The Portland PortalThe visitor guide to the beautiful Isle of Portland, Dorset

23rd – With it remaining quite breezy the only reports were of seawatching at the Bill, that produced 500 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters and 2 Arctic Skuas. The first Lulworth Skippers of the year were on the wing at the Bill.

24th – Overnight rain took a good deal longer than we’d expected to clear through, with the result that only the sea was at all well covered at the Bill, where 263 Manx Shearwaters, 63 Common Scoter, 9 Balearic Shearwaters and 4 Arctic Skuas passed by. The Muntjac remained at the Bill, where it was seen beside the Bill Road during the evening.

Willow Warbler

25th – Quieter conditions today produced one or two surprises, notably singles of Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher at the Bill and another lone Spotted Flycatcher at Southwell; slightly less of a surprise were the first 3 Sand Martins of the ‘autumn’ over the Bill, whilst elsewhere Dunlin numbers at Ferrybridge increased to 10. In recent days Cormorants have featured more conspicuously than usual at this time of year, with 7 east and another south off the Bill during the morning, whilst more routine fare off there included 25 Manx Shearwaters and a single Balearic Shearwater. Singles of Diamond-back Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl and Cream-bordered Green Pea were the only immigrants attracted to the Obs garden moth-traps.

Three-banded Garden Slug

26th – Muggy with low cloud/fog coming and going but rain restricted to just one afternoon shower. The only reports were from the Bill where a Reed Warbler was singing in the Obs garden, 2 Curlews flew over and 10 Common Scoter passed by on the sea. Despite much improved moth-trapping conditions singles of Diamond-back Moth and Silver Y were the only immigrants in the Obs garden traps.

Striped Hawk-moth

27th – Another fog-blighted day, although an early afternoon shower (which deposited a really conspicuous fall-out of Saharan dust) did at least occasion enough of a clearance that some seawatching was possible at the Bill, where there was a light movement of Manx Shearwaters, along with 41 Common Scoter, 8 Balearic Shearwaters and singles of Curlew, Whimbrel and Arctic Skua. A Striped Hawk-moth attracted to a garden moth-trap at the Grove was a surprise overnight highlight; the only other immigrants caught were singles of Rusty-dot Pearl at the Obs and Silver Y at the Grove.

Four Spotted

28th – More quite topsy-turvy weather today, with everything from flat calm and foggy, though really warm and sunny to fresh and breezy. Watches from the Bill when the sea was visible produced totals of 125 Common Scoter, 11 Manx Shearwaters and 5 Balearic Shearwaters passing by; the only other worthwhile report was of 2 Grey Herons over the Bill. Another overnight fall-out of Saharan dust gave some hope on the moth front, but in the event the immigrant tally from the Obs traps didn’t get beyond singles of Bordered Straw and Silver Y; the first Four Spotted of the year was of interest amongst the rest of the catch.

29th – The handful of reports from the sea today included 21 Manx Shearwaters, 13 Common Scoter, 6 Balearic Shearwaters and a Mediterranean Gull through off the Bill. Five Silver Y were the only immigrants in the Obs garden moth-traps this morning.