As we enter the latter phase of April, migration should be well underway, and the dawn held some promise at least. However, by lunch time it reverted back to being like a cold December Day with a strong WNW wind and heavy rain! The day started off well with a nice log of common migrants up on Ballard including 4 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 12 Willow Warbler. Later in the morning a Wood Warbler was found singing in a small patch of wood on the edge of Hartland Moor, close to Scotland Farm. In the Lower Piddle Valley this evening , just north of Swineham GP there were 2 Ruff, 3 Spotted Redshank, 5 Greenshank, 4 Dunlin, 10+ Redshank and 4 Lapwing and there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit on mud near the Stilt Pools. On Swineham GP it’s self 2 full summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe was a surprise find. An Osprey carrying a fish was seen over Wareham, which was likely to be male 022 and the White-tailed Eagle pair were circling over the Wareham Channel this morning. The Forster’s Tern was seen off Upton CP in Holes Bay NW this afternoon and a Common Sandpiper and 5 Reed Warbler were also in Holes Bay north.

Finally, we didn’t get a chance to include this news in yesterdays sightings as we’d already written the entry by the time it had happened, however, at 19:15 yesterday evening, our Osprey pair gave us all a massive surprise by laying a 4th egg. This is fantastic news and a scarce occurrence for Ospreys. Whether all 4 hatch is a different matter and we’ll just have to wait and see. If they do then 022 will have his work cut out for him and the nest could become rather crowded by mid-June!!!

Female Osprey CJ7 revealing her surprise 4th egg yesterday evening

Astonishing views of the White-tailed Eagle pair on our Spring Safari Cruise this morning. We had multiple flybys in the Wareham Channel as well as the female of the pair G466 diving into the water at one point and bringing out the skeleton of some sort of water bird!? It’s fantastic that this is becoming such a common sight in the local area and great to see how well they are fitting into this landscape. We also had stunning views of the Forster’s Tern on a yellow buoy off the Hamworthy shoreline. It then took off with 2 Sandwich Tern and headed towards Brownsea. 3 Whimbrel flew west into the Wareham Channel. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were c30 Sandwich Tern and c10 Common Tern as well as c30 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Avocet.

Elsewhere the 1 Bar-headed Goose turned up in Lytchett Bay this morning. 1 Whimbrel was in Holes Bay NE.

White-tailed Eagle G466 – Wareham Channel – Harry McBride

Forster’s Tern – off the Hamworthy Shoreline – Harry McBride

It felt like there could have been some decent migration today, with overcast skiess and a bit of rain by the afternoon. The dawn saw a small fall of birds arrive, with 3 Willow Warbler, 4 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap and 2 Whimbrel up on Ballard Down with a small passage of Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin arriving in off the sea. A Cuckoo was at Holmebridge with c200 Sand Martin and Swallow feeding over the drying out floodplain. A redhead Goosander flew over Wareham Common, a Hobby and a single Whimbrel was at Lytchett Fields with 4 Bar-tailed Godwit arriving there later in the afternoon and c10 Wheatear were at Greenlands Farm and 7 up on Ballard. In Wareham 3 Swift were hawking over the town and in Brands Bay 3 Whimbrel, 3 Avocet and a late Red-breasted Merganser were logged. On the floods just north of Swineham GP a single Spotted Redshank and 2 Greenshank were on the floods.

Swift – Wareham/Swineham (yesterday) – Peter Moore

The undoubted highlight and most unusual bird seen on this morning’s jam packed Spring Safari Cruise was an Arctic Skua… the first we’ve ever seen inside the harbour on a public cruise! We amazed to meet it racing up the Wareham Channel being mobbed by Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls, before it quickly peeled off towards the open heathlands at the top of the channel and circling high before it was lost to view. Arctic Skua are a frequent passage species on the Dorset coast at this time of year but very rarely come into the harbour, instead passing along the coast often at considerable distance from the shore. However unusual detours into the harbour like this one have been recorded before, and we think it’s due to confused individuals entering the harbour thinking its an archipelago which they can take a shortcut through and exit back onto the coast on the other side, only to find themselves in dead-end inlets, and having no choice than to cross the land to rejoin the coast once again. Fascinating behaviour and a real privilege to witness first hand!

Also on the boat trip, a Little Gull was once again present at the top of the Wareham Channel, sat on the water with a group of Black-headed Gull at the mouth of the River Piddle. Here we also had several high soaring raptors over the boat, including an Osprey with a fish, a Red Kite and a White-tailed Eagle which all headed north-west towards Wareham Forest. Marsh Harrier and Peregrine were both also hunting nearby, and up the River Frome we were treated to the songs of Reed Warbler and Cetti’s Warber. Overhead throughout was a strong passage of around 40 Swallows, plus 2 House Martin and 1 Sand Martin, and for many of us onboard our first 5 Swift of the year off Hamworthy. With the northerly wind Brownsea Lagoon was fairly quiet for waders but there was a single Whimbrel, along with around 30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 50 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Tern. A Wheatear was also seen briefly over Poole Quay at the start of the boat.

Elsewhere an Osprey caught a fish in the Middlebere Channel and another two were seen over Lytchett Bay, and at 2:22pm breeding female also laid her 3rd (an most likely final) egg of the season! Nearby on Wareham Common the Bonaparte’s Gull was also reported once again around midday, on it’s own to the right hand side of the railway bridge.

1st Winter Little Gull – Wareham Channel, Spring Safari Cruise – Alison Copland

Plenty going on today across the harbour, despite it being a chilly NW wind. The Bonaparte’s Gull was still showing nicely on Wareham Common, coming and going during the course of the day. A Great White Egret was also on Wareham Common and there was a decent passage of Swallow up both the Piddle and Frome River Valleys. Around the harbour an Osprey flew in high from the SE over central harbour, heading towards Lytchett Bay. On Poole Quay 2 Common Sandpiper were on the marina sea wall and a Peregrine flew over the Quay. There was a single Wheatear on the Sunseeker factory roofs with another on the Brownsea sea wall and 1 atr Lytchett Fields. The Brownsea Lagoon had c30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Common Tern, 8 Avocet, 2 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel and 3 Sanderling. A White-tailed Eagle was in Brands Bay, in Ower bay c50 Dunlin, 26 Knot and 8 Grey Plover were in a single flock and 5+ Whimbrel were settled on the mud. A Hobby was over Keysworth, 2 Marsh Harrier were at Swineham and 2 Red Kite were over Ham Common viewpoint. Holes Bay saw some wader passage too with c30 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover and 1 Whimbrel. In central harbour there were 2 Great Northern Diver and 1 Red-breasted Merganser still. The Barnacle Goose was still at Holme Lane GP.

Bonaparte’s Gull – Wareham Common – James Leaver

Grey Seal – Middlebere Channel – Nick Hopper

Some more fantastic Osprey news, with our male 374 from the translocation project returning again safely from migration and being seen landing on one of the nest platforms late last night. This is a bird that returned successfully for the first time last year, having been translocated in 2021. This means he’s old enough to breed this year so we could be in with a chance of a second pair nesting in the harbour, if he can find a roaming female! We’ll certainly be keeping everything crossed! He may well have been the third Osprey that was seen over the nesting pair yesterday. We also watched eagerly as CJ7 laid her second egg today at 12:21pm which is fantastic news and we would expect the third egg on Sunday! You can watch the live webcams here.

The 2nd calendar year Bonaparte’s Gull was the highlight of today with lots of people getting on to it as it was refound this morning in the same place on Wareham Common, just below the surgery. 2 Common Sandpiper were also feeding on the same floods close by. The 2 White-tailed Eagle took advantage of the warm weather with multiple sightings of the local pair including from our School Bird Boat and Lytchett Fields. 2 Whimbrel were still in Holes Bay south-west. At least 2 Great Northern Diver were still in the harbour, one in the Wareham Channel and one on the north shore of Brownsea. 1 Spoonbill was on the Brownsea Lagoon this morning and 1 Arctic Tern was reported. The Forster’s Tern was seen flying between Shipstal Point and Round island and this evening 6 Whimbrel were on Bestwall floods, near Swineham.

Bonaparte’s Gull – Wareham Common Floods – @LytchettBirder on X

Male Osprey 374 appearing yesterday evening on a nest platform in the harbour

2 Osprey eggs freshly laid by CJ7

Much calmer weather and some sunshine made for good conditions for birds of prey soaring in the harbour today. Plenty of Osprey activity in different parts of the harbour with a third Osprey flying over the nesting pair at least twice today. From our Spring Safari Cruise this afternoon we also had 2 Osprey, 1 hunting over the Wareham Channel and then heading to Lytchett Bay and 1 in Shipstal Bay. We also had 1 Red Kite over the Wareham Channel, 1 male Marsh Harrier and 1 Hobby hunting over Swineham. We had stunning views of a first winter Little Gull on the mud of the Wareham Channel, just off Swineham. 2 Great Northern Diver were still using the harbour with 1 off Ham Common and 1 in Ball’s Lake.

The Forster’s Tern has been reported throughout the harbour today being at Shipstal, Holes Bay and Lytchett Fields, so clearly travelling far and wide. Also at Lytchett Fields was the first singing Sedge Warbler of the year for the site, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and a good record for the site of 1 female Goosander from Rock Lea View. At Holes Bay there was 1 Whimbrel in the south-west and 1 Common Sandpiper in the north-east. A good record from South Haven of a singing Lesser Whitethroat at the Studland car park this morning. There were lots of Red Kite moving around today with at least 7 seen from our Osprey viewing session this afternoon. There was a redhead Goosander in Lytchett Bay

This evening what looked good for a 2nd cal year Bonaparte’s Gull was found on Wareham Common, just below the hospital. It didn’t hang around though and seemed to head towards Swineham.

1st winter Little Gull from this afternoon’s Spring Safari – Mudflats off Swineham Point – Julie Ryde