12th April

 A few moments of joy in an otherwise highly unremarkable day included a reappearance by the Hooded Crow that showed nicely for all walkers after settling in the Crown Estate Field, the first Sedge Warbler for the Bill, two male Pied Flycatchers (one at Southwell school and one at Fortuneswell) and a Hoopoe in flight at Weston. With such clear skies but largely opaque haze over the sea, it was unsurprising that visible migration was limited to a handful of Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears and Whitethroats (low single figures of all) as most migrants presumably shot straight through way over our heads. The sea also proved difficult in the reduced visibility: the only real highlight was four Velvet Scoters amongst a flock of 9 Common Scoters.

Always one of the highlights of spring: this nice male Pied Flycatcher at Fortuneswell was one of two today © Andy Luckhurst:

After a long lean period Hooded Crow has lately become an annual - and see-able - visitor to the Bill. Today's bird wasn't particularly endearing itself to us by joining the throng of corvids feasting on our recently sown stewardship crops! Geoff Orton (still) and Martin Cade (video):

11th April

A mysterious day as a phone call warning of an impending Hooded Crow go everyone scanning the incoming Corvids. Victory, however, was short-lived and after being spotted coming in off the Bill it was immediately lost and never re-found. Despite the second Serin of the year being at Weston, it was an otherwise disappointing day with a vast reduction in movement up the West Cliffs compared to the previous day. Migrant highlights at the Bill were limited to singles of Whitethroat and Black Redstart, 18 White Wagtails and three Yellow Wagtails. Elsewhere on the island, Reap lane saw three Whinchats, two Redstarts and a Merlin. The sea was relatively quiet with two apiece of Bonxie and Arctic Skua the only real excitement.

It hasn't been easy to see grounded Yellow Wagtails with the blue skies we've been experiencing. This one decided to linger and appeared very taken with the local horses, plenty of calling and eye contact going on... ©Erin Taylor

10th April

A stiffer northeasterly pegged the temperature back a notch or two on yesterday's highs but, combined with the continuing clear sky, created just the conditions for a nice pulse of visible passage today. West Cliffs were well covered and returned hourly rates of up to 550 Meadow Pipits and 100 Linnets, along with lesser totals of the likes of all three hirundines and alba and Yellow Wagtails. It was considerably slower going on the ground, where the meagre return was far from qualifying as a fall: a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill and a Ring Ouzel at Castletown were the best on offer amongst the more routine fare. The sea came up with morsels of interest but never really got going as the wind direction remained stubbornly just offshore: 7 Little Gulls and singles of Goosander, Great Skua and Arctic Skua were as good as it got at the Bill.

9th April

After yesterdays celebration of spring today fell rather flat, however, it was a wonderfully warm and calm day that was perfect for finishing off some outside jobs. The highlight of the day was an early Garden Warbler along the West Cliffs. Away from the Bill, the centre of the island turned up a second Lesser Whitethroat, a male Redstart at Reap Lane and a flyover Little Ringed Plover past Blacknor. Hirundine passage had slowed but once again Swallows were the dominant force accompanied by low single figures of Sand Martins and House Martins. With the change in temperature, the sea was once again coated in a thick haze and limited sea-watching highlights to a single Arctic Skua, three Curlews and 121 Common Scoters.

Having birding haunts such as Reap Lane and Suckthumb Quarry on your doorstep is a treat during such strange times ©Debby Saunders:

8th April

An excellent day for migration, although much of it was focused on the centre of the island, not at the Bill. Firsts for the year included Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Whinchat, whilst Lesser Whitethroat was a first for the spring. The West Cliffs were alive with the passage of hirundines, a three species day with Swallow making up the bulk of the numbers, however finches also put in a good display with 65 Linnets in just under an hour. Another Red Kite straying onto the island from the mainland was the day's bonus oddity. The glorious weather brought with it a thick spring haze so sea watching was limited to singles of Puffin, Bonxie, Sandwich Tern and Whimbrel as well as low single figures of the usual fare.

With the temperature peaking at over 16°c, it was unsurprisingly a great day for butterflies with three firsts for the year - Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Speckled Wood - as well as Orange-tip, Large White, Peacock, Comma and Large Tortoiseshell.

For an all-too-short period of time, Portland's hedge rows are dressed in an organza of white blossom. Upon closer inspection, flickers of movement betray the location of early migrants like this Chiffchaff before they dive back into the thorny depths © Martin Cade:

The first good day of hirundine movement this year included double figures of Sand Martins moving along the West Cliffs © Debby Saunders: 

7th April

Judging by reports from elsewhere it seems like we're missing a lot of migrants just at the moment as they make the most of the prevailing fair weather and overfly the coast. The big moon and clear sky overnight certainly offered little prospect of a grounding of birds today, and so it came to pass with no more than a thin smatter of arrivals everywhere. Three Yellow Wagtails, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Redstarts and singles Merlin and Grey Plover provided a little variety on the land, whilst 11 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill were the best on offer on the sea.

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

6th April

Despite the gentle drizzle overnight, we were not overrun by migrants this morning. The highlights of the day was the first Redstart of the year on the land - a cracking male in the Crown Estate field - and the first Little Tern - maybe more likely a migrant than a local breeder - off Chesil. The rest of the land-based migrants were limited to low numbers of the usual fare. The change in the wind was not kind to the sea-watchers and there was a steep decrease after yesterday's spectacle. Sandwich Terns continued to move in good numbers with 38 through off the Bill along with 65 Common Gulls; four Eiders were also noteworthy, as well as two Little Gulls and a single Bonxie.

5th April

With the south-easterly blowing with mounting gusto, passage on the sea picked up exponentially compared to recent days. The greatest spectacle were Common Scoters that amounted to 754. It was the first day of good tern passage, and a 50:50 split between Sandwich Terns and 'commic' terns kept us on our toes; with both Common and Arctic Terns present we managed to bring our garden isolation list up by another two species. Manx Shearwaters were ever present throughout the morning in ones and twos, but by the evening larger groups were sighted and brought the days tally to 52. Little Gulls made themselves a prominent feature (although our total didn't come close to some locations on the south coast) and a morning total of 19 was more than doubled in the evening with an additional 32 birds. There were further worthwhile returns from Red-throated Diver (29), Arctic Skua (21), Whimbrel (43), Shoveler (9) and Teal (16). Limited coverage of the land revealed little in numbers and nothing of particular interest.

4th April

Dare we say it, today was a tad disappointing. With the wind swinging round to the southeast and early morning patches of cloud developing we were hoping for the flood gates on land and sea to open slightly wider than proved to be the case. On the other hand we shouldn't complain: it was a beautiful day and far from devoid of interest. Walking up the West Cliffs, we were treated to the first steady passage of Swallows at about one a minute, along with plentiful alba wagtails, Meadow Pipits and Linnets, a handful of both the other common hirundines, a Sparrowhawk and a Golden Plover - all heading rapidly northward. It was not so busy on the ground though: the first Serin of the year dropped in at Blacknor but routine migrants were only very thinly spread and didn't include much more of note beyond 4 White Wagtails, 2 Black Redstarts and a Bullfinch at the Bill. Whimbrel was another addition to the year-list (3 off the Bill and a single off Chesil) from the seawatchers, but their rewards didn't otherwise extend much beyond a small passage of Common Scoter and Red-throated Divers (including 147 and 13 respectively through off the Bill), 6 Shoveler off Chesil and Bill and 4 Little Gulls off Chesil. A Sanderling at Ferrybridge was the third and final first for the year.

3rd April

Sadly, migration didn't quite follow the script today and, whilst not a complete damp squib, fell well short of the heights that an overcast sky and pre-dawn shower had promised. An overdue Ring Ouzel at Barleycrates was the first for the year, while the Obs garden 'lockdown list' was increased by three: Puffin, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Swallow. Fewer Red-throated Divers were recorded with just 14 throughout the morning, however, a notable movement of Kittiwakes consisted of around 75 passing individuals. A House Martin in the top fields was the first within the Obs recording area but otherwise migrants were rather thin on the ground with just a smattering of Redwings, Wheatears, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers, along with a lone passing Short-eared Owl.

2nd April

With the strength of the wind dwindling and heavy cloud cover rolling in overnight migrants were at last downed in some quantity today. The hours of darkness had seen a steady passage of Redwings develop - 151 calls were logged at the Obs with a strong peak in the couple of hours of darkness - and it was they that proved the harbingers of things to come as dawn broke when 45 greeted the early risers around the south of the island; 21 Fieldfare and 20 Blackbirds also made rapid departures at this time. Willow Warblers made up the bulk of the numbers amongst the summer migrants, with 150 at the Bill alone; also there, Chiffchaff and Blackcap reached 50 each, Wheatear was rather  under-strength at just 40 and none of the other also-rans managed a double-figure total. Visible passage was surprisingly light but did include a Common Buzzard arriving in off the sea at the Bill. Sea passage continued to improve, with a year peak of 42 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill; 90 Common Scoter and singles of Brent Goose and Sandwich Tern were also of note there, whilst off Chesil singles of Black-throated Diver, Lapwing, Curlew and the season's first Little Ringed Plover added variety to the mix. Thirteen Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver were also still about at Portland Harbour.

Redwing, Blackcap and Redshank were among the migrants that featured today © Martin Cade, Debby Saunders and Joe Stockwell respectively:

It's many, many years since they've bred at Portland so, away from the Ferrybridge carpark, Rook is always a rather appreciated and strongly seasonal visitor to the island © Pete Saunders:

1st April

We're not quite sure why certain folk think the very clear guidelines issued by the government in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak don't apply to them but from the steady number of day-visitors that are calling in or parking at the Obs that seems to be the case. We'd like to reiterate that the Obs - including all our facilities and car park - is closed until further notice; this is for your good as well as ours. We're very keen to receive news of sightings from around the island but please forward these via social media or email rather than report them in person.

A joyous occurrence today as the first pair of shorts were sighted on the patio (some immediate regret was experienced by the wearer when the clouds rolled in, but isn't that always the case on the first shorts day of the year?). Some more positive signs of movement included 34 Wheatears across the Bill recording area, a single Swallow up the West Cliffs and a new Willow Warbler in the garden. The sea was also busier than in recent days with 26 Red-throated Divers, 58 Common Scoter, five Manx Shearwaters and three Eiders. Elsewhere on the island, there were another 18 Wheatears at Ferrybridge (within a daily exercise cycle of one of our regulars), a Merlin at Chesil Cove and two Great Northern Divers in the Harbour.

With the sudden disappearance of our regular birders around the Bill, we have been neglecting to photograph the commoner migrants, and that's real shame when the male Wheatears are looking this resplendent © Erin Taylor:

31st March

The quality of the birding in recent days has been, frankly, abject and today brought no upturn in fortunes for the island residents undertaking constitutional walks that were reported to be almost devoid of migrants, both on the ground and overhead. Chiffchaff just about made a double figure total at the Bill, where 2 Redwings, a Snipe and one of the overwintering Firecrests provided the only high spots amongst the thinnest of migrant tallies; elsewhere, a White Wagtail at Reap Lane was as good as it got. With the stiff breeze remaining firmly in the northeasterly singles of Red-throated Diver and Arctic Skua were the only rewards from the sea at the Bill.

A Large Tortoiseshell was again on the wing at Church Ope Cove.

30th March

To demonstrate the dearth of migrants at the Bill, we celebrated 'breaking our duck' today with the capture of a single Goldfinch in the garden nets. Highlights on the birding front included the return of the Culverwell Moorhen, 8 Purple Sandpipers at the Bill and nine Wheatears across the obs recording area. The sea remained relatively quiet with four Manx Shearwaters, 35 Common Scoters and a Little Egret. Elsewhere on the island, a Yellow Wagtail showed up at Wakeham, a Black Redstart was at Blacknor whilst a trickle of migrants at Reap Lane included White Wagtail, Wheatear and a couple of Chiffchaffs.

It's good to see the Buzzards helping out with the over abundance of rats ©Geoff Orton: 

29th March

Is the wind ever going to stop? It has seemed almost relentless since last November and today was no exception. Not a single new bird was trapped throughout an entire morning in the garden, and the only lingering bird was yesterday's Bullfinch. The sea was woefully quiet with just two Red-throated Divers, three Manx Shearwaters and 14 Common Scoter through off the Bill. Other migrants at the Bill were limited to five Song Thrushes (including a very grey individual) as well as six Wheatears. Random additions to the tally from elsewhere included singles of Mute Swan and Dunlin at Chesil Cove and 15 Black-headed Gulls and a Red-throated Diver through at Portland Harbour.

28th March

Sunshine was again the order of the day but birding on the land was hard work and largely unrewarding in a freshening and chilly northeasterly. Migrant numbers were stuck at barely more than ones and twos of routine fare, with 3 White Wagtails at Reap Lane and another Bullfinch at the Obs the best of the minor oddities. The sea was little better in the offshore wind, with 33 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers, a Great Crested Grebe and a Little Egret the best off the Bill.

A first White-speck of the year was a surprise in the Obs garden moth-traps.

Our little looks at ageing and sexing were supposed to just low-key dippings into whatever we came across rather than being in any way systematic but, having done a young Bullfinch a couple of days ago, it was probably inevitable that one of the next birds out of a bag should be an adult Bullfinch - this really wasn't rigged! We're known for being very conservative when it comes to ageing and try to avoid the temptation to look too hard for very subtle features - our experience is that doing so more often than not leads to mistakes. This adult certainly fell into the glaringly obvious category, with its nice blue gloss to all the major covert tracts and neat greyish-white tips to the greater coverts and carpal covert (the latter is the little covert feather tucked between the greater coverts and the alula - it's brown tipped in a youngster)...

...given a good field view we'd have thought the correct ageing of this bird would have been quite do-able © Martin Cade:

27th March

Crystal clear skies and a cool breeze kicked off the day, bringing with it another Bullfinch to the garden. The morning's constitutional walk was unremarkable with a handful of common migrants including five Wheatears, two Goldcrests and one Black Redstart. Reports from elsewhere on the island provided the day list with two Siskins and a single Coal Tit (evidently there has been a small influx of Coal Tits across the West Coast, whether this individual was part of that or one of our regular spring continental birds remains to be seen). As the day wore on the wind dropped and the temperature rose, bringing the general feeling of the day to nothing short of magnificent, and the perfect weather for a spot of raptor passage;  three Red Kites were recorded in total, one over the obs (which headed east) and two together over Weston.

With the amount of reports of Red Kites over Wyke and Weymouth, it was surely only a matter of time before one meandered over our heads © Martin Cade:

Social isolation has not fazed our regular Ferrybridge-goers and a quick walk up the road instead provided a pair of Stonechats...© Debby Saunders:

...and this fabulous male Siskin © Pete Saunders: 

26th March

Not much of a migration spectacle on land or sea today with the continuing fine weather reducing groundings of nocturnal migrants at the Bill to little more than could be counted on the fingers of two hands, whilst a shift in the breeze back towards the northeast killed off sea passage; the most disappointing feature was an almost total lack of visible passage in what looked to be perfect conditions. Several of what few migrants were about on the ground looked to be long-term lingerers including 2 White Wagtails and singles of Black Redstart and Redwing at the Bill; sea movement there included 53 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Divers and singles of Black-throated Diver, Arctic Skua and Sandwich Tern.

Single Large Tortoiseshells were seen at two sites at Fortuneswell.

Portland residents are pretty fortunate to have a wealth of potentially migrant-rich footpaths along which to undertake their daily constitutional walk during these peculiar times; their rewards have been pretty scant so far but we wouldn't mind betting that with the extra miles being covered one or other of them bumps into something decent before too long. Yesterday's routine fare included Wheatear and Turnstone © Geoff Orton:

At the Obs, our mist-nets have quietened right off in recent days, although that has allowed us to tinker around with perhaps restarting having a closer look at some species on the blog. When we used to have a go at this on the old website the aim wasn't a 'teaching granny to suck eggs' series for ringers but rather dabbling at showing birders the sorts of features that might be visible on a good field view. We doubt that we'll ever get round to being systematic with this and the first bird out of a bag yesterday was a minor Bill scarcity in the form of a Bullfinch. Sexing's well covered in any guide so there was no bother with this female:

Ageing also wasn't a problem since all young Bullfinches retain a certain number of juvenile feathers throughout their first year - most visibly, this youngster born last summer retained, for example, a couple of outer greater coverts and all the primary coverts:

On the closed wing, we did notice just how readily the two juvenile greater coverts disappeared from view beneath the other eight adult-patterned feathers in this tract so in the field it might be that the most obvious sign of immaturity would be the dull - matt as opposed to glossy - primary coverts and alula © Martin Cade:

25th March

Another bout of glorious sunshine today, albeit always tempered by a keen southeasterly breeze. A fall of migrants was never on the cards but the subtle shift in wind direction more than perked up the sea that provided entertainment throughout the morning, with Bill totals that included c300 auk spp, c250 Gannets, 126 Kittiwakes, 88 Common Scoter, 13 Red-throated Divers, 12 Little Gulls, 7 Black-headed Gulls, 6 Garganey, 4 Eider, 3 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Shelducks and the first Arctic Skua of the spring; lower numbers off Chesil included 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. It was very hard going on the land, where odds and ends amongst pitiful numbers of common numbers on the ground included singles of Snipe, Black Redstart, Redwing and Bullfinch at the Bill, a White Wagtail at Suckthumb and a Black Redstart at the Grove; visible passage was also disappointingly light, with no more than a trickle of hirundines, pipits and finches on the move along West Cliffs.

A Large Tortoiseshell was seen near Verne Common.

24th March

A truly beautiful day - which was a tad ironic given it was also the first day of the nationwide lockdown - saw brilliant blue skies and a drop in the hitherto ever-present wind. Once again, however, it was not a great day for migrating birds with grounded migrants in particular pretty thinly spread; 2 White Wagtails were as good as it got at the Bill. Three species of hirundine was a bonus though with the first House Martin of the year (at Blacknor) accompanied by six Swallows and three Sand Martin; a decent passage of Meadow Pipits and Linnets was also evident  along the West Cliffs . The sea was relatively quiet, with 5 Red-throated Divers and 4 Shoveler easily the pick of a lean return from the Bill.

Yesterday we mentioned appreciating the little things and in the same breath should have dwelt on the capture for ringing of the year's first Greenfinch at the Obs. It still sometimes seems almost inconceivable that we've reached the point where the trapping of a Greenfinch should be deemed noteworthy but it's a sad reflection on the demise of what was once the Obs garden's commonest breeding bird © Martin Cade:

We've posted versions of the graph below on previous blogs but the latest update shows there's been no upturn in the fortunes of a bird whose population both locally and nationally has been decimated by the emergence of the respiratory disease, trichomonosis. It's safe to say that the totals shown for the first 15 or so years of ringing activity at the Obs can be largely ignored: ringing effort in those days wasn't what it is now and we understand that Greenfinches were so numerous in that era that, to save money, many of those trapped weren't even ringed! Amongst the ups and downs in the 'modern era' we've never managed to glean from the literature a satisfactory explanation for the noticeable dip in numbers during the 1980s - was this a nation-wide event or something that occurred only at a local level?

23rd March

We regret to have to announce that in the light of the restrictions placed on travel and size of gatherings the Obs car park will be closed with immediate effect and until further notice.

Another brisk, cold but bright day was a treat to look at, if not to be in outside. A couple of interesting moments on the sea included singles of Red-breasted Merganser, Manx Shearwater and Sandwich Tern; as well as three Bar-tailed Godwits and a Curlew off Chesil Cove. On the land, there was little evidence of movement with most Chiffchaffs in the garden being ringed birds from recent days, Black Redstarts in the same locations as recent days and two lingering Blackcaps. Meadow Pipits once again represented the most common migrants with an increasing stream of birds throughout the morning, culminating in 123 birds through in 20 minutes above the West Cliffs.

Sometimes it's nice to appreciate the little things... © Erin Taylor:

22nd March

Judging by the number of sightings from a wide range of places across Portland, our local birders are managing to maintain social distancing whilst also enjoying the islands various birding hot spots. A marginal drop in the wind meant that the day dawned cool and clear once more. The most numerous species battling the elements to make landfall was the humble Meadow Pipit, with 124 heading in off the sea during the mornings sea watch. However, the highlight at sea was a flock of three Tufted Ducks (the first for the year), also seen at Chesil Cove. The Chesil watch also added 20 Black-headed Gulls and singles of Black-throated and Great Northern Diver. Elsewhere on the island, Church Ope saw singles of Common Sandpiper and Firecrest, there was a single Fieldfare at Barleycrates, the harbour and Ferrybridge contained an additional pair of Great Northern Divers and two Shelducks, and a Merlin was sighted speeding along the West Cliffs. 

The population of Buzzards on Portland seems to be on the rise, particularly at the south end of the island and a noticeable 'wondering' pair have been checking out new sights for the past month. This evidently came to a head today with three birds present at the scene, there obviously isn't room for the both of them © Geoff Orton:

21st March

The sound of the wind whipping itself into a frenzy last night did not inspire much confidence in the day ahead. It was a morning for a slow wake up, but we should always know better and an early morning phone call from the Quinetiq compound revealed that a Stone Curlew had been sighted on their morning patrols. An initial search for the bird around the Bill yielded little success, but a fortunate farmer unearthed the bird later within the ploughed field across the road before it swiftly departed northwards. Despite the howling easterly wind, migrants were still revealing themselves across the obs area; three Black Redstarts remained, a sad total of seven Wheatears, three White Wagtails and singles of Redwing and Fieldfare were located throughout the day. The sea produced the first Bar-tailed Godwit of the year along with 10 Manx Shearwaters and 26 Common Gulls. 

The Stone Curlew was an unfortunate combination of incredibly flighty and very prone to hunkering in ploughed fields making it difficult to get to grips with... © Martin Cade: 

20th March

A surprisingly brutal blast of easterly wasn't welcome for those indulging in bouts of self-isolation exercise but it did drop a steady arrival of mainly Chiffchaffs at the Bill, where 150 or so pitched up through the day. Migrant variety was otherwise pretty limited: the likes of Robins were noticeably more numerous than of late and 2 Little Egrets and a Merlin were of note at the Bill but, for example, Wheatear barely managed a double figure total there; odds and ends elsewhere included a Fieldfare at Barleycrates Lane and a Black Redstart at Blacknor. Offshore, the first Sandwich Tern of the season passed through off the Bill where the settled Common Scoter flock was bolstered by the arrival of dithering migrants, with at least 75 present at times.

19th March

A welcome switch in the wind brought a cool, calm day with plenty of potential. An initial movement of Chiffchaffs kicked off the day, and remained the commonest species trapped; tallies reached 31 in the garden and a further 94 across the recording area. Mid-morning saw the first real movement of hirundines with 36 Sand Martins and 9 Swallows in off the sea, shooting off north. A noticeable increase in Goldcrests included 11 trapped in the garden and an additional 30 around the Top Fields, Culverwell and the East Cliffs. Other migrants present in smaller numbers included: a Merlin, six Black Redstarts, 11 Blackcaps, 12 Willow Warblers and two Firecrests.

18th March

Another little flourish of migrants under dreary skies today. Chiffchaffs made up the bulk of the numbers with at least 100 at the Bill and another 50 in the Pennsylvania Castle area. Willow Warbler and Blackcap (2) were both firsts for the spring at the Bill where 30 Wheatears, 15 Goldcrests and a Black Redstart were also logged on the ground and 2 Lapwings and a steady arrival of alba wagtails, Meadow Pipits and Linnets featured overhead; elsewhere, another Black Redstart was at Blacknor and 3 Firecrests were again about at Pennsylvania Castle. The sea chipped in with 6 Red-throated Divers, 5 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Manx Shearwaters and the first 3 Puffins of the season.

17th March

There certainly doesn't look to be any momentum of passage getting established, with today's returns very much poorer than yesterday's. Odds and ends on the ground at the Bill included 3 Black Redstarts, 2 Firecrests and barely into double figure totals of Wheatear and Chiffchaff. Sea passage there was also subdued: a close to triple figure total of Kittiwakes was of note but otherwise nothing more than 2 Brent Geese and a lone Red-throated Diver passed by; 2 Great Northern Divers were still knocking about in Portland Harbour.

After a winter hiatus it's good to have Ken Dolbear back keeping us abreast of invertebrate discoveries; this Cereal Leaf Beetle Oulema melanopus at Bottomcombe yesterday is evidently a first for Portland © Ken Dolbear:

16th March

For a week now talk has been turning to the mythical perfect Monday: the forecasts had predicted the stiff westerly that has been battering us for over a month would finally abate and be replaced by a gentle northerly and clear skies - propitious conditions so often in the past. Just for once the reality lived up to expectations. Straight away from dawn, Wheatears were watched coming in off the sea over the Obs patio and soon Chiffchaffs were flycatching from the bushes. A sweep of the Obs recording area revealed a Wheatear tally of 125 (although the true figure was likely far higher as birds were passing through rapidly), Chiffchaffs were the most numerous species ringed with 29 trapped in the garden and a further 67 recorded throughout the obs area. The chat-fest continued as more Black Redstarts emerged and a total of 5 around the Bill were joined by singles at Church Ope, the Verne and Chesil Cove; Stonechats also put in an impressive showing with a conservative tally of 51 reached. Other migrants travelling in lesser numbers included a single Merlin (the first for the year), two Swallows, two White Wagtails, the first 2 Goldcrests of the spring and four Firecrests. 

The bright, warm day also brought out a few non-avian highlights: 2 Large Tortoiseshells were re-sighted at Church Ope, along with several Brimstones, whilst a further Large Tortoiseshell surfaced at Bottomcombe.

Large Tortoiseshells showed nicely in today's lovely sunshine; this one was at Bottomcombe © Ken Dolbear...

...and two or more were again frequenting Pennsylvania Castle/Church Ope Cove © Martin Cade:

15th March

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak PBO is unable to guarantee the wellbeing of visitors and is to close for residential guests with immediate effect and until further notice; our carpark and viewing patio will remain open for the time being but all indoor facilities will be out of bounds to day-visitors. These instructions will be constantly reviewed and may change without warning.

We will endeavour to contact all those with accommodation bookings in place for this spring but should this not be possible please do not travel and expect to be accommodated.

What would have been the morning rush was interrupted by some heavyish rain showers, so early morning tallies consisted of just one Wheatear at the Bill, a Fieldfare over the obs and single figures of Chiffchaffs. However, by the afternoon the rain had cleared and the wind FINALLY dropped to almost nothing; with this came a small movement of Chiffchaffs (12 in the obs recording area, three at Church Ope and 3 around Bumpers Lane), Wheatears (three in the East Cliffs fields), Stonechats (18 between Sweethill and Culverwell) and a single Black Redstart at Shepherds Dinner. The sea saw its share of the action too with 36 Manx Shearwaters, 19 Fulmars, 26 Common Scoter and singles of Red-throated Diver, Brent Goose and Bonxie.

14th March

The day we have been waiting for since the onset of the foul weather last November, the first 2 Wheatears of the spring arrived today, a sure sign that spring is on its way. However, the glory of the bird of the day was stolen by a singing Mistle Thrush at Culverwell, an uncommon sound on Portland to say the least. The sunny morning saw small arrivals of common migrants including three White and 25 alba Wagtails, the first triple figure tally of Meadow Pipits, 23 Stonechats across the recording area, a flock of 35 Linnets in off the sea and 20 Chiffchaffs grounded at the Bill. The sea itself was of interest with six Red-throated Divers (with passage continuing throughout the day), 26 Common Scoter loitering offshore and eight Mediterranean Gulls; the evening seawatch added three Manx Shearwaters and a small but noticeable movement of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

13th March

The adage relates that one Swallow doesn't make a summer and today's first single of the spring that passed through at Blacknor certainly wasn't moving with any other quantity of migrants. A few gatherings of Stonechats - including 9 at Kingbarrow Quarry - were about as good as it got on the ground, with no more than a minor trickle of pipits and wagtails through overhead. Another 3 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Red-throated Divers passed by off the Bill.

Two Large Tortoiseshells were again at Church Ope Cove, with the first Small White and Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year also on the wing at Blacknor and Portland Port respectively.

There mightn't have been much migrant activity but it was a decent enough day to get amongst some routine Portland fare - Skylark, Stonechat, Common Buzzard and Linnet © Roy Norris: