Wanting a change and an excuse to do a day just birding, we decided to go to Weymouth and have a look at the Short-billed Dowitcher and see what else was around. We got there by ten, which after an hour it became overcast and the wind picked up. A few hours spent trying to get to see the Lodmoor Dowitcher, which potentially was asleep in the vegetation give us a chance to read some colour rings.
Mediterranean Gull E607 - origins still unknown
Black-headed Gull E4ZF rung last year in Holland
cr Sandwich Terns, one red Darvic EVD was rung
on the Ythan Estuary last year
A trip over to a very quiet Portland Bill, only migrant seen was a single Wheatear, and despite the onshore wind, virtually nothing was moving on the sea.
Afternoon session back at Lodmoor eventually gave some very good views of the Short-billed Dowitcher and some post ID comments by those surrounding us about how could anyone not known it was Short-billed, very easy to say once someone has made the right identification. A couple of more cr Gulls were picked up. Final count was four cr Mediterranean Gulls (one from Hungry), two Black-headed Gulls, one Sandwich Tern (plus one cr banded which can only be assigned to a colony and a specific breeding year) and two Mute Swans.