A great start to the day with a Melodious Warbler singing near Middlebere at dawn, re-located on the knoll near the Old Shepherd’s hut (Harrier Hide) halfway along the Middlebere track, having first been seen and heard by a local birder on the 15th. It was reported as an unidentified warbler, possibly a hippolais, so an investigative early morning visit allowed for a still morning to try and listen to the birds song. The Sound Approach recently published an excellent article on how to ID four rare species of warbler that have similar song (Marsh Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Melodious Warbler and Icterine Warbler), and it was this article that helped clinch the ID of the mystery warbler this morning as the bird refused to show initially. After singing continuously it finally popped out in full view and didn’t stop singing pretty much all day! This is only the 10th Poole Harbour record.

Elsewhere around the harbour male Osprey 022 caught a fish just off Giggers Island, which saw one of the local nesting Marsh Harrier react and chase it away. This time 022 managed to keep hold of his Flounder unlike the other day when the Marsh Harrier forces him to drop it! Also in the Wareham Channel were 66 Shelduck, 1 Spoonbill, a pair of Egyptian Geese with 3 young, 250+ Canada Geese and good numbers of Sandwich Tern, more of which seem to be nesting on the gull islands. At Swineham Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and Cetti’s Warbler were all still in fine voice and another Egyptian Goose was on the scrape. A Cuckoo flew over the Stoborough Causeway and on the Brownsea Lagoon its good to see Sandwich Tern numbers picking up with 30+ pairs now settled. Also on the lagoon were 14 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Redshank, 1 Avocet and 200+ Common Tern.