Dorset Walks

Walks on Portland - wildlife highlights for 2020

Friday March 20th
Portland Bill

Our new strategy of naming two target birds paid off today when we failed ti find any Puffins but did see several Wheatears. The sea was quite productive as well with plenty of Gannets, some flying very close in.

The highlight was when the Wheatear we were looking at was joined by a male Black Redstart.

The day's list:
Birds: Kestrel, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pipit, Guillemot/Razorbill, Fulmar, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Chiffchaff, Wheatear, Black Redstart
Plants: Rock Samphire, Scurvy Grass

Scurvy Grass

Friday March 13th
Ferrybridge

Another unsuccessful search for the first Wheatear (this happens every year) took us to a spot we don't visit very often and turned up a very respectable list of sightings.

The first birds seen were a group of Dark-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the very highest bit of grass on Chesil Beach. All around them were lots of Skylarks with a pair of Linnets constantly overhead. Probably the best sighting was when the resudent male Kestrel caught a vole at the edge of the car park and then brought it over to us so we coukd eatch him eat it!

Whenever we looked out across the Fleet new birds were seen, first a flock of Oystercatchers, then a group of Mergansers and finally a very unexpected Great Northern Diver.

The day's list:
Birds: Kestrel, Raven, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Skylark, Great Northern Diver, Red-breasted Merganser, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Linnet
Plants: Thrift, Scurvy Grass
Non-living items: Cuttlefish bone, Thornback Ray egg-case, Carrion Crow skull, Fox droppings

Great Northern Diver (from last year)

Friday March 6th
Westcliffs - Reap Lane - Barleycrates Lane

A beautifully calm and sunny day drew us out to the Westcliffs to look for the first Wheatear of spring. We didn't see one of course but we did see lots of Skylarks and two or three Peregrines as well as similar numbers of Buzzards and Kestrels.

The Brown-tail moth has been quite-rightly blitzed this winter with most of the over-wintering caterpillar tents being destroyed. We did find a few today though that had evaded the blow-torches.

The day's list:
Kestrel, Raven, Great Black-backed Gull, Fulmar, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Pheasant, Stock Dove, Skylark, Buzzard, Pied Wagtail, Peregrine, Brown-tail Moth, Wild Carrot, Duke of Argyll's Tea Plant

Brown-tail Moth

Friday February 28th
Heights Hotel

For the first time in 15 years we stayed indoors today and looked at videos of seabirds instead of braving the very wet conditions outside. The photo on the right is one of the species we admired before making the long trek across the corridor to the bistro where our teas and coffees were served.

Adult Shag

Friday February 21st
Cheyne House

Back to normal this week as a fairly easy target, Wall Lizard, failed to show up at all. Of course we still saw plenty of other stuff including a most unexpected Great Northern Diver flying high over the coast path.

The cliffs at Cheyne produced the usual Peregrine, which today gave us a dramatic display of aerobatics when it chased off a Raven that came too close. To be fair this was a bit tough on the Raven as it was only seeing off a Great Black-backed Gull which had approached its nest. The Ravens' nest was as impressive as always and today held an incubating female.

One more rather sad surprise was waiting for us as we got back to the car park whete there was a recently killed Badger hidden in the grass on the verge.

The day's list:
Birds: Kestrel, Great Black-backed Gull, Shag, Stonechat, Rock Pipit, Great Northern Diver, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Peregrine
Mammals: Badger
Plants (in flower): Blackthorn, Alexanders, Winter Heliotrope, Wallflower, Red Valerian, Horseshoe Vetch (not flowering yet)

Peregrine

Friday February 14th
Church Ope Cove - Pennsylania Castle

After taking a couple of weeks off I set the group a tough target for our walk. Wall Lizards and Firecrests were both distinctly possible so we set out to find both.

Walking down the steps towards the cove we saw very little at all but that all changed when we reached the ruins of St Andrew's Church. The first target species, Wall Lizard, soon revealed itself when a little nose poked out of a hole on the wall. Sadly we never saw any more of it.

While we were waiting for the lizard to come out again a large female Bloody-nosed Beetle was spotted nearby, along with a couple of Sloe Bugs. But the best sighting of all was made on the way back up the slope through the trees when two Firecrests gave us excellent views.

The day's list:
Birds: Kestrel, Fulmar, Common Gull, Shag, Firecrest, Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon), Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit
Insects: Sloe Bug, Bloody-nosed Beetle Reptiles: Wall Lizard
Fungi: Jelly Ear, Turkeytail Bracket Plants: Alexanders, Russian Comfrey, Japanese Spindle, Spring Snowflake, Ash, Horse Chestnut, Sycamore, English Elm, Spotted Laurel

Firecrest - photographed on the Rodwell Trail in December

Friday January 24th
Portland Bill - Westcliffs

The target bird, Purple Sandpiper, was found quickly today when a flock of ten of these tough little waders landed right in front of us not long after we reached the obelisk. Further out a huge flock of Gannets and gulls were feeding in the Race.

Carrying on to the Westcliffs we had good views of Razorbills and Fulmars as well as a very smart Cormorant in breeding plumage.

After quickly checking the Observatory Quarry for owls we walked back past a very noisy group of House Sparrows next to the Coastguards Cottages.

The day's list:
Birds: Kestrel, Buzzard, Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Purple Sandpiper, Turnstone, Skylark, Rock Pipit, Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Stonechat
Fungi: Field Blewit Plants: Alexanders

Friday January 17th
Kingbarrow Quarry

A cold north-westerly was blowing today so we decided to avoid it by going underground - or at least a bit lower than the hotel anyway. As soon as we walked down the path from New Ground into the quarry it felt warmer. In fact with the sun on our faces it was really rather pleasant. Nearby was a very smart male Greenfinch sat in a bramble bush obviously thinking just the same thing!

No Little Owls were seen though in spite of a great deal of searching but after all the recent rain at least the lichens were very obvious. I've added a tentative list of the ones we saw below.

The day's list:
Birds: Long-tailed Tit, Greenfinch
Lichens: Aspicilia calcarea, Caloplaca aurantia, Caloplaca flavescens, Diploicia canescens, Verrucaria nigrescens, Xanthoria parietina

Friday January 10th
Grove Engine Sheds

Sweet Violet is one of Portland's earliest flowering plants and today's target was to see if it still grew around the engine sheds at the Grove. On reaching the site we could see that the ground had been much dusturbed, perhaps by a rotavator or similar. Luckily there were still plenty of violets surviving near the old walls with a few already flowering.

We were less successful with the British Primitive Goats which could not befound at all around the old rifle range, their favoured home. The same with our search for an early Adder, although we knew that the chance of one coming out of hibernation was very slim indeed. Nearby was a large female ivy bee, although whether it was a late or early record was hard to decide.

We also spent a while reading the Skylark Durston poem that is inscribed in the wall here. You can see a documentary on the poet at https://youtu.be/-8a7Woe48hw.

The day's list:
ivy bee, great-spotted woodpecker, chaffinch, kestrel (3), sweet violet, spear thistle, ivy-leaved toadflax, Canadian fleabane, coral spot, velvet shank

Friday January 3rd
Southwell - Eastcliffs

Very few birds about today but as we walked along the Bill road we did get a very close view of a hovering Kestrel looking for food in the verges. Turning off at Culverwell we enjoyed the rare opportunity of comparing Rock Pipits and Meadow Pipits side by side, with a couple of Stonechats thrown in for good measure.

Reaching the coast path we had a quick look at the crane and the raised beach before walking on to the waterfall where the Culverwell stream pours over the cliff edge. Today it was trickling more than pouring, probably due to the amount of mud washed down in the recent rains.

The day's list:
gannet, guillemot/razorbill, rock pipit, meadow pipit, stonechat, goldfinch, kestrel

Full list of species seen since 2005 click on underlined species to see photos
Birds (154 species) Great Northern Diver Black-throated Diver Red-throated Diver Little Grebe Great-crested Grebe Black-necked Grebe Slavonian Grebe Storm Petrel Leach's Petrel Fulmar Manx Shearwater Balearic Shearwater Sooty Shearwater CORY'S SHEARWATER Gannet Shag Cormorant Glossy Ibis Grey Heron Little Egret Dark-bellied Brent Goose Pale-bellied Brent Goose Black Brant Red-breasted Goose Mute Swan Mallard Teal Shoveler Wigeon Pintail Common Scoter Velvet Scoter Goldeneye Eider Red-breasted Merganser Goosander Long-tailed Duck Red Kite Marsh Harrier Buzzard Merlin Kestrel Peregrine Separrowhawk Great Skua Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Yellow-legged Gull ICELAND GULL Herring Gull Mediterranean Gull Black-headed Gull Common Gull Little Gull Kittiwake Curlew Oystercatcher Woodcock Snipe Jacksnipe Bar-tailed Godwit LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER Redshank Lapwing Golden Plover Grey Plover Ringed Plover Ruff Purple Sandpiper Dunlin Curlew Sandpiper Sanderling Knot Turnstone Pheasant Wood Pigeon Feral Pigeon Stock Dove Collared Dove Turtle Dove BRÜNNICH'S GUILLEMOT BLACK GUILLEMOT Guillemot Razorbill Puffin Barn Owl Little Owl Short-eared Owl HOOPOE WRYNECK Skylark Kingfisher Swift PALLID SWIFT Swallow House Martin Sand Martin WOODCHAT SHRIKE RED-BACKED SHRIKE Meadow Pipit Tree Pipit Rock Pipit Pied Wagtail White Wagtail Grey Wagtail Yellow Wagtail Wren Dunnock Grasshopper Warbler (heard) Sedge Warbler Reed Warbler Garden Warbler Blackcap Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Chiffchaff Willow Warbler YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER Goldcrest Firecrest Spotted Flycatcher Long-tailed Tit Blue Tit Great Tit Stonechat Whinchat Robin Wheatear Redstart Black Redstart White-spotted Bluethroat Blackbird Ring Ouzel Fieldfare Redwing Song Thrush Starling ROSY STARLING Rook Jackdaw Carrion Crow Raven Magpie Jay House Sparrow Linnet Siskin Redpoll Goldfinch Chaffinch Bullfinch Greenfinch Crossbill Yellowhammer Snow Bunting Lapland Bunting Mammals (11 species) Badger (dead) British Primitive Goat Common Shrew Grey Squirrel Brown Rat Oryctolagus cuniculus Brown Hare Red Fox Roe Deer (prints) Grey Seal Bottle-nosed Dolphin Reptiles (4 species) Common Lizard Wall Lizard Slow-worm Adder Amphibians (3 species) Common Frog Common Toad Palmate Newt Fossils (6 species) Belemnite Lopha gregarea Nucleolites clunicularis (sea urchin) Aptyxiella portlandica (Portland Screw) Titanites giganteus (ammonite) Trigonia gibbosa (oss's head) Molluscs (terrestrial) (4 species) Banded Snail Black Slug Garden Snail Striped Snail Dragonflies and Damselflies (3 species) Common Darter Emperor Dragonfly Migrant Hawker	Crickets and Grasshoppers (7 species) Common Green Grasshopper Dark Bush-cricket Field Grasshopper Great Green Bush-cricket Meadow Grasshopper Roesel's Bush-cricket Speckled Bush-cricket Bugs (3 species) Dock Bug Horse-chestnut Scale Insect Green Shield-bug Butterflies (29 species) Adonis Blue Chalkhill Blue Clouded Yellow Comma Common Blue Dingy Skipper Gatekeeper Grayling Green-veined White Holly Blue Large White Large Skipper Lulworth Skipper Marbled White Meadow Brown Orange-tip Painted Lady Peacock Red Admiral Ringlet Silver-studded Blue Small Blue Small Copper Small Heath Small Skipper Small Tortoiseshell Small White Speckled Wood Wall Moths (42 species) Brown-tail Burnet Companion Chalk Carpet Cinnabar Clay Cream-spot Tiger Crescent Plume-moth Dark Arches Dark Fruit Tree Tortrix Diamondback Moth Forester Fox Moth Green Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella) Heart and Club Heart and Dart Hummingbird Hawkmoth Jersey Tiger Knot Grass L-album Wainscot Lackey Large Yellow Underwing Lesser Yellow Underwing Light Brocade Marbled Minor Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata Pyrausta despicata Mother Shipton Oak Eggar Poplar Hawk-moth Portland Riband Wave Privet Hawkmoth Scarlet Tiger Shaded Broad-bar Shuttle-shaped Dart Silver Y Six-spot Burnet Speckled Yellow Treble Lines Vine's Rustic White Ermine White-point Yarrow Plume Moth Yellow Shell Bees and Wasps (7 species) Buff-tailed Bumblebee Common Carder Bee Common Wasp Honey Bee Ivy Bee Red-tailed Bumblebee Nomad Bee Beetles (9 species) 11-spot Ladybird 7-spot Ladybird Bloody-nosed Beetle Ground Beetle Harlequin Ladybird Oil Beetle Rose Chafer Summer Chafer Swollen-thighed Beetle Flies (7 species) Drone-fly Greenbottle Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri Marmalade Hoverfly St Mark's Fly Arachnids (7 species) Crab Spider Garden Cross Spider Harvestman House Spider Nursery-web Spider Wasp Spider Wolf Spider Marine Life (55 species) Sea Bean Entada gigas Thornback Ray (egg-case) Blonde Ray (egg-case) Garfish Triggerfish Greater Spotted Dogfish Lesser Spotted Dogfish Goose Barnacle Spider Crab Edible Crab Shore Crab Portugese Man o' War Hydrozoan Whelk Netted Dogwhelk Slipper Limpet Common Limpet Common Mussel Common Oyster Blue-rayed Limpet Flat Winkle Rough Winkle Edible Winkle Sting Winkle Toothed Topshell Purple Topshell Painted Topshell Great Topshell Grey Topshell Thick Topshell Queen Scallop Common Cockle Spiny Cockle Pod Razor Shell Pullet Carpet Shell Banded Venus Keeled Tubeworm Spiral Tubeworm Cuttlefish Squid Beadlet Anemone Snakelocks Anemone Green Sea Urchin Seasquirt Dead Man's Fingers Pink Sea-fan Knotted Wrack Channelled Wrack Spiral Wrack Bladder Wrack Sea Lettuce Carragheen Laminaria saccharina Laminaria digitata Saccorhiza polyschides Fungi (11 species) Coral Spot Dog's Vomit Slime Mould Mucilago crustacea Dryad's Saddle Field Blewit Field Mushroom Honey Fungus Parasol Mushroom Scarlet Waxcap Shaggy Inkcap Silverleaf Fungus Velvet Shank Lichens (17 species) Aspicilia calcarea Caloplaca aurantia Caloplaca flavescens Caloplaca holocarpa Diploicia canescens Diplotomma alboatrum Evernia prunastri Flavoparmelia caperata Lecanora chlarotera Lecanora dispersa Lecanora muralis Nostoc (blue-green algae) Parmelia sulcata Physcia caesia Placynthium nigrum Verrucaria nigrescens Xanthoria parietina	Plants (250 species) Agrimony Alexanders Annual Beard Grass Annual Meadow Grass Annual Mercury Annual Wall Rocket Apple Ash Autumn Gentian Autumn Ladies Tresses Bastard Toadflax Bee Orchid Birdsfoot Trefoil Biting Stonecrop Black Knapweed Black Medick Black Mustard Black Spleenwort Blackthorn Bladder Campion Blue Fleabane (Brackish?) Water Crowfoot Bramble Bristly Ox-tongue Broad-leaved Dock Broad-leaved Eyebright Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea Buckshorn Plantain Buddleia Bulbous Buttercup Bulbous Meadow Grass Bulrush Burnet Rose Burnet Saxifrage Bush Vetch Calamint Canadian Fleabane Caper Spurge Carline Thistle Cats-tail Changing Forgetmenot Charlock Clematis Cocksfoot Coltsfoot Common Broomrape Common Catsear Common Centaury Common Elder Common Gromwell Common Ragwort Common Spotted Orchid Common Storksbill Common Toadflax Common Vetch Cotoneaster horizontalis Cotoneaster microphyllus Cotoneaster simonsii Cotoneaster sternianus Cow Parsley Cowslip Creeping Buttercup Creeping Cinquefoil Crested Dogstail Crow Garlic Cut-leaved Cranesbill Daisy Dandelion Dog Rose Dogwood Dropwort Dwarf Elder Early Gentian Early Purple Orchid Elm English Bluebell Fairy Flax False Brome False Oat-grass Fennel Fern Grass Field Penny-cress Field Scabious Field Speedwell Fluellen Fodder Burnet Germander Speedwell Golden-rod Golden Samphire Grass Vetchling Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil Greater Horsetail Greater Knapweed Greater Plantain Great Hairy Willowherb Great Mullein Grey Willow Hairy Bittercress Hairy Rockcress Hard Rush Harebell Hartstongue Fern Hawkweed Ox-tongue Hawthorn Hedge Bedstraw Hedge Bindweed Hemp Agrimony Herb Robert Hoary Plantain Hoary Ragwort Hoary Stock Hogweed Holly Holm Oak Honeysuckle Hop Trefoil Horse Chestnut Horseshoe Vetch Ivy Ivy Broomrape Ivy-leaved Toadflax Japanese Knotweed Kidney Vetch Knotted Bur-parsley Lady's Bedstraw Lady's Mantle Lesser Celandine Lesser Centaury Lesser Trefoil London Plane Maidenhair Fern Maidenhair Spleenwort Male Fern Marjoram Meadow Vetchling Melilot Milkwort Mouse-ear Hawkweed Musk Mallow Musk Thistle Olive Willow Oxford Ragwort Pale Flax Pear Pellitory-of-the-wall Pendulous Sedge Pennywort Perennial Sow-thistle Portland Rock Sea-lavender Portland Spurge Prickly Sow-thistle Primrose Purple Toadflax Pyramidal Orchid Quaking Grass Red Bartsia Red Campions Red Clover Red Fescue Red Valerian Reedmace Restharrow Ribwort Plantain Rock-rose Rock Samphire Rock Sea Lavender Rock Stonecrop Rough Hawkbit Rough Meadow Grass Round-leaved Cranesbill Rue-leaved Saxifrage Rye Grass Sainfoin Saw-wort Sea Beet Sea Campion Sea Holly Sea Kale Sea Lavender Sea Mayweed Sea Radish Sea Spleenwort Shining Cranesbill Slender Thistle Soft Brome Soft Cranesbill Soft Shield Fern Small Scabious Smooth Hawksbeard Smooth Sow-thistle Spanish Bluebell Spear Mint Spear Thistle Spindle Tree Spotted Medick Square-stemmed Willowherb Squinancywort Stemless Thistle Sticky Groundsel Stinging Nettle Stinking Iris Strawberry Clover Sycamore Sweet Violet Tall Fescue Teasel Three-cornered Leek Thrift Timothy Tor Grass Toothed Medick Upright Brome Upright Hedge Parsley Viper's Bugloss Wall Barley Wall Rocket Wall Rue Wall Speedwell Wallflower Wayfaring Tree Weld Welted Thistle Western Polypody Whitebeam White Clover White Stonecrop Widow Iris Wild Cabbage Wild Carrot Wild Clary 'Wild' Gladiolus Wild Leek Wild Madder Wild Mignonette Wild Parsley Wild Privet Wild Thyme Winter Heliotrope Wood Sage Wood Spurge Woody Nightshade Woolly Woundwort Wormwood Yarrow Yellow Horned-poppy Yellow Oat-grass Yellow Vetch Yellow Vetchling Yellow-wort Yorkshire Fog

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Dorset Walks

Walks on Portland - wildlife highlights for 2020

Friday March 20th Portland Bill

Friday March 13th Ferrybridge

Friday March 6th Westcliffs - Reap Lane - Barleycrates Lane

Friday February 28th Heights Hotel

Friday February 21st Cheyne House

Friday February 14th Church Ope Cove - Pennsylania Castle

Friday January 24th Portland Bill - Westcliffs

Friday January 17th Kingbarrow Quarry

Friday January 10th Grove Engine Sheds

Friday January 3rd Southwell - Eastcliffs

Full list of species seen since 2005