Portland Bill

Scoping Gannets (Cherry Barlow)

Had a really nice weekend based at the Portland Bill Bird Observatory. I gave a late night talk at the Obs itself to a tired audience that included a knitting ringer, a sleeping child, a Tawny Owl, a cat and a few humans!

On Sunday I traipsed down to the Bill in a blustery and sometimes wet westerly for a spot of seawatching. Managed a couple of Balearic Shearwaters, a female Common Scoter plus the usual Shags, Cormorants and large gulls. On the fields around us was a Northern Wheatear, stacks of White Wagtails, Starlings and masses of hirundines passing by.

Later that afternoon after Sunday lunch, I scoped three Grey Phalaropes floating inshore at Chesil Cove loosely associating with a couple of Black-headed Gulls.

Chisel Cove - Grey Phalaropes are out there - somewhere!

Portland Bill Bird Observatory in the afternoon

The Bill at 6am (Cherry Barlow)

TUB with Beebo the Tawny Owl (Cherry Barlow)