It was really autumnal across the harbour today with a real sense of coming and going. We’re currently in that amazing transition period of birds moving through in all directions, pit-stopping off in the harbour before then moving on again, or, as we experienced this AM, birds making landfall for the winter having probably commuted several hundred miles. The harbour today was quite literally a sheer delight. Highlights included 3-4 Osprey with most sightings around the Lytchett Bay/Holton shoreline with one at Middlebere, one was fishing in the Wareham Channel and one in Brands Bay. At the top end of the Wareham Channel a Ruff was feeding on the mud with 800+ Black-tailed Godwit. In the Lower Frome Valley there was another Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper on pools at Arne Moors (viewed from a boat) and on the Swineham scrapes there were 4 Wigeon and 1 Shoveler. Swineham GP was busy with 1 Pochard, 1 Tufted Duck, 90+ Coot, 5 Wigeon, 10+ Gadwall plus good numbers of Sand Martin, Swallow and House Martin with a single Swift. A small party of Bearded Tit were in the reed beds off Swineham Point and 2 Marsh Harrier were in that area. There were still both a handful of Sandwich and Common Tern feeding and a group of 38 Turnstone were on Hamworthy beach. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 24 Spoonbill, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 8+ Greenshank, 50+ Ringed Plover, 250+ Dunlin, 20+ Knot, 6 Sanderling, 31 Avocet, 7 Wigeon, 12 Shoveler and 50+ Redshank. In Holes Bay NE Wigeon numbers increased to 73 and there were 2 Common Sandpiper there too. It was also fantastic to witness Wigeon arriving in from the north as a party of 8 came from high above the Frome Valley before settling towards Middlebere. There were a scattering of Wheatear with 4 at Arne and 4 on the Brownsea sea wall. Chiffchaff numbers are really building and are beginning to take over Willow Warbler totals. This evening a new Osprey was seen on the webcam, just before 18:00, this time a juvenile from Scotland. We know this as it had a blue ring on the left leg but frustratingly we couldn’t quite read it. Hopefully it will come back again tomorrow. Other late news included 2 Redstart and 30+ Yellow Wagtail on top of Hartland early this evening and 5 Marsh Harrier out of the west harbour roost this morning.

Spoonbills – Brownsea Lagoon

Redstart – Hartland Moor

Newly arrived juvenile Scottish Osprey – On nest cam