Some pretty serious downpours tonight would have filled up the river valleys, making it perfect for the ongoing Glossy Ibis irruption. Yesterdays 5 were still on Lytchett Fields this morning and spent most of the day there before then heading off SW and were re-found in the Frome Valley near the Wareham by-pass. Yesterday there was a British record total of 605 birds logged across the country. While they used to be rare vagrants in the UK, sightings have really increased over the last decade as birds recolonise western Europe due to wetland restoration and, aided by climate change as the move north. They bred for the first time in the UK in 2022 in Cambridgeshire. This September’s arrival seems to be caused by birds dispersing in favourable winds from south-western Europe, along with very high breeding success in Spain and France from a growing population. Could this big influx encourage more birds to stay and breed? There was a flock of 91 in Devon yesterday so its likely we’ll see more over the next few weeks.

Grounded migrants were thin on the ground up around Ballard this morning but did include 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 15+ Chiffchaff and a light passage of House Martin, Sand Martin and Swallow. In the Lower Piddle Valley, Carey a good range of migrants were ringed including 2 Nightjar, 6 Grasshopper Warbler, 15 Sedge Warbler, 1 Redstart, 26 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler and 1 Tree Pipit. On the Brownsea Lagoon 2 Curlew Sandpiper were out in front of the Avocet Hide and c50 Spoonbill were on the Tamerisk Island. In Lytchett Bay 3 different Osprey visited, as did an adult White-tailed Eagle. A flock of 11 Cattle Egret were at Holmebridge/Worgret, another was on Wareham Common, 1 in Lytchett Bay and 2 in Middlebere.

Glossy Ibis – Lytchett Bay