12 Dec 22

Portland Castle Beach

It was a late afternoon visit to Portland Castle Beach, with the intention of walking around Portland Marina. However I soon changed my mind, when having parked the car up, I walked onto the beach and was confronted with a north-easterly coming straight across the harbour. It was absolutely bitter and very quickly my hands were like ice.

So it was a quick walk along the beach and esplanade, before turning back to the car.

Main highlight, if you can call it that, was a dead Great Northern Diver washed up onto the beach. I hope it wasn't due to avian flu, as there were Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls feeding on it!!!

The fem/imm Black Redstart put in a brief appearance, before disappearing into the grounds of the HeliOps

Birds Recorded:
Great Northern Diver (deceased)
Cormorant
Shag
2 Red-breasted Merganser
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw

A deceased Great Northern Diver. Here is the Governments website on avian influenza, which I hope this isn't, but it appears you only need to contact Defra if there are five or more dead birds found together. For the time being I shall contact the local Council

Cormorants, Shags and a Herring Gull on the Portland Marina breakwater.

A drake Red-breasted Merganser coming into land, to join........

..........his mate, who decided that the..........

.........outlet pipe was a good place to have a break from the freezing water.

A 1st Winter Black-headed Gull

And this is an adult Black-headed Gull.

Not a Black-headed Gull but an adult Mediterranean Gull.

And another adult Mediterranean Gull.

Another adult Mediterranean Gull with a ring 3PL4 on its right leg

Three adult Mediterranean Gulls

And a 1st Winter Great Black-backed Gull

Ted:

And this is what happens when Ted decides he's not going to run across in front of me.