Starlings at Portland Bill

07 Wednesday Oct 2026

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birding, birding on Portland, birding on the Isle of Portland, birdwatching, British birds, flock of Starlings, starling

Even above the loud chattering of tourists and the crashing of the mighty ocean waves, you can hear the Starlings that make their home at Portland Bill**, though it did take me a few moments to realise where their musical chirps and squeaks were coming from. (My first photo is taken from the rock in the former quarry at the Bill where I was sitting while eating my lunch. The lighthouse looks short from this angle but is actually 41 metres / 134.5 feet tall.)

Look more closely at the lighthouse and you can see Starlings clinging to every available object jutting out from the building – the railings that criss-cross the light are popular, and perched along the outer ledge just beneath the level of the light. And these are just a small number of the substantial local population. Others sit on the roof of a local café, waiting to snatch any crumbs left by the customers. Still more fly in small flocks, swooping on to the grass to feed, swirling skyward in a mini murmuration at the slightest disturbance.

As I walked from the Bill towards the Obs, I passed a noisy flock of Starlings inhabiting a large area of bramble scrub near the local houses, and that’s where I took the photo below. These birds are very used to the locals passing close by and weren’t at all bothered by my presence, as I stood enjoying their jazz-time melodies and admiring the metallic hues and arrow-like markings of their plumage. They really are stunning birds.

** If you want to see the area I’m talking about, the Visit Dorset website has a great drone image, taken from slightly out to sea from the iconic red-and-white lighthouse, looking back at the island. Portland Bird Observatory – the Obs – is located in the small, former lighthouse you can see at the back of the photo, on the right side.

Distant seabirds

30 Monday Mar 2026

Posted by sconzani in birds

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Alca torda, birding, birding on Portland, birdwatching, British birds, Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, Gannet, Guillemot, Morus bassanus, Razorbill, Uria aalge

During my recent week in Weymouth, I spent two wonderful days wandering the many footpaths on the Isle of Portland, some of the time walking the coastal path along the top of the dramatic, vertigo-inducingly high west cliffs.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to get too close to the edge of those cliffs to enjoy the soaring flights of two of the magnificent seabirds that live along this coast, the Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and the Gannet (Morus bassanus), though they were still a little distant for my camera to get good photographs. At one point, the Gannets were diving for fish, plunging vertically into the sea, always an amazing sight to watch.

There were also smaller seabirds, floating on the water far below, flying rapidly out and back to and from where the other birds were working the shoals, then landing out of sight on the rocky shore far below. These were Guillemots (Uria aalge) and Razorbills (Alca torda), two species that can be difficult to tell apart, especially when viewed from a distance, but one key feature is the size and shape of their bills: the Guillemot’s bill is fine, sharp and pointed, whereas that of the Razorbill is thicker, more chunky. These are all species I don’t see where I live so it was a real treat to be able to watch them on Portland.

Birding on Portland

01 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

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birding, birding on Portland, birdwatching, British birds, Chesil Beach, Fieldfare, Kestrel, Portland Bill, Portland Bird Observatory, Rock pipit, Stonechat

From Lodmoor we continued on towards Portland, stopping for a scan through the few birds on the water and shore at Ferry Bridge (but there wasn’t a lot of be seen) and for a wander through the quarries looking for the reported Ring ouzels at The Verne (turns out we were in the wrong place but the Stonechats were nice to see). Friday ended with us all settled in our rooms at the Obs (Portland Bird Observatory) and off for a meal at The Pulpit Inn.

181101 birding Portland (1)

181101 birding Portland (2)

Saturday was our day for birding around Portland but the weather really was against us on this year’s trip. The strong freezing northerlies and clear skies meant most migrating birds were being driven on above our heads, rather than being caught in the nets at the Obs or stopping over somewhere on the island to refuel.

181101 birding Portland (3) 181101 birding Portland (4)

With nothing much happening on the sea or in the Obs garden, we had a wander down to the Bill and along the shore. Rock pipits, pied wagtails and a confiding Kestrel were about all we found there – no Purple sandpipers to be seen.

181101 birding Portland (5) 181101 birding Portland (6)

From the Obs, we drove to Pennsylvannia and walked down the track to Church Ope Cove, checking all the while for the Yellow-browed warblers that had been seen there – no luck, unfortunately, but it was a lovely walk, with stunning views, and we did see some Stonechats.

181101 birding Portland (7)

Another walk took us between the various quarries and past the remains of windmills to The Hump, where Yellow-browed warblers had also been reported. Once again we lucked out … but saw more Stonechats!

181101 birding Portland (8)

Having walked back to the cars, we drove on to The Verne, to look once again (in the right place this time) for the Ring ouzels, but they remained elusive. It was another good walk though, with more cracking views, out over the sea and along the coast over Chesil Beach.

181101 birding Portland (9)

After a second look at Ferry Bridge (our first Knot of the trip spotted through the ’scopes), it was back to the Obs for the night and another meal, amidst much banter and laughter, at The Pulpit, though not before we indulged in a spot of Short-eared owl watching in the fields across the road from the Obs itself. Three birds seen flying – superb!