Sightings27/02/2022

Harbour Update – posted 27/02/22

As a couple more spring migrants arrived into the UK today, with 2 more Wheatear in Cornwall and a Sand Martin in Somerset, realistic thoughts are now beginning to wander as to when the first Poole Harbour records will be. When will the first Swallow dash by, when will we hear the first sweet notes of a newly arrived Willow Warbler and of course, when will the first Osprey touch down? The next 2-3 weeks will hopefully see these firsts appear one by one, and we can start focusing on our resident and visiting breeding birds, as well as passage migrants (and hopefully a few rare and scarce vagrants).

Despite the taste of spring, there was a nippy easterly wind today but the Poole Harbour WeBS count logged 3 Great Northern Diver and 3 Scaup between Jerry’s point and Brands Bay with another Great Northern Diver off Brownsea. There was also 1 Slavonian Grebe and 3 summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe off Jerry’s Point. At Swineham the 3 Tundra Bean Geese were in the B&B paddocks and there was also a Bittern seen in the reed margin of the main pit. There was also a drake Pochard on the main pit. In Wytch Lake there were 3 Spoonbill and in Lytchett Bay this evening there were record site counts for both Med Gull (205) and an incredible c15,000 Black-headed Gull, with more still arriving after the count had been conducted. In Holes Bay NW there was a single Spotted Redshank and a Marsh Harrier was over Middlebere. There’s definitely a drop off in numbers with one sector that normally holds c700 Avocet during WeBS not seeing a single individual! Out on the heaths, and out of the wind, Dartford Warbler have begun display flights and Raven are incredibly vocal and active at the moment with plenty of sky tumbling around the Wareham Channel, Arne etc. Skylark were also in full song in fields around Thrashers Lane and on Hartland.

Mediterranean Gull – Middle Beach – Peter Moore

 

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