Diary 2001
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| 2001 | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
1 January 2002 : Despite the hard overnight frost. a highly disappointing start to the year, with a fresh south-easterly driving the birds off both sea and land. A Guillemot in the harbour and Chiffchaff in the south shore bushes the only things of note. Sorry about lack of Black Redstarts for New year listers.
31 December : A brief sunset visit produced a Dunlin on a very low tide amongst the Turnstones. Weymouth Bay reports over the last few days have added Red-throated Diver and Red-necked Grebe to the year-list, which stands at a record 105.
30 December : The sea quieter today, although the Eider was still present. The bright sun and shelter along the south shore brought out all three Black Redstart, the subad. male and two fem/imms, that had been present over the last few days - a year max. Two wintering Chiffchaffs were also present, and an unseasonal Red Admiral was also enjoying the sunshine.
27 December : A splendidly productive afternoon visit.The auk influx into Weymouth Bay continued, with personal record counts of 11 Razorbill and 6 Guillemot, together with a Nothe tick, the winter-plumaged Black Guillemot that has been reported since 23rd. A Mute Swan in the bay was also a year tick, bringing the total to 103. The Eider was still present, joined briefly by a Common Scoter, and two fem/imm Black Redstarts and an unusual winter Meadow Pipit were feeding on numerous flies on the south rocks.
24 December : A brief dash to the pier this morning turned up an imm drake Eider for the 101st sp. this year, and a personal record max eight Razorbill.
20 December : A brief afternoon visit produced two Black Redstarts - the male on the Stone Pier, and a fem/imm on the south shore. Also a Kingfisher and wintering Chiffchaff.
10 December : More Stock Doves this morning were joined by a Redwing - quite a rarity here - a Sparrowhawk, and a subadult male Black Redstart. The Little Egret was still present for its second day, and a Brent Goose put in a brief appearance..
9 December : A return after a long gap produced an excellent Treecreeper on small trees and the Sallow clump on the top lawns - only the third record and hot on the heels of the second last August. A Little Egret feeding on the south shore was only the second this year, and a flock of 13 Stock Doves going north was the second largest total on record.
1 November : A cold, sunny start, with again few birds, but the year list did make it to 100 today with 4 Stock Dove flying north. A Kingfisher was again present on the south shore, and a Sparrowhawk was soaring in the fine conditions.
31 October : The first Black Redstart of the autumn was reported today.
30 October : A much quieter morning in pleasant sunshine gave Coal Tit and a late Sandwich Tern still present.
29 October : Still masses of birds on the move in the light winds and dull conditions - 111 Woodpigeons (including 50 flying N) were a 2-year max. as was a count of 13 Song Thrush. With them were two year-ticks - a single Redwing and two Brambling, the latter the first since November 1999. A Garden Warbler was with the Long-tailed Tit flock, the latest on record, beating last year's record by a day! Year list now on a cliff-hanging 99.
28 October : More finches on the move on a very promising, dull, calm morning. With these were one, possibly two Yellowhammer, calling in flight, the first since March 1984! Year list to 97. Goldfinches hit another 2-year max of 48. Blackbirds had arrived in force overnight with 31 a 2-year and near - all time max, together with a year max of 9 Song Thrush and another Mistle Thrush. A late Sandwich Tern was off the pier, and the second Little Egret of the year was feeding on the south shore.
27 October : A heavy movement of finches this morning,with 39 Chaffinches and 43 Goldfinches (a 2-year max for both). Two Siskins were, unusually, perched in one of the poplars. A remarkable gathering of Carrion Crows around the fort pushed their numbers to a new max of 28, and there was a Razorbill off the pier.
25 October : A remarkable 25 Cormorants were in the bay, a new max (previous max 18 on the similar date of 23 Oct 1984).
22 October : Woodpigeons arrived in force overnight to give a year max of 63. A Ringed Plover by the fort was only the second record of the year, and three Coal Tits (a joint max) were with the Long-tailed Tit flock.
21 October : A superb Peregrine over this afternoon, and at least six Common Darter dragonflies present - are these Oct records continental migrants? 15 Red Admirals were a new max.
20 October : An excellent, lively morning. The Firecrest was still present with the Long-tailed Tit flock in the NE corner, and the Great Spotted Woodpecker was still about. A Common Redstart was quite a late record, but the Willow Warbler still present continues to break records. A Mistle Thrush was only the second record of the year. Vis. mig continues to be good, with 46 Skylarks over a new max. Robins were also present in force, with a year max of 31.
19 October : An appallingly diifficult morning for birding, with a SE near-gale and heavy rain coming on - three Common Gulls were in Newton's Cove.
17 October : Dramatic waves on the south shore coupled with a very high tide stopped me walking along it for the first time ever. Three Brent Geese going west were the first of the autumn.
15 October : Year list still on a roll, up to 96 spp.this morning, with a Little Egret going over first thing. A Coal Tit was with the Long-tails.
14 October : OK so who's picked all the Pine Boletus I had my eye on - and the rest of the Horse Mushrooms? If you're reading this, enjoy them, and please could you send in a list of fungi you've identified!
Quite busy bird-wise on a highly promising dull, drizzly morning, with a year max of 35 Pied Wagtails, a Razorbill past the pier, the first Long-tailed Tits of the autumn, the Firecrest still present and again giving superb views, but the highlight was a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, the first since Dec 1997. the year list notches up to 95 with all to play for to get the century..
12 October : I'm used to recording birds flying over, but this is the first time I've noted a butterfly as a 'flyover'. Yes, it was a Monarch, being 'mobbed' by two Red Admirals, flying NE over the top lawns. The size difference was amazing - like two Choughs mobbing a Griffon Vulture ! An excellent Nothe tick, coming just a week after the first report, and a good reward after a few afternoon visits trying for it.
The birds were good too: splendid views of Firecrest in the same place as yesterday, but this was joined by several Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, and a very late Willow Warbler - the latest record.
A spell on the pier with the fishermen produced Ballan Wrasse, and a first record of Garfish, which apparently are plentiful at the moment. And while we are on other groups, I must just mention the Horse Mushrooms (possibly Wood Mushrooms?) which went down very well for tea!
11 October : A useful afternoon visit produced the year's first Firecrest by the Chalet garden, equalling the earliest autumn date, 11 Oct 1985, and, off the pier, the autumn's first Great Northern Diver, my earliest in autumn. Year list to 94.
10 October : Clearer weather allowed more migrants to move again this morning, with the first three Skylarks of the autumn and year maxima of Pied Wagtail (23) and Chaffinch (24) amongst others, including 27 settled Goldfinches.
9 October : A visit on a fine warm afternoon on the off-chance of seeing a Monarch produced little on the land, but, at long last, a clear juv. Arctic Tern off the pier.
This is always a challenge to identify, and having had several near misses in the past, I felt very lucky that this bird eventually flew so close. With a couple of juv. Common Terns about for comparison, this bird was clearly different, with its mantle and primaries contrasting sharply with gleaming-white secondaries that formed a triangle of white in the wing, suggestive of a Sabine's Gull upperwing pattern. The all-dark bill seemed short, and the structure of the bird looked different to the Commons, with a rather short 'front-end' and a long 'tail-end', behind the wing. Finally, it flew close in to the end of the pier and banked, showing a very white underwing, with the diagnostic contrasting pencil-thin black trailing edge to the primaries. Another Nothe tick, and the 93rd species for the year. It must be bogey week!
8 October : Apart from a few terns, and the Wheatear still present below the fort wall, nothing to report in the aftermath of the gales. The most exciting event of the day, though, was receiving a report of a Monarch butterfly on 5th by the CEFAS labs - an excellent first record.
7 October : A good decision to visit this afternoon during the SW gales, with a Nothe tick for me, and a long-standing bogey put to rest in the shape of a 1st-winter Mediterranean Gull close into the shore in Newton's Cove. The bird was surface feeding with Black-headed Gulls on shorelife thrown up by a huge swell coming into the surprisingly sheltered cove. Despite being seen annually in the Weymouth Bay gull roost (though not by me!), Med Gulls don't seem to venture close to the Nothe that often, so it was a delightful surprise to see one so close inshore. The year list moves to 92.
A half-hour seawatch from the pier was less productive, with a nice flock of 9 Common Tern past, and a late Wheatear cowering from the gales beneath the fort walls.
4 October : More vis. mig. despite the showery conditions. Meadow Pipits put in another record performance with 122 over in an hour. Also 27 Swallows, and a year max of 16 Linnet. The first Grey Wagtail of the autumn in the Tavern car park.
30 September : A wet morning with a fresh SW wind quietened any bird movement, but there was a Guillemot - the first September record - in Weymouth Bay.
28 September : Birds moving again. Swallows and Meadow Pipits seemed to be coming through at a lower level today - sometimes below the height of the top lawns on each side. A year max of 13 Goldfinches went through, and a Peregrine was noteworthy. Best was an astonishing flock of nine Magpies in the air together - an all-time max.
26 September : A rather disappointing morning with just a few Chiffchaffs still about.
24 September : Another good calm morning with many migrants. 26 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers and 13 Goldcrests counted along with a record max 92 Meadow Pipits flying north before 8.30. A Snipe flying north quite low was an excellent year-tick (year list now 91) and the first since Sept 89.
22 September : Not many birds this afternoon, but Long-winged Conehead Bush-Crickets in evidence on the south slopes, along with the first, and expected record of the spectacular 'Wasp Spider' Argiope bruennichi.
21 September : A superb morning with a year max of 19 Chiffchaff and visible migration, mainly of finches and Swallows, going over - the finches and pipits going north, and the Swallows south-east. A year max of 85 Swallows in about half an hour from 8am, and the finches including the year's first three Siskin, bringing the 90 spp. up for the year so far.
7 September : Really dramatically dull, with only a few new moth species around the lights.
6 September : A Peregrine was the best of the morning, with still very few migrants.
3 September : A Common Sandpiper and the first Kingfisher of the autumn were the highlights.
29 August : Birds really cleared out this morning, with the only remaining migrants a Whimbrel and Whitethroat.
27 August : Much fresher and clearer this morning, with only a few settled migrants left. But a few birds were flying over including a record 10 Yellow Wagtails. Peregrine and Sparrowhawk were a nice raptor double.
26 August : A brief evening visit produced a flock of 8 Dunlin past the pier - a passage record and the highest since the cold January of 1982.
25 August : An outrageously good morning, starting with light northerly winds and cloud, but clearing to a hot and muggy mid-morning. It started quietly enough with Whimbrel on the shore, a couple of Fulmars, the second record this year, close in over Newton's Cove, and a male Sparrowhawk chasing the Greenfinches on the shore roost. But round at the south cypresses a mixed flock gave me an inkling that the first good fall of the autumn was under way. This included the first of eight Spotted Flycatchers, 22 Willow Warblers and two Redstarts, two Goldcrests, and, amazingly, a Nothe tick for me - a Treecreeper, perhaps surprisingly only the second record. Overhead were a couple of Tree Pipits, three Grey and one Yellow Wagtail and two Sand Martins.
While the pier gave little new, the top lawns were really humming, with more flycatchers and warblers, including Pied Flycatcher, Blackcap and two Garden Warblers. By this time I knew that a record species count was on the cards, so went back to the south shore boulders to try and catch up with Rock Pipit (just one there) and Linnet, which was the major dip of the day! But compensation came in the shape of a record flock of nine Wheatears, with a Whinchat, and, a real surprise, a Skylark. Normally an autumn flyover species, this is the first summer record, and the first on the ground since the cold weather of the early 80s.
After a break for breakfast at the chalet there were still two new species awaiting me in the nearby garden - a Whitethroat, and, as a grand finale, a Wood Warbler, the first this year, and the first ever recorded on return passage.Three year-ticks this morning brings the year total to 89spp. 48 species for the morning (54% of the year list so far!) shatters the previous day-record of 43 in the very cold January of 1985.
23 August : A quiet morning until light rain started and brought an exciting flurry of migrants around the top lawns, including the first autumn Wheatears (2), Whitethroats (2) and Garden Warbler. Also about were Willow Warbler and Pied Flycatcher - seemingly a different individual to yesterday's, with more white on the wings. Birds flying through included six Sand Martins, two Tree Pipits, Pied , Grey, and, best of all, two Yellow Wagtails, the first records since 1995 and bringing the year list to 86 spp. All this in the space of about 10 minutes - a real purple patch!
22 August : Four wader species on a calm, dull morning included the second Redshank of the year flying along the south shore, and also Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher. Despite the promising conditions, the first Pied Flycatcher of the autumn was the only land migrant.
15 August : A subadult male Kestrel basking in the early morning sunshine in in the harbourside trees was yet another year tick, to give 85 spp. so far. This is now a pretty scarce bird here - only two records last year - and this is the first August record. Three Tree Pipits over were the first of the autumn, and the first Turnstone returned. The two Razorbills were still in the harbour.
14 August : Two Razorbill, winter-plumaged adults, were the first this year - and at, on the face of it, the most unexpected time of year. However, there were five on the same date last year, so possibly auks are regular July/ August visitors feeding on the whitebait. Year list moves to 84. One Whimbrel was on the south shore, and a good gathering of 12 Pied Wagtails together with just a few Willow Warblers were around the top lawns.
27 July : Hazy and very mild this morning, and two excellent year-ticks : Ringed Plover - the first record outside the winter and the first since 1989! - and a summer-plumaged Dunlin, at about the same time as last year's summer records. The year list now stands at 83 species. The first returning Willow Warbler also appeared.
25 July : A visit on a hot, sunny afternoon produced 11 species of butterfly, including the first record of Ringlet. Several Six-spot Burnet moths were also on the wing.
24 July : Three Whimbrel were the first returning birds, and presumably the same Coal Tit as on 7th was calling from the cypresses. A Mallard with 4 very late young ducklings was a surprise, and the third brood I've noticed from the fort this year. The first juv. Common Terns appeared.
20 July : A Common Sandpiper was the only bird of note.
14 July : One of the best tern gatherngs so far this year, with 32 Common Terns (my record count), 13 Little and 3 Sandwich Terns.
13 July : An autumnal feel to the morning, with a cool, stiff westerly wind and a bit of drizzle. And indeed the first 'autumn' wader appeared in the shape of Common Sandpiper off the pier. A lone Chiffchaff was very unusual for July, but rarer still was a Reed Warbler singing from the Chalet cypresses. Only the second record, the last one on 29 June 1983, these do seem to turn up as summer migrants on the coast - are they local birds dispersing, or do they come from further afield?
7 July : A calm, misty morning with lots of bird activity. A Coal Tit was calling near the Liddell Hut amongst a mixed tit flock - a very similar date to last year's. A Marbled White butterfly was the first of the year, and there seemed to be many more Spider Crabs than usual off the pier, together with huge drifts of 'whitebait', although not sure what species this is! Only a few Common Terns were feeding on these.
3 July : Inspired to check the area by the recent Greenish Warbler over on Portland, I was rewarded by an amazing group of six Balearic Shearwaters settled not far - maybe 200yds - off the pier. Five flew off as I watched, but one especially dusky individual stayed on the water apparently feeding amongst Herring Gulls. A Nothe tick and really splendid first record. Balearics have been visiting Dorset in rapidly increasing numbers in recent years - some speculation about warming sea temperatures involved - but they are still pretty scarce birds away from Portland Bill and Durlston Head, and then mostly seen off Chesil Beach.
Other highlights were four Gannet and a fine adult male Sparrowhawk.
11 June : A singing Chiffchaff was the first June record. Previous spring latest is 27 May, earliest autumn 18 July. A Gannet in the bay was the first of the year and also the first June record.
4 June : A very clear, sunny morning with four Oystercatcher displaying and calling continually - are they breeding on the breakwater? A Redshank flying over was the first I've recorded since January 1985 - and the first spring or summer record. Even on an unpromising-looking day there can still be the unexpected here! A singing Goldcrest was also a good breeding-season record.
21 May : A singing Chiffchaff was very odd for this time of year, and the first since March. Two Jackdaws were unusual, but regular for May. Many juv. Starlings today.
18 May : Migrants all gone except for a Blackcap. The first juv. Starlings appeared this morning.
14 May : A Whimbrel, two Spotted Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler on a fine bright, much cooler morning, with the year's first White Wagtail briefly on the pier - only the fourth record here.
12 May : All migrants had gone in the clear overnight conditions, but more news of the dolphins today - apparently a pod of five is frequenting the bay, with three seen on occasion last year.
11 May : A hazy calm morning full of possibilities revealed another record max of seven Wheatear on the south rocks, along with the first two Whinchat of the year and four Shelduck, with a Common Sandpiper on the shore. Whitethroat, Garden and Sedge Warblers and several Blackcap were still about, and three Jackdaw followed last year's mid-May records of these.
2 May : Another unpromising morning turning into a cracker. Migrants included singles of Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit, two Wheatear, including one in the car park sycamores, several Willow Warblers and the first Spotted Flycatcher, with Whitethroat, Sedge and Garden Warblers and a joint record max five Blackcap. An influx of terns included a cloud of 44 Little Terns in Weymouth Bay, the first for the year and a record max. A very pleasing 39 species.
29 April : The most exciting day of the year so far with no less than three raptor species - a Peregrine 'buzzing' a Sparrowhawk over the Tavern car park, and, best of all, a Hobby, powering through towards Weymouth before banking sharply down to Radipole Lake. A long-awaited Nothe tick and first record!
The land was very busy again today, with record nos of Sedge Warblers (three) , and Whitethroats (at least five) together with three Garden Warblers, two Blackcaps, seven Willow Warblers and three Wheatears. The Chalet Garden was once again the hotspot with five warbler species together in the hedge, four of them in one field of view at once. A few Swallows were trickling through, but the sea was very quiet apart from the second clutch of Mallard ducklings. Sadly no terns, so 37 species a bit disappointing for such a splendid morning.
28 April : Still plenty of interest this morning. with three Garden Warblers, four Whitethroats, and Sedge Warbler, the latter having moved up to the Chalet garden. Its place in the north-east corner was taken by a Grasshopper Warbler that I managed to hear above the din of Condor leaving. A wonderful record in view of the national decline of this bird - only the third record for The Nothe and the first since 1985.
Two Whimbrel were on the south shore, and another two were, remarkably, feeding on the lawns around the top car parks, the first time I've seen them there. And finally, right on cue, the first Fulmar of the year cruised past the fort a few times.
27 April : Sadly I couldn't make it down in the mist and drizzle this morning, but did manage to get there as the sun was coming out this afternoon and... result! The best fall so far this year produced 37 species, six of them Nothe year ticks. The first Garden Warbler of the year was singing on the south side, with a remarkable group of 10-15 Willow Warblers feeding amongst seaweed on the sea wall. Round in the north-east corner there was a veritable procession of migrants around a hawthorn bush - two Whitethroats, the first Sedge Warbler, and best, a splendid male Pied Flycatcher, the first spring male I've seen here since 1985!
Overhead were the first House Martins and Swifts, while off the pier the first Common Terns were calling. Most exciting of all today was a report from the anglers of about four Bottle-nosed Dolphins off the end of the pier - the first cetacean record for The Nothe. They have apparently been around on and off all week, so they remain a possibility.
26 April : A cool damp evening with very little about, although a Carrion Crow on the marker buoy c 400yds out was unusual.
25 April : A morning with torrential showers produced a Wheatear sheltering under a pine tree on the Tavern lawns and a good count of 23 Turnstone.
24 April : A clear afternoon revealed a small flush of migrants left by the heavy rain this morning. Three Willow Warblers were new in, and three Wheatear, including a very strikingly-plumaged male on the south lawns were joined briefly by a Whimbrel, that soon left to join the first two Common Sandpipers of the year on the rocks below the fort. Three more Whimbrel were flyovers, and a late Great Northern Diver off the pier followed last year's 26-29 April record.
23 April : No land migrants after yesterday's rain, but six Whimbrel going north were both the first this year and a new record max., and nine Brent Geese in the bay were also the first of the year.
Good Friday, 13 April : A cold south-easterly wind with light rain brought in a few migrants: 17 Willow Warbler continued the good run of these, and there was also the first Whitethroat of the year - the earliest record - and a cracking male Redstart, also the earliest date on record, although one was reported from the same garden about a week ago. Four Blackcap were the highest number so far this year. A passing Swallow was also the first of the year, and the icing on this rich cake was a fine view of a female Peregrine circling the fort, before heading off south.
10 April : Another good rush of Willow Warblers today, with a count of 24, and a flyover Tree Pipit was the first of the year, and the earliest on record here. Three Blackcap were present, and Linnets settled for the first time today, with four on their usual habitat on brambles on the fort walls. Nine singing Wrens counted - the same max as last year. A Pied Flycatcher was reported in the afternoon on the Newton's Cove side - the earliest recorded here.
8 April : A few Linnet were the only migrants, but four Rook were more than on any day last year. A record 24 Mallard counted today, but no sign of the ducklings.
7 April : A Great Northern Diver flew west, and the first ducklings of the year were cowering under rocks at the foot of the south fort wall in cold, wet conditions.
6 April : Only one Willow Warbler today, but two Shelduck flying round the slopes were the first this year.
1 April : An impressive fall of 25 Willow Warblers this morning in the misty and drizzly conditions. Not the highest spring total, but certainly the highest this early, and higher than any day total last year. Still a few Goldcrests about, but not as many as yesterday, and two Blackcaps were new in.
31 March : Spring arrived with a vengeance today - with the first nine Willow Warblers of the year, six Chiffchaffs, an impressive 'fall' of 15 Goldcrests, the highest ever spring total, the first eight Linnets, the first two Sand Martins and the first four Sandwich Terns.
29 March : A fine morning with much less about. A single Chiffchaff the only potential migrant, except for an odd gathering of six Blue Tits which flew off to the north, making a year max of 15 today.
22 March : At last Weymouth Bay produced some birds today in the calm conditions - two Great Northern Divers, four Slavonian Grebes (the highest number I've recorded from The Nothe), and a female Common Scoter, my first since Dec 31 1999. The land was productive too - a Green Woodpecker was singing (not sure if I've ever noted this before) around the top trees, a record max. 22 Carrion Crows gathered there, another record max. of 20 Dunnock recorded, with five together in one spot, and two Meadow Pipit flew over.
21 March : Just two Wheatear left today, but masses of gulls, including a Common Gull, on the impressive waves hitting the seawall in Newton's Cove.
18 March : Despite the unpleasantly raw north-easterly wind and drizzle this morning, a record seven Wheatear (5m, 2f) were in - four along the Newton's Cove seawall and rockpools, and three on the grass slopes near the fort. A single Chiffchaff was another migrant - these have been really scarce so far this year, with only a handful of bird-days.
The ground is very wet following the last few days' rain, and it is moving! The clay on the top and along the south side is slipping noticeably, and cracks keep appearing in some paths and lawns.
14 March : A female Black Redstart amongst the south rocks was perhaps a surprise after the very poor showing of these this year. The latest spring records of these here are usually around this time. A Rook flying east was the first this year, and a Great Northern Diver was out in the bay.
13 March : A classic blustery March morning, and the first Wheatear of the year was on the grass slopes, while a Lesser Black-backed Gull over was also the first this year.
10 March : The Merganser were still present, and close in on a very high tide. 10 Shag was a good March count, and included one bird actually resting on the Stone Pier - I can't recall having seen one on land here before. Dunnock were much in evidence - 17 was a year max.and the highest ever spring count.
6 March : Two Red-breasted Merganser put in an appearance today despite the rough conditions on a stiff south-easterly blowing into Newton's Cove. Over 100 Starlings again today, including a striking-looking piebald individual.
25 February : A great rarity today in the form of lying snow - a light dusting on the grass slopes, and even a powdering on the shoreline. Despite a good covering of snow inland, though, no cold weather movement of birds, and the only thing of note was a year max for Carrion Crow of 15 .
23 February : A welcome return to full strength for Turnstone, which numbered 30 today, returning after their flirtation with the delights of Weymouth Beach earlier in the winter. 15 Rock Pipit were a good spring count, with several displaying this morning, and Pied Wagtail reached a count of 10 for the first time this year. An invasion of Starlings, with 130 counted, brought them into three figures for the first time this year, and there was also the first Chiffchaff since 1 Jan, in contrast to last year's good numbers in February. The Sparrowhawk was again present on one of the MAFF buildings.
21 February : Mallard were out in force around the fort this morning, the count of 23 being an all-time max, and reaching this number much earlier than last year. Dunnock reach a year max of 15 - again higher numbers than last year, and two Great Northern Diver were in the bay.
19 February : The Sparrowhawk was still here today, and the mass of Collared Dove feathers in one of the leylandii trees suggested that it was feeding here too. 15 Turnstone were a welcome sight on the south shore - they have been unusually scarce so far this year.
18 February : Calm and frosty again, and a good species count of 32, including the year's first Red-breasted Merganser. An imm. male Sparrowhawk in the Friend's Burial Gound sycamores was the first I've seen perched on the Nothe. Goldfinches seemed to be on the move, with 11 counted, and the flock of Long-tailed Tits is back after a few weeks' absence.
13 February : A fine frosty morning produced good numbers of sdmall birds, including a good count of 13 Dunnock.
11 February : The much milder conditions today brought the first daffs out, and many birds were in song, including Rock Pipits displaying over the fort. Mallard were inspecting their traditional nest sites on the fort walls, and the year's first Peregrine flew low across Newton's Cove into Portland Harbour.
A disastrous event occurs later on in the day, as my notebook, with all my notes since 16th Jan, is stolen from the boot of the car!
9 February : A fine, clear, cold morning with plenty of birdsong. One Great Northern Diver flying west into Portland Harbour the only bird of note.
7 February : More overnight storms had left impressive drifts of hailstones on the northern slopes this morning. Two Jackdaws were new for the year.
6 February : Just time to see a year max of eight Great Crested Grebes this afternoon before a dramatic thunderstorm forced a retreat.
3 February : Much milder conditions, and a light north-westerly made it much more active this morning. Seven Great Crested Grebes in Newton's Cove were a year max, and Chaffinches went over 20 for the first time this year. The Grey Wagtail was still present, and a Goldfinch was the first for a few weeks.
1 February : Very quiet on a misty morning except for a good number of Cormorants, reaching a year max of 13.
28 January : Much more activity on the land this morning in the fine conditions, and many birds in song, with a flighty Mistle Thrush new for the year. The sea was still very quiet with just two Little Grebes in the harbour noteworthy.
20 January : A calm, sunny morning with frost, and birds are starting to return after the blasting by the east wind. Greenfinches very active - a count of 67 the highest so far this year. Five Great Crested Grebes and a Great Northern Diver, along with a year high of 13 Shag, were hopeful signs that the bay might be starting to pick up a bit after a very quiet time. Mallard are starting to gather here early - today's 14 is a good count for January.
19 January : A fine calm afternoon, with the air near the fort full of winter heliotrope scent. Two Black Redstart still present, along with a Grey Wagtail.
16 January : A bleak morning with near-freezing drizzle, but despite this two Black Redstart made their first appearance this year. A small diver sp flying into Portland Harbour was just too distant to identify in the poor light conditions.
14 January : Still no change in the weather, and very little on the rough waters of the bay - one Great Crested Grebe battling the waves today. Two Goldfinches in the top bushes were new for the year, and the Coal Tit was still present and singing.
13 January : A white frost on the top and slopes was unusual, especially with the wind, although this had dropped overnight. Still plenty of waves to dodge, not altogether successfully, along the south shore, and the seaweed showed that waves had been up to 5m up the grass slope. Two Great Northern Divers were the first of the year, flying north over the harbour, and two Ravens, also going north, were the first since October.
12 January : The continuing easterly winds have whipped up an impressive swell ,which has been battering the sea wall on the south shore. Several new holes have appeared, and walking along the wall is a question of dodging the waves and watching your step. None of this is really conducive to birding, and apart from the continuing presence of the Long-tailed Tit flock, all is quiet.
7 January : A Green Woodpecker was a surprise on a sunny late afternoon.
6 January : Lots of Greenfinch activity on a fine, calm morning - 60 is twice last January's peak. A Grey Wagtail was a good January record - not seen in early 2000 at all - and a male Blackcap was also useful for January.
1 January: A sunny, mild morning in contrast to the last days of 2000, and a good start to the year list with 31 species, including, typically, a couple not seen in December - a Little Grebe in the harbour, the first of the winter, and the surprising reappearance of Coal Tit, not seen since October. A Chiffchaff was also present, but no sign of any Black Redstart to keep the New Year listers happy.
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