At least 5 Little Gulls feeding around the sewer outfall off Chesil this afternoon; also saw Charlie Richards who rpts that yesterday there were 12 Little Gulls at Chesil Cove.
At least 3 Little Gulls lingering this afternoon right along the surf line in Chesil Cove
More migrant moth activity: 2 Silver Ys trapped overnight at the Obs; yesterday a rather early Mottled Grey the pick of the what few residents are on the wing at the moment
Some lepidoptera interest in the Obs garden: first butterfly of the year - a Red Admiral - on the wing just now; yesterday, the first presumed migrant moth of the year - a Turnip - from the moth-traps
3 Little Gulls lingering with the feeding flock of Kittiwakes off the Bill this afternoon
24th December
An unexpectedly exciting day with a blasting and increasingly cold easterly the prompt for a flurry of waterfowl, wader and gull movement. L...
Painted Lady on the wing in the Obs garden just now
adult Little Gull lingering amongst the gull flock not far off East Cliffs at the Bill (flock's currently just north of the Obs)
Still the odd migrant moth showing up at the Obs - last night's tally from the moth-traps singles of Rusty-dot Pearl and Pearly Underwing
Calm night saw a mini flurry of migrant moths at the Obs: 4 Rusty-dot Pearl, a Turnip and a Silver Y + a late Radford's Flame Shoulder. This mrng a Red Admiral on the wing at the Obs (yesterday, there was another Painted Lady there).
Serin heard briefly over the Obs this morning but no further sign
9th November
Today's birding was certainly a case of quality of quantity, with just a few good birds to save what was otherwise a fairly bleak day for bo...
News from local residents of 2 Yellow-browed Warblers this morning in a private garden at Wakeham
Pallas's Warbler just trapped in the Crown Estate Field
8th November
Today's lovely sunshine and mildness were the prompt for plenty of fieldwork from which the rewards were certainly varied. After a clear, mo...
Bearing mind the number of rare phylloscs elsewhere, a single Siberian Chiffchaff was perhaps a measly return from the Bill mist-nets today. 30 birds ringed in total, with 4 Redpolls and another Black Redstart the best of the rest.
Crimson Speckled currently settled in the Crown Estate Field
Siberian Chiffchaff trapped in the Crown Estate Field; Snow Bunting still in the East Cliff Quarries up towards Southwell.
7th November
Whilst it was always going to be a challenge to live up to the excesses of yesterday's birding, it was nevertheless another pleasant morning...
Weather enforced early curtailment of ringing activities today but not before another pretty fair arrival of late migrants was tapped into at the Bill: total of 41 included 12 Goldcrests and 6 Chiffchaffs + the sixth Cetti's Warbler of the autumn and the first Black Redstart of the year
Yellow-browed Warbler in the Wakeham railway cutting per Paul Rendell
6th November
Wow, what a day. After a spell of unsettled weather there was high anticipation for today's calmness which coupled with an overcast sky deli...
A ripping ringing day at the Bill: the Black-faced Bunting a top notch rare but 45 Goldcrests also an exceptional total for November out of the day total of 108 new birds; Skylark a rarely-ringed highlight amongst the lower totals.
Snow Bunting in the East Cliff Quarries near Southwell per Mark Eggleton - best to walk down from the pumping station, turn right at the cliffs and it's 100m or so from there along the cliff top
Outstanding views of the Pallid Swift at times over the middle of Top Fields - thanks
@alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social for letting us know it was showing so well up there
Don't think this is being picked up by the news services: there's currently a Pallid Swift over the Privet Hedge area
Pallid Swift gone past Nicodemus Knob - lost to sight heading south - per Nick Hopper
Sorry for the late news, ridiculously busy first couple of hours so not had time to post a photo of the Black-faced Bunting trapped in the Crown Estate Field on the first net round of the day - ta to Duncan Walbridge for this pic
5th November
There was certainly nothing by way of fireworks generated from the majority of today's fieldwork, with singles of Redwing and Siskin at the ...
A fly-by juv large falcon - presumably a Saker or Lanner - north over the Obs just now; views too brief/distant to be able to check on finer points of ID or for rings
3rd November
It's not a difficult task to single out the highlight from today's birding, with a confiding Snow Bunting along the East Cliffs the star of...
Snow Bunting on East Cliffs in the vicinity of the Fig Tree Quarry but has been quite flighty per Guy Campbell
1st November
Despite the interference of several periods of rather heavy rain, today's birding was not entirely without merit, with a few nice scarcities...
Grey Phalarope at Chesil Cove per
@tmbirding.bsky.socialVery few moths on a night of howling southerlies but what there was at the Obs included three singles of note: Ni Moth, Small Marbled and Blair's Mocha
31st October
Bar a short, sharp spell of very heavy rain during the morning, today's mix of a stiff southerly and patchy sunshine was enough to provide i...
30th October
A perfectly birdable if largely uneventful morning gave way to an increasingly unpleasant afternoon as an onshore gale set in - seemingly se...
Still ticking over on the ringing front - at least until the afternoon when the ever-increasing wind became too much of an issue. 41 new birds included another 16 Redpolls that takes their annual total into three figures - previous highest year total only 24! 5 more Reed Buntings best of the rest.
29th October
Although the occasional mizzly outbreak cropped up from time to time today had far more positives going for it, not least the wind dropping ...
Welcome amelioration in the weather allowed for fuller ringing activities at the Bill today. 43 birds trapped; 17 of the new birds were Redpolls and the one control was another Redpoll that had first been ringed at Thorpe Marsh, South Yorkshire, on 26th September - nice!
Very small uptick in migrant moth activity at the Obs last night with singles of Vestal and Migrant Sable presumed new arrivals; only tiny numbers of other migrants
26th October
For the most part another vismig day, with the stiff wind a continuing irritation for both the ringers and the seekers of grounded migrants....
Still slow on the ringing front - as much because the strength of wind restricted opportunities. Another Cetti's Warbler at Culverwell (photo Alan Pomroy) was the 5th ringed this autumn which is a new record annual total here (previous highest 4 in 2018 and 2022). Otherwise just 18 new birds today.
Richard's Pipit gone west over the Obs
25th October
Another difficult day with the strength of the wind an issue throughout. Overhead passage had looked likely to be the day's salvation but, s...
Ringing returns well down at the Bill with the day's only noteworthy event amongst just 17 new birds being the ringing of the two Chiffchaffs required to first equal and then overtake a record: more Chiffchaffs have now been ringed during this September and October than in any previous whole year!
