15 Apr 25

Portland Bird Observatory, Hut Fields, Portland Bill and Obs Quarry

With cooler cloudier weather today I decided to see what was coming in off the sea. It was certainly busy just west of the Pulpit, with hundreds of Herring Gulls sat 200 metres off the west cliffs, where there were dozens of Guillemots and Razorbills flying out to sea and presumably returning with food for youngsters! Also noted were a few Gannets and Cormorants heading east.

Coming straight off the sea though, were plenty Swallows and a handful of Sand Martins, which having reached land simply carried on up the island.

Around the Observatory a small number of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a lone Blackcap suddenly appeared and within a few minutes were gone. It was certainly all go!!

Also noted was a bull Grey Seal which having worked its way down to the Obelisk from the Red Crane, disappeared out of sight. The only butterfly seen today was a Speckled Wood in the Obs front garden.


Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Seal

Birds Recorded:
4 Gannet
3 Cormorant
1 Oystercatcher
Herring Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
5 Great Black-backed Gull
12 Razorbill
20+ Guillemot
Wood Pigeon
Skylark
5 Sand Martin
20+ Swallow
2 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
10+ Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
2 Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

A Gannet heading east.

A lone Oystercatcher...............

............just up from the Red Crane.

Something has caught its attention!!

In amongst the Herring Gulls was this adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with its bright yellow legs.

Behind the two Herring Gulls are two adult Great Black-backed Gulls.

Razorbills congregating close to The Pulpit

Two Guillemots heading back to the West Cliffs

A male Pied Wagtail.

A Willow Warbler in amongst the Blackthorn next to the Obs.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Speckled Wood

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

On these Bluebells were this Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and.......

.........................Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)

Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies

Plants:
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis)
Thrift (Armeria maritima)

This is Thrift (Armeria maritima) and is.............

............also known as Sea Pink.

Ships Today:

This is the British Fishing Boat PO1 "Pearl May". There is no further info on this vessel or.......

........this British Fishing Boat BL1 "Sole Trader II".

14 Apr 25

High Angle Battery and Fancy's Farm

After a trip to the recycling centre, it was off to Fancys Farm and the High Angle Battery to see what Spring migrants were about.

First off was a Wheatear which popped up onto the fence surrounding the farm and then a male Stonechat. However after watching the male Stonechat for a short spell, it became quite obvious it was collecting food for youngsters. So a resident bird not one passing through.

Other birds which were moving through though were a Common Whitethroat, a Blackcap, a lone Chiffchaff and 4 other Wheatears.

In the goat field on the farm were a dozen or so Herring Gulls with a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with their bright yellow legs. Also here were 20+ corvids, mainly Carrion Crows, a few Jackdaws and two Rooks. The latter not often seen on the island.

Earlier a lone Rook took off from the field and returned twenty minutes later with a second bird. Question here is, did this individual purposefully fly off to find its mate, or were these two new birds!!

Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Herring Gull
2 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
5 Wheatear
4 Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, behind the fence at Fancys Farm.

A male Stonechat

There are still a few............

................Wheatears moving through.

Now this lone Rook was in the grounds of the farm and then flew off.

Later two others returned.

Here they are again, with a Jackdaw top left and a Carrion Crow top right.

And a short video of them feeding in the goats field.

A Jackdaw on top of the cliffs.

A female Linnet

And a Goldfinch.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon


Bees Recorded:
3 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
1 Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) - deceased

A deceased Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Plants in flower:
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)

Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)

Ted:

Yes Ted it's me taking a photograph of you. He looks surprised!!

Ships Today:

Portland Harbour with........

.......the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship A130 "Tideforce" being helped out of the harbour by...........

.................the British Tugs "Rupert Best" and.............

..................."Maiden Castle".

This is the Finnish General Cargo Ship "Marilie" moored up in the harbour. More on this vessel here.

This is the Maltese Chemical/Oil Products Tanker "Monjasa Provider" moored up in Portland Harbour before it headed out into Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel here.

13 Apr 25

Lower Horse Paddock, Higher Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Silklake Quarry, Bumpers Lane, Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east), Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows

With the school holidays in full swing, I decided to stick to my local patch. And I'm glad as I came across my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year, singing from the top of a Sycamore along Bumpers lane.

Other highlights were 1 Blackcap singing in Wakeham Meadow, and 4 Chiffchaffs singing from various locations along my walk.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A Dunnock singing from within the butterfly reserve. Also singing is a Chiffchaff.

A Magpie probably up to no good!!

A Chiffchaff on the butterfly reserve.

And here it is singing. It is the same bird singing in the Dunnock video above.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
10+ Small White
5 Speckled Wood

A Small White and..................

............a Speckled Wood.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipe)

A Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipe)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
7+ Syrphus sp.

My first Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) for the year.

I think this is a Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

A Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Plants in flower:
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber)

Ted:

A leap of faith by Ted

And a bit of shade for Ted on a warm and sunny day.

Aircraft Today:

This is a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Registration G-CKWN ............

...........on its way from Orlando to London.

More on this flight here.

12 Apr 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Lower Horse Paddock, Higher Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Silklake Quarry, Bumpers Lane, Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east), Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Wildlife Site

Already this morning on Portland there had been sightings of Pied Flycatcher, Corn Bunting, Common Redstart, Wheatear and Common Whitethroat, so I thought I would give my local patch a go to see if I could add anything else.

Well I sort of did, with a male Stonechat, a Common Whitethroat, a male Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaff on the butterfly reserve, but unfortunately for me, but great for the kids, there was an Easter Egg hunt in progress. Oh well there's always tomorrow.

Elsewhere there were 3 other Chiffchaffs singing, plus a Willow Warbler singing close to Wakeham Wildlife Site, and another Blackcap singing from Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east).


Birds Recorded:
1 Cormorant
2 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
Blackbird
2 Song Thrush
1 Common Whitethroat
2 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

A male Kestrel along Bumpers Lane

And a Stock Dove in Silklake Quarry

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
1 white sp.


Bees Recorded:
6 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
2 Syrphus sp.

#1. Syrphus sp.

#2. Syrphus sp. and and below it a Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies

Ants Recorded:

Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

Flowering Plants:
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum)
Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana)


Ted:

Ted waiting for me again.

Ships Today:

This is the British yacht "Rumpus of Bequia" on its way from Itchenor to an unknown destination via Weymouth Harbour. More on this vessel here.