4 Mar 24

Portland Bill

With rain forecast from midday onwards, it was a quick cup of coffee and out down to the Bill before it arrived.

Main highlight was the female Black Redstart still overwintering on the shoreline east of the lighthouse.

And despite my best efforts in finding any Purple Sandpipers, the best I could get was hearing them calling between the Obelisk and The Pulpit. But could I see them!!!

Quite odd, but I didn't see or hear any Rock Pipits!!


Birds Recorded:

2 Fulmar
3 Gannet
4 Cormorant
1 Shag
1 Kestrel
? Purple Sandpiper (Heard not seen)
Herring Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gull
20+ Razorbill/Guillemot
Wood Pigeon
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Black Redstart
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
200+ Starling
House Sparrow
2 Chaffinch
6 Goldfinch

A Fulmar just off The Bill.

This Fulmar almost got a drenching and decided that sitting on the breaking......

..............waves wasn't much fun.

Just three Gannets passed by whilst I was at the Obelisk

Here's another which every.........

..............now and then disappeared behind some big waves.

An adult Great Black-backed Gull.

And two Razorbills. The second bird is just behind the wave on the right.

And from the Obelisk looking north is a stretch of beach where this..........

............female Black Redstart has been overwintering and.......

.............sheltering.

General Shots:

A watery sun, rising behind the anchor. This anchor was allegedly raised from a Dutch shipwreck, in the 1700’s.

And a little further south the rising behind the Red Crane

Ted and Theo:

Ships Today:

This is the British Ro-Ro Cargo Ship "Hartland Point" on its way from Southampton to Gdansk (Poland) via..............

...........a brief excursion west before turning around and heading east for Gdansk. More on "Hartland Point" here.