There were more wader arrivals today with a minimum of 12 Green Sandpiper now on Lytchett Fields, plus the seasons first juvenile Little Ringed Plover with 2 adults present too. There was also 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Marsh Harrier and the seasons first juvenile Mediterranean Gull also at Lytchett Fields. From this evenings Sunset Safari, Common Sandpiper were on the increase with 4 in the mouth of the Frome, 1 on Long Island and 2 on the Brownsea sea wall. The highlight was 3 pretty decent sized Avocet chicks on the lagoon which looked as if they could well survive until adulthood, although there were plenty of Great Black-backed Gulls watching on! Also from the cruise male Osprey 022 caught 2 fish in quick succession and there was a distant White-tailed Eagle on the Holton shoreline with a Marsh Harrier hunting along the RSPB Arne shoreline. There was also an Osprey on the ‘new’ Middlebere perch/platform today which sadly didn’t land on the nest, meaning we couldn’t get a positive ID on it. Elsewhere a Golden Pheasant was seen on the Furzey slipway from Studland, there were 7 Grey Plover and a Whimbrel in Brands Bay. Also, it looks as if Teal successfully bred at Lytchett Bay again this year which is probably one of only a handful of pairs across the county.

Juvenile Eurasian Teal – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam