Portland Dash

After over two weeks of suffering with the lurgy, two wasted weekends of doing nothing but feeling sorry for myself, I nipped down to Portland today. No excuses, which is easily done, alarm set for Six O'clock (a.m.!!) I was down at RSPB Lodmoor by 7:45 a.m.

My 200 Bird Year challenge has stalled a bit recently, mostly because there aren't many more options for me. Hampshire is fairly quite so the decision was to go to Portland where anything can drop in, and when it does, it is usually found, due to the large numbers of people who are out looking for any rarities.

Lodmoor had a Lesser Yellowlegs and several Little Stint listed recently. Both needed for the 'list'.
Within an hour I'd located them, probably a good job it took that long, as it was still pretty murky at that time of the day, so even by my poor standards, the pics aint great.  Numbers 194 and 195 on the 200 list.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Little Stint (in foreground)

After a successful Lodmoor visit I headed on to Portland. Met Joe at the Obs and went for a wander.
At Culverwell (a patch of scrub just up from the Obs) we were told that someone had heard but not seen a Radde's Warbler. Cue lots of staring at brambles for the next 20 - 30 minutes. A Bramling in the treetops, but no Radde's so we headed back down the hill.  A quick look in the quarry and some pics of the Little Owl and a Kestrel on a telegraph post.

Bramling

Today was an unbelievable day. It was basically raining Firecrest! Every bush had them in, Joe counted 25 in the bushes by the Pulpit Pub. The Obs garden easily had seven in it every time you looked. A bird you would only see one of, briefly at best, if you were lucky. They were everywhere!

Firecrest 

Then it got a bit quiet at the Obs.  Busy quiet, people scuttling back and forth, phone calls being made. A Radde's Warbler had been trapped in the nets and was being 'ringed' in the shed. Quite possibly the bird that was at Culverwell just before.  Number 196!

It proved to be a popular bird!  Pic courtesy of Joe Stockwell.

A couple of Hawfinch circled the Obs occasionally, but didn't obligingly land, unlike the other day when one was ringed.

After Portland I nipped in to RSPB Radipole in the hope of seeing the resident Hooded Merganser. No luck on this occasion but a male Bearded Tit lurked close by the Visitor Centre, and almost twenty Grey Heron on the far side of the lake.

FOUR TO GO FOR THE 200 YEARLIST.