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The Isle of Portland, Dorset (Day Trip)
Tour Code: GBR113A day exploring this unique tied island, which is home to a wonderfully rich variety of wildlife.
£50
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Due to its unique geology and geographical position, the Isle of Portland, which extends 7 miles out into the English Channel, is home to a wonderfully rich variety of wildlife during the spring, summer and autumn seasons, providing exciting options for nature discovery whatever the weather. It is famed as a watchpoint and stopover place for migrating sea, shore and land birds. It also supports a wealth of scarce plants and insects, associated with both rocky calcareous grassland and the scenic coastline.
We run trips to Portland at different times through the year. Click on 'detailed info' below for information on the highlights through the different seasons.
- Grounded migrant bird possibilities could include such scarcities as Melodious Warbler and Ortolan Bunting
- Butterflies may include Adonis Blue, Wall and Grayling
- Sea-watching for Gannets, and a variety of shearwaters, auks, skuas, gulls and terns
- Portland Sea-lavender, the tiny orchid Autumn Lady’s tresses, Golden Samphire and Hoary Stock
Spring:
In the spring, a wide variety of birds can be encountered either passing by or through on traditional migration routes to more northerly breeding grounds, or by accidentally ‘over shooting’ (migrating beyond their summer homes) in periods of warm and clear weather. From an extensive range of waders, ducks, terns, auks, skuas, wagtails, chats, warblers, finches and pipits, scarcer highlights could include Pomarine Skua, Woodchat Shrike and Hoopoe.
Summer:
During the mid-summer, the Isle of Portland is host to one of the UK’s most range restricted butterflies, the Lulworth Skipper, which is only found along the Dorset coast between Swanage and Burton Bradstock. We will visit favoured sites for this butterfly, and look for an impressive range of other butterflies such as Chalk Hill Blue, along with nationally scarce plants including Ivy Broomrape and Yellow Vetchling.
Autumn:
In the autumn, especially during days with light winds and cloudy skies, the long list of grounded migrant bird possibilities could include scarcities such as Melodious Warbler and Ortolan Bunting. Fresher winds and clearer skies may see a diurnal passage of wagtails, pipits and hirundines, whilst with very windy weather, attention will turn to seawatching at the ‘Bill’ where Gannets, and a variety of shearwaters, auks, skuas, gulls and terns may be passing Early autumn will still see plenty of butterfly activity if it is sunny, with specialities including Adonis Blue, Wall and Grayling still on the wing. Portland has a rich flora and in our forays across the island by foot or car, we may encounter a number of highlights including Portland Sea-lavender, the tiny Bastard Toadflax, Golden Samphire and Hoary Stock.
Day Trip Location
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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