There was a definite ‘Friday Feeling’ about today with lots of good coverage and lots of good birds. Numerous highlights included Osprey sightings on Brownsea Island, in Brands Bay and in Holes Bay again where the juvenile once again fed on the perching platform. At Swineham 2 Ruff were on the ‘Stilt Pools’ along with 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull and 3-4 Marsh Harrier were in the area. The Spoonbill flock at Shipstal has increased to 53 and there was a female Merlin hunting at Shipstal Beach. There was a single Cattle Egret in fields on the outskirts of Ridge along the Arne Road and there was a Great White Egret at Lytchett Fields with 2 Curlew Sandpiper. An impressive 147 Cormorant ventured into the harbour having arriving in over Poole Town and there were just shy of 100 Great Crested Grebe back in the harbour already. In Brands Bay there were 6 Brent Geese and 2 Whimbrel were logged. Sandwich Tern are still about in good numbers with a minimum of 30 logged across the harbour and Black-tailed Godwit were noted in flocks of 500+ in Middlebere, the Wareham Channel and Holes Bay. Vis-mig was good today across the harbour with Siskin, Goldfinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill, alba Wagtails, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Swallow and House Martin all moving through across numerous migration corridors. There were at least 5 Sparrowhawk logged active across different water bodies of the harbour suggesting a local arrive or passage of this species. Pintail numbers are rising with 64 counted across different bays and Hen Harrier was seen just outside the harbour boundary in between Corfe and Harmans Cross, so that could well be in the harbour by now. We’re now well into October and thrush passage has been non-existent so far but with NE winds forecast for next week we could begin to see our first Redwings and Fieldfares settling or passing overhead and the arrival of the first Red-breasted Mergansers, Goldeneyes and Slavonian Grebes.

Wigeon – Holes Bay – Alison Copland

Osprey – Holes Bay – Alison Copland