It was a fine still day for most of the day, which aesthetically looked good for a big fall of migrants, with dark a sky looming and spring chill in the air. However a large bank of rain sat out just off the Dorset coast seemed to halt any early new dawn arrivals but it didn’t matter as there was sill plenty on offer. At Swineham there was a Sanderling on the Stilt Pools which is a major Swineham rarity, and it was feeding with 2 Dunlin and 1 Ringed Plover. There were 5+ Sedge Warbler and 10+ Reed Warbler and also 2 Marsh Harrier off Swineham Point. It was great to see so many Swift back with c20 over Swineham and another c20 over Hamworthy. Up on Hartland 6 Wheatear were in the top fields near Scotland Farm as was a Lesser Whitethroat and a Hobby went over. In the Holes Bay area there were 2 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler and 2 Blackcap in the PCW Drain and 9 Whimbrel in Holes Bay NE. The Brownsea Lagoon had good numbers of Common Tern but very few waders with just 2 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Avocet, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 10 Black-tailed Godwit. There were still c20 Great Crested Grebe out on the open areas of the harbour which was interesting for early May and Gadwall were conspicuous in many places around the harbour including the Wareham Channel and Brownsea. Gadwall have always been a scarce/rare breeding bird in the harbour but if the 30+ seen today are breeding residence then the breeding population has grown considerably.

Juvenile Stonechat – Holton Lee (currently closed to public) – Tony Furnell