With this mornings persistent and rather welcome (but unwelcome) rain, there wasn’t much birding to be had before lunch, but bang on 13:30 the sky’s cleared and a brisk north-westerly kicked in. Most intriguing was a gathering of 9 Goosander in Brands Bay which is highly unusual for September, and for Brands Bay. A single Curlew Sandpiper was in Middlebere briefly this morning, a Glossy Ibis was in the Wareham Channel along with 5 Great White Egrets and 2 Marsh Harrier. Still no real shortage of Ospreys with 4 in the Wareham Channel this afternoon, 2-3 in Lytchett Bay, 2 in Brands Bay and 2 over Middlebere, although there will be a bit of overlap. Female White-tailed Eagle G466 was also in the Wareham Channel this afternoon. A few more winter birds were about with 4 Pintail in Brands Bay and there are now 49 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon.

Marsh Harrier – Lytchett Bay – Alison Copland