Bank Holiday Birding - August 2009

Just back from a really enjoyable long weekend at Portland Bird Observatory with Phil Harris and Alan Bull. The weather conditions were not perfect and it was very quiet bird and moth wise over the weekend but what a great place to spend the bank holiday! The arrival of a Melodious Warbler early on Monday morning however, really made the weekend! Melodious Warbler was exactly what we had been hoping for at Portland & was a welcome ringing tick for Alan after a 15 year wait! Other highlights over the weekend were a smart Striped Hawkmoth at the Obs, an Elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar at Radipole (& a dodgy looking Hooded Merganser still present), Hobby, Peregrine, numerous Belearic Sheatwaters & the odd Sooty & Manx. Yesterday lunchtime we left Portland & twitched our way through the traffic back to Suffolk, stopping off at the Blue-winged Teal in Hampshire & the Black Tern, American Black Tern & White-winged Black Tern in Oxfordshire. Quite a weekend!