What a day to be out and about with a high of 22°C and a warm NNE 12mph wind, perfect conditions for a Poole Harbour bird survey to be conducted.

Some of our team spent the day out on a survey boat around the harbour including a trip up the Wareham River and then over to Brownsea which saw an excellent range of species and autumn migration in full swing. The highlight in terms of a visual spectacle was the constant passage of Meadow Pipit, Swallow, House Martinand Sand Martin that pulsed north for the majority of the day. Over the hours we were on the boat several thousand must have passed through the harbour, which was an incredible sight to see. There seemed to be plenty of other birds on the move too with numerous Wheatear in open pasture fields and Chiffchaff abundant in hedgerows. There were plenty other highlights from across the harbour too with a large female Goshawkseen over Slepe Heath, a Great White Egret at Lytchett Bay and a Cattle Egret on the Swineham floodplain. An Osprey passed very close to the Survey boat at the mouth of the Frome and one caught a fish in Lytchett Bay and headed over Holton Lee. A mixture of 18 Pale Bellied and Dark-Bellied Brent Geese were also recorded in Ower Bay, on the South side of the Harbour which is a great early autumn count.

The Spoonbill were seen early over at Shipstal Point, Arne with 22 recorded and 30 were later seen back at Brownsea Lagoon. Also seen at the Lagoon were; c400 Oystercatcher, 12 Black–tailed Godwit, 12 Avocet, 5 Little Egret, 30 Spoonbill, 4 Greylag Geese, c20 Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whinchat and 1 Peregrine.  Over Arne Moors 2 Marsh Harrier were logged with another in the mouth of Middlebere.

A fair amount of activity at Lytchett Fields with 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little stint, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 8 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Wheatear, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Marsh Harrier logged.

Holton Pools saw Whinchat, Wheatear, Stonechat, Marsh Harrier and Kingfisher whilst Yellow Wagtail were seen heading over Poole Quay and Swineham GP.

Along numerous sandy shorelines around Arne and Furzey Island migrant Bar-tailed Godwit hunkred up with the roosting Oystercatchers and Great Crested Grebe numbers are increasing with a raft on 35 in Brands Bay.

With ESE winds forecast over the weekend the harbour will surely offer another mouth watering array of birds, so don’t start that long over due painting or decorating just yet and make sure you get out there and explore. Its perfect conditions for a Wryneck or Red-backed Shrike to drop in so don’t leave any bush un-checked because you never know what you could find.

Cattle Egret – Swineham – Paul Morton