Today we took out our first School Bird Boat of the winter and we were lucky with the weather, having only 6mph winds for a calm and pleasant cruise. An Osprey was spotted first thing flying directly over the Birds of Poole Harbour Office. 4 further Osprey were recorded with 3 together at Holes Bay and 1 seen at the same time close to the boat, resulting in an unusually high number for this time in the year. Also recorded from the boat were 2 Peregrine, c30 Spoonbill, c50 Avocet, 4 Sandwich Tern and 6 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. A Wheatear was also seen at Holes Bay.
Brownsea Lagoon was flourishing today with a variety of species recorded including 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank, 14 Knot, 12 Greenshank, 52 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Ringed Plover, 6 Grey Plover, 1 Sanderling, c12 Curlew, 2 Kingfisher, 3 Firecrest and a Cetti’s Warbler (a rare sighting for Brownsea).
At Greenlands Farm there was a single Whinchat, 6 Wheatear and plenty of Chiffchaff. We also carried out our first night ringing session of the autumn in the south of the harbour which resulted in a handful of Common Snipe seen (1 caught and ringed) and a single Jack Snipe seen.
At Middlebere there were 24 Wigeon, 800+ Black-tailed Godwits , 300+ Avocet, 4 Redshank, 9 Shelduck, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Spotted Flycatchers around the barns along with 10+ Chiffchaff.
Although we’re only in the early stages of the summer months, the first signs of autumn migration occurred…
Find out moreAnother stunning Sunset Safari Cruise this evening with male Osprey 022 hunting in the Wareham Channel and a…
Find out more© 2025 Birds of Poole Harbour Registered Charity No. 1152615