Firstly, we apologise for no sightings yesterday, we had a website ‘back end’ issue, which we won’t go into now, but it’s all sorted! We’ll update sightings from the last couple of days during the course of this evening but initially we’ll do an update on the Osprey cruises from the last couple of days. The last four Osprey cruises have been fascinating with multiple Osprey logged across all four trips. Yesterday we had no less than 7 different Osprey, but most amazingly of all, we had the first views of Poole chick 5H1 flying over and practice hunting over the harbour. This was a historic moment, and one we’re so glad we were able to share with a whole boat full of guests. Not only that, during our afternoon cruise both CJ7 and 022 did the courteous thing and also flew close to the boat which is the first time they’ve been seen together out over the harbour since April! White-tailed Eagle G801 also put on some fantastic displays, passing over the boat and even settling in trees close by, not to mention the fly over Hobby’s, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Marsh Harriers. It’s been an absolute raptor-fest. On todays boat, weirdest sighting of the day was a Common Scoter in the Wareham Channel along with the more standard 2 Spoonbill and c300 Black-tailed Godwit. There are still plenty of tickets for this weekends and next weeks cruises so if you want to book on then please do by CLICKING HERE.

Passerines have been pushing through with the mist and murk downing quite a few birds. Pied Flycatchers were at Ballard and the Lower Piddle Valley, with Ballard also clocking 1 Redstart 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Reed Warbler, 6 Tree Pipit, 1 Wheatear, 7 Willow Warbler, 10 Blackcap and 10 Whitethroat. At Lytchett Fields the Glossy Ibis was seen again and the 2 Little Stint were still present plus there was a late(ish) Swift, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 14 Common Sandpiper, 7 Ringed Plover, 3 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Whimbrel. One of the White-tailed Eagles also flew low over the fields first thing. Spoonbill numbers are increasing with 26 now present including 5 colour-ringed birds. Along Soldiers Road there was a Pied Flycatcher (yesterday), and this evening a Whinchat, 1 Redstart, 4 Wheatear and 2 Spotted Flycatcher, with another 6 Spotted Flycatcher and 1 Pied Flycatcher on the edge of Rempstone. This evening there were 3 Spotted Redshank, 4 Avocet and 489 Black-tailed Godwit.

Osprey chick 5H1 over the harbour yesterday from our Osprey cruise – Paula and John Thorpe

Another busy day across the harbour, full of highlights. Both Osprey cruises were busy with multiple Osprey across the Wareham Channel area. This afternoon male Osprey 022 flew straight over the boat whilst 3 others circled over Arne, whilst this morning White-tailed Eagle G801 had another run in with a migrant Osprey as they tussled over Keysworth. Both trips logged no less than 3-5 Osprey on each trip with other highlights including 3 different Marsh Harrier (2 sub-adult males and a juv), 2 Hobby, 3 Swift, 2 Spoonbill, c200 Black-tailed Godwit, lots of Curlew and Oystercatcher moving around and 1 Common Seal. Other Osprey sightings were logged in Middlebere, Morden Bog, Lytchett Bay and off Shipstal again. At Lytchett Bay, a Glossy Ibis arrived on to the fields late afternoon and there were 2 fresh new Little Stint on the fields with 2 Spotted Redshank. An adult Honey Buzzard passed over the Lower Piddle Valley along with 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit and a late-singing Firecrest and weird record of the day goes to 2 Spoonbill out on the wet bog at Morden Bog. In Brands Bay the 4 over-summering Brent Geese were still present and will surely be looking forward to some more company in the next few weeks as the first over-wintering Brents begin to arrive. Also in Brands Bay were 9 Ringed Plover, 1 Sanderling, 37 Dunlin, 212 Black-tailed Godwit and 92 Curlew. Along Soldiers Road (edge of Slepe heath) there was a Pied Flycatcher with a Spotted Flycatcher, plus a Wheatear in one of the fields, and on Stoborough Heath there was a Redstart and a flock of 5 Woodlark. On Brownsea there were 22 Spoonbill and 1 Little Stint. 

Osprey and White-tailed Eagle tussle over Keysworth from Osprey Cruise – Stephen Laycock

Male Osprey 022 over Osprey Cruise – Stephen Laycock

White-tailed Eagle tover Keysworth from Osprey Cruise – Stephen Laycock

We can’t remember a day when it was last cloudy all day, with frequent rain showers. As much needed a sit was it made our Osprey cruises more challenging than normal, however on this mornings cruise there were 2 Osprey and the White-tailed Eagle on the edge of the Wareham Channel, however, this afternoons trip, despite the rain produced an amazing bit of behaviour when a migrant Osprey took a persistent disliking to the eagle and spent a good 20 minutes dive bombing it, and even chased it around the SW corner of the Wareham Channel for a period of time. There were also 5 other different Osprey over the northern edge of the Wareham Channel stretched between the mouth of the River Piddle and Lytchett Bay. In the Ballard Gap this morning there were 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 15 Stonechat and 3 Whitethroat. The autumns first Merlin of the season was in Middlebere, chasing Meadow Pipits and a lone Spoonbill was over the Piddle. In the Lower Piddle Valley at Swineham the Wood Sandpiper was still on the Swineham Point pool and at Lytchett Fields there was a Yellow Wagtail, 5 Common Sandpiper, 8 Greenshank. In Holes Bay there was Great White Egret as well as 548 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Knot, 4 Ringed Plover and 1 Wigeon and 1 Shoveler. At Middlebere there were 7 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Greenshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Flycatcher and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. Other Osprey sightings were logged at Middlebere, Lytchett Bay, Shipstal Point and over Swineham. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 20 Spoonbill, 1 Little Stint and 9 Avocet. 

Green Sandpiper – Middlebere – Rob Johnson

The third day into our back-to-back Osprey Cruises was a real raptor fest, with 3 different Ospreys seen in the morning and 2 on the second trip as well as good Marsh Harrier views, Hobby and Kestrel all showing. The 1 year-old female White-tailed Eagle G801 graced the skies in the morning but remained elusive in the afternoon, hunkering down in a strand of trees near Lytchett Bay! Sandwich Terns were very vocal, offering great comparisons of adult and juvenile calls while Common Seals gave nice views throughout. A low tide visit to Brands Bay late morning produced 18 Great Crested Grebe, the 4 over-summering Brent Geese, singles of Lapwing and Whimbrel and 14 Ringed Plover along with small flocks of Teal, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit. A ringing session at Lytchett Bay produced quite a few common migrants including a Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Tree Pipit and an adult male Redstart the previous evening. At Lytchett Fields this evening there were 26 juvenile Black-tailed Godwit plus 10 Greenshank and 10 Common Sandpiper.

Osprey – taken from Osprey Cruise – Gerry Shilham (@gerryshilham1)

Day Two of our Osprey Cruise extravaganza saw 4-5 Ospreys active around the Wareham Channel and Lytchett Bay. The morning’s trip included quartering Marsh Harriers and was topped by outrageous views of White-tailed Eagle G801, at first seen feeding on the mud and later gracing the skies with a close fly-by of the boat! The afternoon boat enjoy prolonged views of an Osprey hunting in the Wareham Channel, eventually catching on its 7th attempt(!). At one point, a Hobby briefly interacted with the migrant Osprey before returning to the Arne peninsula. Common Seals were seen throughout, glistening in the sunshine. Elsewhere, a Wood Sandpiper remained on Swineham Point Pools until flushed by a Marsh Harrier and 7 Green Sandpiper were along the Piddle Valley floods. A Spotted Flycatcher occupied North Bestwall and Holes Bay clocked up 233 Black-tailed Godwit, 100+ Redshank, 9 Dunlin, 27 Curlew, 33 Teal and a 1 Little Grebe. Brand’s Bay featured similar numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Teal, with Mediterranean Gull numbers steadily reaching 31 ahead of the high tide roost. A Spotted Redshank was still on the Fields at Lytchett Bay and a Grasshopper Warbler was seen briefly along the ditch in Approach Field. Brownsea Lagoon enjoyed a Little Stint and 13 Spoonbill, with a further 2 spending some time around the Middlebere Channel.

White-tailed Eagle – taken from Osprey Cruise – Alison Copland

Osprey (unringed) – Lytchett Bay – Mark Wright

It was a perfect August day to start our series of 30 Osprey cruises. Well, not too perfect with lots of rain at dawn. However, it soon broke away by 9am leaving great conditions for migrant (and local) Ospreys to be interacting during the morning and afternoon cruises. In total there must be a minimum of 6-7 Osprey present in the harbour today. Both our Osprey cruises were rewarded with excellent views close to the boat plus lots of other activity with birds moving around the Wareham Channel and Lytchett Bay areas. This morning 022 was displaying to another Osprey over Keysworth whilst another hunted close to the boat, whilst this afternoon 2 un-ringed individuals were in pursuit of each other, also passing close to the boat with 3 over Lytchett Bay at the same time. Also, this morning 2 White-tailed Eagles were seen with one along the Arne shoreline and another out on Shag Looe Point. Other sightings included 1 Peregrine, 2 Hobby, 1 Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard. At Lytchett Fields today a juvenile Golden Plover was logged which is a great August harbour record. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 18 Spoonbill, 1 Little Stint, 14 Greenshank, 23 Ringed Plover and 1 Grey Plover with Grey Plover also seen in Lytchett Bay. at South Haven, Studland there were 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Whinchat and 1 Garden Warbler. At Swineham this evening there was a Wood Sandpiper and 2 Green Sandpiper on the Swineham Point pools. At Lytchett Bay what was assumed to one of the Wareham Channel eagles flew over the Turlin shoreline around lunchtime and there was also a pale phase Honey Buzzard over too with 2 Spotted Redshank on Lytchett Fields.

We still have places on some of our later Osprey Cruises, so if you want a chance of seeing some of the species mentioned about then you can BOOK HERE

White-tailed Eagle – Wareham Channel, from AM Osprey Cruise – Clare Slade

White-tailed Eagle – Wareham Channel, from PM Osprey Cruise – Clare Slade

Osprey – Wareham Channel, from Osprey Cruise – Kieron Hobbs

There were some big low tides today which attracted in some waders into ‘unusual’ areas including a summer plumaged Grey Plover in Holes Bay and another in Brands Bay. Also in Brands Bay were 20 Great Crested Grebe, 4 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 100+ Teal, 1 juv Marsh Harrier, 80+ Curlew, 24 Redshank and 215 Black-tailed Godwit, there was also a Grasshopper Warbler on Sandy Point, Studland. At the top end of the Wareham Channel there were c200 Black-tailed Godwit and c100 Curlew with 3-4 Osprey in the Wareham Channel area and 1-2 White-tailed Eagles also seen in the Wareham Channel with one flying over Rockley holiday park. The 3 Osprey that were seen over the Wareham Channel were then soon seen over Middlebere. At the PCW Drain at the north end of Holes Bay there was a decent number of migrants including 3 Garden Warbler, 1 Redstart, 1 Whitethroat, 10+ Blackcap, 10+ Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler as well as 1 Kingfisher and 4 Gadwall over. Other Osprey sightings included 1 catching a fish in Lytchett Bay, 1 over Morden Bog and 1 seen off Shipstal, Arne. On Stoborough heath there was a single Whinchat and 2 Wheatear, 2 Redstart and 3 Whitethroat were on Slepe Heath.

Wheatear – Slepe Heath 

Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit – Lytchett Fields

Along with 1 Wheatear, there was an interesting report of 2 Grey Partridge at Hartland Moor this morning; an uncommon occurrence in Poole Harbour in recent years. A quick count on Brownsea Lagoon on the low tide produce 19 Spoonbill, 10 Avocet, 72+ Ringed Plover, 3 Sanderling, 226 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 2 Grey Plover, 14 Greenshank, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Common Sandpiper. There were 4 adult Yellow-legged Gull on the Swineham Scrape and the juvenile Spotted Redshank was still present on French’s Poole at Lytchett Fields at first light this morning, along with 9 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper and 15 Common Sandpiper. Later in the morning, 1 Osprey was seen from Lytchett Fields on the low tide, adding to the raptor activity with 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzard and 1 Marsh Harrier. A second Osprey was also seen over Lytchett Bay, as well as a White-tailed Eagle visible over Holton Lee. The stream of Osprey coming through has really picked up, with another seen on the Middlebere platform from Coombe Heath this AM. We’re looking forward to the start of our Osprey Cruises this Friday, where we hope to be able to get an idea of how many birds are currently using the area, which will only continue to increase over the next two weeks. If you want to join us, tickets can be booked here.

White-tailed Eagle – over Holton Lee from Lytchett Bay – René Goad

Refreshing weather today with the much-needed rain finally moving through. 1 Cattle Egret was seen amongst the cows in Whimbrel Field at Lytchett Fields this morning. Also seen from a count at Lytchett Fields were 12 Greenshank, 38 Redshank, 2 Whimbrel, 9 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover, 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Green Sandpiper, Lapwing and 2 Spotted Redshank (1 adult winter, 1 juvenile). Across the bay, 1 Green Sandpiper was also reported on Holton Pools.

Wader counts continued over on Brownsea Lagoon, with the highlight of 1 Little Stint amongst 286 Dunlin, 143 Ringed Plover, 18 Greenshank, 111 Redshank and 20 Spoonbill. On Brownsea last night, 4 Nightjar were ringed, included 3 juveniles and one adult male.  In Brands Bay, the first Bar-tailed Godwit of the autumn were reported along with 4 Brent Geese, 5 Teal, 6 Ringed Plover, 113 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel, 5 Common Gull, 15 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Wheatear. Finally, one unringed female Osprey was seen from Coombe Heath at Arne this morning, moving from the dead trees to one of the T-perches in the Middlebere Channel at midday.

Nightjar Ringing – Brownsea Island – Nicki Tutton

Osprey – Middlebere Channel – Nicholas Galley

A foggy start to the morning put a damper on recent ringing efforts within the harbour, but still produced 3 Grasshopper Warblers at Lytchett Heath, a species that seems slow off the mark this year following a recording-breaking tally last season. Scoping Lytchett Bay early doors picked up 2 Spotted Redshank and a quartering Marsh Harrier over Otter Island.  An Osprey made an appearance later in the morning, perched in pine behind Sherford Pools, Lytchett Fields while a Whinchat associated with the Stonechats in Approach Field. Brands Bay, Studland clocked Lapwing and 2 Common Sandpiper, along with a Whimbrel, 46 Black-tailed Godwit, smaller numbers of Redshank and a couple of Sandwich Terns while the nearby Houseboats at South Haven featured 21 Common Terns.

A White-tailed Eagle flushed 3 Ospreys off the northern shoreline of the Wareham Channel late afternoon, setting the scene for our jam-packed Osprey Cruises taking place from this Friday! Brownsea Lagoon featured 18 Spoonbill,  a Cattle Egret and good numbers of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Plenty of gulls on the dry scrapes at Swineham look prime to pull in a Little Gull. Adult and juvenile Marsh Harrier were very active over the western reedbeds.

Osprey – Lytchett Bay (yesterday) – Mark Wright