A few more sightings in today! At Lytchett Fields, highlights included 7 Common Sandpiper, 5 Green Sandpiper, 10 Greenshank, and 1 Spotted Redshank. From the Middlebere Hide, there was 1 Wheatear, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, a Peregrine attempting to catch a juvenile Shelduck, as well as a Whinchat on Hartland Moor.
Wheatear – Middlebere – Garry Hayman
Whinchat – Hartland Moor – Garry Hayman
Seemingly few sightings reported today despite the good conditions. The two Spotted Redshank were still on Lytchett Fields, plus appearances from 2 Osprey over the bay. Eight Spoonbill were on Brownsea Lagoon, perhaps the outstanding 6 individuals that have been kicking about the harbour in recent days were out feeding in one of the channels along the south and western shorelines. Swineham featured three Yellow Wagtail in the field next to tidal flap and some much needed desk time gave us a chance to process the photos from recent safari cruises…
White-tailed Eagle male (G463) from safari cruise at the weekend – Joe Parker
The first Wood Sandpiper of the ‘Autumn’ in the harbour with 2 at Lytchett Fields this morning, Sherford Pools. 2 Spotted Redshank, 6 Common Sandpiper, 4 Green Sandpiper and 15 Greenshank were also present. On Brownsea today the 17 Spoonbill were roosting along with 9 Avocet, 16 Ringed Plover, 153 Black-tailed Godwit, 110 Redshank, 11 Greenshank, 172 Dunlin, 1 Turnstone and 1 Sanderling. At least 12 Common Sandpiper were on the north shore of Brownsea. 1 Osprey was hunting in the Wareham Channel this evening and 3 Osprey were in Lytchett Bay including an unringed bird.
As a new heatwave creeps the scorched landscape is still seeing new arrivals try and find food, with grasshoppers and crickets surely making up a substantial diet of many migrant birds currently, as theres seemingly good numbers around in overgrown, rewilded landscapes. From our Summer Safari this AM there were 2 Osprey circling over Arne Bay for much of the morning, and male 022 caught a fish in the Wareham Channel. Male White-tailed Eagle G463 was also in the Wareham Channel sat out on Shag Looe Bar. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 12 Spoonbill, c100 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Avocet, 100+ Dunlin, 8 Greenshank but only 2 each of Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. An Osprey was in Lytchett Bay this morning, 2 Little Ringed Plover were on the Stilt Pools at Swineham with 2 Yellow Wagtail. This evening there was 1 Pied Flycatcher at RSPB Arne car park amongst a group of 5 Spotted Flycatcher of which 4 were recently fledged young. At Middlebere, in the late evening, the Spoonbill numbers are continuing to grow with 17 preening and feeding on the high tide and 1 Barn Owl was hunting at dusk.
Pied Flycatcher – RSPB Arne car park – Andy Ryde
It’s been a remarkable start to the ringing season already, which saw the 1000th newly ringed Sedge Warbler of the autumn at the Lower Piddle Valley ringing site and we’re not even into August yet! The site has also ringed 318 Grasshopper Warbler, plus today a new bird for the year in the form of a Water Rail. On RSPB Arne Moors, there were 3+ Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Little Ringed Plover, plus 26 Cattle Egret on the dried pools at Swineham with 1 Yellow Wagtail. An Osprey was seen/heard displaying over near Rempstone/Godlingston area this morning where there were also Common Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher. There were also 2 more Osprey seen in Lytchett Bay this AM and another was in the Wareham Channel.
Water Rail – Lower Piddle Valley – Ed Betteridge
A strange grey sky welcomed us in today, and an even stranger wet substance fell from the cloud very briefly, but it didn’t take long for the sun to take over again and the warmth soon retuned. A brisk NW breeze set in all day though which you would have thought may take the edge off the birding, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Both Summer Safari Cruises produced the goods today with this mornings trip producing 4+ Osprey, including 3 in Arne Bay and another in the Wareham Channel, plus an incredible moment of 2 juv Peregrine Falcon hunting right off the side of the boat near Brownsea. Then, this afternoon the Dorset White-tailed Eagle pair gave a stunning fly by of the boat, having just caught a Flounder in the Wareham Channel. There were also 28 Cattle Egret at Swineham, 10 Greenshank and 4 Common Sandpiper on Brownsea. There were also 3 Great White Egret at Bestwall / Swineham, with 1 Little Ringed Plover, 3 adult Yellow-legged Gull and 7 Yellow Wagtail.
Peregrine Falcon – Brownsea shore from Summer Safari this AM – Alison Copland
As the hot weather continues the dearth of terns across the harbour is still obvious with only 5 Common Tern and 1 Sandwich Tern on the Brownsea Lagoon today, but waders were on the increase and saw 135 Black-tailed Godwit, 117 Redshank, 11 Greenshank, 14 Avocet, 2 Ringed Plover, c125 Dunlin and 11 Spoonbill. In Middlebere early this AM there were 3 Great White Egret, 1 Hobby, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Goshawk, 2 Whimbrel and an Osprey. There was quite a bit of Osprey activity in the Wareham Channel with a couple of adults moving around the area including an adult male and female, identity unknown! The Barnacle Goose was still at Swineham as were 5 Cattle Egret and 2 Yellow Wagtail. Some of our Osprey monitoring cameras are beginning to pick up new species, with Hobby currently a daily visitor to a dead tree on the RSPB Arne reserve, plus, the annual build up of Mistle Thrush is starting, with recent flock sizes in previous years consisting up to 50+ individuals. We sometimes get reports sent to us of Fieldfare flocks in August and Sept, as flocks of large thrushes are noted moving around the heaths in late summer. This would of course be impossible as Fieldfare don’t arrive until mid-late October, with folk not realising Mistle Thrush can look and behave in a very similar way during the late summer. These larger Mistle Thrush flocks are often drawn to the summer berry crops of Rowan/Mountain Ash.
Eurasian Hobby – RSPB Arne
Small gathering of four Mistle Thrush – RSPB Arne
Another mighty hot day, in which there was more Osprey activity, including the re-appearance of 3-year old male 5H3 who we haven’t seen for over a month. Interestingly he was with an un-ringed female Osprey, but we don’t know if they arrived back together or if they just happened to be in the harbour at the same time yesterday? Could it be that he’s paired up with her and they’ve been hidden away somewhere, setting up a territory of their own, and this was them coming to ‘check in’, to see what had been going on within the harbour area this summer? There were also 3 Great White Egret in Middlebere, 11 Spoonbill were on the Brownsea Lagoon, 13 Cattle Egret and 1 Barnacle Goose were at Swineham. There were up to 3 Spotted Redshank reported on the Brownsea Lagoon, plus 6 Avocet, 5 Greenshank, 2 Knot and 1 Ringed Plover.
Finally, 55 days after hatching our final Osprey chick 6T9 fledged this morning, albeit with an element of mystery. At 06:38 this morning 6T9 was on the nest, but there was then an onsite power cut, and when the nest cam came back on at 06:42 6T9 had gone! We’re not sure what happened in that four minute gap, but 6T9 decided to fledge for some reason and then wasn’t seen for several hours. To be honest, this is pretty typical for young birds, to fledge and then just go and sit in a tree somewhere ‘recovering’. Thankfully, by this evening 6T9 was back on the nest feeding well, meaning that we’ve now seen four out of four Osprey chicks fledge again for a third year in a row. Brilliant news!!!!
This evening 2-year old Osprey 5R0 was hunting in the Wareham Channel, along with 022 and CJ7, plus male White-tailed Eagle G463 was also present and a juvenile Marsh Harrier. Incredibly there were ZERO terns on the Brownsea Lagoon this evening, suggesting that most/all had gone already? A few Common and Sandwich Tern were out feeding in the harbour, but nowhere near the amount you’d expect for late July. Passage waders on the lagoon were in reasonable numbers and saw c120 Dunlin, 5 Greenshank, c100 Redshank, 2 Turnstone and 10+ Common Sandpiper. This evening 10 Spoonbill flew from Brownsea towards Middlebere and at the Lower Piddle Valley ringing station 14 Grasshopper Warbler were ringed this AM.
In Lytchett Bay this morning there were 15 Greenshank, 52 Redshank, 21 Lapwing, 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank and 1 Whimbrel. Numbers of Teal are continuing to increase in the harbour with 10 on the Brownsea Lagoon. along with 11 Spoonbill, 1 Avocet, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Ringed Plover, 149 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Greenshank, 170 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper and 130 Dunlin.
A successful first bird ringing demo of the early autumn at Careys Secret Garden today with 2 Kingfisher, 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Tree Pipit along with the usual common migrants. 1 Osprey and 1 Hobby also flew overhead. We have another Bird Ringing Demo coming up this Saturday with a few places still left: Find out more here.
Some excellent news that could be announced today. with the first Dorset Puffin fledgling seen for over 30 years! 1 of the pairs at Dancing Ledge was successful and has raised one chick and although monitoring is difficult it is thought there has not been successful fledging for 10 years with intensive monitoring taking place in the last 4 years. Excellent work by the volunteers including Dr Richard Caldow and all the National Trust team for putting in all the effort and time to conduct this monitoring. A glimmer of hope for the last remaining Puffin colony on the south coast.
Kingfisher – Birds of Poole Harbour Bird Ringing Demo – Joe Parker
Puffling – Dancing Ledge – Mark Singleton
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