The plan for today was to gather some birding essentials in
preparation for the forthcoming lockdown campaign. There are many different
views about birding during such a period but for me it is just as important to
maintain a healthy state of mind during these difficult times. This outdoor pastime
helped me through difficult times during my career and certainly put me back on
track during lockdown one!
I spent the day exploring Portland to establish some of the
key areas of this critical staging post for migrants. I started out at the Bird
Observatory purchasing my membership and having a chat with Martin about the
area. The morning was crisp but the sun soon took the edge off the nip in the
air! I made my way around the observatory gardens and made my way to the
coastal path checking the rocks which had a good supply of bugs to keep the
Rock Pipit busy.
The sea was calm with little moving
around the bill so I headed back to the observatory to spend some time watching
the garden before moving on for the afternoons session in the area of the Grove.
The day did not produce anything spectacular but the mind was whirring at the
amazing habitat that covered the East side of Portland.
I spied a Clouded Yellow in the mown field opposite the car park. I manage to sneak up on it as it was gorging itself.
I spent the afternoon in the vicinity of the Y.O.I checking the scrub and bushes for any late migrants. I made my way along the East Cliffs down to Church Ope Cove where a Black Redstart had been seen over the last few days. No luck on that front but plenty of regular passerines including a Blackcap.
The day finished with a Raven at the small
Quarry at East Weares and Grove Cliffs which I heard before I realized it was
sat on the edge of the quarry and not flying overhead!
The days are much shorter now and in what seemed like a breath I was taking the short journey back to my new abode!
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