It’s always nice to get autumn migration off to a cracker with a decent bird early doors. It’s rare for Dorset to see the arrival of an American wader outside of August or September, so a July Pectoral Sandpiper at Lytchett Fields today was a great find. Being so early in the season todays ‘Pec’ was an adult, showing a mature, darker, more worn plumage, unlike the fresher more fawn plumage of juveniles that appear later in the season. It stayed until early afternoon but wasn’t seen after the tide had peaked. There’s a good chance it’s still around, but just hiding away somewhere. Well worth looking out for tomorrow. There was also a Great White Egret on the fields today too. As July pushes on, pulses of migrants will begin to appear and today the first small flurry of Willow Warbler were appearing at several sites around the harbour.

White-tailed Eagle G801 wandered away from the Wareham Channel are and was on Brownsea for the morning before venturing back to the Wareham Channel later in the afternoon.

Pectoral Sandpiper – RSPB Lytchett Fields – Shaun Robson