With Highs of 26 degrees on the Quay, Holten Lee Pool reported Lapwing, including several fresh juveniles and 7 Black-tailed Godwit and the webcam picked up a Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit and Goldfinch. Poole Park has seen 9 Tufted Duck and 185 Greylag Geese. If you would like to assist in researching movements of Greylag Geese please report and sighting Greylag Geese with white colour leg rings beginning with the letter ‘U’ followed by 3 letter to pooleparkgreylags@gmail.com. Over on Brownsea a Curlew, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Spoonbill, 1 Little Egret, 4 Avocet, 2 Dunlin (new migrants), 10 Gadwall,  3 Moorhen, and 1 Redshank amongst the usual high numbers of Sandwich Tern c250, Common Tern c150, Shelduck c50, Oystercatcher c80, Black-headed Gull c300, Cormorant c40, and Great Black-backed Gull c50. Out over the Wareham Channel 2 Ospereywere seen. 

Finally, we were rewarded with a right result last night when night recording in the Piddle Valley when a Common Quail called as it flew over our mic’s at 02:35am. This is an incredibly rare species in Poole Harbour with the last confirmed singing of a bird in being 1993! There may be more recent records we’re unaware of but it gives you a rough idea of just how scarce they are. Let’s hope the next one drops down and stays a tad longer!

Common Quail – Call of night time migrant – Piddle Valley 06/07/19