It felt really autumnal today and very birdy, with the sky full of Swallows for most of the day as well as smaller numbers of House Martin and Sand Martin. It’s impossible to estimate the true total of hirundines passing through today but it was many, many thousands. At dawn 12 Marsh Harrier  left the west harbour roost, the Hobby family (2 adult, 2 juv) over Arne were active just after sunrise and one of the White-tailed Eagles was active in the Wareham Channel. A Red Kite drifted high over the north of the Wareham Channel and 4 Cattle Egret headed west just after dawn. On the Swineham scrape the Wood Sandpiper, and Little Stint were both still present until a Peregrine came through and took a Black-tailed Godwit off the pool. Osprey sightings were thinner on the ground today but individuals were still seen over Lytchett Bay, the Wareham Channel, 1 in Holes Bay and 2 were in Brands Bay. Male Goshawks were logged over the Piddle Valley and Hartland. On Lytchett fields 2 Spotted Redshank were feeding and there was at least 1 Curlew Sandpiper. The Spoonbill group of 53 were moving between Brownsea, Middlebere and Shipstal and there was a Green Sandpiper in front 0f the Middlebere Hide.

Green Sandpiper – Middlebere – Phyl England