Home & Away

Cloudy with a thunder storm mid-morning, 21°, light ESE.

Our final day at the Obs for this autumn and left around midday. A sea-watch early morning and then packing up to come home with a bit of birding in between.

2 Arctic Skua, a Red-throated Diver, c30 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Oystercatcher and c15 “Commic” Tern.

VizMig: c50 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 10+ Swallow, 6 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin, a Swift, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Tree Pipit, plus 2 Sparrowhawk, a Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral and Wall Brown.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, a Scar Bank Gem and a Latticed Heath.

A catchup from Tony Williams whilst I’ve been away.

Lollingdon Hill: 250+ Swallow and House Martin over.

Bunk area: Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, several Blackcap, and 4+ Chiffchaff.

5 House Martin, 3 Swift and a skein of c50 Canada Geese over Church Road this evening.

Sunrise

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

Latticed Heath courtesy John Lucas

Scar Bank Gem courtesy John Lucas

Tonight's partial Lunar Eclipse 

Ibis

Sunny, 20°, moderate SE.

Well, the calm didn’t last long with the wind backing from WSW to SE, gaining strength to force 5-6 and putting a bit of a damper on the day’s birding.

A patchy sea-watch to begin with and then hanging around the Obs area.

2 Arctic Skua, c20 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 5 “Commic” Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 3 Sandwich Tern, 20+ Kittiwake, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Fulmar, 1 Oystercatcher the usual Gannet and 3 Auk sp.

Just 5 of us sea-watching, when one called Glossy Ibis. A flock of at least 14 was very close in and we could just see them above the parapet for around 20 seconds. Martin managed a quick photo before they disappeared from sight and subsequently not seen again.

The land was poor with only a single Willow Warbler noted.

VizMig: c20 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, c30 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin.

At around 18:30, Loren spotted a couple of Swift over the Obs. They spent approx. 10 minutes overhead and seemed reluctant to leave but eventually disappeared out over the sea.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Glossy Ibis pics courtesy of Martin Cade.

The winds of Change

Mainly sunny, 20°, light WSW.

Finally, the wind and rain abated and produced a pleasant day for birding.

A morning’s sea-watch: 5 Arctic Skua, 50+ Kittiwake, a Yellow-legged Gull, 60+ Manx Shearwater, 100+ Balearic Shearwater, 60+ “Commic” Tern, 4 Arctic Tern, 2 Common Scoter, a Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Whimbrel, numerous Gannet and several Oystercatcher.

VizMig and an afternoons walk: Barn Owl, Little Owl, 20+ Grey Wagtail, 30+ Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, 3 Meadow Pipit, a Pied Flycatcher, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whinchat, 3 Stonechat, 31 Wheatear, 4 Raven, a Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, a Common Snipe, 110+ Swallow, 30+ Sand Martin, 12 House Martin and 2 Swift.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Moths: Convolvulus Hawkmoth and Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Sun rise at the Obs

"Greenland" Wheatear courtesy Mark Cutts

 

Another Sea-watch

Rain showers, brightening later, 18°, strong WSW.

Another blustery day with winds gusting up to force 7-8 and rain showers over most of the morning. Birding was therefore nigh impossible so a sea-watch from the Obs was on the cards.

The only migrant I saw today was a single Willow Warbler but a Yellow Wagtail was noted as was 5 Wheatear by others.

As for a sea-watch, expectations were high but ultimately disappointing for some as not everyone saw every bird.

3 Arctic Skua, 3 Auk sp, several Kittiwake, a Mediterranean Gull, 5 Common Scoter, c50 Balearic Shearwater, 26 Manx Shearwater, a Sooty Shearwater, 60+ Gannet and a Grey Phalarope.

Insects were thin on the ground with the weather being rough. A single Common Darter, a couple of Small White, a Wall Brown flying and a Striped Hawkmoth of note caught overnight.

Grey Phalarope courtesy Martin Cade.

Sea-watch saved the day

Sunny periods and rain showers, 19°, breezy SSW.

Another day of wind and rain with migratory land birds virtually non-existent.

A Tree Pipit, 2 Willow Warbler and a Firecrest that has been present in the garden for the last 5 days at least. A single Swallow and 3 Raven overhead.

The sea-watch was the saving grace of the day although we missed the Fea’s Petrel that was seen off the Bill when we were viewing from the Obs.

5 Arctic Skua, a Sooty Shearwater, a Cory’s Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 38 Balearic Shearwater, 5 Fulmar, 10+ Kittiwake, 2 Auk sp, 1 Common Scoter and 2 Whimbrel.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth and Gothic Beauty.

Blue-fin Tuna – at least one seen breaching.

Did not get any bird photos today due to the lack or distance of birds. so Moths will have to do as they were placid and nearby.

Its got to get better.

Mainly sunny, 20°, fresh WSW.

Again, the blustery wind put paid to any meaningful birding.

Land birds very thin on the ground. 3 Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Swallow.

Sea. 1 Arctic Skua, 40+ Kittiwake, 1 Manx Shearwater, c20 Balearic Shearwater and 100+ Gannet etc.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown and Small Heath.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth and The Passenger.

Not a lot

Sunny spells, 19°, fresh SSW.

VisMig was non-existent today with virtually nothing smaller than a Starling moving due to the constant wind.

On land very few birds found: 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a single Swallow over late evening.

Sea-watch: 4 Arctic Skua, 15 Balearic Shearwater, 4 Manx Shearwater, 12+ Kittiwake, 4 Sandwich Tern, 3 Fulmar, 4 Cormorant and many Gannet.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Moths: several Hummingbird Hawkmoth around the Obs garden.

Rain stopped Play

Sunny spells at first then rain p.m., 19°, breezy SSW.

Rain stopped play after midday except for a brief interlude mid-afternoon when another sea-watch took place.

Very little in the way of migrants today, most caught by ringer s rather than observed in the field.

2 Tree Pipit, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Firecrest, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Grey Wagtail, a Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear.

Sea-watch: 2 Arctic Skua, 6 Balearic Shearwater, 20+ Manx Shearwater and 60+ Gannet.

Butterflies: Small White and Speckled Wood.

Moths: Possibly a record count of 10 Convolvulus Hawkmoth caught at the obs, 3Striped Hawkmoth, a Cosmopolitan and a Lilac Beauty, also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth buzzing around nicotinia during the dryish spells.

Tree Pipit

Firecrest

One of the young Robins at the obs coming for its meal worm breakfast

9 Convolvulus Hawkmoth (1 escaped) and a Striped Hawkmoth

Slightly better

Sunny spells, 20°, fresh WNW.

A slightly better day but passerine migration at a minimum.

4 Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Pied Flycatcher, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 18 Swallow, 4 Sand Martin and a Sparrowhawk.

The sea was not much better, with singles of Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, 2 Common Tern, 6 Sandwich Tern, 8 Fulmar and 50+ Kittiwake etc.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Moths: 3 Hawkmoths, same as yesterday.

Portland 7th May

Sunny spells, 14°, light NE veering SE.

Our last day on Portland this spring. Very slow going this year as the weather was not conducive for visible migration.

Having said that, a change of scenery and birds was welcome, plus we got to meet some friends from previous visits which made for a good social atmosphere.

A phenomena seen today was a halo around the sun that had everyone looking and thanks to Loren for taking a few photos.

Anyway back to the birds etc: the day was broken up between packing and watching so sporadic sightings were in order: a Red-throated Diver and 2 Arctic Skua on the sea. 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, c50 Swallow and a Hobby all noted either in or from the garden.

A sun halo over the observatory ↕

Spotted Flycatcher

Numbers

Cloudy with sunny spells, humid, 16°, light NE.

Another slow day but a day of numbers.

All of this past week there has been 3-4 thousand Gulls feeding of the east side of the bill. Comprising up to 6 species. Feeding with them have been Gannet and Manx Shearwater. We are not sure what they are feeding on but they have been up and down the coast from the bill to approx. 1 Km along. Today there were approx. 200 Black-headed Gull and 100+ Manx Shearwater feeding in and around the flock.

Around 14:00 this afternoon the weather got very humid and out of nowhere, literally millions, and I mean millions of small flies started to appear moving from the south and flying north. Some of the guys at the Obs caught one and identified it as a Fever-fly (Dilophus febrilis). This movement continued for around 2 hours and the numbers began to peter out. I doubt these flies erupted at the bill, so maybe these flies originated on the continent and have crossed the Channell. Who knows?

Anyway, back to it: Birds today was. A Sedge Warbler, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, a Wheatear, a Whinchat, 5 Swallow, c10 House Martin, 2 Swift, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3-4 Buzzard and a Peregrine.

On the sea watch: 2 Whimbrel, an Arctic Skua, Kittiwake, a Puffin, and good numbers of Gannet, Guillemot and Razorbill as well as all the above.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Moths of note: Puss Moth and Cinnabar.

Whinchat

Puss Moth & Cinnabar

A Small section of the Obs lighthouse covered in Fever-fly. the whole south facing area , 20m high was covered in this density of insects for over 2 hours.

Portland: Day 10.

Sunny, 18°, light NE.

An on/off sea watch today and a little less walking.

5 Manx Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 1 Arctic Skua, 100+ Kittiwake, 15 Knot, 3 Wigeon, 10+ Auk, many Gannet etc.

2 Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, a Short-eared Owl, a Little Owl, 300+ Swallow, 100+ House Martin, 30+ Sand Martin, 25 Yellow Wagtail, 12 Grey Wagtail, 19 “alba” Wagtail, c200 Meadow Pipit, 3 Tree Pipit, 20+ Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 1 Common Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 3 Stonechat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 1 Pied Flycatcher, etc.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: fewer numbers of both Whites, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Many Blue-fin Tuna still feeding offshore.

Sunrise

Portland: Day 7.

Sunny, 18°, light SW.

A very protracted sea watch today and hard work on the land.

1 Arctic Skua and 9 Common Scoter.

A Cattle Egret in, off the sea, a Marsh Harrier, Little Owl, 64 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 2 Sand Martin, 8 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, 100+ Meadow Pipit, 2 Tree Pipit, 2 Wheatear, 3 Whinchat, 12 Stonechat, 12 Chiffchaff and a single Willow Warbler.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue?, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Sunrise

Painted Lady

Whinchat (above & below)

Stonechat

Portland Bill

Portland: Day 2

Sunny spells, 18°, fresh W.

The day dawned with limited expectations, the sea was relatively quiet and overhead passage was fairly low.

At around 07:00 we started to see a small passage of Shearwaters and then by 07:30 it really kicked off.

The following are rough totals: c700 Great Shearwater (all within 30 minutes), in excess of 500 Manx Shearwater, c15 Balearic Shearwater and 4 Sooty Shearwater.

Plus, 3 Great Skua, 8 Arctic Skua, c50 Sandwich Tern, c20 Common/Arctic Tern, 4 Mediterranean Gull, 200+ Gannet, c30 Kittiwake and c20 Auk sp.

The sea movement petered out towards midday so attention focussed on land birds.

A Marsh Harrier, 3 Raven, a Little Owl, a Short-eared Owl (in, off the sea), a couple of Oystercatcher, 14 Grey Wagtail, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 15 Swallow, 2 House Martin, 5 Sand Martin, c40 Meadow Pipit, 1 Tree Pipit, 8 Wheatear, 3 Whinchat, 1 Stonechat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Common Whitethroat, several Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler and 1 Firecrest.

A small pod of Common Dolphin offshore and a couple of Blue-fin Tuna sightings.

Dragonflies: Emperor and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Sunrise

Firecrest

Convolvulus Hawk Moth

Marsh Harrier

Wheatear (above & below)

Raven

Little Owl

Painted Lady

Day 9: a good one

Mainly cloudy, 7°, fresh NE.

Best day so far with a reasonable fall of migrants.

Sea-watch: an on and off one today with a Pomarine Skua, 3 Arctic Skua, c80 Common/Arctic Tern, a few Sandwich Tern, several Manx Shearwater, a Fulmar and the usual Gannet, Shag, Cormorant and Auks plus the 1000 strong, feeding, Gull flock off the Bill.

Land: a Redpoll, 3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 10 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 18 Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Redstart, 3 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 102 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 80+ Swallow, 14 House Martin, 6 Sand Martin and 4 Swift.

Mammals: Grey Seal.

Chiffchaff

Reed Warbler

Pied Flycatcher

Wheatear

Redstart

Wheatear

Common Whitethroat

Grey Seal

Gannet diving for fish