We mentioned yesterday that birds were beginning to move already with the first signs of autumn passage getting underway. What we weren’t expecting though was a drake Common Scoter to drop into Holes Bay NE at dawn, just off the outflow channel. This was obviously a bird in transit as it only stayed for 30 seconds before flying off SW back over the railway bridge…a very interesting mid-summer record. There was some more interaction between a couple of Osprey at Middlebere with one bird eating a fish on the pole and another coming to harass it. An early fledged juvenile from somewhere, maybe hassling for some food? Or a fish envy altercation between the two birds present since early June? At Lytchett Fields the Little ringed Plover total went up to 7, with 7 Green Sandpiper, the 1^stGreenshank of the autumn, 21 Lapwing, 53 Redshank and 5 Spoonbill. Nearby, on Lytchett Heath a short ringing session saw the first juv Reed Warblers of the autumn caught along with 3 Cetti’s Warbler and several Reed Bunting. A quick check at South Haven produced 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Guillemot and a single Gannet off Pilots Point. This evening we hosted one of our mid-summer Nightjar walks at Arne and despite a gentle breeze we were treated to Barn Owl flying around the Middlebere Marsh, Osprey sat in the dead trees, Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit calling and flying into the Middlebere Channel as the tide began to fall, and of course as darkness fell, a chorus of Nightjar, perhaps 5-6 heard along with some active territorial chasing between two males right past our group. 

Kingfisher – Holes Bay north – Olly Slessor