A more blustery day in the harbour today with some fantastic interactions between birds of prey from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning. In the Wareham Channel we had local male Osprey 022 catch a fish and then be harassed by a Buzzard. Soon after, 022 began skydancing, while carrying the fish, to see off an intruder Osprey in proximity to a Red Kite! This intruding Osprey was driven off towards Middlebere and was later photographed as 1AO, a Scottish ringed male who we are still waiting to hear back on info, in terms of his life history. We then had a food pass between the Marsh Harrier pair in the Wareham Channel, and most amazingly of all, a late female Merlin caught a Dunlin on the Brownsea Lagoon as pictured below! c40 Dunlin were on the Brownsea Lagoon along with 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and the usual Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, busy caring for eggs and chicks. There was no sign of the Roseate Tern today. 1 Hobby flew over the Wareham Channel and 2 Bearded Tit were in the mouth of the River Frome. 1 Spoonbill was in the Middlebere Channel.

We also had the exciting news this morning that the third Osprey chick on the Careys Secret Garden nest had hatched overnight! Hopefully the final one will be out in the next 48 hours or so!

Female Merlin with Dunlin prey from our Spring Safari – Brownsea Lagoon – dpnotts.bsky.social

Scottish ringed Osprey – 1AO – Middlebere Channel – ‪dizzygirl66.bsky.social‬

3 Osprey Chicks on the Nest Webcams first thing this morning

Marsh Harrier food pass in the Wareham Channel from our Spring Safari – ‪dpnotts.bsky.social‬