What a day. Not only the glorious sunshine but a great mix of birds logged right across the area. Most significantly we believe our male Osprey 022 may be back. At midday today, we launched our 2026 Carey Osprey Nest Cams (which you can WATCH LIVE HERE), and no less than 30 minutes later an Osprey came and landed on the camera perch above the main camera, calling. However it only stayed 8 minutes before it was then seen heading off over Wareham Common, meaning we weren’t able to confirm the ID of ‘who’ it was. If it was 022 just checking in, then he’s probably gone and caught a fish somewhere and is resting up and recovering before CJ7 returns. This morning up on Ballard Down a colour-ringed male Cirl Bunting was seen at Ballard Down, and having spoken with Luke Philipps the co-ordinator for the project, he was able to confirm this bird was ringed as a fresh juvenile at Durlston CP last summer. So, if this male decides to stay and breed in the area, this will be a known 4km dispersal from it’s natal site, giving us some great data on dispersal distances for this newly recolonising species. Elsewhere the Forster’s Tern was on Brownsea again this afternoon, the 3 Glossy Ibis were still on Wareham Common, a Swallow was hawking high above Wareham and 10 Sand Martin were over Keysworth. It seems Common Snipe are currently on the move as the floodplain at Carey was surveyed yesterday and resulted in 67 Common Snipe being counted in one small area, along with 41 today and a Jack Snipe. Also on the Brownsea Lagoon were 2 Spoonbill, plus a real harbour rarity of 3 Harbour Porpoise were off Jerry’s Point this morning. Out in Studland Bay 2 Common Scoter were loafing about, a Great Northern Diver was off the Brownsea south shore and once again, the adult Little Gull was in Lytchett Bay

Colour-ringed Cirl Bunting – Ballard Down