With the wind really due to build over the weekend and the temperature due to drop, today saw a good opportunity to really build those lockdown garden lists with potential ‘fly overs’ making use of the thermals. Once again Red Kites were the highlight of the day for several garden watchers with individuals over Oakdale, Upton, Hamworthy and Lilliput. Highlight of the day was another Osprey which spent a bit of time over the Wareham Channel and Holton Lee before disappearing never to be seen again. It tends to be that these early migrant Osprey are already established breeders further north so are unlikely to stay for very long, and almost certainly won’t land on one of our nest platforms. It’s from next week that things could begin getting interesting for us. At Swineham the 2 Little Ringed Plover were still on the ‘Stilt Pools’ and a White Wagtail was near Curlews Cottage. Out in Lytchett Bay on the low tide 2 Spotted Redshank and 5 Greenshank were feeding.

Todays recording is one we made around this time but back in 2018 which is of a male Stonechat, fresh back on territory singing to a female that was just a few meters away on another bush. You can also hear a Linnet calling and a few short harsh tones of Dartford Warbler too.

Red Kite – Oakdale – Ian Ballam