There’s so many great raptors around at the moment and in good numbers too. This increase of birds of prey (both breeding and over-wintering) is a real asset to the current status of the harbour. Having good numbers of top down predators in a landscape indicates the quality of a dynamic and complex eco-system, where there’s plenty of food and habitat available to cater for our growing raptor population. There’s no denying that some of these birds of prey will be feeding on other important species (for example, a few years ago the Arne Kestrels fed on a mixed diet of Lapwing chicks and Sand Lizards), but that doesn’t mean we need to frown upon Kestrels, it means that Poole Harbours eco-system is thriving and developing. And long may it continue!

Today, once again there was a  4 Marsh Harrier, 1 White-tailed Eagle, 1 Hen Harrier, 1 Peregrine and 2 Kestrel around the Wareham Channel, a Goshawk at an undisclosed site and 3 Merlin around Hartland and 2 Peregrine around Lytchett Bay and Arne. On the Brownesea Lagoon today there were 54 Spoonbill, 1 Cattle Egret, 1 Curlew Sandpiper and 1 Spotted Redshank. There were also 8 Spotted Redshank from the Middlebere hide and at Lytchett Fields 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 1 Spotted Redshank. There were huge numbers of geese at Swineham with massive numbers of Canada Geese and smaller flocks of Greylag Geese, but in amongst them were 1 Barnacle Goose and 7 Egyptian Geese, but surely there’s a good chance of them attracting in some scarcer goose species? The roving sinensis Cormorant flock was out in force again with c500 between Brownsea and Holes Bay. There were more Black Redstart on the menu with 1 along the Middlebere track and 2 on the Arne farm roof buildings. There were 949 Wigeon in Holes Bay and Fieldfare and Redwing were once again passing over in small numbers for most of the day.

Goshawk – Undisclosed site – Mark Wright 

Black Redstart – Middlebere – Mark Wright