Afternoon! Sorry for the late post, but our website has been updating over the last 24 hours, and we’ve only been able to access it again now. Yesterday morning we hosted another Autumn Safari Cruise which didn’t see a breath of wind all morning. Our group were treated to excellent views of female White-tailed Eagle G801 as she was initially sat in a tree on the edge of the Wareham Channel, but then decided to fly out past us as she crossed the Wareham Channel. Further up ahead another White-tailed Eagle, male G812 obviously saw her and also crossed the channel, tracking her over towards Lytchett Bay. At the same time we had an adult female Osprey ‘perch fishing’ from a tree on the edge of the Wareham Channel, a behaviour we rarely see in Poole Harbour. The Brownsea Lagoon hosted c60 Spoonbill which was an incredible sight, mainly because nearly all 60 had their heads out of their armpits, all looking pristine and ready for the winter. By the end of the day the flock total had reached 67. Could this be a record breaking year? At Swineham during the evening there were 3 Ruff, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 1 Common and 1 Green Sandpiper. A Great White Egret was at Lytchett Fields and at Middlebere a Honey Buzzard and Goshawk were reported passing over. Osprey sightings included 3-4 individuals around the Middlebere, Arne, Wareham Channel area with another on Pergins Island. Around the fringes of the harbour in the north, Turnstone and Ringed Plover numbers are building with 18 Turnstone and and 14 Ringed Plover on Baiter Beach and in Holes Bay there are now up to 284 Wigeon. A full morning count of the Brownsea Lagoon produced 78 Teal, 7 Wigeon, 1 Shoveler, 133 Avocet, 94 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Knot, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 114 Dunlin, 64 Redshank and 9 Greenshank. Marsh Harrier were active in Middlebere (2) and the mouth of the Frome (2) with another at Lytchett Bay where there were also 2 Curlew Sandpiper.

Turnstone – Baiter – John Newman

White-tailed Eagle – Wareham Channel from Autumn Safari Cruise – John Thorpe