
Immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 60 Delicate, 45 Rush Veneer, 7 Scarce Bordered Straw, 6 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 4 Pearly Underwing, 4 Silver Y, 2 each of White-speck and Bordered Straw and singles of European Corn-borer, Rusty-dot Pearl, Vestal, Latticed Heath, Four-spotted Footman, Dark Sword Grass and Dusky-lemon Sallow.
Honey Buzzard - Portland Bill, September 23rd 2006 © Martin Cade
Warm and sunny but with a stiff easterly wind blowing all day. Virtually all the movement was overhead, with the day's purple moment coming in mid-morning when - simultaneously - a Pallid Swift passed through at Weston and a Honey Buzzard flew out to sea over the Bill; large numbers of hirundines were on the move all morning (sample counts at Ferrybridge suggested that 1200 Swallows/hour were flying south late in the morning), whilst Meadow Pipits and wagtails were tagging along in some quantity. It remained rather dire for grounded migrants with, for example, just one bird trapped and ringed all day in the Obs garden; the pick of what was discovered were 4 Firecrests, 3 Short-eared Owls, 2 Merlins, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Turtle Dove and a Barn Owl at the Bill and singles of Hobby and Merlin at Weston. The sea was extremely quite, with nothing more than singles of Arctic Skua and Black Tern logged passing through off the Bill.
In windy conditions overnight the Obs garden moth-traps were disappointingly unproductive, with the only immigrants caught being 29 Rush Veneer, 23 Delicate, 4 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Four-spotted Footman, 2 Dark Sword Grass and singles of Vestal, Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Small Mottled Willow and Silver Y.
Uresiphita polygonalis and four of the Four-spotted Footman - Portland Bill, September 22nd 2006 © Martin Cade
The weather turned distinctly more unsettled, with some steady rain during the morning, but although there were fair numbers of hirundines and wagtails passing overhead there was not a great deal to be found by way of new grounded arrivals on the land. The sprinkle of birds at the Bill included 3 Short-eared Owls, 2 Firecrests and a Yellow-legged Gull, whilst there was another Short-eared Owl at Barleycrates Lane. There was more interest on the sea at the Bill, where 32 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Black Terns, 2 Arctic Terns, a Sooty Shearwater and an Arctic Skua were the pick of a light passage through the morning.
It remained very mild overnight but perhaps a little too windy to expect a large catch of moths in the Obs garden traps; there was certainly some evidence of new arrivals, notably 6 Four-spotted Footman and a single Uresiphita polygonalis, whilst other immigrants in the traps included 49 Rush Veneer, 33 Delicate, 7 Pearly Underwing, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 2 Silver Y and singles of Diamond-back Moth, European Corn-borer, Dark Sword Grass, Small Mottled Willow and Scarce Bordered Straw.
Despite the strengthening south-easterly wind it was fine and very warm for the time of year. The light scatter of common migrants at the Bill included nothing in any numbers and only 2 Short-eared Owls, 2 Firecrests and a Hobby by way of quality; the first migrant Chaffinch of the autumn also dropped in there. With the notable exception of 25 passing Balearic Shearwaters and the first Brent Goose of the autumn the sea was also quiet at the Bill.
With the wind having eased right away overnight there were high hopes of some immigrant interest in the Obs garden moth-traps but in the event it appeared that most of the last week's arrivals have moved on and little has arrived in their place; the immigrant/wanderer tally included 49 Rush Veneer, 15 Delicate, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 2 Four-spotted Footman, 2 Dark Sword Grass, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Silver Y and singles of Evergestis extimalis, Latticed Heath and Bordered Beauty.
Red-necked Phalarope - Ferrybridge, September 20th 2006 © Martin Cade
A Red-necked Phalarope that remained at Ferrybridge for a couple of hours during the morning was an unexpected bird of the day. The only other news was of a single Short-eared Owl at the Bill and 3 Balearic and a Sooty Shearwater passing through on the sea there.
It was another quiet night in the Obs garden moth-traps that attracted by way of immigrants just 41 Rush Veneer, 6 Pearly Underwing, 5 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Delicate, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Silver Y and 1 Dark Sword Grass.
Not enough birds/moths but a long list of excuses today: too windy overnight for successful mothing, still too windy by day for looking for grounded migrants (of which there seemed to be hardly any anyway) and too clear and sunny for the seawatchers.....all in all Portland at its worst! Two Short-eared Owls remained at the Bill but there was precious little of interest amongst the handful of new grounded arrivals; visible passage overhead was also much less conspicuous than might have been expected in the clear conditions. A trickle of Common Scoter and a single Balearic Shearwater passed through on the sea at the Bill.
There was a noticeable drop in immigrant numbers overnight in the Obs garden moth-traps: 39 Rush Veneer, 22 Pearly Underwing, 12 Delicate, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Vestal, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, a White-speck, a Small Mottled Willow and a Silver Y.
Clancy's Rustic - Portland Bill, September 18th 2006 © Martin Cade
Precious little of interest today in clear, sunny conditions with a south-westerly breeze that freshened through the day. A Wryneck that surfaced again in a garden at Southwell was the only scarcity seen. Meadow Pipits and the usual three wagtail species were on the move overhead, but grounded migrants were very thinly spread and included nothing much more interesting than 2 Short-eared Owls, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and another Short-eared Owl at Suckthumb Quarry;
In clear and cooler conditions overnight the Obs garden moth-traps were a little quieter than of late although immigrants were still quite plentiful. The third island record of Clancy's Rustic was the highlight, whilst other immigrant totals included 243 Rush Veneer, 111 Pearly Underwing, 31 Delicate, 22 Silver Y, 11 Dark Sword Grass, 9 Scarce Bordered Straw, 5 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 3 Vestal, 2 Cosmopolitan, and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Nephopterix angustella, Four-spotted Footman, White-speck and Small Mottled Willow.
Much quieter today with no as much visible passage as might have been hoped and only a small flurry of new grounded migrants; the only news of anything out of the ordinary was of a Wryneck reported to have been seen near the barns in Top Fields. Meadow Pipit passage is becoming more conspicuous by the day, with several hundred passing over this morning, but movement overhead otherwise consisted of little more than small numbers of hirundines and a few wagtails. On the ground Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps numbered in the low tens but nothing else even managed a double figure total in the Bill area. A trickle of passage at sea included 140 Common Scoter and single Arctic and Great Skuas passing through off the Bill.
There were still plenty of moths on the wing overnight with a large increase in Rush Veneers as well as the presence of Hummingbird Hawk-moths and Red Admirals in the moth-traps being evidence of at least some fresh immigration. The immigrant totals in the Obs garden traps were 363 Rush Veneer, 219 Pearly Underwing, 50 Silver Y, 49 Scarce Bordered Straw, 33 Delicate, 23 Rusty-dot Pearl, 12 Dark Sword Grass, 7 Vestal, 6 Diamond-back Moth, 6 Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 5 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 4 Small Mottled Willow, 2 European Corn-borer, 2 Palpita vitrealis, 1 Cosmopolitan, 1 Dark Spectacle and 2 Red Admiral butterflies.
Marsh Harrier, Wryneck and Melodious Warbler - Portland Bill and Southwell, September 16th 2006 © Martin Cade (Marsh Harrier), Pete Saunders (Wryneck) and Graham Raine (Melodious Warbler)
The Melodious Warbler was still in the East Cliff quarries and there were plenty more new arrivals today, the pick of which were single Wrynecks at Southwell and Broadcroft Quarry and a Marsh Harrier over a Bill. Among the commoner migrants there was another tremendous northward passage of hirundines - like yesterday, mainly House Martins - throughout the morning, whilst on the ground it looks like Chiffchaff and Blackcap are taking the place of Willow Warbler as the most numerous migrants in any patches of cover. The day's counts from the Bill area included 100 Chiffchaffs, 60 Wheatears, 50 Yellow Wagtails, 40 Blackcaps, 35 Willow Warblers, 13 Grey Wagtails, 10 Tree Pipits and smaller numbers of a range of other typical mid-September species that included 4 Snipe, 3 Short-eared Owls, 2 Hobbies, 2 Merlins, 2 Golden Plovers and a Firecrest. Reports from the sea included 8 Wigeon, 2 Teal, a Balearic Shearwater and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill.
Pearly Underwings again dominated the overnight catch in the Obs garden moth-traps and despite the apparently unfavourable breezy conditions both Delicate and Scarce Bordered Straw were noticeably more numerous than in recent nights; the oddest capture of the night was a very out of season second record for the island of Beautiful Hook-tip. The full totals of immigrants were 324 Pearly Underwing, 129 Rush Veneer, 59 Silver Y, 54 Scarce Bordered Straw, 38 Delicate, 14 Vestal, 6 Dark Sword Grass, 5 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 4 European Corn-borer, 4 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 Cosmopolitan and 1 Bordered Straw.
Redstart - Portland Bill, September 15th 2006 © James Lidster
After a still, overcast night there was a spell of rain towards dawn that certainly did the trick with dropping common migrants: numerically and in terms of variety there was more about than in any of the previous minor falls this autumn (as a measure of how poor September has been for grounded migrants, at the Obs the 93 birds ringed today constituted nearly half of the month's ringing total to date). It looked as though the vast majority of what did arrive was standard British fare; the one exception was a Melodious Warbler that was seen briefly in the early evening in the East Cliff quarries. The Bill area provided the lion's share of the birds, with counts that included 150 Yellow Wagtails, 150 Willow Warblers, 75 Wheatears, 60 Chiffchaffs, 50 Whitethroats, 40 Sedge Warblers, 30 Spotted Flycatchers, 25 Blackcaps, 15 Grey Wagtails, 12 Redstarts, 10 Tree Pipits, 8 Whinchats, 5 Reed Warblers, 5 Pied Flycatchers, 4 Snipe, 3 White Wagtails, 3 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Goldcrests, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and singles of Merlin, Golden Plover, Turtle Dove and Firecrest; once the skies cleared during the afternoon there was also a substantial passage of several thousand House Martins that passed overhead into the freshening northerly breeze. The only oddities reported elsewhere on the island were the first Little Stint of the year at Ferrybridge and the first Ring Ouzel of the autumn at Suckthumb Quarry. Little attention was paid to the sea but 3 Balearic Shearwaters were seen passing through off the Bill.
The main feature of the overnight mothing at the Obs was an exceptional influx of Pearly Underwings, although for rarity value the capture of yet more Antigastra catalaunalis took some beating; the overnight totals in the traps included 386 Pearly Underwing, 362 Rush Veneer, 70 Silver Y, 33 Scarce Bordered Straw, 30 Dark Sword Grass, 29 Delicate, 12 Rusty-dot Pearl, 9 Vestal, 7 Small Mottled Willow, 5 Diamond-back Moth, 5 European Corn-borer, 5 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 3 Antigastra catalaunalis, 2 Palpita vitrealis and singles of Bloxworth Snout, Striped Hawk-moth, Archer's Dart, White-speck and Cosmopolitan.
Spotted Flycatcher - Portland Bill, September 14th 2006 © Martin Cade
Dreary, damp conditions kept many of the fieldworkers indoors and those that did venture out weren't rewarded with much in the way of new arrivals. The Wryneck remained at the Bill but otherwise the best of what did surface in the rain were 30 Wheatears, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 10 Willow Warblers, 9 Blackcaps, 5 Whinchats, 4 Reed Warblers, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, 2 Short-eared Owls, a Snipe, a Swift, a White Wagtail, a Goldcrest and a Pied Flycatcher at the Bill, a Barn Owl at Easton and a Firecrest at Weston. Four Balearic Shearwaters and a lone Eider passed through on the sea at the Bill.
There was another substantial arrival of immigrant moths overnight, with the pick of the catch in the Obs garden traps being 4 more Antigastra catalaunalis; other immigrant totals there included 149 Rush Veneer, 32 Pearly Underwing, 29 Delicate, 17 Vestal, 14 European Corn-borer, 12 Scarce Bordered Straw, 12 Silver Y, 7 Dark Sword Grass, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Palpita vitrealis, 3 Convolvulus Hawk-moth and 1 Diamond-back Moth.
Golden Oriole and two Antigastra catalaunalis - Portland Bill, September 13th 2006 © James Lidster (oriole left) and Martin Cade (oriole right and moths)
The Wryneck was still at the Bill and there was a better quality new arrival in the form of a very flighty Golden Oriole that roamed about between the hut fields and Culverwell for an hour or so around midday. The rather pitiful scatter of commoner migrants included 2 Pied Flycatchers and singles of Hobby, Short-eared Owl and Firecrest at the Bill and a Merlin at Barleycrates Lane. Seawatching at the Bill produced 39 Common Scoter, 13 Balearic Shearwaters, a Great Skua and a Little Gull. The only news from elsewhere was of 2 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge.
The overnight highlight in the Obs garden moth-traps was the capture of 3 Antigastra catalaunalis; other immigrant totals included 65 Rush Veneer, 18 Pearly Underwing, 15 Delicate, 13 Vestal, 7 European Corn-borer, 5 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 5 Silver Y, 4 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Diamond-back Moth, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth and singles of Evergestis extimalis, Dioryctria abietella, Gem and Bordered Straw.
Cosmopterix pulcherimella, Short-eared Owl and Balearic Shearwaters - Portland Bill, September 12th 2006 © David Slade (the moth) and James Lidster (the birds)
The Wryneck lingered on at the Bill but the star bird of the day was a Corncrake that was flushed near the Privet Hedge. Under rather heavily overcast skies it wasn't a surprise that visible passage was not as conspicuous as in recent day; what was disappointing though was the lack of new grounded migrants, with the change in the weather producing next to nothing in the way of numbers of commoner species. The best of a poor selection at the Bill were 10 Whinchats, 7 White Wagtails, 4 Redstarts, 3 Short-eared Owls (along with at least one of the two Barn Owls that have been present around the south in recent weeks), 3 Sedge Warblers, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Firecrest and a Pied Flycatcher, whilst elsewhere there were 8 Spotted and 3 Pied Flycatchers around the centre of the island and a Turtle Dove at Verne Common. Seawatching at the Bill produced a marked influx of Balearic Shearwaters (4 through the day followed by a movement of 73 in 2 hours during the evening) along with 3 Great and 3 Arctic Skuas.
In promising-looking, still and sultry conditions overnight there was a small arrival of new immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps: 65 Rush Veneer, 30 Vestal, 9 Delicate, 7 Silver Y, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Hummingbird Hawk-moth and singles of Evergestis extimalis, Dioryctria abietella, Four-spotted Footman and Scarce Bordered Straw; another single Convolvulus Hawk-moth was caught overnight in a garden trap at Reap Lane. Additionally, a long-expected addition to the island moth list has been made in recent days with the discovery by a visitor to the Obs of Cosmopterix pulcherimella in the Obs garden. The visually-challenged writer of these notes had overlooked both mines and adults of this species that are currently plentiful on Pellitory of the Wall beside the back yard of the Obs; this morning a single adult was also found in one of the moth-traps.
Wryneck - Portland Bill, September 10th 2006 © Tim Dackus
Not very much change on the bird front, with the Wryneck still present at the Bill but not a great deal in the way of new grounded migrants. A lone Lapland Bunting over the Bill and 2 Curlew Sandpipers at Ferrybridge were both first records for the year, but the best of the commoner migrants were 30 Yellow Wagtails, 15 Whinchats, 10 Blackcaps, 8 Grey Wagtails, 6 White Wagtails, 3 Short-eared Owls, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Redstarts, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Grey Heron, a Swift, a Tree Pipit, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Goldcrest at the Bill, along with large numbers of hirundines on the move everywhere. Three Arctic Terns and a single Balearic Shearwater were the best of what few birds were on the move off the Bill.
There were precious few signs of renewed immigration in the Obs garden moth-traps, where the overnight totals were 40 Rush Veneer, 11 Delicate, 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Silver Y, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Small Mottled Willow, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw and singles of Dioryctria abietella, Evergestis extimalis, Vestal and Dark Sword Grass.
For those ringers who believe that Britain is awash with White Wagtails throughout the autumn and winter: this is what they really look like - Portland Bill, September 10th 2006 © Martin Cade
A blazing, summer-like day but still something of nothing on the bird front, with the Wryneck still in residence at the Bill but precious little in the way of new grounded migrants and surprisingly little visible passage overhead. Short-eared Owl, Goldcrest and Firecrest (2 owls and singles of each 'crest) were all recorded for the first time this autumn at the Bill, but otherwise the best of the rest there were 10 White Wagtails, 8 Whinchats, 4 Grey Wagtails, 4 Tree Pipits, 4 Reed Warblers, 2 late-ish Swifts, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Merlin, a Redstart, a Sedge Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher. Odds and sods passing through on the sea at the Bill included 2 Arctic and a Pomarine Skua.
There were very thin pickings in the Obs garden moth-traps overnight, with the immigrant tally consisting of 27 Rush Veneer, 12 Silver Y, two each of Diamond-back Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl, Pearly Underwing, and Small Mottled Willow, and singles of Dioryctria abietella, European Corn-borer, Vestal, Dark Sword Grass, Delicate and Scarce Bordered Straw. A further interesting moth discovery was of a single specimen of Ochsenheimeria taurella (formerly O. mediopectinellus) netted in the early afternoon near the Eight Kings Quarry; this is the first modern record of this day-flying species that has no doubt been overlooked since the Victorian era when it was stated to be common in places on the island.
The Wryneck is the weekend crowd-puller - Portland Bill, September 9th 2006 © Martin Cade
Unfortunately any potential that today looked to have was spoilt by the strength of the easterly wind that made birding on the land very hard work. The Wryneck showed regularly between the Obs and the Obs Quarry and saved the day for many of the weekend visitors but otherwise there seemed to be just a light scatter of all the expected common migrants along with another strong passage of hirundines overhead; the only slightly out of the ordinary reports were of 15 White Wagtails, 2 Golden Plover, a Merlin and a Hobby at the Bill and a Black Redstart at Blacknor (the latter apparently present since the beginning of the month). Seawatching at the Bill produced 28 Common Scoter, 11 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Wigeon and an Arctic Skua.
The pick of a very poor overnight catch of immigrant moths in the Obs garden traps were 2 Palpita vitrealis, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Delicate, a Cosmopolitan and a Small Mottled Willow.
Pied Flycatcher - Southwell, September 6th 2006 © Pete Saunders
It remained clear and sunny but despite the stiff breeze having edged into the east it was quieter everywhere. Hirundines were on the move in quantity throughout the morning but otherwise the Bill area produced 100 Wheatears, 50 Yellow Wagtails and single figure totals of most of the other expected early September migrants; pick of the oddities there were a Wryneck in the hut fields/edge of the Obs garden (yesterday's bird surfacing again?), an over-flying Marsh Harrier and singles of Merlin and Greenshank, whilst elsewhere a Grey Plover flew overhead at the Grove. A single Arctic Skua passed through on the sea at the Bill.
In cooler and windier conditions overnight there was a noticeable drop in immigrant numbers in the Obs garden moth-traps: 66 Rush Veneer, 31 Silver Y, 10 Pearly Underwing, 5 Diamond-back Moth, 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Dark Sword Grass, 3 Delicate, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw and singles of Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Small Mottled Willow and Ni Moth.
A record-shot of the Obs Quarry Wryneck that has absolutely no merit beyond vouching for the bird's presence! - Portland Bill, September 7th 2006 © Martin Cade
Sunny skies and a brisk north/north-east wind provided good conditions for birds to get moving and there was plenty of see around the south of the island. Nothing much lingered for long, including the only two oddities discovered: a Wryneck paid a very brief visit to the Obs Quarry and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen at the former Craft Centre at Weston Street. Counts from Barleycrates Lane south to the Bill included 350 Wheatears, 70 Yellow Wagtails, 60 Whinchats, 50 Whitethroats, 40 Tree Pipits, 35 Willow Warblers, 15 Spotted Flycatchers, 10 Sedge Warblers, 10 Pied Flycatchers, 6 Redstarts, 6 Grasshopper Warblers and smaller numbers of other species that included singles of Merlin and Turtle Dove. A single Arctic Skua passed through on the sea at the Bill, whilst waders at Ferrybridge included 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Sanderling and a Knot.
Despite the clear and and increasingly cool conditions overnight decent numbers of moths were attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps, with the fifth Porter's Rustic of the autumn the pick of the captures; other immigrant totals there included 341 Rush Veneer, 61 Silver Y, 23 Rusty-dot Pearl, 18 Dark Sword Grass, 15 Pearly Underwing, 13 Scarce Bordered Straw, 11 Delicate, 4 Vestal, 3 Bordered Straw, 2 Convolvulus Hawk-moth, 1 Palpita vitrealis, 1 Evergestis extimalis and 1 Small Mottled Willow.
Bird-wise it was something of a repeat of yesterday - very little grounded but plenty passing through overhead - with the addition of two scarcities: a Honey Buzzard that flew north-east over Weston and a Sabine's Gull that was reported to have flown east past the Bill. Hirundines were plentiful everywhere but otherwise it was only Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Wheatear and Willow Warbler that managed double figure total at the Bill (hardly impressive for the time of year when several of these ought to be in three figure totals); less common species there included 3 Pied Flycatchers, a Snipe, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Kingfisher and a Lesser Whitethroat.
In clearer and cooler conditions than the night before there were fewer moths on the wing at the Bill; immigrants/wanderers attracted to the Obs garden traps included 151 Rush Veneer, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 9 Delicate, 4 Pearly Underwing, 4 Scarce Bordered Straw, 4 Silver Y, 3 Palpita vitrealis, 3 Vestal, a Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a Heath Rustic; another Convolvulus Hawk-moth was caught overnight in a garden trap at Fortuneswell.
hirundines - Portland Bill, September 5th 2006 © Martin Cade
The long-staying Melodious Warbler at the Bill continued to give prospective viewers frustratingly long waits between its occasional brief appearances (today it showed up a couple of times early in the morning at the Obs Quarry but had not been seen again by late afternoon) and a new individual was reported to have been seen at Fortuneswell during the morning. Grounded commoner migrants were again pretty thinly spread but there was plenty of passage overhead, including large numbers of hirundines gathering at the Bill; the pick of the day's list at the Bill included 25 Grey Wagtails, 20 Tree Pipits, 6 Whinchats, 4 Sedge Warblers, 3 Redstarts, 2 Garden Warblers and singles of Golden Plover, Whimbrel, Yellow-legged Gull, Grasshopper Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher. The only reports from the sea were of 87 commic terns, 34 Common Scoter and a Balearic Shearwater passing through off the Bill.
Two Harbour Porpoises were seen heading west off the Bill during the afternoon.
In still, muggy conditions overnight there were lots of moths on the wing, with the Obs garden traps attracting a fair variety of immigrants: 431 Rush Veneer, 25 Rusty-dot Pearl, 12 Silver Y, 10 Scarce Bordered Straw, 6 Delicate, 5 Palpita vitrealis, 5 Pearly Underwing, 2 Evergestis extimalis, 2 Small Mottled Willow and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Loxostege sticticalis, Vestal, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Dark Sword Grass, Cosmopolitan and Bordered Straw.
Something of a return to summer today after the very autumnal weekend. The calmer conditions allowed a Melodious Warbler (a ringed individual) to surface again in and around the Obs garden but grounded new arrivals were not at all plentiful, with the best on offer at the Bill being 3 Redstarts, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Grasshopper Warblers. There was a good deal more movement overhead, with 50 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Grey Wagtails, 12 Ravens, 10 Tree Pipits, a Little Egret, a Whimbrel, a Greenshank and large numbers of hirundines logged at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill failed to produce a single sighting of note.
With the wind having eased away during the hours of darkness there was a slightly better catch of moths at the Obs; immigrants attracted to the traps included 84 Rush Veneer, 11 Delicate, 4 Pearly Underwing, 3 Silver Y and singles of Diamond-back Moth, Evergestis extimalis, Ancylosis oblitella, Dark Sword Grass and Scarce Bordered Straw.
Another seawatching day, with yesterday's gale force south-westerlies having hardly abated at all. Once again there was precious little on the move with the best at the Bill being 5 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Storm Petrels, 2 Sandwich Terns and singles of Manx Shearwater, Great Skua and Yellow-legged Gull; additionally, 6 Sandwich Terns, 3 Great Skuas, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Common Tern, an Arctic Tern and a Manx Shearwater passed through at Chesil Cove. The only other news was from Ferrybridge where there were 150 Ringed Plover, 50 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, 4 Sandwich Terns, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Knot and a Common Tern, along with 30 over-flying Yellow Wagtails.
Singles of Delicate and Scarce Bordered Straw were the only captures of note amongst very small numbers of commoner immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight.
Late news for yesterday: an all-day(!) seawatch at Chesil Cove produced 8 Great Skuas, 7 Balearic Shearwaters and a Black Tern.
Arctic and Common Terns - Ferrybridge, September 2nd 2006 © Martin Cade
Despite the arrival of the first proper gale of autumn there was a hint of a few new migrants having arrived on the land, with 20 Wheatears, 3 Whinchats, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Redstart found during what little fieldwork was possible at the Bill. Judging by the influx of weekend seawatchers there were high expectations of a heavy passage offshore but in the event there was little more seen than in recent days: 8 Balearic Shearwaters, 6 Teal, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Storm Petrel and a Sooty Shearwater passed through at the Bill and 2 Great Skuas and another Sooty Shearwater were seen during a short watch at Chesil Cove during the afternoon. Counts from Ferrybridge included 335 Great Black-backed Gulls, 166 Ringed Plover, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Sanderling and singles of Greenshank, Whimbrel, Little Tern and Arctic Tern.
Unfortunately the promising-looking mild southerly wind overnight was much too strong to expect too much reward in the Obs garden moth-traps, where immigrants caught included 101 Rush Veneer, 3 Pearly Underwing, 2 Delicate, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, 2 Silver Y and singles of Rusty-dot Pearl, Loxostege sticticalis and Bordered Straw.
Precious little to get excited about today with none of the expected common migrants reaching double figure totals and many absent or in singles; the only slightly unusual sightings were of a Wood Sandpiper over Southwell and a Golden Plover at the Bill. After a quiet start the south-westerly wind freshened through the day but the only reports from the sea were of 14 Common Scoter, 4 Arctic Skuas, a Balearic Shearwater and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill.
Immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps overnight included 59 Rush Veneer, 3 Delicate, 2 Scarce Bordered Straw, a Rusty-dot Pearl, a Palpita vitrealis, a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, a Pearly Underwing, a White-speck and a Painted Lady butterfly.