With the wind dropping to almost nothing, overnight rain took a little longer to clear than anticipated and it wasn't until mid-morning that we got out among the steadily emerging flocks of Goldcrests. With 21 new individuals trapped, alongside flocks of upwards of 50 across the island, the whole island count was likely over 250. Unsurprisingly, given the abundance of Goldcrests, a Woodcock was attempting to hide within the Burdock in the Bill Quarry (because of course the Goldcrests ride on the back of Woodcocks) but was unceremoniously disturbed by a curious Crow. Within the gathering flocks of Goldcrests emerged 2 Firecrests, three Yellow-browed Warblers and an eastern Lesser Whitethroat. Today's calm allowed for the first good look this winter at Portland Harbour, resulting in the discovery of both a Red-necked and 5 Black-necked Grebes, as well as four Great Northern Divers.
Another change in the wind brought with it some milder air. The traditional November fare continued with a flurry of Goldcrests, this time bringing with them at least two Firecrests and a new Yellow-browed Warbler. A smattering of autumnal migrants around the Bill included two apiece of Great Northern Diver and Merlin, singles of Fieldfare and Black Redstart, as well as seven Bramblings. The day's highlight came as a Great Egret came in straight over the Obs garden making this a record year for the species. Away from the Obs, the Rosy Starling continued its monumental stay in Easton.
With the prospect of the wind changing to a south-easterly over night. it was with a twinge of disappointment that the Bill list couldn't be extended further. A fall of Goldcrests, particularly within the Obs garden, resulted in the capture of 26 individuals. The finches failed to materialize in any great numbers with thirty Chaffinches joined by seven Redpolls, five Siskins and a lone Brambling. Away from the Bill, an early morning sighting of a Cattle Egret was presumably yesterday's bird and had the title of 'bird of the day' stolen by a ring-tail Hen Harrier heading in over Chesil Cove; one of the Yellow-browed Warblers also remained at Southwell. Additional species included a smattering of Black Redstarts and a lone Firecrest amongst the Goldcrest flocks in the centre of the island.
A glorious autumnal day saw the day dawn crisp and clear. The early morning flurry of Chaffinches and Bramblings fizzled out rather rapidly, leaving the morning to be rescued by the arrival at the Bill of a Cattle Egret - it was always mobile but quite often settled amongst livestock before eventually heading away north. A smattering of additional late autumn staples overhead included single figures of Lapwing, Woodlark, Bullfinch, Redpoll and Reed Bunting, along with a rather measly 1000 Wood Pigeons and 500 Starlings. It was a little busier than in recent days on the ground, with the 2 Yellow-browed Warblers at Southwell being joined by the first Siberian Chiffchaff of the autumn; a handful more Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were evident, with the mist-nets also revealing an otherwise under the radar arrival of new Blue and Great Tits. A Grey Phalarope dropped in briefly at Ferrybridge, whilst winter fare included the odd Black Redstart here and there and singles of Great Northern Diver and Shelduck in Portland Harbour.
Today's quiet conditions - in a gentle northerly and under a crystal clear sky it was pretty crisp at dawn but had really warmed up by the afternoon - have been a long time coming and whilst the day matched expectations it hardly exceeded them. An all-island tally of scarcities that included 3 Short-eared Owls, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers and singles of Woodlark, Siberian Lesser Whitethroat, Tree Sparrow and Snow Bunting certainly provided a modicum of quality but it was far too clear for much of an arrival of grounded migrants and the light breeze saw to it that overhead passage was for the most part light and rather random. Pigeon passage rarely features in a northerly (instead it takes place along the mainland coast) and no more than 550 Wood Pigeons were mustered over the Bill; far more of a spectacle there was an unseasonable southbound passage of 360 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, with 43 Bramblings the one stand-out total amongst generally low numbers of other passing migrants. On the ground there were a handful of new Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and 'crests but none reached double figure totals in any one area.
In line with the latest government guidance and directives, Portland Bird Observatory - including our bookshop and viewing terrace - will be closed for residential guests and day-visitors from Thursday 5th November to Wednesday 2nd December; in the light of the regulations permitting local travel to spend time or exercise outdoors, our car park will remain open during this period but we must request that only local members make use of this facility and when they do so they follow the government regulations concerning meeting others.
A nice bit of variety again today with another decent pulse of visible passage and one or two scarcities of note on the ground. The numbers were all overhead, with 3770 Wood Pigeons, 340 Goldfinches and 328 Chaffinches making up the bulk of the total at the Bill, where further variety included 7 Bramblings, 2 Merlins, a Golden Plover and a Woodlark; a Snow Bunting that dropped in at the Bill tip late in the day was one of the few grounded arrivals there. Movement elsewhere included 1790 Wood Pigeons, 10 Knot and a Goosander through at Ferrybridge and 17 Bramblings at High Angle Battery. The Rosy Starling remained at Easton, a Yellow-browed Warbler at Southwell was the first for a while and Black Redstarts remained at Church Ope Cove and Blacknor, whilst further up-island oddities that didn't linger or couldn't be refound included 1 or 2 Richard's Pipits and 3 Firecrests at the Grove and another Rosy Starling at Osprey Quay.
A Monday in November with a gale blowing all day certainly oughtn't be the sort of day when the rewards come thick and fast but today was oddly satisfying, what with there being interest on land, sea and overhead. The wealth of visible passage evident as soon as dawn broke was perhaps the biggest surprise with, amongst others, 1760 Goldfinches, 180 Chaffinches and a Merlin through in 2 hours at the Bill; a little later, the first signs of Wood Pigeon passage also developed, with 400 through Ferrybridge and 280 leaving from the Bill, whilst the first Swallow for a few days also dashed past at the Bill. The very stormy conditions overnight put thoughts of the likes of Leach's Petrels in mind, but in the event the seawatchers had to make do with 2 Grey Phalaropes and singles of Red-throated Diver and Great Skua at Chesil Cove and another Great Skua at the Bill; 4 Great Northern Divers were also in Portland Harbour, with 700 Mediterranean Gulls and 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Ferrybridge. The land remained almost devoid of new grounded migrants but the Rose-coloured Starling at Easton and a re-emergence of the Red-breasted Flycatcher at the Obs more than compensated.
Weather wise it was a better day than expected with much less rain than predicted, however, the wind remained unrelenting and the days tally remained low as a result. Highlights on the sea were limited to singles of Bonxie and Sooty Shearwater, whilst low counts of the usual wintering waders (Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper) were at the Bill. Throughout this spell of weather we have been anticipating the arrival of Leach's Petrel at the Cove, and today that finally occurred accompanied by a lone Grey Phalarope and a Red-throated Diver.
On an atrociously wet and windy morning when the sea had been expected to get all the attention one brave soul persisting with the land stole the show by stumbling across the season's first Pallas's Warbler at Verne Hill Road. The sea did have its moments, with 300 Kittiwakes, 2 Eider, 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Great Skua through off the Bill and 64 Kittiwakes and 2 Little Gulls through at Ferrybridge, with the latter also coming up with a surprise Purple Sandpiper, 480 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese amongst more mundane fare. More coverage of the land in much improved albeit still very windy conditions during the afternoon revealed the Easton Rosy Starling, a Black Redstart at Blacknor, a Firecrest at Old Hill and 30 Redwings at Easton.
A pleasant surprise this morning came in the reappearance of the Red-breasted Flycatcher ringed on Wednesday; given the inclement weather we hadn't had high hopes for this tiny migrant on the lookout for insects but the Obs garden has obviously offered just enough shelter from the howling gales and seemingly permanent drizzle. Other highlights were hard to come by, but the wintering Purple Sandpiper flock has upped to five and a lone Red-throated Diver was the only bird of note on the morning's sea watch. Away from the Bill, a Grey Phalarope was briefly at Ferrybridge with 245 Dark-bellied Brents and seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese; 3 Great Northern Divers were back in Portland Harbour, the Rosy Starling once again graced the rooftops of Easton, whilst a Firecrest was new at Avalanche Road and a Black Redstart appeared in Southwell.
With passerine migration almost non-existent in the continuing wild weather all attention was given to the sea, with a passing Little Auk off the Bill the day's chief reward; dogged persistence eventually gave the rest of the list a veneer of respectability, with 300 Kittiwakes, 2 Great Northern Divers and singles of Red-throated Diver, Sooty Shearwater and Great Skua also logged. The only other reports were of singles of Blackcap and Chiffchaff at the Bill and 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Ferrybridge.
With the weather repeating itself with alarming regularity, we were prepared to assume that tonight's blog would look very similar to the past few days. However, a slight reduction in the wind this morning allowed us to open a single (very sheltered) net, which turned up the Obs' third Red-breasted Flycatcher of the year. Given how elusive the summer bird was - even when we were able to hear it on a flat calm day- it would be easy to assume that the bird could have arrived before today. A smattering of more routine migrants between showers included a Merlin, a Redwing, three Blackcaps and good numbers of Chaffinches across the island. The sea saw the first returning Fulmar of the winter, three Bonxies and a Yellow-legged Gull. Ferrybridge saw a small increase in Brent Geese with 310 Dark-bellied and four Pale-bellied; the Rosy Starling also continued its lengthy residency at Easton.
Quite often on Portland we watch the rain alarm threatening us with heavy showers and we watch smugly as the rain passes by us, straight onto Weymouth. Today was quite the opposite as the radar showed little to no rain whilst we were pelted with wind driven sheets that soaked through even the toughest of waterproofs. This left the day list for the obs area looking a little on the sad side, in fact three Fieldfares, two Redwings and singles of Merlin and Chiffchaff were about as much as we could muster. The sea only fared fractionally better with singles of Bonxie and Pintail of note. Away from the obs (in the relative shelter from the wind), large flocks of Long-tailed Tits were joined by a single Firecrest at Church Ope Cove, where the lingering Black Redstart also remained. In terms of long-stayers though, the Rosy Starling at Easton reached its 43rd day.
With turbulent, Atlantic conditions seemingly now firmly established and prospects for the land looking pretty bleak it was nice to begin the day with some stronger than expected visible passage: Goldfinches and Chaffinches dominated, with a sample one hour count at the Bill revealing totals of 359 and 140 apiece; additional variety was limited but did include an attendant Merlin, whilst a lone Brambling was the pick of a few laggards later in the day. The returns from the ground were indeed sparse, with singles of Snipe, Wheatear and Reed Bunting among the very few new arrivals at the Bill; the long-staying Rosy Starling at Easton and 2 Black Redstarts at Blacknor provided interest elsewhere. Two Great Northern Divers and 2 Great Skuas passed through off the Bill, with another sickly Great Skua grounded at Ferrybridge; one of the Black Brants also pitched up at Ferrybridge, whilst 3 Mute Swans were nearby at Smallmouth.
A brighter day but still blustery today. An extensive sea watch at the Bill provided little more than singles of Bonxie and Red-throated Diver of note. The land was hauntingly quiet with two Merlins finding only flocks of Linnets to hunt through as visible passage ground to a halt. The lingering Rosy Starling at Easton and a Black Redstart at Church Ope Cove were all that could be mustered away from the Bill.
An absolute wash-out of a day saw the wind picking up through the morning to a gusting gale-force south westerly by the afternoon. The slow build-up meant that the sea didn't really get going until the worst of the weather had set in. The morning's Chesil Cove vigil saw good numbers of common species, but by the afternoon off the Bill a smattering of Shearwaters and Skuas included seven Sooty Shearwaters, three each of Balearic and Manx Shearwater and five Bonxies. The land remained woefully quiet (although partially through lack of attention), with a lone Yellow-browed Warbler at Old Hill the best of the bunch.
Another day of clear skies interrupted by unexpected, torrential showers. Much like yesterday, there was a steady passage of common overhead migrants including: 259 Linnets, 206 Goldfinches, 50 alba Wagtails and 17 Chaffinches. This selection also included three Bramblings, two Siskins and a Redpoll. On the deck, a Yellow-legged Gull in the flock below Culverwell was the main highlight with just a smattering of Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps as a supporting cast. Elsewhere on the island, Ring Ouzels, Yellow-browed Warblers, Black Redstarts and the loitering Rosy Starling were the best we could muster.
After the past couple of weeks of a feeling of anticipation (even if few rarities ever materialised), today was somewhat of a come-down. The heavy rain shower after dawn should have provided some grounded migrants, but it became abundantly clear that the overnight conditions had hampered any night-time movements. A steady trickle of Goldfinches, Chaffinches and alba wagtails emerged in the mid-morning, along with single figures of Siskins, Fieldfares and six Redwings. The highlight of the day came with a scan through the stubble fields where a flock of 175 Skylarks were joined by a single Woodlark. Black Redstarts continued to put in a small showing with seven throughout the Obs area, 4 at the Grove and 2 at Blacknor. Away from the Obs, the Rosy Starling continued its long-stay, at least one Merlin made its rounds around the centre and south of the island, a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat emerged at Thumb Lane, and three Ring Ouzels were at Fancy's Farm. As the Sycamore continue to lose their leaves the remaining and arriving 'crests and warblers become more evident with a smattering of Firecrests and Yellow-browed Warblers across the island.
As the looming band of rain over France made its ominous way towards us over night, the small mercy was that the wind dropped to next to nothing. Early signs were not good as the Goldcrests that clung tightly to the undersides of the remaining Sycamore leaves all sported shiny new rings from the past few days. Heading out into the persistent damp revealed the hut bushes busy with Blackbirds, Redwings and Goldfinches. The huts further provided the hunting ground for a smattering of Black Redstarts and a single Brambling with the Chaffinches. The downpour also provided the backdrop for a frustratingly brief view of a Swift species that was watched for just seconds until it disappeared at low level behind the Coastguard Cottages but never re-emerged. As a break in the rain came at around 11am, so too did the day's highlight as an Olive-backed Pipit was flushed out of the hut fields; it dived into the Obs garden but shortly afterwards flew out again and headed off strongly northwestward. Away from the Obs, a selection of Black Redstarts appeared across the island, along with the long-staying Rosy Starling at Easton, the recently arrived Black Brant at Ferrybridge and a Great White Egret that flew over Weston.
The presence of lingering Goldcrests and the absence of many new arrivals in the common migrant line should have brought to our minds one of those pearls of wisdom from the much-missed Mr Cleeves who so often reminded us that 'The Big One always travels alone'...
...the Olive-backed Pipit was certainly solitary but, sadly, it was also a lousy performer - not that that greatly mattered when it called this well for us:
A slow start to the morning as the wind that picked up overnight had swung fully into the south west. The slightly disappointing dawn seawatch was interrupted in incongruous fashion by a Glossy Ibis heading over the Obs patio which then looped back amongst the gull flock before heading off to Lodmoor - it proved to be the forerunner of an influx into Dorset, with perhaps as many as 8 logged today. More conventional highlights on the sea included 5 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Bonxie and Great Northern Diver. The land was much quieter than previous days but a Woodcock flushed out of the Obs garden was the first for the autumn and two Firecrests accompanied the single figures of Goldcrests at the Bill. Elsewhere, the Rosy Starling lingered on at Easton, just 2 Yellow-browed Warblers remained at Old Hill and 2 Knot were new arrivals at Ferrybridge.
In an ever-freshening southerly birding wasn't a doddle but for those that stuck with it there was a lot of variety on offer today, with a scarcity list that included the long-staying Rosy Starling at Easton, the first showing at Ferrybridge this season of one of the Fleet Black Brants, 34 Crossbills (in three parties overhead), 8 Black Redstarts, 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, 3 Ring Ouzels, 2 Firecrests and singles of Balearic Shearwater, Merlin, Short-eared Owl and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Most commoner migrants were less numerous on the ground than they'd been yesterday although there did seem to be an improved spread everywhere of various 'under the radar' species like Wrens, Robins and Stonechats.
