8 Dec 23

Ferrybridge Sandflats and Portland Harbour

On returning home from a trip into Weymouth I stopped off at Ferrybridge to see what was about. It was a slightly longer walk as not only did I walk alongside the sandflats but I also crossed the beach road and headed towards Sandsfoot Castle to the north of Portland Harbour.

Lots of highlights including a Razorbill in the harbour and a female Goosander over The Fleet.

Birds Recorded:
1 Great Crested Grebe

Cormorant

1 Little Egret

50+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese

1 Goosander

20+ Red-breasted Merganser

2 Oystercatcher

200+ Ringed Plover/Dunlin

5 Turnstone

Black-headed Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

1 Razorbill

2 Skylark

2 Meadow Pipit

1 Pied Wagtail

3 Stonechat

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

7+ Linnet

Goldfinch

4 Greenfinch

Twenty-six Cormorants on the edge of The Fleet

This Cormorant was fishing under the Ferry Bridge.

And a rather bedraggled looking Cormorant flying over the Fleet.

A Little Egret searching for a meal along the north edge of Portland Harbour.

 Dark-bellied Brent Geese coming into land on The Fleet

These Dark-bellied Brent Geese are ........

..........presumably feeding on Eelgrass.

There were dozens of Red-breasted Mergansers in Portland Harbour and in The Fleet was this female Goosander. Thank you to my good friend Ed Wilson for the ID.

A stunning looking Oystercatcher.

Just look at its bill and......

.........red eyes.

Whoops I got a bit to close.

Ringed Plovers and a few Dunlin. (Soundtrack of Ringed Plovers courtesy of Xeno-canto)

Dunlin coming into land

And straight away start feeding.

Dunlin feeding in front of the Chesil Beach Visitors Centre. (Soundtrack of Dunlin courtesy of Xeno-canto)

Two Turnstone and a Dunlin in the background

A Razorbill fishing in Portland Harbour

This male Stonechat and its mate were feeding on the harbour shoreline

And this male gave some stunning views from the Rodwell Trail

A flock of finches took off in front of me along the old railway track and in amongst the several Linnet were these 3 Greenfinches and another close by.

General Shots:

The sandflats at Ferrybridge

On the otherside of the beach road is the Rodwell trail, which runs from Ferrybridge into Weymouth

Looking along the harbour beach towards Sandsfoot Castle

And looking south across Portland Harbour from the Rodwell trail is the Isle of Portland.

Ted:

With the wind is his hair, Ted enjoying a good run along the old railway track.

Ships Today:

Two tugs help the British replenishment ship A136 "RFA Tidespring" dock alongside a jetty in the harbour. More on this vessel here.

This is the Liberian Crude Oil Tanker "North Sea" anchored up in Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel here.