Portland: Day 5.

Sunny spells and heavy showers, 15°, light to breezy N.

A bit of a slow day today with little to find. A brief sea watch produced 5 Manx Shearwater, 3 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Arctic Skua, 4 Common Scoter, a couple of Sandwich Tern and Common/Arctic Tern.

Overhead migration was a little thin, 5 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Grey Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, c50 Meadow Pipit and approx. 30 Swallow.

A Pied Flycatcher caught and ringed at the Obs, plus a Sedge Warbler seen, a Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 10+ Chiffchaff and 4 Willow Warbler.

An afternoon visit to Ferrybridge: a Little Egret, a Mediterranean Gull, 5-6 Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit, c30 Dunlin, c30 Ringed Plover, a Sanderling and 5 Oystercatcher.

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

Insects: Speckled Bush Cricket and Great Green Bush Cricket.

Several Blue-fin Tuna noted feeding offshore.

Sunrise

Pied Flycatcher

Small Tortoiseshell

Starling sheltering from the rain

A Redstart and some Insects

Mainly sunny, 23°, Light SSW.

A Redstart in Cholsey Church yard this morning. Initially heard only but still present and seen 3 hours later in same area. Alan arrived later but bird still very elusive and more often than not located by call. Last heard calling near the small wood near school. A Sparrowhawk, Common Whitethroat in same area and several Swallow overhead.

Very quiet on the hill this morning with just a couple of Yellowhammer, a Blackcap and several Chiffchaff noted.

Nearby 200+ Gulls and Corvids in recently tilled field.

Alan covered the Bunk line and Cholsey Meadows: Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Sparrowhawk, Swallow and House Martin.

6 Swift, Bunk line on Saturday. Per Michael Pocock.

Dragonflies: all areas, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emperor, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Common Darter.

Butterflies: all areas, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Moths: Garden, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Mottled Beauty and White-line Dart.

Insects: Lollingdon, 2 Hornet Robber Fly, C Meadows, Speckled Bush Cricket.

Hornet Robber Fly

Speckled Bush Cricket courtesy Alan

Southern Hawker (male above, female below) courtesy Alan

Buzzard

Rooks and Jackdaws, plus the odd Gull catching a thermal

Common Darters mating courtesy Alan

Common Darter