Another warm day in the harbour with conditions more settled. Lots of raptor activity, especially with the local Peregrine families with the Poole birds flying well now and at Corfe Castle 2 chicks getting very close to fledging. Ospreys 6J8 and 5H3 were seen interacting again in the Middlebere Channel as well as catching fish successfully. Also present in Middlebere were 1 Spoonbill and 1 White-tailed Eagle. There was a decent count of 25 Common Swift over Upper Parkstone this morning and there were a few more signs of ‘autumn’ progressing with 13 Avocet on the Brownsea Lagoon now, along with 4 Teal, 3 Redshank and 11 Bar-tailed Godwit, plus 1 Spoonbill, also the emergence and dispersal of young from the local breeders suggest autumn passage is just around the corner with young Common Whitethroats moving around out on Ballard Down.

Outside of the Poole Harbour boundary but, this evening we took out a successful Seabird and Puffin Cruise to Dancing Ledge with 2 Puffin sat on the water at Dancing Ledge plus another 2 observed on the cliff ledge, along with 6 Fulmar, 6 Kittiwake, 500+ Guillemot and 3 Razorbill. 

Juvenile common Whitethroat – Ballard Down Peter Moore