gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

I finally made it to Portland on the 19th. The wind was in the west again. There were very few grounded migrants although there were a lot of Manx Shearwaters offshore. Several hours of watching from the Observatory resulted in a group of five Great Skuas and a few Sandwich Terns.

I later visited Lodmoor where I saw my first Whimbrel of the year. At least ten Reed warblers were singing but I heard no Sedge Warblers, usually Sedge Warblers arrive well before Reeds. Again there were no hirundines about and I have yet to see a Whitethroat.

From Lodmoor Hardy's Monument was showing well against the leaden sky.

Beachdown Way, the central track on Lodmoor.

All of these birds will make it to Britain when the weather improves, but a late arrival reduces the chance of two broods and so will affect the numbers seen and ringed on autumn migration. As well as good numbers of common species in the first 19 days of April 2011 I had seen in Dorset or the New Forest: Red-flanked Bluetail 2/4/11, Short-toed Lark 7/4/11, Whiskered Tern 10/4/11, Woodchat Shrike 10/4/11, Black Stork 16/4/11, Ortolan Bunting 17/4/11 and Night Heron a year ago today.

I saw this species in the New Forest on 19th April last year but all of us except Shaun missed it when it re-appeared over Lytchett Bay shortly afterwards.
Black Stork photographed in Armenia in 2010.