The calm after the storm in the harbour today and it seems it’s brought a number of migrant Ospreys, as they were all across the harbour today. A left-leg blue ringed Osprey was in Lytchett Bay this morning (meaning it is a bird that was ringed in Scotland). We had 7 different Osprey in the Wareham Channel from our Summer Safari Cruise this morning, including at least 2 juveniles, likely from the Carey Nest. This included one fish catch and another bird carrying a fish. There were 2 Osprey at Middlebere, including a juvenile and an adult catching a fish, but no doubt some of these birds overlapped in the Wareham Channel. It certainly bodes well for a very busy season of Osprey passage this August and September.

There were also 12 Spoonbill and 1 Great White Egret in the Middlebere Channel. 1 White-tailed Eagle was also soaring over the southern parts of the harbour. On the Brownsea Lagoon at high tide there were 2 stunning summer plumaged Knot along with 14 Spoonbill, c150 Dunlin, c15 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling and 20 Avocet. In Lytchett Bay, the 3 Spotted Redshank were still present.

At the Piddle Valley Ringing site 2 milestones were hit today, with over 2000(!) birds having been ringed this Autumn already and the 1000th Sedge Warbler. 76 Sedge Warbler were ringed today, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 6 Willow Warbler and 1 Linnet.

Linnet – Piddle Valley Ringing Site – Ed Betteridge