With a minor break in the weather last night and this morning, some birds managed to migrate during the night, before the cloud and rain settled in mid-morning. The ringing station in the Lower Piddle Valley, at Carey saw another push of Sedge Warbler with 46 ringed along with 6 Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Willow Warbler and an unexpected Hobby in the mist nets. Some of the Sedge Warbler were storing large amounts of fat, with most weighing about 11.0g, but this morning several were 17.0g and one even weighed 20.0g. This afternoon at Lytchett Fields there were 2 Spotted Redshank, 30 Greenshank, 6 Common Sandpiper, 3 Green Sandpiper and small numbers of Common Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. Our Osprey Cruises delivered again today, despite the wind and infrequent showers, with 2-4 Osprey in and around the Wareham Channel, 1 White-tailed Eagle on Gold Point, RSPB Arne and visits to Brownsea logged c55 Spoonbill, c150 Ringed Plover, c15 Avocet and a few remaining Sandwich and Common Terns. At the Sunnyside Farm screen/scrape (which has recently been cut and is looking good) there were 4 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Green Sandpiper and 1 Wheatear. Wader numbers in Holes Bay are building nicely with 352 Redshank, 301 Black-tailed Godwit, 34 Curlew, 26 Oystercatcher and 6 Dunlin logged today, plus 1 Greenshank and 1 Common Sandpiper in the SE sector.

Adult male Eurasian Hobby – Lower Piddle Valley, Carey – Ed Betteridge

Adult male Eurasian Hobby – Lower Piddle Valley, Carey – Ed Betteridge