18th March
17th March
16th March
15th March
14th March
IN FOCUS SOUTH WEST Optics day this Sunday 18th March is at @PortlandBirdObs @DorsetBirdClub @DorsetWildlife 01225 891352 for further info @opticronuk @SwarovskiOptik @VortexOpticsUK @ZEISSBirding @hawkeoptics Hopefully the first Wheatears will be around. pic.twitter.com/FbmJ8GztYi
— In Focus Cotswold (@infocus_Swest) March 14, 2024
With a grounded migrant tally at the Bill of just 4 Wheatears, 4 Goldcrests and 2 Chiffchaffs the prevailing mild airstream continued to disappoint on the passerine front. However, the brisk onshore breeze looked to offer opportunities from the sea and duly delivered a surprise Surf Scoter passing through off the Bill amongst a passage of 173 Common Scoter; 15 Shoveler and 5 Red-throated Divers provided the only other interest offshore. A Black Redstart was still present at the Bill, whilst elsewhere the year's first Firecrest was at Sweethill, 3 more Chiffchaffs were at Portland Castle and 4 Great Northern Divers were still in Portland Harbour.
Common Scoters were moving through very purposefully if not in huge numbers off the Bill
If ever there's something that defies agreed quantification off the Bill it's the size of passing scoter flocks - by nature they never fly in an orderly manner and there always seems to be an observer on hand who's counting using a different appendage to everyone else and arrives at a figure one or two different to the majority. For this reason, after a quick scan of a flock for a Velvet Scoter or some other tag-along oddity, we very often photograph the larger flocks to obtain a definitive total. Such was the case today when this flock of 21 came through at a few hundred metres range...
...did you spot the Surf Scoter amongst them? - no, we didn't either until we reviewed this and the other photographs after the flock had gone on by! Here are a few more varyingly cropped enlargements where it's easier to spot © Martin Cade:
13th March
12th March
11th March
10th March
Balmy, quiet conditions made a welcome change to the recent wind and rain, and migrants responded well with a nice arrival throughout the island. Fifty Chiffchaffs and 6 Goldcrests made up the bulk of the grounded numbers at the Bill/Southwell, where an early-ish Blackcap and a Reed Bunting provided interest amongst the lower totals; Chiffchaffs in particular looked to be well spread everywhere else and the whole-island tally must have been well into three figures. Further interest away from the Bill came in the form of the season's first Sandwich Tern in Portland Harbour where an arrival of Great Northern Divers saw 17 counted from Hamm Beach alone (3 Black-throated Divers, 2 Black-necked Grebes and a Slavonian Grebe were also amongst the winterers still in residence around the harbour). There was clearly movement afoot offshore as well as on the land, with 126 Gannets, 24 Mediterranean Gulls, 23 Common Gulls, 22 Common Scoter and 15 Red-throated Divers purposefully eastbound off the Bill.
Wheatear and Blackcap from the day's migrant arrival at the Bill © Jodie Henderson & Martin Cade:
9th March
8th March
7th March
@PortlandBirdObs vismig so far this morning, started at 0810, 425 Meadow Pipits, 14 'alba' Wagtail, 5 Chiffchaff and the highlight an adult Spoonbill at 0930 all 'in-off' and north. pic.twitter.com/XNVihoOyNT
— Jacob Spinks (@SBO_Jason) March 7, 2024
Having seen one blisteringly close flock of Pintail that almost looked like they were over the beach huts we were tempted away from the shelter/comfort of the Obs to do a proper seawatch at the Bill. Sadly, events there weren't quite such a spectacle: another pair of Pintail were hundreds of metres out...
...whilst the flock of Shoveler were just tiny specks at towards two kilometres range - through binoculars they were no more than just silhouetted duck spp and it took very heavily blown-up photographs to reveal their true identity © Martin Cade:
6th March
Much improved conditions and a little uptick in migrant activity today. A Marsh Harrier at the Bill looked a lot the individual that was there a few days ago (perhaps it's straying out from Weymouth?), a Chiffchaff lingered on at the Obs and the first Greenfinch of the year also showed up there but the numbers involved visible passage, with 205 Meadow Pipits and 14 alba wagtails north along West Cliffs. Other than that 7 Red-throated Divers passed by off the Bill and a few routine winterers were logged there and at Portland Harbour.
5th March
With the morning largely rained off there was only limited coverage today and 8 Red-throated Divers through off the Bill and a Chiffchaff lingering at the Obs were the only noteworthy sightings.
4th March
Five of the six Pale-bellied Brent Geese that headed west over Ferrybridge this morning - the only new arrivals reported on a day of increasingly unbirdable conditions © Pete Saunders:
3rd March
2nd March
28th February
27th February
3+ slav grebe back of portland harbour (1 hanging out with a GCG) 3+BNGrebe (maybe 5) 3+ GNDiver, probably 5x cmn scoter (at least 3, 3+2?). 3x GNDiver portland castle pic.twitter.com/IRWUGkVqSV
— andy (@andy33082645) February 27, 2024
Ferrybridge, Fleet on falling tide #Dorset
— Geoff & Steph Langrish (@geoff_langrish) February 27, 2024
2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 60+ Brent, 4 Oyc, LtEgret, Mipit flock.
Hamm beach, 2 BNG, 2 Turnstone, 20+ RBM, Brent, several singing Skylark ♥️ @PortlandBirdObs @DorsetBirdClub @RSPBDorset @DorsetSwannery @DorsetWildlife @Dorset_NL pic.twitter.com/rrc5gmGjIz
26th February
24th February
We haven't done a full survey of the Bill area Skylarks just yet but they seem to have reached near to full complement and are certainly now in good voice © Martin Cade:
23rd February
This morning at Church Ope Cove:
— Port and Wey (@PortandWey) February 23, 2024
5 Rock Pipit (including both AAL and AAX)
2 Stonechat
2 fem Black Redstart
5 Chiffchaff@PortlandBirdObs @DorsetBirdClub @BTO_Dorset @NatureofDorset @DorsetWildlife @slashercuttshttps://t.co/R8c5SBQgRF pic.twitter.com/y4XbCNqEV9
very much same old same old.......... at osprey quay whilst taking a lunchtime walk. not long till migration proper kicks in! pic.twitter.com/5nKyHlzBJ0
— andy (@andy33082645) February 23, 2024
21st February
Yet more bucketloads of rain today - the sort of conditions when the regular Obs garden Sparrowhawk sat looking bedraggled and miserable as sin for a good half an hour eyeing up one of the feeders before eventually leaving in disgust as no potential victims were venturing out of cover © Martin Cade:
20th February
white wagtail at reap lane this morning around the lying water & 4x purple sands at the bill off the cafe where a fem/imm black redstart was also present. nice to see fulmar and razorbill back pic.twitter.com/P1Q46N7pli
— andy (@andy33082645) February 20, 2024
purple sands like living dangerously! pic.twitter.com/j2DrNfBkQp
— andy (@andy33082645) February 20, 2024
A tight flock of 5 Black-throated Diver feeding together off Portland Castle, all diving synchronously. Have now lost them behind the breakwater. Also 1 GND. @PortlandBirdObs
— Paul Harris (@PaulUpwey) February 20, 2024
19th February
The one Short-eared Owl that's been wintering at the Bill hasn't usually been a broad daylight performer but this afternoon it showed up for a little while in the Obs Quarry Field and on the Slopes where it afforded some nice flying and settled views © Martin Cade:
18th February
17th February
IN FOCUS SOUTH WEST Optics day this Sunday 18th February @PortlandBirdObs @DWTWeyPort @DorsetBirdClub 01225 891352 for further info @opticronuk @SwarovskiOptik @VortexOpticsUK @hawkeoptics @ZEISSBirding check out our range of Optics in the field @infocusOptics pic.twitter.com/OPb93pw7Tw
— In Focus Cotswold (@infocus_Swest) February 15, 2024
One of the Portland Harbour Black-necked Grebes was showing blisteringly well today © Pete Saunders:
Yesterday's arrival of Stonechats proved to be the precursors to some more northbound passage overnight, when Redwings were dropped to audible height once fog set in during the early hours - the nocmig recorder at the Obs logged 106 calls between 01:00 and 02:30 before movement fizzled out: