Today was our second Osprey bird boat of three and the conditions today (and the same for tomorrow) looked perfect. But don’t you just hate it when a crowd comes to see you and someone, or in this case something else steals the show? That’s exactly what happened today when the Ospreys were well and truly out-classed (as much as it pains us to say that). We were treated to an excellent flying display of an Osprey along the Arne shoreline down the Wareham Channel, while another flew to the north heading for Lytchett Bay. Common and Sandwich Tern were actively feeding, looking as if they were diving into glass as the harbour was totally motionless. Then it was the turn of the seals with 2-3 seen in the mouth of Middlebere and 3 Common Sandpiper were on the shore of Long Island. Then, out of nowhere, local musician and birder Simon Emmerson shouted out “whats that?? A..a Phalarope”… and sure enough, not 10 feet from the boat was a tiny, immaculate juvenile Red-necked Phalarope feeding happily as 50+ people stared down on it from a big yellow Brownsea Island Ferry. We watched it for a good 15 minuets as photographers happily snapped away in the mid afternoon sunshine. That wasn’t the only amazing birding event today. Elsewhere an incredible 73 Grasshopper Warbler were ringed on Ballard along with 27 Sedge Warbler, 11 Reed Warbler, 20 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 12 Whitethroat, 1 Redstart and 1 Tree Pipit. A Great White Egret was in Wytch Lake and 11 Spoonbill were in Middlebere. At Lytchett Fields there were 95 Dunlin, 110 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Ringed Plover, 8 Greenshank, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Common Sandpiper, 23 Green Sandpiper along with 3 Spotted Flycatcher and 7 Yellow Wagtail. Redstarts were at Greenland’s Farm, South Haven, Hartland Moor and Slepe Heath with Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher also on Hartland. In Middlebere 4-5 Osprey were present all day. 

Red-necked Phalarope – Central Harbour – Katie Horrocks

Red-necked Phalarope – Central Harbour – Rowena Bird