7 Jan 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Lower Horse Paddock, Higher Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, The Cuttings and Bumpers Lane

With an addition of some extra weight since coming out of hospital (losing 21/2 stone was a lot to lose in 2 months), I actually felt like a decent walk around the block.

And an excellent walk it proved to be with an additional 9 birds to add to my year list. Also noted was a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Butterfly Reserve and a Chiffchaff along Broadcroft Quarry Lane.

Birds Recorded:
2 Kestrel
Herring Gull
1 Stock Dove
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Dunnock
Robin
2 Stonechat
3 Blackbird
2 Song Thrush
1 Chiffchaff
4 Long-tailed Tit
3 Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
4 Jackdaw
20+ Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

A Kestrel watching the House Sparrows in Wakeham Meadow.

A record shot of my first Stock Dove of the year, which took off from the Lower Horse Paddock.

And another first for the year was this male and...........

...............female Stonechat in the Butterfly Reserve.

Two male Blackbirds together in the Butterfly Reserve, where there........

........were also two Song Thrushes.

In the Lower Horse Paddock there was a flock of around 20 Starlings, all in Winter Plumage.


Plants:
Tall Cape Honey-flower (Melianthus major)

Along the footpath next to the Lower Horse Paddock, someone has planted this Tall Cape Honey-flower (Melianthus major). More on this plant here.

General Shots:

A very fiery sky as the sun begins to set


Ships Today:

This is the British Cruise Ship "Spirit of Discovery" doing a circuit off Portland Bill before heading back to Portland Harbour. More on this vessel here.

This is the Cypriot Container Ship "BG Diamond" on its way from Southampton to Cork. More on this vessel here.

This is the Dutch General Cargo Ship "Eems Fivel" on its way from Velsen Noord (Holland) to Newport. More on this vessel here.

This is the Liberian Container Ship "Kestrel" anchored just southwest of Portland. More on this vessel here.

6 Jan 25

Wakeham

Well I did get out, though only as far as the back garden; where I spent most of the afternoon cutting up scrap wood for kindling with my new toy a handheld chainsaw. The time saved using it, as opposed to using a handsaw, was well worth the money I spent on it, plus it also took the strain away from my body, which I can well do without at the moment. And of course who should be there with me, but Ted and also the "resident" Robin.

Another bird which joined the party was a Chiffchaff, which just like the Robin was quite happy to flit about just feet away from where I was working. Is it possible that this individual, which I saw a few days ago, is in fact the overwintering bird I noted at beginning of October last year!!

Other highlights were 2 Greenfinches which headed east over the garden. Another new species for my 2025 bird list.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
2 Robin
1 Chiffchaff
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
2 Greenfinch

The "resident" Robin on the Fig Tree before...............

..............flying down onto the table for a snack.

This Chiffchaff was not only very mobile.........

.............but a quite vocal at times as it flitted in and around the garden.

And of course Ted on his favourite seat.

5 Jan 25

Wakeham

What a wet, windy and really miserable day. You know what's coming!!

2024
A Purple Sandpiper at The Bill.

2023
A Robin feeding on mealworms in the back garden.

2022
A Redwing at Lorton Valley Nature Park.

2021
A Little Egret at Ferrybridge.

2020
Yellow Brain Fungus (Tremella mesenterica) in Wakeham wood.

2019
A Back Redstart at Church Ope Cove.

2018
A Grey Wagtail at Church Ope Cove.

4 Jan 25

Wakeham

It was a busy day indoors, so no walk today.

A wet miserable day

A pair of Carrion Crows.

2022
A Robin at Church Ope Cove.

2021
A grey damp day

2020
A very vocal Firecrest at Church Ope Cove.

2019
A Black Redstart at Church Ope Cove

2018
A Yellow-browed Warbler in Pennsylvania Castle Woods.

3 Jan 25

Portland Castle Beach and Portland Marina

Today was my first day driving my car since my Op on 22 Oct. And apart from a faulty glow plug light flashing on the dashboard (The car needless to say is in the garage now) it went very well.

So as not to over do it, my first visit was to Portland Castle Beach and a short walk to Portland Marina and back.

Main highlight was watching a Bottlenose Dolphin "playing" just off the Mulberry's for at least 10 minutes.

Other highlights were my first Great Northern Divers for the year with at least 4 birds noted, a Little Grebe just off one of the Mulberry's, a dozen or so Cormorants, 4 Shags, 5 Black-headed Gulls, 4 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Pied Wagtail in the car park, and 2 Ravens over the Heli-Ops runway.


Mammals Recorded:
1 Bottlenose Dolphin

This Bottlenose Dolphin...........

..............seemed to be enjoying itself.

Eventually it ended up next to the Mulberry's where..............

..............it continued breaching, spinning and diving.


Birds Recorded:
4 Great Northern Diver
1 Little Grebe
12+ Cormorant
4 Shag
5 Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
4 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Pied Wagtail
Magpie
Carrion Crow
2 Raven

I counted at least..............

...............four Great Northern Divers in the harbour.

A short video of a Great Northern Diver (slo-mo and silent).

Shags on the Portland Marina breakwater.

An adult winter Black-headed Gull.

And an adult Great Black-backed Gull

And a male Pied Wagtail running around the car park.

2 Jan 25

Wakeham

Well that was a better start to the day, with the resident Robin singing away in the back garden, several House Sparrows chattering away on top of the privet hedge and two fly-by Goldfinches.

Late afternoon my bird count for the year increased further with a Wood Pigeon on my neighbours roof, a Great Spotted Woodpecker which across Bumpers lane estate towards the Lower Horse paddocks, a Chiffchaff calling away just a couple of metres away in my neighbours garden, 3 Long-tailed Tits moving through the garden and a Carrion Crow.

Birds Recorded:
8+ Herring Gull
1 Wood Pigeon
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Robin
1 Chiffchaff
3 Long-tailed Tit
1 Magpie
1 Carrion Crow
7+ House Sparrow
23 Goldfinch

My first Carrion Crow of the year sat just a few metres away.......

.........................from these Goldfinches in my neighbours Sycamore.

1 Jan 25

Wakeham

Well Happy New Year to you all, from a very wet and windy Isle of Portland.

I did venture out into the back garden for 30 minutes this morning and sat in the relative shelter of the arbour, where I managed to spot 5 Herring Gulls and a Magpie. Unfortunately that was it.

Happy New Year from a very wet and windy Portland.

It's still quite mild and the roses are still in flower. When are you supposed to prune them back. Hopefully the cold spell forecast for next week will slow the growth down and pruning can commence.

The last big storm, when I was in hospital, brought these two 6ft panels down.

And here are the replacements, two trellises to let the wind through. Just got to find someone to put them up.
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