Dorset Autumn Tour - Weymouth

 ​September  26th - 3rd October  2020

£950 per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room. Single supplement £150

Leader: Bob Buckler

Group size: maximum 8.

WEYMOUTH AND THE SURROUNDING AREA

This 8-day tour based in Weymouth, concentrates heavily on coastal migration hot-spots and the wintering locations of many birds in this beautiful south coast county. Birds we shall look for include several rare species as well as regular migrants. On Portland anything can turn up at this time of the year but regulars include: Ring Ouzel, Firecrest, Yellow-browed Warbler, Ortolan and Lapland Buntings. Whilst at Ferrybridge, Portland Harbour and the fleet we can look for Grebes and Divers, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser and perhaps an unusual Gull, Tern or wader.

Purple Sandpipers are regular winter residents on Portland

For two years (2017/18) a Lesser Yellowlegs has made Lodmoor its winter-home and last autumn (2018) a Ring-necked Duck resides at Radipole Lake. The 'Fleet' ( a series of brackish pools sheltered from Lyme Bay by Chesil Bank and stretches from Ferrybridge all the way to Abbotsbury Swannery) usually houses Greater Scaup, sometimes Long-tailed Duck and plenty of Brent Geese which often have Pale-bellied Geese in the flock with them. Cattle Egrets have made a massive invasion of Southern England in recent times, there are currently flocks of over 30 birds in the Weymouth area (Autumn 2018/19).

Add to that the prized birds that we can look for at Arne and the Wareham Forest. The heathland at both of these beautiful birding sites holds Dartford Warbler, Common Stonechat and Woodlark, and both have the prospect of hosting a wintering Great Grey Shrike and Hen Harriers, whilst Merlins often pass through.

Short-eared Owl taken on Portland October 2018

Wareham Forest is an excellent site for finding Yellowhammer, Woodlark, Goldcrest, Common Crossbill, all three Woodpeckers, Siskin, Redpoll, Mistle Thrush and a host of common woodland species. Whilst Arne has the added prospect of seeing Pied Avocet, Godwits, Eurasian Spoonbill, Grebes and Divers as we scan Poole Harbour from various locations around Arne and Studland Bay.

 

The prime locations on the itinerary are:

• RSPB Radipole Lake 
• RSPB Lodmoor
• Weymouth Bay
• Portland Harbour, Ferrybridge, The Fleet
• Portland and Portland Bird Observatory
• Wareham Forest
• RSPB Arne and Poole Harbour
• Studland Bay
• Ringstead Bay

Day 1

We meet up around noon at our superb Guest which is just a few minutes walk from East Fleet. Those arriving by train will be met at the station and driven the short distance to the guest house. For the afternoon will shall spend time at Radipole Lake looking for Bearded Tit, Cetti's Warbler and many species of gulls and ducks. Recently (autumn 2018) the pre-roost gathering of gulls has attracted Franklin's Gull, Ring-billed Gull amongst hundreds of Mediterranean Gulls.

Days 2-7

We shall visit all the sites named above and a few more thrown in, our itinerary for days 2-7 depends entirely on the weather, bird movements and the discretion of the guide. Rest assured you will have a fantastic time visiting Portland, Ferrybridge and the Fleet, RSPB Arne, Poole Harbour, Wareham Forest, Stoborough Heath and Lodmoor Nature Reserve.

Franklin's Gull with Mediterranean Gull at Radipole Lake Autumn 2018

 

 

Day 8

A morning’s birding at one of the local reserves if time permits, transport to Weymouth Train station

What’s included in the price:

• 6 full day and two half-day guided birding trips (depending on arrival and departure times)
• 7 nights accommodation with en-suite facilities in a good quality 3 star guest house
• Breakfast & Dinner, beginning with dinner on day 1 and ending with breakfast on day 8
• All land-transport.
• All entrance fees, tolls, fuel, parking charges
• A checklist of species – expect to see around 115-130 species
• A ringing demonstration (if birds are caught during our visit to Portland Bird Observatory)
• An evening bird-log

What’s not included:

• Transport to/from Weymouth, Dorset
• Travel insurance
• Lunches
• Tips/Gratuities
• All Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and snacks

Availability

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Latest Trip Reports

• Dorset, Autumn Migration based in Weymouth - 2019 : Friday, October 11, 2019 - Friday, October 18, 2019

  We had a wet and windy week in Weymouth, rain and high winds spoilt some of our days, but we went home happy with many excellent sightings and some memorable experiences. We saw one or two rare species and a few uncommon migrants as well...

  View Report