Don’t be put off by the weather! April is always an exciting month and the rain can sometimes help by stopping birds from passing straight through during spring migration. We certainly made the most of the birds on our Spring Safari this morning with lots of action in the Wareham Channel including 1 White-tailed Eagle who, looking at the data, was the female G466 soaring high and then heading North. We also had the first winter Little Gull still on the Swineham floods and showing well, 2 Marsh Harrier in the vicinity and 1 Spotted Redshank over Arne Moors. We also had the first Sedge Warbler of the year singing at Swineham along with 1 Reed Warbler. As we left the Wareham Channel 1 Osprey, which looked to be a migrant unringed female, was hunting along the shorelines. Incredibly high spring tides in the harbour today with the gull islands almost completely disappearing, which is slightly worrying for the nesting Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls. 4 Great Northern Diver were still showing well with 2 in Ball’s Lake and 2 on the north shore of Brownsea. Finally 3 Spoonbill, 1 Common Tern, 5 Avocet, 1 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, c50 summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwit and c20 Bar-tailed Godwit on the Brownsea Lagoon made for a nice finish on a wet but very successful trip!

The first Hoopoe of the year was reported from this morning at Little Sea, Studland. A bizarre sighting first thing this morning from Lytchett Bay, with 2 Red-breasted Geese flying over and heading towards the Wareham Channel. They may have just pushed through but it’s worth keeping an eye out in the flooded valleys locally. Also 2 Spotted Redshank and 2 Whimbrel flew past from the Rock Lea View in Lytchett Bay. Some more spring migration starting to take place with early morning visible migration on Ballard Down providing 2 Tree Pipit, 2 Swallow and 1 Wheatear as well as some finch migration. 2 Common Sandpiper were in Holes Bay, although flighty. The Forster’s Tern was on the Brownsea Lagoon this morning although it evaded us on our boat trip.

Common Redshank and Black-headed Gull – Middlebere Channel – Phyl England