So cold! Mid-week was delightful with even a hint of spring warmth, but today was proper chilly. Cold enough to bring 2 Eider into Pilots Point and 4 Great Northern Diver into the harbour at dawn. The 2 Mandarin Duck were still in Poole Park and the Cattle Egret was still in the Norden Fields with the highland cattle. There were 6 different White-tailed Eagles in and around the harbour at different points during the day with some new arrivals arriving in from further north and one from the Isle of Wight, plus our local pair and the wandering 1st year individuals. A ringtail Hen Harrier was seen again in Middlebere.

Finally, we’re delighted to share that our Osprey Cruises were awarded the GOLD AWARD for ‘Experience of the Year’ at the 2024/25 Dorset Tourism Awards yesterday evening! This award celebrates the culmination of years of hard work for our team and partners, from the delivery of the Osprey reintroduction project, to aspiring to give every one of our customers a memorable, exciting and informative experience on our boat trips. We’re proud to be showing that reintroduction projects not only form a critical part of species recovery, but are drivers of eco-tourism and environmental education too.

Huge thanks goes to Greenslades Pleasure Boats and all our fabulous volunteers who help us deliver our trips to such a high standard. It was also wonderful to see Carey Secret Garden (home of Osprey pair CJ7 and 022) take home 3(!) awards last night! Congratulations to all the winners.
Thanks to the Dorset Tourism Awards for this opportunity and for everyone who has supported our charity by joining our events. We’ll be announcing our Osprey Cruise dates for 2025 very soon, so watch this space.

Mandarin Ducks – Poole Park – John Newman

Collecting our Gold Award at the Dorset Tourism Awards last night

Another beautiful February day, although the slight NE wind added an edgy chill. There was both a male and female Hen Harrier in Middlebere briefly this morning, and a Goshawk was seen going over too. Off Jerry’s point it was still the same crew of Long-tailed Duck hanging out with the Red-breasted Mergansers and 3 Black-necked Grebe and 2 Slavonian Grebe socialising on and off during the course of the day. There were some good February counts of wildfowl made for Holes Bay including 111 Shelduck, 26 Shoveler, 1036 Wigeon , 218 Pintail and 782 Teal.

Ringtail Hen Harrier – Middlebere – Chris Snook

What a day to be out and around the harbour, where ever you decided to go. A very early spring warmth set in by 11am, and with the harbour absolutely flat calm, viewing conditions were absolutely perfect. Our Winter Safari this AM showcased the harbour at it’s best with a feast of birds logged right across the area. Highlights included 1st year juvenile White-tailed Eagle G644 (not to be confused with resident adult female G466!) which was in the top end of the Wareham Channel hunting, before then getting into a scrap with a Marsh Harrier near the mouth of the Piddle Valley. There were 8 Great Northern Diver spread across the harbour and a stunning sight of 5 Black-throated Diver feeding together off Baiter/Salterns Marina. Off Jerry’s Point the Long-tailed Duck was with c10 Red-breasted Merganser and there were 7 Black-necked Grebe and 2 Slavonian Grebe with another 7 Black-necked Grebe in central harbour. A male Hen Harrier was seen in Middlebere with 2 Spotted Redshank there. The Peregrine pair on the Asda building did a half-hearted/reluctant food share/pass which possible bodes well for this coming breeding season. Spoonbills were thinly spread out with 2 on the gull islands, 1 in Ower Bay and 2 in Middlebere. Avocet numbers still seem healthy with 340 in the top end of the Wareham Channel and c300 on the Brownsea Lagoon. Out in Studland Bay 9 Black-necked Grebe were feeding together and a Spotted Redshank was in Lytchett Bay late this afternoon.

Black-throated Diver flock – Off Baiter, seen from Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Alison Copland

Juvenile White-tailed Eagle G644, Wareham Channel seen from Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Alison Copland

Juvenile White-tailed Eagle G644, Wareham Channel seen from Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Alison Copland

Common Seal, Wareham Channel seen from Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Alison Copland

Despite the cold, grey, easterly wind, our School Bird Boat still headed out and braved the waves this morning, with Haymoor Jr School being rewarded with a White-tailed Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Spoonbill and the Ruddy Shelduck again in the Wareham Channel. A Barnacle Goose was on the Brownsea Lagoon, the Long-tailed Duck and 3 Slavonian Grebe were still off Jerry’s Point and 3 Black-necked Grebe were out in Studland Bay. In Middlebere a ringtail Hen Harrier was logged and there were 2 Spotted Redshank there too. Once all the grot had passed through this afternoon, it was a stunningly cold, crisp night which saw some of our team head out for some night surveying and ringing, and saw us head towards some National Trust owned fields up near the Half Way Inn. There was no shortage of Woodcock seen with c15 counted and 1 caught and ringed, along with this stunning Woodlark which was also ringed.

Woodlark – ringed under license – Hartland Fields

Things started off pretty grim today but the day soon sorted it’s self out. Plenty to be seen with 3 Slavonian Grebe, 4 Black-necked Grebe and the Long-tailed Duck between Jerry’s Point and Redhorn Quay and out in Brands Bay there was a Barnacle Goose and a Spoonbill. There was another (the same?) Barnacle Goose out on Arne Moors this afternoon where a ringtail Hen Harrier was also seen. A male Hen Harrier was seen at Middlebere where the 3 Ruff were still present and 1 Spotted Redshank. The Short-eared Owl was seen again out over Slepe Heath then Arne Moors late this afternoon and the Cattle Egret was still in the Highland Cattle field at Norden.

We were also out today starting to service our various Osprey nest platforms and swapped out the trail cameras and retrieved in last years and have just looked through the memory cards. This was a very magic and historic moment from last spring when our first ever wild fledged juvenile from 2022, female 5H1, returned and settled briefly on the Middlebere nest platform at RSPB Arne, with her Dad 022, before disappearing off. 5H1 was the first wild-fledged Osprey in Southern England for nearly 200 years, and was a direct result of the translocation project we carried out with the Roy Dennis Wildlife foundation. Later in the spring of 2024 she was seen briefly on a nest in the Usk Valley in south Wales, and was then seen later in the summer on a nest in Rutland! Where will she appear this spring?

Our pair CJ7 and 022 have now succsfuilly bred at the Careys Secret Garden for the last three years, and this spring we’ll be on the look out for any of the juveniles from the 2023 nest, ring numbers, 5H3 (presumed male), 5H4 (presumed male) and 5H5 (presumed female). If any are to return then it will likely be some time in May.

Plus, last year saw CJ7 and 022 return the earliest they’ve ever returned with 022 on March 25th and and CJ7 on March 26th. This was aided by a decent southerly airflow during the early part of March which saw a lot of Ospreys arrive early. Lets keep everything crossed for their safe return in just over a months time!

Iconic and historic photo retrieved from camera trap memory card today of 5H1 and 022 together on May 14th 2024

Osprey nest prep at RSPB Arne.

Ruff – Middlebere – Mark Wright

As much as we love the New Year, it’s always ‘nice’ to get January out of the way, especially when February welcomes us in with nice calm conditions. It’s all still much of the same currently, but it won’t be long before we start seeing some change as birds start moving and thinking about heading back towards breeding grounds and various territories. The Long-tailed Duck, 2 Black-necked Grebe and 3 Slavonian Grebe were off Jerry’s Point and out in Studland Bay there were 2 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Great Northern Diver and 5 Common Scoter. An adult male Hen Harrier passed over the Puddle Town Road, near Trigon, the male Snow Bunting was still on Hamworthy Beach and c20 Spoonbill were on Shipstal. In Middlebere there were 2 Spotted Redshank, the single Cattle Egret was still in the Norden Fields with the Highland Cattle, there were 3 Spoonbill in Brands Bay this afternoon, a Merlin bombed across the harbour entrance this morning and 2 White-tailed Eagles were seen over Middlebere mid-morning.

Cattle Egret and Highland cow – Norden – Mark Wright

Cattle Egret and Highland cow – Norden – Mark Wright