Another pretty hot day, with crystal clear blue sky’s all day. The best of the day was yet another Common Crane sighting in the Lower Frome Valley, near Swineham this afternoon, before flying over the pit towards Keysworth. There was also a Great White Egret there too, plus 2 Little Ringed Plover on the Stilt Pools. A White-tailed Eagle was in the Wareham Channel along with 2 Marsh Harrier and a Hobby was over Swiuneham GP. The mass tern arrival was much in evidence on the Brownsea Lagoon and clocked c300 Sandwich Tern and c200 Common Tern, along with 33 Dunlin, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Greenshank. In Middlebere yesterday evening 8 Spoonbill were seen from the hide, and 5 were on Shipstal this morning with a single in the Wareham Channel. At Swineham Point 5 Bearded Tit were active together and there were up to 9 Reed Warbler singing. In the north of the harbour there was Cuckoo in Upton CP, a Lesser Whitethroat was singing in Slough Lane at Lytchett Bay where there were also at least 6 Whimbrel, 5 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and an Osprey was over Lytchett Fields.
Poole Harbour sightings blog
A record of all interesting and notable sightings from around the harbour throughout the year.
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Archive for April, 2025
Harbour Update – 30/04/25
Harbour Update – 29/04/25
Another glorious, sunny day and plenty of birds about. Red kites have taken advantage of the developing thermals with up to 11 seen over Poole during the early afternoon. Early morning at Brands Bay had a couple of Curlew and 14 Whimbrel stopping off before their continued migration further north. Then there were 8 Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin plus the un-ringed Osprey and a second individual this afternoon at Lytchett Bay.
Our guided walk and bird song event at Morden Bog produced 2 Hobby, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Tree Pipit and good numbers of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Dartford Warbler.
Harbour Update – 28/04/25
Nice selection of sightings today with highlights including a Hoopoe found by Trevor Warwick on the south edge of Hartland Moor this morning. A possible Subalpine Warbler was also reported in the shrubs opposite Asda in Poole Town, though there has no visual sighting as yet. Over at Lytchett Fields, 1 winter plumage Great White Egret was seen in flight this morning, as well as 188 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Greenshank, 5 Whimbrel, 1 Redshank, 1 Lapwing, and additionally 1 Little Ringed Plover on Sherford Pools this afternoon. 1 Peregrine and 1 Red Kite were logged over Creekmoor this afternoon. There was also 1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling at Morden Bog this morning. A Nightjar was singing on Wareham Common last night, plus 18 Cattle Egret flew to their roost in the evening and the Little Gull was on the Brownsea Lagoon again.
Hoopoe – Hartland Moor NNR – Trevor Warwick
Harbour update – 27/04/25
Stunningly calm conditions out on the harbour today for our Spring Safari Cruise. Arriving at the Brownsea Lagoon just as the mist began to lift we were met with a delightful cacophony of Sandwich Tern and Common Tern calls. As they came into view a single Little Gull could be seen hidden in amongst them, along with 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Dunlin, 1 Knot, 3 Avocet, and 2 Greenshank. By the time we rounded the corner into the Wareham Channel the sky was completely clear and plenty of thermals had obviously already developed as 1 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Marsh Harrier and 3 White-tailed Eagle were all soaring on the wing. Heading up the River Frome, 2 Little Ringed Plover were on the Stilt Pools and 1 Bearded Tit emerged briefly from the reedbed. Also of note were the hundreds of Black-headed Gull kettling in columns over various patches of land throughout the trip, no doubt indicating today was a ‘flying ant day’ with a large emergence!
Elsewhere, this morning the first Nightjar of the season was heard singing at dawn at RSPB Arne. Here Cuckoo was also heard, in addition to Morden Bog, and Greenlands Farm at Studland, where there were also 4 Wheatear, singing Woodlark and 1 Whinchat. The Wood Sandpiper was still present at Swineham early on, alongside 1 Spoonbill. And in Lytchett Bay a Lesser Whitethroat was singing along Slough Lane and an Osprey was sat in a tree along the shore of Holton Lee.
Harbour Update – 26/05/25
With April soon to be turning into May, waders of many species are passing through, including two ‘firsts’ of the year with a Wood Sandpiper at Swineham on the Stilt Pools and a Little Stint at Lytchett Fields. There was also a summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank at Lytchett Bay, c20 Whimbrel through Middlebere, 2 Little Ringed Plover at Swineham and another on Lytchett Fields. A Great White Egret flew over Swineham this morning along with 1 Osprey, 1 White-tailed Eagle and 1 Marsh Harrier over there too. There were also 4 Spoonbill on the Stilt Pools this morning, a Lesser Whitethroat was on the north side of Lytchett Bay and 8 Swift were over Wareham.
Little Ringed Plover and Little Stint – Lytchett Fields – Richard Stephenson
Little Stint – Lytchett Fields – Richard Stephenson
Northern Wheatear – Whitecliff – Daniel Nash
Whimbrel flock passing through Poole Harbour – Mark Wright
Harbour update – 25/04/25
Another bright sunny day in the harbour which seemed to bring a big arrival of Swift into the harbour. 2 flew over our Spring Safari Cruise this morning in the central harbour and then a flock of c30 were flying around Swineham/Wareham. The Forster’s Tern was on the Brownsea Lagoon again, even further into it’s summer plumage making it tricky to pick out, looking more and more like a Common Tern. 1 juvenile Little Gull was also on the Lagoon this morning along with 7 Avocet and 8 Bar-tailed Godwit. There were 2 Osprey fishing between the Wareham Channel and Middlebere and 1 in Lytchett Bay. 4 Spoonbill flew from Swineham into the Wareham Channel. 2 Whimbrel were off the Shipstal shoreline. 1 of the immature White-tailed Eagles flew over the Osprey viewing platform from one of our Carey Osprey Tours this afternoon and another adult was seen over Corfe Common. 1 Spotted Redshank was at Lytchett Fields along with 7 Greenshank, 6 Whimbrel, 1 Ringed Plover and 1 Cuckoo that flew across towards Holton. The first Lesser Whitethroat of the year was behind the Turlin Screen in Lytchett Bay and 2 Whimbrel were in front. 1 Yellow Wagtail was in the farm fields with cows at RSPB Arne.
Immature White-tailed Eagle – Careys Secret Garden from our Carey Osprey Tour – Alison Copland
Harbour update – 24/04/25
Lots of Osprey sightings in and around the harbour today with an unringed male seen fishing in Lytchett Bay, a ringed English/Welsh female in the Wareham Channel seen from our Spring Safari Cruise catching a fish and another male Osprey later in the Wareham Channel. So at least 2 possibly 3 active Osprey other than the local nesting pair. From the boat this morning we also had 2 Ruff in the mouth of the River Frome, at least 4 Bearded Tit, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Red Kite and 2 Marsh Harrier at Swineham. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were still c10 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank and 3 Avocet. Sandwich Tern and Common Tern numbers were really building here too. On Hydes Heath at RSPB Arne 1 Cuckoo was present along with 1 Hobby and 1 White-tailed Eagle seen early afternoon. 10-12 Whimbrel were in Holes Bay and a total of 22 singing Reed Warbler around the bay and Upton CP. 33 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Wigeon and 1 Avocet were still in Holes Bay too. 2 Whimbrel were in the Middlebere Channel.
Unringed male Osprey – Lytchett Bay – Mark Wright
Harbour update – 23/04/25
Spring migration is in full swing with many areas of the harbour getting lively!
The Forster’s Tern showed at Lytchett Bay, now beginning to moult into summer plumage, the best way of spotting it amongst the Common Tern is the whiteness of it’s upper parts.
Also at Lytchett Bay, 2 Little Gull, 2 Spotted Redshank, 9 Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover, 7 Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 183+ Black-tailed Godwit, Cuckoo, Osprey catching a fish, 2 Wheatear and a Sedge Warbler.
Good numbers of other migrants have now arrived around the harbour with 4 Blackcap and 4 Whitethroat at Whitecliff.
Little Gull – Lytchett Bay – Ian Ballam
Harbour Update – 22/04/25
Apologies for the delay in getting today’s sightings online. Exciting news from the Osprey nest this afternoon with CJ7 laying her 4th egg of the season at 13:23. This will be her final egg in the clutch – only around 1% of UK Osprey nests usually have four eggs, with three being the standard clutch size, so we’re fortunate to have four for a second year running. We expect the eggs to hatch from the 20th May onwards, usually staggered over several days as with the laying.
Plenty of Osprey activity elsewhere, with a ringed individual reported over the Wareham Channel this afternoon (most likely 022). 2 Osprey were reported in Lytchett Bay, along with 1 White-tailed Eagle, 1 Peregrine, 1 Marsh Harrier, 12 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and 3 Whimbrel. 1 Osprey and 2 White-tailed Eagle were over Lytchett Fields, with 3 Whimbrel, 5 Ringed Plover, 1 Curlew, 50 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and 12 Greenshank. Over at RSPB Arne, 1 White-tailed Eagle, 2 Whimbrel and 2 Spoonbill were seen, with the Forster’s Tern at Shipstal Point. There was a singing Grasshopper Warbler reported at South Haven at Studland this morning. 4 Whimbrel were present in Holes Bay.
CJ7 with the clutch of four eggs
Harbour Update – 21/04/25
A better bank holiday Monday than anticipated with the early rain and cloud cover bringing with it a number of Whinchat dropping in to south Dorset. There was 1 at Stoborough Heath as well as outside the harbour boundary, with individuals at St Aldhelms and Durlston Head. 1 Cuckoo was also at Stoborough Heath along with 1 male Wheatear. 1 Hobby was hunting over Hartland Moor. At Lytchett Fields passing Greenshank numbers were up to 9 along with 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Green Sandpiper and 1 Ringed Plover in amongst c20 Dunlin. This evening the first Common Swift of the year was over Wareham Common and 32 Cattle Egret flew over there at dawn.
The first 2-year old Osprey of the season appeared on the Careys Nest today, sadly not one of ours, but in fact yet another Rutland female from the 2023 Manton Bay nest ‘3H3’ !!
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