Is it really summer? Lashings of rain yesterday and 35mph winds today, not exactly beach weather…unless you’re doing a sea watch of course? The harbour’s first Balearic Shearwater of the year passed Ballard Down in rough conditions along with several Fulmar and c80 Gannet. A Hobby was also hunting Hirundines along the top on Glebelands. At Lytchett Fields there were 23 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpiper, 7 Green Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 4 Greenshank, 5 Sedge Warbler and 1 Kingfisher. In Middlebere there was still an Osprey in the dead trees and 6 Spoonbill were in Middlebere. The Bonaparte’s Gull is still on Brownsea, seemingly enjoying its self. The channels and creeks around Middlebere, Wytch, Brands Bay and Arne still have lots of Whimbrel and building numbers of Grey Plover.

We also have some exciting news in that our scrape extension work at Holton Pools, Holton Lee is almost complete. We’ve opened the site right up now making more standing water and muddy areas which in turn will hopefully interlink with birds that are using Lytchett Fields. It may take a few weeks/months to bed in and become fully functional, but by opening it up it should make waders, duck and herons feel more comfortable with bigger wider open areas. Please, if you visit this site we’d love to know what you see so please report sightings to us or write in the log book left in the hide. 

New scrapes at Holton Pools, Livability Holton Lee