Today was a scorcher of a day, certainly for late April! The high pressure continued to dominate and as a result, birds were a tad harder to find, but there was still plenty about. It’s been a great spring so far for Pied Flycatcher and today another 2 were found, both females, with one at Swineham GP close to where the Red-spotted Bluethroat has been hanging out (and was seen today), and another was in Norden near the Half Way Inn. There were 3 Hobby over the Arne Road this afternoon, all hunting together, 2 Swift were over Wareham and 2 Red Kite were over Wareham Common, with 2 migrant Garden Warbler having a sub-song off right next to one another in that area. On Brownsea more and more Common Tern are arriving and the first Black-headed Gulls are on eggs now, plus a lone Spoonbill was still there. A potential adult male Honey Buzzard passed over Hartland and headed towards Brownsea and a White-tailed Eagle was seen over Hartland. In Holes Bay there were 12 Whimbrel and 2 Common Sandpiper and this evening the first 2 Nightjar of the year were singing and wing-clapping near the Burnbake campsite on the Rempstone Estate, between Arne and Studland.

Finally, the Osprey dramas continued today with local male 022 having now stepped away from the local argy bargy, leaving the two new arrivals 5H3 and 5R0 to sort things out themselves with a few tussles this morning between the two bachelors who seem to be fighting over prime real estate in the area. Both were tussling over nests around the Middlebere area this early morning, but then neither were seen for the rest of the day, until just before sunset, 2-year old 5R0 made an appearance leaving us wondering where 5H3 could be? No doubt he’ll put in appearance tomorrow, but we dread to think what might happen if a lone new female appears on the scene in the coming days…..it could be utter carnage as competition for both nest sites and mates increases!

Two Garden Warbler performing plastic song next to one another – Wareham Common