31 Mar 24

Portland Bird Observatory, Crown Estate Fields, Top Fields, Helens Field, Sweethill Farm and Culverwell.

March 31st and the Spring migrants are almost non-existent, with:
Arctic Skua: One east of the Observatory
Sand Martin: 15+ moving up the island
Swallow,: My first Swallow of the year and it was heading south!!
Meadow Pipit,: Small flocks moving up the island with at least 50 counted on my walk.
Chiffchaff: Five seen feeding in the Alexanders
Linnet: Small parties moving up the island, with at least 40 noted.


Birds Recorded:
Gannet
Cormorant
3 Buzzard
2 Kestrel
3 Pheasant
1 Arctic Skua
Herring Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gull
20+ Razorbill/Guillemot
30+ Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
5 Skylark
15+ Sand Martin
1 Swallow
50+ Meadow Pipit
2 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
5 Chiffchaff
2 Blue Tit
1 Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
1 Raven
60+ Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
40+ Linnet
Goldfinch

It seems the local Buzzards are..........

.............upsetting the Herring Gulls, and........

...........here another Buzzard is being mobbed by a Raven.

Arctic Skua. Not my video, but one which Martin Cade (Warden at PBO) took at Portland Bill on 2 May 22.

A rather inquisitive Lesser Black-backed Gull

A Cormorant flanked by two Great Black-backed Gulls

So many Stock Doves, which I came across........

.............in pairs.

This pair were in the Obs garden.

As a comparison here are a pair of Wood Pigeons

And it was a good day for Meadow Pipits, with..........

............at least fifty counted as they made their way up the island.

A male Stonechat in the Top Fields.

General Shots:

Well it is Easter Sunday and unsurprisingly the The Bill car park was pretty busy.

Ted:

Yes I know, I'm coming!!

Ships Today:

This is the British Fishing Boat - WH296 "Portland Isle" on its way back to Weymouth Harbour. More on this vessel here and here.

This is the Maltese Chemical/Oil Products Tanker "Monjasa Provider" on its way from Weymouth bay to Falmouth. More on this vessel here.

30 Mar 24

Soldiers Ponds and Jurassic Pools

On the way back from a shopping trip at Littlemoor, I parked up in Nightingale Drive, Broadway and took Ted for a walk around the Soldiers Ponds here.

The name Soldiers Ponds is what the locals call it, but in fact it is a man-made balancing reservoir for the local roads and housing estates.

The highlights here were a pair of Little Grebes, 5 Chiffchaffs singing, 1 Green-veined White, 2 Red Admiral and a Peacock.

On the otherside of the A354 alongside Icen Lane are the Jurassic Pools here. The only highlights here were two Chiffchaffs singing and a Brimstone butterfly

Birds Recorded:
2 Little Grebe

2 Mallard

2 Moorhen

2 Coot

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Dunnock

Blackbird

Song Thrush

7 Chiffchaff

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Wren

Magpie

Rook

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

One of the two Little Grebes on the Soldier Ponds

Also on the ponds were a pair of Moorhens and a............

...........pair of Coots.

One of the many Chiffchaffs singing around the Ponds  and Pools

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Green-veined White
1 Brimstone
2 Red Admiral
1 Peacock

A Brimstone by the Jurassic Pools

And a Peacock butterfly by the Soldier Ponds

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)


General Shots:

The Soldier Ponds

The Soldier Ponds looking north and..........

................looking south from........

..........the Queens Canopy.

And on the otherside of the A354 the Jurassic Pools

Ted

Yes Ted I'm coming.

29 Mar 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east), The Cuttings Quarry, Silklake Quarry and Bumpers Lane.

After a busy day at home, it was a very late walk with Ted. I wasn't expecting to see much and so it proved, with the main highlights at least 9 Robins singing.


Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Squirrel

One of the local Grey Squirrels raiding a bird table

Birds Recorded:
1 Cormorant
2 Oystercatcher
60+ Herring Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gull
Dunnock
Robin (9 singing birds)
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

There were plenty of Herring Gulls heading up Portland's east coast......

.............presumably to roost on the breakwaters surrounding Portland Harbour.

And all along our walk were Robins singing away.

This one struck me as being a bit odd looking.

Ah. Its tail-less. Possibly lost in a "fight" with another male Robin for territorial rights.

Plants:

Portland Russet (Malus x domestica)

And the "Portland Russet" is beginning to come out in leaf. More on apple trees here.

General Shots:

Silklake Quarry and..........

..............finally the mess left by the off gridders is...........

..........being cleaned up. It's only taken the local Building Company, who own the quarry, 5 months to clear it up.

Ted

Ted having a good run in the late evening sun.

28 Mar 24

Portland Castle Beach and Chesil Cove

After a quick visit to Portland Castle Beach, where a Sandwich Tern was the main highlight, I then braved the elements by stopping off at Chesil Cove to see what had been driven in by Storm Nelson (named by the Spanish Meteorological Agency).

And what a storm it was, with huge waves crashing onto Chesil Beach and swamping sightseers, who were foolishly on the wrong side of the sea defences.

The main highlights here were 100's of Kittiwakes making their way west along the shoreline and incredibly a Grey Seal which kept bobbing its head up to see what was around. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph it.


Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Seal


Birds Recorded:
1 Gannet

8 Cormorant
10+ Herring Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gull
100's Kittiwake
1 Sandwich Tern
1 Carrion Crow

A Gannet in Portland Harbour.

Kittiwakes along Chesil Beach. My first this year.

A heavily cropped shot of a Sandwich Tern, also in Portland Harbour

Below are a few Shots and Videos of the waves along Chesil Beach:

Ted:

A windswept Ted

27 Mar 24

Wakeham

Welcome to sunny Portland

If only!!!!

26 Mar 24

Wakeham

Despite it being a really nice day, I was tied up at home with the plumber, who was fitting a new water heater. So sadly no sightings today, other than two Chiffchaffs calling at the end of the garden late afternoon.

So as per norm................

2023

Chiffchaff at Church Ope Cove.

2022

A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) on a Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)

2021

A Redshank at Ferrybridge

2020

A Peacock in the back garden

2019

A Hoopoe at Reap Lane Barns

2018

A male and female Wheatear on Penn's Weare.

25 Mar 24

Penn's Weare

Main highlight today was my neighbour telling me there was a Hoopoe along Penn's Weare. And as luck would have it, it was still there when I arrived nearly 45 minutes later.

Below are a few photos and videos of it feeding in a gully here.

In the gully

Midway through this video it was spooked by a leaf and immediately raised its crest.

And up and away

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

RSPB Radipole Lake

Earlier in the day I visited Radipole again. Main highlight was watching 50+ Sand Martins passing through. Still no swallows.

Birds Recorded:

2 Great Crested Grebe

4 Cormorant

4 Grey Heron

Mute Swan

Mallard

Gadwall

Tufted Duck

Water Rail (two heard)

Moorhen

Coot

Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Wood Pigeon

50+ Sand Martin

Dunnock

Robin

Blackbird

Song Thrush

8 Cetti's Warbler

5 Chiffchaff (all singing)

Long-tailed Tit

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Reed Bunting

A pair of Great Crested Grebes

There were at least 4 Grey Herons flying around the reserve

And some great comparisons here. In the foreground are two Great Black-backed Gulls, top right two Herring Gulls and top left two Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

General Shots

The River Wey winding its way through the reserve.

Ted and Theo

Ted and Theo watching the Tufted Ducks.