Mid-winter Fieldfares are a pretty unusual sight on Portland in anything other than really bitter weather © Martin Cade:
9th January
A nice little sprinkle of variety today as the weather turned noticeably quieter and milder. Cold weather refugees featured again - presumably, since what movement there was was in off the sea, escaping events on the Continent - with 36 Lapwings over the Bill and another 6 over Ferrybridge, 2 Redwings over Blacknor and a Fieldfare grounded at the Bill. Seawatching at the Bill came up with 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Common Scoter and singles of Mallard, Eider and Black-headed Gull, whilst 9 Purple Sandpipers, 5 Turnstones, 2 Firecrests and a Little Egret were about on the land there. A Black-tailed Godwit was a new arrival at Ferrybridge, with 5 Black-necked Grebes, 3 Great Northern Divers and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose also there and at Portland Harbour.
