There was a classic winter/spring mix right across the harbour today with this mornings Spring Safari returning the goods as well as other goodies popping up here and there. There was a minimum of 4 Osprey with our pair, plus another 2 un-ringed individuals, each of which were on different ‘other’ nest platforms at the same time, one of which was even joined by our male 022 who was having another snoop around to see who the new arrivals were. There were2 White-tailed Eagle over RSPB Arne, and later in the afternoon 3 over Swineham. On the Swineham scrapes the drake Garganey was showing brilliantly and there were 5 Little Ringed Plover, plus the spring first Sedge Warbler was in scrub opposite Ridge Wharf boat yard. Also around Swineham were 2 Marsh Harrier and there was also a decent pulse of Swallow and Sand Martin going through. A Great Northern Diver was off the Brownsea southern shore and the Brownsea Lagoon still seemed really busy with c200 summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit, c40 Bar-tailed Godwit, c20 Avocet, c100 Sandwich Tern, c100 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Tern, 8 Wigeon and there were 18 dark-bellied Brent Goose still dotted around. In the PCW drain 2 Willow Warbler and a Blackcap were singing, at Greenlands Farm 3 Wheatear and a Merlin were seen and on Ballard another 2 Wheatear. At Lytchett Fields there were 4 Cattle Egret.

Osprey – Wareham Channel – John Thorpe