Tag Archives: Kittiwake

Weymouth trip birding roundup

28 Thursday May 2026

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The main reason for my trip to Weymouth and Portland from 7 to 14 May was to celebrate a BIG birthday and, for me, there’s no better way to celebrate than to spend time in Nature, watching the birds, butterflies and other creatures that make my heart sing. The fact that I was able to add eight new bird species to my 2026 list was a welcome bonus but certainly not a necessity – I get just as much pleasure from seeing the ‘ordinary’ birds (the Skylarks and Stonechats and the Pipits feeding their families) as I do from seeing those I don’t get to spot on my home turf. And, in fact, I didn’t even see one of the biggest birding highlights of this trip, a Bittern that was booming from deep in the reed beds during two of my visits to RSPB Lodmoor. I didn’t manage to get many great photos of the birds I saw but here are a few …

One of the artificial islands used for nesting by Black-headed gulls and Common terns (and, it seems, the occasional Canada goose). The air around these little islands is always alive with birds coming and going, and the noise is often raucous.

Though Reed and Sedge warblers and Reed buntings sang constantly from the reed beds, they were rarely visible. I got a lucky fleeting glimpse of this Sedge warbler.

Each time I went to Lodmoor, I was treated to Swallows like this one, as well as House and Sand martins zipping about overhead, and also coming down to gather mud and bits of vegetation to help build their nests.

On several days, at both Lodmoor and Radipole, I watched Marsh harriers flying back and forth, sometimes soaring, often just skimming the tops of the reeds as they hunted for food.

From the coastal path above Portland’s west cliffs, I spotted Guillemots and Razorbills, several gull species and Gannets, as well as these Kittiwakes, an adult on the right and a juvenile below left.

If you’re interested, the birds that were new sightings for me were Common tern, Bar-tailed godwit, Sanderling, Little tern, Whimbrel, Kittiwake, Great white egret, and that booming Bittern.

A Kittiwake comes to town

29 Tuesday Nov 2022

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Though they can sometimes be seen by keen birders using ‘scopes to watch birds passing along the coast, Kittwakes only rarely visit Cardiff Bay. So, when I heard early last Thursday morning that this one was hanging out near the Barrage locks, I went for a look. And I was lucky – though the bird was sitting on one of the dolphins when I arrived, it flew off and disappeared soon afterwards. It was blowing a gale, which may be why the bird had come in to the Bay, for a rest from the fierce winds, and having to tackle those strong winds is also my excuse for my photos not being sharp – it was difficult keeping myself from being blown about, let alone the camera. Still, it was a beautiful little bird, a lovely sighting, and a late tick for my 2022 patch birding list.

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Kittiwakes

20 Friday Jul 2018

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I realised today, when looking through my folder of photos for prepping blogs, that I have a couple of birds from my trip to Northumberland back in May that I haven’t yet blogged about. So, let’s put that right.

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I actually saw – and heard – my first Kittiwakes in Scotland, in Dunbar, where the birds nest on cliffs right on the edge of the town’s harbour. It’s a precarious site but that doesn’t bother these noisy birds, who seem constantly to remind you of their name with their onomatopoeic call.

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I next saw Kittiwakes when we sailed out to the Farne Islands. Once again, they were perched on impossibly small ledges of rock, sharing these spots on the tall craggy cliffs with Guillemots and Razorbills and Cormorants.

On the Farnes, I managed to get a much closer look at these beautiful gulls. Something about their face makes them look softer and more gentle than their Herring gull cousins – perhaps it’s their smaller, less savage-looking beak.

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Kittiwakes only come to the Farnes during the summer months to breed. Once their young are fledged, they’ll all head back to the Atlantic to spend the winter, dipping down into the deep waters for fish and shrimps to eat, then soaring high above the ocean waves.