It looks as if the wet weather is now well and truly behind us with a scorcher of a weekend on the cards. With hot days often come cold mornings and these colder early mornings are great for getting out early to look for early returning migrants pulsing through the hedgerows. Willow Warbler migration is now well underway and will build over the next two weeks, as they flit and flick through the bushes, often accompanying Long-tailed Tit whilst getting ‘agro’ with a chat or flycatcher. There were 30+ Willow Warbler across Lytchett Bay, 20+ across Slepe Heath/Hartland Moor and a handful in the PCW Drain. At Lytchett Fields there were 14 Green Sandpiper, 4 Greenshank, 3 Whimbrel, 97 Curlew, 1 Kingfisher and 1 Peregrine. 1 Little Ringed Plover and 1 Spotted Redshank. Holes Bay NE saw 1 Common Sandpiper and our Nightjar walk on Tuesday evening saw 5 Crossbill fly over Slepe Heath along with 1 Woodlark and just after dusk (just after we’d finishing watching 1-2 Nightjar) we heard both Greenshank and Common Sandpiper fly over in the darkness. On Brownsea 1 Spoonbill was seen briefly and 4 Common Sandpiper were on the lagoon. Passerine migrants seen around the harbour included 3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat and a flyover Yellow Wagtail at Greenland’s Farm. At Ballard 7 Common Whitethroat and 6 Willow Warbler were counted.

Willow Warbler – Lytchett Heath – Ian Ballam