Several years ago I met Mark Constantine for the first time at Arne RSPB reserve whilst he was out sound recording with his wife Mo. They had been out recording Dartford Warbler for his new Sound Approach title (un-named back then) Catching the Bug, and I was intrigued within seconds. I knew the Sound Approach’s first and very much ground-breaking title ‘The Sound Approach to Birding’, but was thrilled to hear that there was going to be a new book coming out that wasn’t just focused on sound, but also mainly focused on Poole Harbour… AMAZING!

In 2012 the printed version of Catching the Bug was released and the Sound Approach including co-author Nick Hopper were yet again praised for another masterpiece. Two years down the line, time and technology have moved on and the Sound Approach have now started publishing their books digitally on iPad and the results are jaw dropping.

By bringing the Sound Approach on to this platform it allows them to interpret their sounds in the way they had always hoped. With the simple tap of the screen, or the swipe of your finger you invited in to an astonishingly well-crafted title that sits on the very brink of modern publishing. With their self-named eSonagrams, you can see the sounds as well as hear them, making the learning journey so much easier.

If you want to learn about Poole Harbour and its natural history then buy this book. If you want to learn about the fine details of Poole Harbours bird life then buy this book. If you want to be treated to 200 beautiful digital recordings then buy this book. If you love birds and love Poole Harbour…BUY THIS BOOK!

To purchase iPad version or to download a free sample CLICK HERE 

To purchase printed version CLICK HERE 

If you still haven’t seen Osprey yet this year then the Wareham Channel area seems the place to be at the moment. There are currently two hunting most mornings out in the middle of the channel which can be viewed from somewhere like Swineham, Rockley viewpoint, or Slepe Heath. From the Hartland, Slepe Heath area there was 3 Hobby, 1 Peregrine, 1 Redstart, 8 Woodlark, plenty of Dartford and Stonechat. At Swineham 1 Hobby was hunting over the main pit, also a few migrant Willow Warbler, several parties of Great crested Grebe, and a Wasp Spider. On the Brownsea Lagoon 59 Redshank, 15 Avocet, 9 Greenshank, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel and still some fledgling Common Tern. Over the last five days there has been a big movement of juvenile Sedge Warblers moving through the Poole Harbour reedbeds with a small handful of Grasshopper Warblers, beginning to show that many birds have had a good breeding season. 

The low level cloud and early morning rain looked promising for a drop of migrants, and indeed one particular species certainly did arrive en mass through the reed beds at dawn. A three-hour ringing session in the north of the harbour produced a record breaking 232 birds, 191 of them Sedge Warbler. This was only a tiny percentage of the total amount of Sedge Warbler present with birds still passing through late afternoon. Its possible between 400-700 (even more?) passed through that area today. Two Osprey were again present in the Wareham Channel early on with both sets of Marsh Harrier young, which are now getting a lot more adventurous and wandering quite far and wide. In Holes Bay there was 122 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Gull, 4 Redshank and  1 Common Sandpiper.