An absolute stunner of a day, reaching 24 degrees and quite a contrast to recent weeks. It got birds on the move and all day Meadow Pipit were passing over in small numbers across many parts of the harbour. There were 3 Osprey in the Wareham Channel this morning including Scottish ringed 251(?) plus a juvenile and another adult. Female White-tailed Eagle G466 was sat on a tall snag on Arne Hill at RSPB Arne and there were 3 Hobby also in the Wareham Channel plus the autumns first Merlin was logged on Hartland Moor this morning. The Brownsea Lagoon was still busy with Spoonbill and saw 60+ roosting on the Tamerisk Island, where 5 Curlew Sandpiper were feeding in amongst their name-sake, plus 250+ Avocet, 5 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper and 200+ Black-tailed Godwit were also present. At RSPB Arne 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher and 1 Redstart were along the shipstal track near Arne Farm. We also got some exciting news this morning that our female Osprey from this years ‘nest 2’, female 1H1, was sighted down in Portugal yesterday at the Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado. She was last seen at her nest site on Sept 11th at 14:00, so she’s made good time! Plus, upon inspection of photos of a ‘Buzzard’ we saw over Brownsea during yesterdays Autumn Safari we’ve managed to confirm the ID was a juvenile Honey Buzzard.

Female Osprey 1H1 from ‘nest 2’ – Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal yesterday – Carlos Miguel

Scottish ringed Osprey 251(?) from this mornings Autumn Safari – Wareham Channel – David Turner

Juvenile Honey Buzzard – over Brownsea Island during yesterdays Autumn Safari – Ed Betteridge