With a gentler head wind today, various areas saw and heard some grounded migrants arrive with a late female Wheatear on top of Hartland along with 3 grounded Whimbrel there feeding in a horse paddock, plus a flock of 6 Whimbrel over Middlebere Farm. Also a pair of Spotted Flycatcher arrived today at Carey Secret Garden and there were 2 Reed Warbler and 1 Lesser Whitethroat up on Ballard. A new adult female Osprey was seen in Lytchett Bay this morning and was noted to be a Scottish ringed individual, but annoyingly there was no sign of our current two available bachelors, males 5H3 and 5R0. There was a sighting of 2 Osprey over the Wareham Channel together which were then seen heading towards Holes Bay, so no doubt one was local male 022 escorting a potential new coloniser out of ‘his patch’!! Yesterday there were 4 summer plumaged Cattle Egret in Lytchett Bay, along with a nice mixed wader flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. There was a Cuckoo in the Frome Valley near Swineham, one in the Piddle Valley and 2 up at Scotland Farm.

Cattle Egret – Lytchett Bay yesterday – Ian Ballam

Dunlin and Ringed Plover flock – Lytchett Bay yesterday – Mick Brooks

A mixed day weather wise, but a day with a fantastic result. We were due to survey the harbours important gull islands early this morning out in the Wareham Channel, but decided to delay for several hours due to the cooler air temperature at dawn. Anyway, having got under way by late morning/early afternoon we were thrilled when the combined totals of both nesting islands produced a Poole Harbour record total of 369 Mediterranean Gull nests. This is a fantastic result, but highlights perfectly the nomadic and often quite unpredictable behaviour and occurrence of breeding Mediterranean Gulls in southern England. We’ve heard anecdotally that other populations along the south coast and east cost have fluctuated massively this spring with a site in Kent having had c800 nests last year have only c150 this year. Below are our survey results and totals of Mediterranean Gull nests from the Poole Harbour islands, starting in 2008 indicating a similar, variable fluctuation in population. Todays result is great news as Med Gulls are a Poole Harbour SPA (Special Protection Area) feature species, meaning the harbour is specially protected because of their presence here.

Number of Med Gull nests

2008 – 87
2015 – 64
2016 – 38
2017 – 33
2018 – 155
2021 – 109
2023 – 278
2024 – 179
2025 – 43
2026 – 369

Sadly, hidden amongst the elation of the Med Gulls success, is the concern for the Black-headed Gulls demise. During the same survey today, we only logged 2823 Black-headed Gulls nests, which is a continued decline for this species. Below are our survey results and totals of Black-headed Gulls nests from the Poole Harbour islands, starting in 2008 highlighting the steady decline. There are probably several factors involved here, the main being habitat loss. In 2008 there were three main nesting islands, now there are only two, due to erosion. Predation levels have increased with regular visits from newly returned Marsh Harriers, Peregrines, Ravens, White-tailed Eagles and Goshawk. Also, Med Gulls tend to be more dominant and can take over areas of suitable habitat on the islands, restricting areas for Black-headed Gulls.

Number of Black-headed Gull nests

2008 – 8951
2015 – 6400
2016 – 2589 (year the colony was ‘egged’ / had eggs stolen)
2017 – 5736
2018 – 4115
2021 – 3706
2023 – 3568
2024 – 3174
2025 – 2901
2026 – 2823

Elsewhere today a great count of 4 Roseate Tern were on the Brownsea Lagoon mid-afternoon, with sightings of individuals around the harbour entrance this evening. On the gull islands during teh survey a good count of 130 Dunlin were counted, plus an Osprey was hunting in the Wareham Channel, a White-tailed Eagle flew over Shipstal,

Newly hatched Black-headed Gull chick – Gull Islands

Mediterranean Gull eggs and nest

A cold and windy day, always making the birding tricky. An Osprey (presumed 2-year old male 5R0) was out hunting in the Wareham Channel this morning, a small number of passage waders were dotted around the harbour on the low tide including several small flocks of summer plumaged Dunlin and Ringed Plover, with just singles of Avocet and Sanderling on the Brownsea Lagoon.

We also received a sad but fascinating dose of bird migration mixed with reality with the below Woodcock we ringed in Poole Harbour on Nov 20th 2019 having been hunted ‘for the pot’ on it’s breeding grounds in the remote region of Klimushino, Verkhovazhye, Russia on May 6th 2026! This highlights just how far our winter Woodcock are travelling to over-winter in the UK, some c3000km each autumn. It’s estimated that about 1.2 million Woodcock arrive each Oct/Nov, but as they’re an incredibly hard bird to survey that total could be way higher.

Woodcock, ring number EY18750 the night it was ringed on Nov 20th 2019

The marked location of where it met it’s sad end having been hunted by a Russian hunter. 

It seems to have been a good week for Honey Buzzard with a few logged coming in off the sea around Portland plus a couple of harbour records, including a late report from yesterday of an adult male high over Middlebere plus one was reported over Lytchett Bay today. There were Goshawk sightings on Hydes Heath and at Middlebere and an Osprey was feeding in the Wytch Channel this morning. Also early this morning a Hawfinch was sound recorded over Oakdale during the latter part of a noc-mig sound recording session.

Male Honey Buzzard over Middlebere yesterday – Kate Plater

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

Another fine May day with the unusual occurrence of a fine adult male Hen Harrier over Scotland Farm/Hartland this AM, and although efforts were made to try and turn/string it into an adult male Pallid Harrier (or Monty Harrier), sadly none of the features fitted for either species and male Hen Harrier had to suffice. Still, a great May record and interestingly the 3rd May record for adult male Hen Harrier in the last few years. Also on Hartland were 3 Cuckoo still singing away and 3 Hobby were over Hartland Bog. In the Wareham Channel this AM a juvenile White-tailed Eagle was seen from our Spring Safari, as was a fishing male Osprey, likely 5R0. An adult male Marsh Harrier was also in the Wareham Channel, a Wheatear was on the sea wall at Brownsea, another decent count of warblers were logged around Swineham with 96 Reed Warbler, 29 Cetti’s Warbler and 5 Sedge Warbler, plus there was a Common Sandpiper in the Lower Piddle Valley. A Spoonbill landed on RSPB Arne Moors this afternoon.

Sandwich Terns – Wareham Channel – Alison Copland

‘Black Adder’ – Hartland Moor – Milly Morton 

With a decent set of easterly winds, thoughts of Pomarine Skua flocks passing close in at Branksome Chine had crossed and fogged our minds, but it wasn’t to be. In fact there was almost zero sea passage today. Of Osprey interest there was an intruder Osprey at the Carey nest site, but sadly it didn’t come close enough to be able to read any ring numbers, but there’s a good chance it could be a new returnee of ours from the 2024 season as this is when the 2-year olds begin to arrive back. There were 2 seen in Lytchett Bay about an hour later, one of which will definitely be local male 022, as he was seen perusing the other one around. And about 09:30 one was seen in Middlebere too, so no shortage today. On Hartland this morning there were no less than 4 Cuckoo singing around the fringes of the heathland.

Marsh Harrier – Middlebere – Alison Copland

It seemed the conditions this morning were potentially quite good for a late spring migration fall, but sadly it never materialised and it was a cast of regulars today that made up most of the days sightings. We did forget to include the sighting of a Honey Buzzard over the Frome Valley yesterday which is of local significance/importance. Other than that it seems the next wave of Ospreys are now coming through ‘new’ with 2-year olds appearing at different sites across southern England, which hopefully sees another couple of our 2024 cohort appear to join their sibling ‘5R0’ who is already back mega early. Today there were 2 Osprey in Lytchett Bay, another seen in Middlebere and our 3-year old male ‘5H3’ was seen on a harbour nest platform briefly. There were 2 Hobby over the Piddle Valley. A random Lesser Whitethroat was singing along the Fleetsbridge public footpath.

3-year old Osprey ‘5H3’ on harbour nest platform briefly this afternoon