28th January

In fairer conditions a handful of cold weather refugees lingered on including the Greylag Goose at Reap Lane, a Jack Snipe at Southwell and a few Lapwings (17 scattered about Reap Lane/Barleycrates Lane and 9 west off the Bill). Five Purple Sandpipers and a Black Redstart were still at the Bill, 3 Red-throated Divers passed by on the sea there and 440 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Goosanders, 4 Pale-bellied Brents and 3 Eider were at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour.

The Greylag Goose lingered on at Reap Lane © Abi Jacobs (still) and Martin Cade (video):



Fulmars are well ensconced patrolling the cliffs © Abi Jacobs: 


Short-eared Owls haven't been putting on such a good show in recent evenings: Pete Saunders reports that there was just one about this evening and mentions that he hasn't seen them make a single kill in his last four visits to watch them © Pete Saunders:


One of the Ferrybridge Pale-bellied Brents continues to court a Dark-bellied Brent but by the looks of it had some competition today © Pete Saunders:


We haven't been bothering with the moth-traps in the recent cooler weather but an early Early Grey was a notable find on the Obs front door this morning - our first dates for this species aren't usually until well into March although there was a freakishly ahead of time record of one a couple of winters ago on 30th November 2014 © Martin Cade: