Well, it was Osprey-tastic in the harbour today, more specifically, the Middlebere Channel. Our Osprey cruise out in the Wareham Channel certainly saw 4 different individual Osprey which were sticking to the channel fringes where the water would have been less rippled by the wind. However in Middlebere it seemed that the 5 different individuals were interacting with one another a lot, with 3 circling together for quite a while. This is great as it shows many are now on their autumn migrations and it won’t be long until more begin to arrive which will soon include adult males and fresh juveniles. Let the Osprey-bonanza begin! Separate to the Osprey-fest were 3 different Marsh Harrier, 2 in Middlebere and a lovely adult male over Gigger’s Island. There were also 3 different Cattle Egret with 2 roosting on the Swineham island and another at Lytchett Fields. Also at Lytchett Fields were 1 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 18 Greenshank, 12 Green Sandpiper, 6 Common Sandpiper, 98 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Dunlin, 9 Ringed Plover, 40+ Redshank and 1 Yellow Wagtail. Just outside Wareham a Pied Flycatcher was along the North Walls along with a Yellow Wagtail, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Wheatear. The Brownsea Lagoon was looking great again with 8 Spoonbill (14 had been seen earlier in the Wareham Channel), c280 Dunlin, c110 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Stint, 1 juv Curlew Sandpiper, 3+ Sanderling, 1 Knot, 14 Avocet, 12 Greenshank and 2 Wheatear. Also in Middlebere were 3 Pintail still, 10 Greenshank and 30 Black-tailed Godwit. At Holes Bay/Upton CP good numbers of birds gathered on the huigh tide just off the ‘Stone Bench’ including 104 Little egret going into roost, 10 Common Sandpiper, 760 Black-tailed Godwit, 354 Redshank, 4 Knot and 4 Wigeon. 

Sandwich Tern – Wareham Channel – Rene Goad

Marsh Harrier – Brownsea Lagoon (yesterday) – Rene Goad

Spoonbill – Brownsea Lagoon – Rene Goad

Cattle Egret – Lytchett Fields – Rene Goad

Osprey – Middlebere – Alison Copland