Another fine, autumnal September day which prompted not, 1, not 2 but 3 White-tailed Eagles to visit the harbour. Female G801 returned with her on/off ‘friend’, male G816. However around midday, another female G318 turned up, which was one of the eagles that arrived into the harbour earlier this year, originally with G801. They seem to be moving around a lot, so who knows how long they’l be around for but hopefully longer than 24 hours this time. A September record number of Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost this morning with 11 present and in the Frome Valley 7 Cattle Egret were with cows. Osprey were seen hunting in Lytchett Bay and the 3 were in the Wareham Channel and a Goshawk was over the Wareham Channel late afternoon. This evening there was 1 each of Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper on the Stilt Pools at Swineham and 7 Cattle Egret were roosting on the gravel pit island. On Brownsea there c45 Spoonbill, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 summer plumaged Grey Plover, c40 Avocet and 6 Greenshank. There was a Pied Flycatcher near the NT Middlebere hide and 3 Whinchat on top of Hartland. From the Middlebere lookout there were 18 Spoonbill feeding out in front and a Marsh Harrier put up c400 Black-tailed Godwit.

Juvenile Cattle Egret – Swineham – Garry Hayman