It’s August! A month full of potential and migrant birds. With autumn migration having started so early this year, it will be interesting to see how extensive and busy the main passage month will be for many of our warbler, flycatcher and chat species, not to mention Ospreys, waders and a whole host of other birds. Today a fine adult male Honey Buzzard came and gave our Osprey family some grief briefly, before soon being escorted out of the area by male Osprey 022. It already feels like it’s going to be a busy Osprey season this year, with 3 over Lytchett Bay together this morning, 2 in Middlebere, 3 seen in the Wareham Channel and at one point at Carey 5 together, one of which was definitely an intruder Osprey. Although some of these will relate to the same individuals, including our family of 6 from the Carey Secret Garden nest, there’s probaly no less than 10 present currently. Also in Middlebere were 7 Spoonbill, 1 White-tailed Eagle over, 1 Great White Egret and 1 Hobby. At South Haven, Studland a Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Whitethroat were in scrub and at the PCW Drain, Fleetsbridge a Garden Warbler and 2 Whitethroat were in the ditch.
During the sunset safari this evening, female White-tailed eagle, G466, was ensconced on Gold point, Arne, watching and ruling over her harbour. An Osprey successfully caught a fish in the Wareham channel and headed west towards the Carey nest, soon afterwards another Osprey but this time an unringed individual was hunting in the same location. A few Bearded tit were ‘pinging’ in the reed bed at the mouth of the harbour and two harbour seal were loafing on the edge of the salt marsh.
During the journey over to Brownsea lagoon and on the lagoon itself, a noticeable increase in Mediterranean gulls with at least 20. 8 Spoonbill were seen flying west towards Ower bay and a further 6 were on the lagoon. On the lagoon; 30 Dunlin, 8 Ringed plover, 6 Turnstone, 6 Common sandpiper, 5 Greenshank and 10 Redshank and a single Wheatear on the sea wall
Bullish passing male Honey Buzzard giving the Carey Osprey family grief at 10:45am today
