After yesterdays grey day, it was good to get some sun back today, although things have already turned pretty autumnal with an autumn gale due to hit later in the week! The last few days have seen a halt in migration it seems with numbers of Spoonbill, various waders, Osprey and small passerines all either staying static or dropping in numbers for now. Spoonbill numbers on Brownsea remain at 21, there are still 7-8 Osprey around, small numbers of Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler are all pushing through and Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Greenshank numbers on Brownsea have all plateaued. Interestingly, the main new arrivals came in the shape of c35 Avocet on Brownsea yesterday. Up until last weekend there has consistently only been 1-4 Avocet on the Brownsea Lagoon over the last couple of months, but with over thirty now present indicates these are now on the move. Once this current area of low pressure passes this weekend, there’s no doubt things will pick up and start increasing again. Todays highlight from our Osprey Cruise was female White-tailed Eagle G466 sitting on an ‘No Landing’ sign on the RSPB shoreline at close range, with the male flying past soon after. There were also 2 Great White Egret at the top end of the Wareham Channel, plus a Marsh Harrier.  There was a great movement of 17 Balearic Shearwater off Ballard Down this morning along with 8 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar and 1 Tree Pipit, + 2 Yellow Wagtail over. In Lytchett Bay this morning 7 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and a Ringed Plover were of note.

White-tailed Eagle G466 – RSPB Arne shoreline viewed from todays Osprey Cruise – Harry McBride