Portland Bird Observatory

Cormorant - Portland Harbour, 12th March 2010 © Paul Baker .
12th March	Late afternoon update. Cloudier and a wee bit milder today. New arrivals at the Bill consisted of just a couple of Song Thrushes, a Redwing and the first White Wagtail of the spring; Red-throated Divers were also still on the move on the sea there, with 21 passing through during the morning. Otherwise it was pretty uneventful, with the only other reports of note being of the Black Brant at Ferrybridge again.
11th March	Another chilly, breezy morning gave way to a slightly more pleasant afternoon when the relentless wind of recent days finally seemed to be easing. There was still hardly any 'proper' migration afoot, although the flow of Meadow Pipits arriving in off the sea had picked up a little and among the Stonechats a group of 9 at Barleycrates Lane and a good rubicola 'Continental Stonechat' candidate at the Bill were obvious new arrivals; 5 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Turnstones, 2 Redwings and a Fieldfare at the Bill and a Black Redstart at Blacknor were the only other birds of note on the land. Seawatching at the Bill produced 9 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a Curlew passing by and the first Puffin of the week lingering beneath the auk colony.
10th March	No change in the weather and nothing of great consequence on the bird front. The only worthwhile reports were of 4 Red-throated Divers and a single Goldeneye passing through off the Bill and a Black Redstart at Blacknor.
Blackbird - Portland Bill, 9th March 2010 © Martin Cade .
9th March	With anticyclonic conditions now well established it seems likely that most incoming migrants are heading straight over Portland without bothering to stop. Today's paltry tally of new arrivals included just 3 Redwings, 2 Blackbirds, a Golden Plover and a Chiffchaff at the Bill and singles of Merlin and Redwing at Reap Lane. Winterers still about included 4 Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart at the Bill, whilst seawatching there produced 3 Common Scoter still settled offshore and 12 Common Scoter and 2 Red-throated Divers passing by.
Wheatear - Osprey Quay, 8th March 2010 © Pete Saunders .
8th March	The first Wheatear of the spring was at Osprey Quay this morning but incoming passage otherwise remained at a very low level, with a Redwing and a few extra Pied Wagtails and Stonechats grounded at the Bill and a trickle of Meadow Pipits arriving in off the sea. The only seawatch reports from the Bill were of 2 Common Scoter settled offshore and 10 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver passing by. Also, thanks to Terry Coombs for the ringing details of the Mute Swan that drifted past the Bill the day before yesterday: the bird - a female - was first marked at Abbotsbury on 5th July 2000.
7th March	The blasting easterly wind returned yet again. The only reports were from the Bill where a Merlin arrived in off the sea, 3 Common Scoter were still settled offshore and 5 Red-throated Divers and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers passed by on the sea.
Mute Swan - Portland Bill, 6th March 2010 © Martin Cade ...a rather incongruous sight as it drifted west past the Bill.; it was colour-ringed so was probably of relatively local origin - we'll post the recovery details when we get them through. .
6th March	After a pleasant start it became increasingly cloudy as the day wore on. Meadow Pipits and alba wagtails (all those checked seemed to be Pieds) were arriving in slightly better numbers today, but the only other obvious newcomer on the land was a solitary Lapwing at the Bill; the wintering Black Redstart was also still at the Bill. Passage on the sea picked up a little, with 18 Red-throated Divers, 12 Common Scoter, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Great Skua passing through off the Bill, where a lone Mute Swan also drifted past.
5th March	After a very frosty night the fair weather of earlier in the week made a welcome return. The decent conditions brought out a flurry of birders who unfortunately drew a complete blank on the early migrant front, with the Bill area returning totals of just 3 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones, a Redwing and a Rook on the land and 3 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver through on the sea.
4th March	With the easterly wind still firmly in place it was a chilly start to the day although increasingly clear and sunny skies made for quite an improvement by the afternoon. Most attention was given to the sea with watches at the Bill producing, amongst other lesser fare, 3 Red-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe, a Shelduck and a Red-breasted Merganser. Meadow Pipits and alba wagtails were still arriving in off the sea in small numbers and 9 Purple Sandpipers were still around.
Little Grebe and Mute Swan - Ferrybridge, 3rd March 2010 © Paul Baker .
3rd March	A blasting easterly wind made for very uncomfortable birding today. Seawatching at the Bill produced the first Sandwich Tern of the spring, along with 10 Common Scoter, 7 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Red-throated Divers, a Red-breasted Merganser and a Snipe; interest on the land there was restricted to 2 Lapwings, a Fieldfare, a Black Redstart and a Yellowhammer, along with another trickle of Meadow Pipits and alba wagtails arriving in off the sea, whilst another Fieldfare was at Hamm Beach. The only other reports came from Portland Harbour/Ferrybridge where there were 70 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Little Grebes, 2 Pale-bellied Brents, a Mute Swan and the Black Brant.
Puffin and Dunock - Portland Bill, 2nd March 2010 © Paul Chandler (Puffin) and Martin Cade (Dunnock) ...whilst never quite drowning out the ubiquitous Greenfinches, Dunnocks are getting increasingly conspicuous amongst the chorus of song in the mornings at the Obs; click here to have a listen to the bird above singing. .
2nd March	Another lovely spring day, with the highlight being the first returning Puffin back on station off the Bill; the morning's list from there also included 9 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers and 2 Velvet Scoter through on the sea, 4 Purple Sandpipers and singles of Water Rail, Redwing, Long-tailed Tit, Rook and Siskin on/overhead on the land and the first sign of a few alba wagtails and Meadow Pipits arriving in off the sea.
Little Owl - Portland Bill, 1st March 2010 © Martin Cade ...after nearly two months of not a sight nor sound of any Little Owls at the Obs Quarry one suddenly started singing in earnest from the telegraph poles between the the Obs and the quarry just before midnight tonight; click here to have a listen to him singing. .
1st March	Glorious weather to start the new month but not very much change on the bird front. The first Rook of the spring, along with 5 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Long-tailed Tits and a Redwing, were at the Bill, 4 Red-throated Divers passed by on the sea at the Bill, a Firecrest was at Easton, the Black Brant was at Ferrybridge and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, a Great Northern Diver and an Eider were in Portland Harbour.