The weather over the last 3 days has certainly been a lot better, and the birds are now coming through thick and fast. Starting with….

Wednesday 10^th April where a thick fog hampered any birding for the first hours of daylight. However it soon cleared producing some decent reports. Starting at Lytchett Bay where there were 3 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and a Woodlark was singing over on Holton Lee Heath. At Arne there were displaying Dartford Warbler on Coombe Heath, also a Great Northern Diver in the Middlebere Channel. The Red-throated Diver was off Swineham Point, also a Jack Snipe, Spotted Redshank and 2 Swallow. In a private garden in Broadstone the Common Rosefinch and 14 Brambling continue to visit a feeding station. On Brownsea there were 3 Spoonbill, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank and 27 Sandwich Tern

Thursday 11^th was again fine for most of the day. Holes Bay hosted 960 Black-tailed Godwit, 62 Shelduck, 3 Med Gulls and 12 Little Egret. A really interesting sighting of a female Marsh Harrier nest building at a private site, however, unfortunately no male to be seen! There was a ringtail Hen Harrier on Arne Moors and a Ring Ouzel on Stoborough Heath. At Lytchett Bay 2 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, and a Peregrine Falcon.

Friday 12^th was a mixture of sunshine and showers but fairly mild. The female Marsh Harrier continued to nest build as 2 ringtail Hen Harrier are now present around the moors area. At Lytchett Bay there was 1 Shoveler (rare for this site), 3 Swallow, 7 Willow Warbler, 2 Greenshank, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Kingfisher and 94 Black-tailed Godwit. There was also an obvious fall of Willow Warbler on the south coast today as around 50 lined the banks of the PC World drain with a few Chiffchaff still mixed in. Swallows were very much in evidence across the harbour today with twos and threes passing over many sites. Finally, at Sunnyside a ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Wheatear, 2 Woodlark, 12 Swallow, 2 Willow Warbler and 3 Kestrel.