Another excellent summer safari cruise this morning produced a wide range of species. No sooner than 15 minutes into the trip, male G463 White-tailed eagle, was seen sat on the salt marsh at Arne, he didn’t move from that location throughout the morning. An Osprey was briefly see in the same area and then a juvenile female Goshawk circled over the woodland at Arne before heading over the back of the boat and towards Hamworthy and Ham common area. An incredible start to the boat trip!
The Wareham channel contained the usual growing flocks of Black-tailed godwits (at least 200), 15 Common sandpiper, 1 Spotted redshank, 12 Greenshank, 50 Curlew, 10 Lapwing and 7 Great crested grebe. An usually early Common scoter was seen in the Wareham channel too.

One of the Carey juvenile Ospreys, male 5R5, was spotted and photographed practicing his hunting techniques while another Osprey, probably his father, 022, fished nearby. Later in the cruise, female White-tailed eagle, G466 was sat on the salt marsh waiting for her opportunity to steal a fish from an unsuspecting Osprey.

Whilst travelling across the harbour towards Brownsea Island, another Osprey was seen catching a fish off Arne whilst the same male White-tailed eagle watched on. Perhaps the fish wasn’t big enough for him to consider chasing down and stealing?

On the Brownsea lagoon, 11 Avocet, 100 Oystercatcher, 10 Ringed plover, 100 Dunlin, 6 Mediterranean gull, 50 Common tern, 150 Sandwich tern and 9 Spoonbill provided a brilliant conclusion to the cruise.

Male G463 White-tailed eagle – Arne – Conor Macleod

Harbour seal – Wareham channel – Conor Macleod

Juvenile Osprey 5R5 – Wareham channel – Conor Macleod

Juvenile Goshawk – Wareham channel – Conor Macleod

Common scoter – Wareham Channel – Conor Macleod