Sightings03/04/2022

Harbour Update – posted 03/04/22

A stunningly calm morning out on the harbour made for another excellent Spring Safari Cruise. The undoubtable highlight was a fly-by Osprey at the top of the Wareham Channel, first passing close over the boat and later returning north with a freshly caught fish clutched in its talons. Another Osprey was in the Wareham Channel later in the day and one was at Morden Bog. We were also treated to a prominently perched White-tailed Eagle, a displaying pair of Marsh Harrier, and a very distant Goshawk.  It’s been a busy day for Goshawk, with an early morning visitor causing a commotion as it flew through Lytchett Bay, and another this evening over Swineham, flushing 4 Cattle Egret from the lower Frome as it hunted. At Swineham there was also 1 Great White Egret this evening along with 4 Sand Martin, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin flew by. There were also thousands and thousands of gulls again in the Wareham Channel this evening on the low tide, mostly Black-headed Gulls.

There were plenty of signs of spring in the air, with a Willow Warbler at Fleetsbridge, the first House Martin of the year through the harbour entrance, and flocks of Sand Martin in both the Frome and Piddle Valleys. Sandwich Tern also continue to build in numbers and were active throughout the harbour, including over the Brownsea Lagoon. Other highlights in this area were 1 Grey Plover, 1 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 30+ Avocet and a few lingering Wigeon. Two other long-staying species seen in the central harbour were a couple of Brent Geese and a single Guillemot off Baiter. In Hamworthy there was a Black Redstart on a roof near the Old Lifting Bridge and access roundabout to Poole Port and in Holes Bay there were still c70 Wigeon and another Spotted Redshank. There were 3 Spoonbill and another Great White Egret in Wytch Lake and a few Swallow were on the move with birds over Slepe Heath, Middlebere and Lytchett Minster.

Osprey – Wareham Channel – Mark Wright

White-tailed Eagle – Wareham Channel – Mark Wright

Sandwich Tern – Wareham Channel – Mark Wright

Cattle Egrets – Swineham

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