The original plan was to visit Portland Saturday but the weather forecast indicated fog over the island which lingered at the top of the island until mid-day so I spent the day on the farm instead. I added Willow Warbler and Whitethroat to the list.
As events turned out visiting Portland today turned into a masterstroke. I started in the harbour and Ferrybridge with a couple of Whimbrel, Ringed Plover Turnstone and a few Sandwich Tern and Shelduck. Little did I know that the couple of Wheatear I saw were just the tip of the ice-burg.
I moved on up to the Verne and Fancy’s Farm which was littered with Wheatear! News broke of a Western Subalpine Warbler that was found by a visiting group from Gwent at the top of the strips and top fields. There was no time to waste I scuttled back to the car and headed for Sweethill Farm! I met Viv on the way and the next couple of hours drew a blank before the bird showed briefly! Numbers at the twitch were dwindling and as the afternoon wore on the bird showed well on several occasions which was a relief!
A male Redstart was a pleasant addition for further down the fields along with a steady movement of Wheatear through the area!
There was also a couple of Whinchat of which I saw a stunning male. I revisited the Subalpine Warbler a couple of times guiding people to the right area. Late afternoon I walked the fields moving down to The Hump and Reap Lane where I teamed up with Dave Bishop. A few more Wheatear were added to the tally but not much else!
