A resurgence in the northwest wind was unwelcome but that and a heavy cloud cover at dawn that came and went throughout the morning did the trick in knocking down a decent little flurry of grounded migrants today. There were few surprises, with 120 Willow Warblers, 75 Blackcaps, 35 Wheatears and 20 Chiffchaffs making up the bulk of the tally at the Bill, where 5 Redstarts, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, a Cuckoo and a Whinchat provided some nice variety; elsewhere, singles of Garden Warbler and Pied Flycatcher were an addition to the mix at Sweethill. Visible passage didn't really get going until the sky cleared towards midday but Swallows featured conspicuously thereafter and a lone Siskin was amongst the tag-alongs. There almost worthwhile reports from the sea and Ferrybridge couldn't chip in with much more than 2 Shelducks and 2 Whimbrel.IN FOCUS SOUTH WEST Optics day this Sunday 21st April @PortlandBirdObs @DorsetWildlife for more info call Keith 01225 891352 @opticronuk @SwarovskiOptik @VortexOpticsUK @ZEISSBirding Hawke and more pic.twitter.com/kLyq1UBIof
— IN FOCUS SOUTH WEST (@MortimerKe93304) April 17, 2024
19th April
18th April
With it way too clear overnight - and far less windy than during the last couple of days - migration no doubt picked up far overhead but there was no chance a big arrival of birds on the ground. The day's oddest events concerned Subalpine Warblers: the previously lingering bird at Wallsend was apparently reported once early in the morning but couldn't be found again despite plenty of searching; of potentially much more interest though, a second individual popped up briefly in front of one observer in the Obs garden before promptly vanishing into the ether. Among the thin spread of more routine arrivals uncovered at the Bill Willow Warblers were most numerous - managing a 30 tally - but more interest came in the form of 6 Lesser Whitethroats, the first Garden Warbler of the season and the lingering likely Icelandic Redwing; diurnal migrants featured in higher numbers and included a steady arrival of hirundines, 60 Wood Pigeons, 2 Jackdaws and a Merlin. What breeze there was remained offshore and consigned the sea to less than full coverage, with 3 Red-throated Divers and a lone Puffin the pick of the Bill sightings. The day's Ferrybridge totals included 11 Shelduck and 5 Whimbrel.
On an otherwise quiet day six Lesser Whitethroats was an excellent day-total at the Bill © Verity Hill:
Broad-bodied Chaser @PortlandBirdObs today. pic.twitter.com/9hXkV53ZuF
— Hazel Atashroo (@Hazelaa) April 18, 2024
17th April
16th April
15th April
In keeping with the pattern so far this spring no sooner had it looked like migration was gaining momentum than shoddy weather rolls in to bring things to a halt. Today it was a fierce gale that had blown up overnight that scuppered our chances by seemingly grounding most Portland-bound migrants well before they got to us. The Western Subalpine Warbler lingered at Wallsend for a second day to keep the travelling listers and photographers happy but new arrivals on the common migrant front looked to be very thinly spread even if the conditions were hardly conducive for getting amongst them; the pick of what was uncovered were a Little Ringed Plover at Reap Lane, a likely Icelandic Redwing at Southwell, an early Spotted Flycatcher at Culverwell and a Yellow-legged Gull in the East Cliff fields. For a while after dawn the sea was rewarding, with 5 Arctic Skuas, 4 Red-throated Divers and 3 Great Skuas through off the Bill, whilst Ferrybridge again chipped in with some through movement including 2 Canada Geese and a Great Northern Divers.
Any port will do in a storm and this Little Ringed Plover found a nice little bolt-hole on the receding flood water at the end of Reap Lane - who's going to be the one that jams a 30 second Citrine Wagtail on this pool in the next few weeks? © Martin Cade:
14th April
That moment when you're trying to get a snap of a Redstart & it gets photo-bombed by a Hoopoe @PortlandBirdObs pic.twitter.com/orKoEu206j
— dawn erskine (aka pistols) (@dawn_mission) April 14, 2024
13th April
12th April
male Pied Flycatcher in Easton Ladymead gardens pic.twitter.com/nEAcfyvOUY
— Mark (@EastonBirder) April 12, 2024
Portland this afternoon Pied Flycatchers my first this year pic.twitter.com/pBcn3VnSVH
— phil cheeseman (@philcheeseman4) April 12, 2024
the ladymead pied fly, thanks to @EastonBirder for the find and two of the male redstarts from this morning pic.twitter.com/LyHgyaqf8C
— andy (@andy33082645) April 12, 2024
reckon i saw about 60 wheatear this morning, glad to see the auks and shags had returned to their pitches and kicked the gulls out! pic.twitter.com/x7Rch7QVhO
— andy (@andy33082645) April 12, 2024
11th April
10th April
9th April
A 60mph westerly gale really isn't what's needed in mid-April and for the most part Storm Pierrick was an ill wind bird-wise. A Hooded Crow at Reforne was a surprise new arrival but interest otherwise consisted of just a Merlin and a handful of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs on the ground at the Bill, an Arctic Skua through on the sea there and 170 Mediterranean Gulls, 81 Sandwich Terns, a Common Tern and a Little Tern through at Portland Harbour/Ferrybridge.
Amazingly, the Hooded Crow that pitched up in private gardens at Reforne is now the third scarcity this year that's only been witnessed by interested members of the public who've taken some mobile phone record-shots © Lisa Cousins (top two photos) and Jill Bramley (bottom photo):
8th April
7th April
6th April
5th April
4th April
3rd April
2nd April
1st April
a shame to see the qinetiq seabird colony so decimated. looks like they are outcompeted by gulls but in reality the numbers just are not present, particularly guillemot's. this shag was the only potential nester from the N side on view. no one seems to be sure what is going on pic.twitter.com/c470JYIBk4
— andy (@andy33082645) April 1, 2024
31st March
30th March
29th March
Yesterday's weather excesses may have passed but the overnight and daytime conditions remained far too turbulent for passerines to get moving in any numbers and the bank holiday rewards were scant on the ground and overhead. The odd singles of the most routine fare were uncovered but certainly nothing worth a mention beyond the year's first Grey Plover at Portland Harbour and a Reed Bunting at the Bill; also of interest, the presumed Siberian Lesser Whitethroat was still in a private garden at Southwell. The sea was a little more interesting, with 86 Sandwich Terns through at Ferrybridge and a steady trickle of Manx Shearwaters through off the Bill; 3 Red-throated Divers and a Whimbrel also passed the Bill, where 2 Garganey were also reported.
The Ferrybridge Sandwich Terns were all moving west after presumably having been driven into the sheltered waters of the harbour and Weymouth Bay by yesterday's storm © Pete Saunders:
28th March
27th March
One day it's going to settle down and dry up but today most definitely wasn't that day...and by the sound of things nor is tomorrow! Grounded arrivals looked to be completely absent, with the only migrant interest on the land being a lone Merlin and a handful of Meadow Pipits and Swallows through overhead. The sea fared little better with 13 passing Red-throated Divers the only birds of particular note off the Bill.
As is often the case in late March, Red-throated Divers provided the bulk of the day's sea interest © Pete Saunders...
...and with the likes of wildfowl and skuas conspicuous absentees it was left to Gannets and the occasional Mediterranean Gull to keep us occupied in the pretty unpleasant conditions © Martin Cade: