Overview
Almost an island, Portland is linked to mainland Dorset by the long strip of shingle known as Chesil Beach. The large limestone massif of Portland reaches almost 10km out into the Channel and the entire area is excellent for migrants. The northern half of the island has cliffs and there are occasional disused quarries scattered here and there.
The most important areas for birders are Chesil Beach and the Fleet, Verne Common, overlooking Portland Harbour in the north and the southern, flatter part of the island and especially the tip, Portland Bill.
The south of the island is mainly open farmland with small patches of cover. Portland Bird Observatory is located in an old lighthouse near the point. As well as the migration of passerines and other landbirds, Portland is ideally situated for seawatching and together with the shore and freshwaters of the Fleet the range of habitats makes the Portland area one of the most outstanding birding sites on the English south coast.
Birds
Notable Species
Isle of Portland
Breeding and wintering birds are scarce on Portland but during passage periods the island can attract large numbers of a wide variety of migrants including all the commoner chats and thrushes, flycatchers, warblers, finches and others as well as a host of scarcer species.
Turtle Dove is a regular migrant and passage raptors occur in small numbers including Merlin and Northern Hobby with regular sightings of Osprey, kites, harriers and Western Honey Buzzard. Other scarce migrants regularly seen at Portland include species such as Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike, European Serin and Ortolan Bunting. Almost as regular are Wryneck, Bluethroat, Richard's Pipit and Tawny Pipit and Melodious Warbler and Icterine Warbler.
Passage begins as early as mid March and continues until early June with a peak in numbers and variety of birds in late April and early May.
Offshore movements can be seen from mid March with divers, Gannet, auks and others, joined in April and early May by shearwaters, waders, gulls, terns and skuas with Pomarine Skua seen in good numbers. Sabine's Gull is sometimes seen and Little Gull and Black Tern often accompany the commoner species.
Portland Harbour is a winter haunt of all three regular British divers, the scarcer grebes and various seaduck with particularly good numbers of Red-breasted Merganser.
The northern part of the harbour is best viewed from Sandsfoot Castle in Weymouth and the west from Ferry Bridge.
Autumn passage can be seen as early as July and involves most of the commoner migrant passerines although usually in larger numbers than occur in spring. The scarcer species regularly recorded at Portland in autumn include those seen in spring with more frequent Icterine Warbler and Melodious Warbler, Tawny Pipit and Ortolan Bunting. Pied Flycatcher, Black Redstart and Common Firecrest also appear at this season. Red-breasted Flycatcher is often recorded in late September or early October at the same time as Yellow-browed Warbler, and later in October and early November usually brings Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Richard's Pipit and small numbers of Lapland Bunting. Large flocks of finches pass through at this time often including Tree Sparrow, Lesser Redpoll or Siskin, sometimes also European Serin.
Over the sea the number and variety of birds is generally lower than in spring but a good range of seabirds, waders and waterfowl can be seen including Pomarine Skua and Sooty Shearwater and Balearic Shearwater. Rarer species recorded at Portland include Cory's Shearwater, Long-tailed Skua and Little Auk.
Breeding birds of Portland are few but Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, Kittiwake and Common Guillemot nest on the West Cliffs along with small numbers of Razorbill and Atlantic Puffin. Peregrine Falcon is a regular feature of these cliffs in summer. Shag is generally present but probably does not breed, Rock Pipit nests on various cliffs and Little Owl in some of the quarries.
In winter there is a regular flock of Purple Sandpiper at Portland Bill and some years see wintering Black Redstart, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Common Firecrest.
Rarities
Like other bird observatories, in addition to regular records of scarcer migrants, Portland has had its share of genuine rarities since its beginnings in the 1950s. Southern species such as Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-eared Wheatear and Subalpine Warbler have all been recorded, mainly in spring.
Autumn vagrants tend to originate further east and have included Calandra Lark, Pechora Pipit and Olive-backed Pipit, Greenish Warbler and Dusky Warbler, and Pine Bunting and Yellow-breasted Bunting.
Even vagrants from North America such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, Parula Warbler and Savannah Sparrow have occurred at Portland showing the rarity potential of the site. In February 2002 a moribund juvenile Allen's Gallinule was found at Portland Bill, only the second British record.
Chesil Beach and The Fleet
The area of water behind the long shingle ridge of Chesil Beach is known as the Fleet and this brackish lagoon attracts waterfowl and waders.
Eurasian Coot and Eurasian Wigeon occur in thousands in winter, Dark-bellied Brent Goose can reach 1,000 and there is the world-famous Abbotsbury Swannery at the western end of the Fleet. Other waterfowl regular here in good numbers include Common Shelduck, Gadwall, Common Teal, Northern Pintail, Common Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser and the majority occur at the western end. Greater Scaup are regular in smaller numbers as well as Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe with Smew and Goosander in hard winters. Such weather also brings occasional groups of Whooper Swan and Bewick's Swan and Greater White-fronted Goose.
The most numerous wintering waders are generally Dunlin and Grey Plover and Ringed Plover with smaller numbers of a range of other species and occasional visits from such rarities as Black-winged Stilt, Long-billed Dowitcher and Grey Phalarope. This is one of the best sites in England for Kentish Plover which is annually recorded in spring usually at Ferrybridge at the eastern end of the Fleet. Great Bittern is a rare but regular hard-weather visitor to the Abbotsbury reedbeds where Bearded Tit also occurs and recently also Western Cattle Egret.
Gulls gather in numbers on the Fleet and in addition to the regular species Mediterranean Gull and Kittiwake are often present, Little occurs on passage and rarer gulls recorded here have included Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull, Ivory Gull, Laughing Gull and Ring-billed Gull. Terns include Common Tern and Little Tern, which both breed, and Sandwich Tern which is a passage visitor sometimes joined by Roseate Tern and Black Tern. Little Egret has become a familiar sight here and Eurasian Spoonbill is an almost regular visitor.
Cetti's Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler nest in the Fleet's reedbeds and the surrounding farmland holds both partridges and Corn Bunting.
This area is reached from the A354 road between Weymouth and Portland and minor roads off the B3157 and Weymouth and Abbotsbury.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, European Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Great Bittern, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Bewick's Swan, Whooper Swan, Greater White-fronted Goose, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Western Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Northern Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Common Quail, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Great Skua, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Common Swift, Hoopoe, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Wryneck, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Richard's Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Nightingale, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Cetti's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Barred Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, (rare W), Goldcrest, Common Firecrest, (rare W), Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Bearded Tit, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Common Magpie, Carrion Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, European Serin, Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Lapland Bunting, Yellowhammer, Ortolan Bunting, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Other Wildlife
Insects of interest to be seen on Portland include the local Grey Bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctatus on the undercliff and Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima in scrub in the quarries.
Plants include a rich and varied limestone flora on the higher parts of the island with Sea Lavender Limonium vulgare and Golden Samphire Inula crithmoides.
Site Information
Areas of Interest
A visit to the observatory is essential for the keen birder but ask permission before entering the grounds. The observatory is open March to November and can provide accommodation, details of which can be obtained from The Warden, Portland Bird Observatory, Old Lower Light, Portland Bill, Dorset, DT5 2JT.
Access and Facilities
To reach the Isle of Portland take the A354 south from Weymouth and cross the causeway at Ferrybridge. Verne Common can be reached from the A354 in Fortuneswell by following signs to Portland Prison and the Naval Cemetery. Go through the housing estate, over the disused railway and a track leads to the entrance gate. Portland Bill is well-signposted throughout the island and most of the area is of open access.
Contact Details
Portland Bird Observatory: 01305 820553
External Links
- Portland Bird Observatory
- Isle of Portland & Verne Common on Streetmap
- Chesil Beach & the Fleet on Streetmap
Content originally posted by Steve
