This morning several local birders tried another sea watch from Branksome chine but it just went to show that to produce the goods, you really need that strong SE wind. Totals today included 8 Shelduck, 1 Common Scoter, 2 Gannet, several Common and Sandwich Tern, several Med Gulls and 1 Peregrine. In Poole Harbour mouth the low tide saw a small group of 12 Common Tern feeding around one of the exposed islands. Amazingly the Hartland Great Grey Shrike is still there, this has to be potentially one of the latest Great Grey Shrikes the harbour’s ever had. At Greenlands Farm there were 7 Wheatear, 3 Stonechat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (slightly further west) and several Blackcap singing. At Lytchett Fields a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling near the waterworks, a Cuckoo was calling over towards Holton Lee but later made its way near French’s Farm, on the fields there was a male Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Greenshank, 4 Whimbrel in the bay and a Marsh Harrier over. At Lytchett Heath Bearded Tit were calling from the reedbeds at the end of the heath.

Below are a few recordings we made yesterday whilst trying to sound record the Grasshopper Warbler at Lytchett Bay which annoyingly shut up once we got our gear out. However this Reed Warbler was far more obliging, the Cetti’s Warbler also wanted in on the action whilst this female Bullfinch was producing a range of calls rarely heard unless listened to at close quarters. 

 Reed Warbler – Song of male – Lytchett Bay – 01/05/17 @ 08:42

Bullfinch – Calls of a female – Lytchett Bay – 01/05/17 @ 09:04 

 Cetti’s Warbler – Outburst of song – Lytchett Bay – 01/05/17 @ 08:48