Return to Portland (brief write up and pics).

Taking advantage of the good weather, considerate flexibility from my employer and 'room at the Inn', I spent the last two days at the Portland Bird Observatory.  My second stay in four weeks!
Migration is well underway, I've picked up plenty of summer migrants locally, but the call from Portland and a few days staring out to sea was too great.

Arriving at 6:30 p.m. on the Tuesday, the first yeartick came in the form of Manx Shearwater. Too far out to sea to photograph, but a tick I missed on the last visit.

Day 1 proper

started at 5:50 a.m. and an earlier than normal alarm call. Up in time for the first of two cracking sunrises. The mist nets were put up and we supped tea, waiting for the birds to arrive..

First up, was a Grasshopper Warbler!  A Gropper before 7 am! I've heard a couple before, but the chance to snap a gropper in the hand more or less made the short stay complete already!

A Tree Pipit in the Obs garden was also pointed out to me. Another year tick.

The rest of the day was spent either walking the cliffs and top fields, or sat at the Obs, seeing what was caught in the nets. My Garmin told me Tuesday was a 20,000 steps day. 10 miles in old money.

 All three lighthouses in one shot. 

Five wheatear in a tree.

Lighthouses from the Top Field

Whinchat 

Lesser Whitethroat, a nice addition to the yearlist.

Purple Sandpiper down by Pulpit Rock (1 of 3). 

Willow Warbler trapped at the Obs.

Stonking... Male Redstart.

'Wall' Butterfly

Wheatear

One Eyed Willy trying to escape the Navy

Day Two.

Another stonking sunrise, time spent on the patio, supping tea, then a walk around the Top Field and cliffs again.

Meadow Pipit.

Dunnock

Raven, behaving on a post.

Raven, not behaving, stealing eggs from the cliffs.

Fulmar

Guillemots

Wheatear, still arriving

And then sadly, it was time to leave the 'rock'.

Seven year ticks - Manx Shearwater, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Garden Warbler, Whinchat and Lesser Whitethroat.

I called in at Blashford Lakes on the way home and picked up Common Tern, Black Tern and Mediterranean Gull.  The yearlist is now on 167.

Lapwing chick, seems very early?

Med Gulls (full black heads)

Common Sandpiper

Still a few wigeon at Blashford.

A very distant Black Tern, 

It did fly around, but always way off.

And now, back to reality. 😞

Portland.. too much to type about!

Basically...
Where I start?

I spent the weekend in a old Lighthouse! And in another bit of surrealism, I was the 'non drinker' on a Stag Weekend! (long story).

One of my bestest buddies, Joe, a 'beyond keen' birder, invited me to Portland Bird Observatory for the weekend, to help celebrate his forthcoming marriage, perfectly picked at the start of the Spring migration.


Friday. 
Arriving at Joe's on Friday lunchtime we had a quick look at RSPB Lodmoor and picked up a year tick straight away.. Willow Warbler, and were also treated to great views of one of the resident Marsh Harrier.

By 2.p.m we were on Portland and putting our stuff in our rooms. To my immense pleasure I was offered the top bedroom, just below the 'light' room.  Awesome... until it came to the stairs and remembering you'd left something in your room!

The views were, as you'd expect - brilliant!

                   

Keen to get going, it wasn't long before we were walking around the Point and surrounding fields.
I haven't visited rocky cliff type areas this year, so I was quickly picking up year ticks.
Razorbill, Gannet, Guillemot, Shag - and back nearer the Obs we spent a while watching the two resident Little Owl in the Quarry.  A couple of Swallow completed a good first day as we all sat on the Patio, getting to know each other and swapping stories. It was looking like a great weekend ahead!

Saturday.  6:30 a.m. alarm..

The sunrise was awesome!  Spent the morning between the patio, sea watching and down on the point by the Trinity House obelisk next to the new Lighthouse.  Always stood near to experts who knew what they were looking at, naturally.

The sea was quiet - for the regulars, but I picked up Red Throated Diver, Black Throated Diver, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Whimbrel and Linnet. Most were quite a way out, making taking pictures harder, but I had a go.

Gannet

Black Throated Diver 

Red Throated Diver (honest). 

 Wheatear

Kestrel near to the new Lighthouse

Razorbill

Fulmar

Shag

Razorbill

Spent the afternoon walking around the Hut Fields next to the Obs, watching newly arrived Wheatear and Swallow, Meadow Pipit and Raven and a few surfers out to sea.

Raven

Wheatear

Meadow Pipit

Wheatear

I was trying to get a better view of what I thought could have been a Whinchat, when this flew in and landed next to me...

Sparrowhawk.

Amazing!  Oh, and it was a Stonechat (not a Whin) and disappeared for a long time, hiding.

The evening was spent, fine dining in a local village pub. Bellies aching from all the laughing.


Sunday..
6:25 a.m. alarm call after not getting to bed til Midnight.. Late for me.
I wake up and - a). wonder what that noise was, b). where was it . c) where was I??

Alarm found and it's down to the Patio for a cuppa and to watch the sunrise.  Another epic!
The phone pic doesn't do the massive red glowing sun justice.

The wind had shifted to the North and big things were expected. They didn't really materailise, or not by the time I'd left to go home.
The nets at the Obs were still getting Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap, and then this... A stonking male Redstart.

After snapping the Redstart, someone mentioned that 2 Peregrine were dining on a Woodpigeon for breakfast, a couple of fields over...  Brilliant!

An epic end to an epic weekend..  Thank you Portland, and all that made the weekend so great.
I hope we all meet again soon!