Loren took part in a permaculture course on Portland today so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to spend the time down at the observatory.
We left here around 07:00 and arrived on Portland at around 09:30, Loren dropped me off at the Obs and then went to attend her course.
After a cup of tea and a chat I took a walk down to the bill, across to the West cliffs into the top fields and back down through Culverwell. My walk produced more of quantity rather than quality at that point in time.
Many Meadow Pipit and Linnet all over, migrants were a little thin on the ground with several Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a dozen or so Wheatear, 30-40 Chiffchaff, a Grey Wagtail, a flyover Ring Ouzel, a Reed Bunting, 200+ Swallow and a few Siskin and Redwing.
The bird of the day however was a Blyth’s Reed Warbler that was retrapped in the Obs garden by the Profs better half.
I had just got back to the Obs after my walk and settled down with a cuppa when Rosie came up from the garden and announced to the few who were there as to what she had found in the nets.
It was first trapped and ringed on Thursday and released in the Obs quarry but was not seen afterwards.
The bird was again today released in the Obs quarry and as far as I know was not seen again.
Other birds noted were a Little Egret, Raven, Gannet, Shag, Rock Pipit, Oystercatcher, and around a dozen Stonechat.
Other species worth a mention were: A Convolvulus Hawk Moth and another couple of rare moths for Portland, a Blair’s Mocha and a Merveille du Jour.
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Wheatear
Stonechat
Chiffchaff
Merveille du Jour
Convolvulus Hawk Moth
Blair's Mocha
A photo of a photo on John Lucas's phone of the BRW from Thursday
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