Today didn’t seem to hold much promise with a really cold NNE wind kicking in, but a mid-morning Honey Buzzard over Swineham and a white Stork over the Piddle Valley certainly raised expectation. Sadly that was as good as it got, but there was also a small pulse of Red Kite moving over the harbour with 3 over Middlebere, 5 over Carey and 3 over Studland. The Garden Warbler was still singing along the Cordite Way, 3 Cattle Egret were along the A351 towards East Stoke in the Frome Valley.

There was also an update from Nicki Tutton, Dorset Wildlife Trust warden who explained that the Brownsea tern colony is taking a bit of a hammering this year, initially with Great Black-backed Gulls settling on islands close to the Sandwich Tern colony which has forced the Sandwich Terns to move to the smaller islands, of which there were roughly 230 sitting birds the other day. However, (a new?) pair of Raven have now taken a liking to the Sandwich Tern eggs and are raiding the colony on a daily basis. Hopefully the Sandwich Terns and Common Terns will show some resolve and use their strength in numbers to see off the visiting pirates during the rest of the summer!

Honey Buzzard over Swineham – Richard Stephenson

Honey Buzzard over Swineham – Richard Stephenson