Mid-summer annually sees a ‘heron’ arrival into the harbour. Not just Grey Heron, but a range of species which are suspected to often be Continental arrivals, most notably Little Egret with numbers having really increased right across the harbour over the last 2-3 weeks. Well, the pattern continued today with a staggering 20 summer plumaged Cattle Egret seen flying over Swineham GP this morning and news odd news yesterday of a Purple Heron thats apparently been in Middlebere for 2 weeks, although no photos have emerged yet. Also today was a Goshawk with prey over Giggers Island, 2 Marsh Harrier around the mouth of the Frome including a newly fledged juvenile, male Osprey 022 was hunting in the Wareham Channel this morning and this afternoon and female White-tailed Eagle G466 was also in that area for much of the day. The Brownsea Lagoon saw 4 Avocet, 6 Spoonbill, 1 Common Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Greenshank. There were 2 passage Green Sandpiper at Sunnyside plus 2 Common Sandpiper at Holmelane GP. Finally, as autumn migration continues to build, young birds are starting their first dispersal movements and this morning saw the surprise catch of a fresh juvenile Marsh Tit in the Lower Piddle Valley, a species that is in fast decline in Dorset. Although we know they still breed in the Upper Piddle Valley a few kilometres away it would be nice to think that todays bird fledged slightly cloers, perhaps within our Poole Harbour recording area?

Juvenile Marsh Tit ringed Lower Piddle Valley – Ed Betteridge