Monday 11th July - Friday 15th July 2022 - Weymouth & Portland

 

Just back from a few days away in David’s caravan in Weymouth, here we had many walks around the area. We arrived on Monday and after having lunch we had a walk around the site which overlooks the fleet we then walked along the Rodwell Trail to Sandsfoot Gardens hoping for a cup of tea but unfortunately the tea shop was closed. On the walk we did see a few birds Cormorant, Buzzard and a Kestrel all noted, but probably the best was a Whitethroat feeding on the ground. Ferrybridge proved very good for Little Tern that nest there, and must have been a good year as there were lots about. Common Tern were also abundant and they were very noisy, you would be hard pressed to miss them.

Common Tern-Bath Birdwatcher

Mediterranean Gull were also about in large numbers in excess of 100 I would guess. 

Mediterranean Gulls-Bath Birdwatcher

Waders were in very short supply with just Oystercatcher seen on an evening walk. Butterfly numbers were good with Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Comma, and Speckled Wood all seen.

Day 2 we headed to Portland first stop the Bill here we did a short sea watch but in the 30 minutes we only saw Kittiwake, Gannet and Guillemot, with pickings so slim we headed to the Obs here we talked to Martin and looked at the moths that had been caught the previous night so many to remember them all but a Drinker was a moth I have never had. Martin said bird numbers were poor so we decided to move on but we did add Raven and Stock Dove to our sightings list. Next was Church Ope Cove where it was butterflies we were after with most of the previous list seen but Chalkhill Blue added and they seemed to be doing wall as there were lots about.

Chalkhill Blue-Bath Birdwatcher

 Returning to HQ for lunch we sat on the balcony where we saw a flyover Peregrine. The evening walk added another wader Ringed Plover.

Day 3 was more about the girls as we went to the sub-tropical gardens at Abbotsbury the highlight for me was a Rush Veneer moth. The gardens were great and well worth a visit if your ever in the area.

Day 4 we visited Lodmoor where one of the first birds we saw was 2 Marsh Harriers. We started at the far end of the reserve and started in a clockwise direction to walk right around and the first thing we noted was how low the water levels were, all week we had been aware that all the grass was turning straw color, it appears that Weymouth had been dry for ages. All the expected species were seen, a Chiffchaff being new for the week and another wader a Green Sandpiper followed quickly by Black Tailed Godwit were the last new waders of the morning. Common Tern numbers were high with birds on all of the breeding islands as well as the surrounding dry land. Grey Heron, Little and Great White Egrets were plentiful but just a single Shelduck was surprising, a lovely pair of Bullfinch was nice to see. After lunch we went back to Portland looking for more butterflies we decided on a quarry to he east of The Heights Hotel and what a choice with the following seen, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Chalkhill Blue, Essex Skipper, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady and Ringlet. But the highlight of the day was my first Silver Studded Blue and Grayling.

Silver Studded Blue-Bath Birdwatcher

Also seen were many 6 Spot Burnet and a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth. 9 Butterfly species which could have been more but we saw lots of skippers and a few blues that refused to stop to be identified. That evening we did our daily walk to Ferrybridge where a Dunlin was a new wader for the week and also our last new sighting of the week.


Swallow-Bath Birdwatcher

A great week with 60 bird species seen and 12 species of Butterfly. Also good company and great accommodation.


Portland Harbour and the Fleet-Bath Birdwatcher


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