Another fine, autumnal September day which prompted not, 1, not 2 but 3 White-tailed Eagles to visit the harbour. Female G801 returned with her on/off ‘friend’, male G816. However around midday, another female G318 turned up, which was one of the eagles that arrived into the harbour earlier this year, originally with G801. They seem to be moving around a lot, so who knows how long they’l be around for but hopefully longer than 24 hours this time. A September record number of Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost this morning with 11 present and in the Frome Valley 7 Cattle Egret were with cows. Osprey were seen hunting in Lytchett Bay and the 3 were in the Wareham Channel and a Goshawk was over the Wareham Channel late afternoon. This evening there was 1 each of Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper on the Stilt Pools at Swineham and 7 Cattle Egret were roosting on the gravel pit island. On Brownsea there c45 Spoonbill, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 summer plumaged Grey Plover, c40 Avocet and 6 Greenshank. There was a Pied Flycatcher near the NT Middlebere hide and 3 Whinchat on top of Hartland. From the Middlebere lookout there were 18 Spoonbill feeding out in front and a Marsh Harrier put up c400 Black-tailed Godwit.

Juvenile Cattle Egret – Swineham – Garry Hayman

This morning was our first Autumn Safari cruise of the season, and it provided the real sense of movement and migration we were hoping for. There were 2 Osprey hunting in the Wareham Channel, an adult and a juvenile, plus 3 different Marsh Harrier including a male on Arne Moors. We also managed to get the egret ‘hat-trick’ with 41 Little Egret on the Swineham gravel pit island, 1 Great White Egret near the mouth of the Frome and 2 Cattle Egret on Arne Moors. There was a juvenile Ruff on the Swineham scrapes and good numbers of wildfowl on the Swineham GP including 16 Pintail as well a smaller numbers of Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler. The top end of the Wareham Channel also held 40+ Spoonbill, 7 Greenshank, c300 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Lapwing, c50 Avocet and 2 Little Grebe. Meadow Pipit were on the move all morning with small parties moving across the harbour on a broad front. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 8 Spoonbill, 1 Little Stint, 38 Avocet, 26 Ringed Plover, 212 Black-tailed Godwit and 22 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Greenshank and c60 Common Redshank. There were still small numbers of vocal Sandwich Tern around the harbour and in Brands Bay there was another Ruff. There was another Osprey hunting in Lytchett Bay this afternoon and at Lytchett Fields just 1 Curlew Sandpiper today but 27 Ringed Plover. In Holes Bay during the day 4 Spotted Flycatcher were logged plus a Redstart at Upton CP, plus the Osprey was on the Pergins Island nest platform again.

Ruff – Swineham Scrape (from Autumn Safari Cruise this AM) – Alison Copland

Great White Egret – Wareham Channel (from Autumn Safari Cruise this AM) – Alison Copland

Avocet – Brownsea Lagoon (from Autumn Safari Cruise this AM) – Alison Copland

Marsh Harrier – edge of Wareham Channel (from autumn Safari Cruise this AM) – Alison Copland

Grim today, but still a sense of lots of birds around. There were 5 Cattle Egret in fields next to the footpath at Swineham gravel pits. The main gravel pit was busy too with 10 Wigeon, 6 Pintail, 15 Gadwall, 4 Tufted Duck, 15 Little Egret on the island and there was 1 each of Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper and the Swineham Scrapes. There was a blue ringed Osprey in Brands Bay which seemed to read ‘Z5 or Z2’ plus another un-ringed Osprey. In Holes Bay there were 10 Pintail and 177 Wigeon along with 2 Wheatear and 2 Knot. On Lytchett Fields there were 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 6 Curlew Sandpiper, although there was an earlier report of 10 on the fields plus 3 Spotted Redshank, 2 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear and 9 Yellow Wagtails. There were 2 Hobby still bombing around the lower Piddle Valley and one on Slepe Heath. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 50 Spoonbill, also 2 Little Stint, 3 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, 45 Bar-tailed Godwit and 30 Avocet.

Cattle Egret – Swineham

It’s still feeling really magic at the moment, with perfect autumn conditions. Ospreys were still present with the Holes Bay juvenile seen catching a fish, plus another 1 in Brands Bay, 1 over the Wareham Channel and 1 seen high heading south over Wareham Train station. But most amazingly of all, one was seen catching a fish out on Lytchett Fields, a scene that would have been impossible to predict ten years ago when the fields were just a dry set of fields. Also at Lytchett Fields were 6 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 50 Dunlin, 1 Cattle Egret, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whinchat and several Yellow Wagtail. The Brownsea Lagoon still had 52 Spoonbill as well as 60 Avocet. There was also a decent push of Swallows throughout the day with decent sized flocks pulsing overhead.

Osprey – Holes Bay nest platform – Rene Goad

A fine day with once again, plenty going on. There was another Wryneck, this time at Wareham Common. At Swineham there were 3 Cattle Egret and there was a new high total of Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon with 52 present. At Lytchett fields there were 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Whinchat, 1 Redstart, 17 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Wheatear. In the fog this AM, 4 Marsh Harrier were seen to lift out of the west harbour roost and there were 2 Osprey hunting in the Wareham Channel, with 2 later seen fishing in Middlebere and in Holes Bay the un-ringed juvenile was on the nest platform on Pergins Island again. In Middlebere there were 2 Great White Egret and on the Brownsea Lagoon there was a Ruff, a scarce sight this autumn. Greenlands Farm saw 7 Wheatear, 5 Whinchat, 1 Whitethroat and 7 Dartford Warbler.

Osprey – Middlebere – Mark Wright

Plenty going on today. A Wryneck was found in the approach field of Lytchett Fields, which was seen several times before then going into hiding for the rest of the day. also at Lytchett Fields were  3 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Wheatear and 2 Whinchat where yesterday there was a flock of 18 Common Sandpiper! There were also 2 Cattle Egret at Bestwall. In the Wareham channel this morning 7 Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost and there were also 14 Spoonbill and male White-tailed Eagle G816 was present until around mid-day but then soon disappeared off north! Ospreys were present at several sites with 022 seen on a harbour platform around 8am, but not seen since, so has he now disappeared? Another was seen on the Holes Bay feeding platform at Pergins Island, with other singles seen feeding in Brands Bay, Middlebere and a flyover at Hydes Heath, at Arne. In Middlebere there were 2 Hobby and 2 Marsh Harrier seen. In Holes Bay Wigeon numbers have risen to 163. Along Hamworthy Beach there were 48 Turnstone. Across the rest of the harbour decent numbers of Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Spotted flycatcher, Whinchat, Wheatear and Swallow were logged. Finally, this evening a Bee-eater Was seen heading towards the harbour area from Creech, so will be well worth checking any power lines that cross the heathlands around Hartland, Arne, Sunnyside etc.

Wryneck – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

Good autumn numbers of passerines continue to move through with c.15 Wheatear, c.10 Whinchat, 1 Redstart and 5 Stonechat counted on the eastern edge of Greenlands Farm this afternoon. Osprey activity still continues, with male 022 landing on one of the artificial nesting platforms again this morning, and an individual seen fishing in Newton Bay from the Brands Bay hide this afternoon which then went to feed in the dead tree on the edge of Brands Bay, plus 1 passed over the Brownsea Lagoon this morning. Also in brands Bay were 5 curlew Sandpiper, 15 Pintail, 1 Whimbrel, c100 Teal, c100 black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Snipe and c25 Redshank. At Lytchett Fields, 1 Cattle Egret was present in Approach Field today, along with 30 Dunlin, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 50 Redshank and 3 Greenshank. On Brownsea Lagoon, 40 Spoonbill were present, with several ring numbers logged. including NB97, NC6U, NBNZ, NB2V. Also on the Brownsea Lagoon were 6 Curlew Sandpiper, 38 Avocet, 4 Shoveler, 332 Oystercatcher, 12 Ringed Plover, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Knot, 12 Dunlin, 13 Greenshank, 48 Redshank,  2 Wheatear, 1 late Swift and a Kingfisher. A sea watch from Branksome also saw 2 late Swift, 1 Common Scoter, 4 Wigeon 10 Sandwich Tern, c6 Gannet and also 1 Hobby over the harbour mouth.

Just outside of the harbour recording area, 1 European Bee-eater was reported at Harman’s Cross this morning, perched on the wires at Tabbit’s Hill Farm, though wasn’t later refound.

Wheatear – Greenlands Farm – Paul Morton

Finally, an autumn Ruff appeared in the harbour with 1 on the Swineham, Piddle Valley flood pools. Lytchett Fields was looking good again with 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Spotted Redshank, 16 Greenshank, 8 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 42 Black-tailed Godwit, 28 Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plover, 73 Redshank, 8 Common Snipe, 1 Marsh Harrier and 10+ Yellow Wagtail. In Brands Bay there were 23 Pintail, 157 Teal, 2 Wigeon, 1 Osprey in dead tree at back of bay eating fish, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Knot, 1 Common Sandpiper, 9  Turnstone, 181 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Snipe and 4 Sandwich Tern. Finally, an early season lamping session last night in the south of the harbour saw 3 Nightjar, 3 Skylark and 1 Whinchat ringed.

Nightjar – Hartland

Whinchat – Hartland

A productive morning visit to Brand’s Bay featured an Osprey in dead tree opposite the hide, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Knot, 62 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Sanderling, 6 Pintail, 4 Wigeon, 4 Brent Geese, 1 female Peregrine, c300 Sand Martin, 2 Wheatear, plus plenty of Curlew, Redshank and Teal. A later visit in the afternoon upped the Curlew Sandpiper count to an impressive 12! Wildfowl numbers continue to increase slowly across the harbour, but passage waders are firmly rooted as the main theme with Brownsea Lagoon featured 22 Spoonbill, 5 Avocet, 6 Ringed Plover, 68 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 11 Greenshank and small numbers of Curlew, Dunlin and Sandwich Tern. Two Osprey were logged over Gigger’s Island, Wareham Channel with one catching a fish at 10AM and a late Swift was clocked over Ridge. Lytchett Bay produced 3 Curlew Sandpiper on the high tide roost on the Fields, accompanied by a minimum of 17 Greenshank, an adult Cattle Egret and 3 Spotted Redshank. An early doors visit to Baiter Park offered 54 Oystercatcher, a lone Black-tailed Godwit and 200+ Starling. This evening male Osprey 022 was seen again on a harbour nest platform.

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper – Lytchett Bay – Pete Corbin (@petey632)

More heavy rain today, but hey, at least the various pools and scrapes that have been bone dry for the last 4 months will be getting a good topping up. It was the rising tide though that saw a decent start to the day with Lytchett Fields hosting 1 adult Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank, , 15 Greenshank, 11+ Common Sandpiper, 8+ Green Sandpiper, 33 Dunlin, 40+ Redshank, 40+ Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ringed Plover, 450 Teal, 3 Cattle Egret, 1 Marsh Harrier and 2 Whinchat. By this afternoon the rain had dropped another decent Poole Harbour bird at the fields in the shape of juvenile Black Tern along with an increase to 5 Curlew Sandpiper. In the Wareham Channel area at dawn there were 3 Osprey with 2 sitting in the same tree near RSPB Arne. Amazingly, we then later received a photo from a different harbour nest cam of our male Osprey 022 who we thought had left! This makes us wonder whether the other Osprey sat in the tree may still be 5H1? Also this morning 6 Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost and White-tailed Eagle G801 was sat on one of the gull islands this morning, viewable from the Ham Common viewpoint. In the Lower Piddle Valley a late Swift was dashing around with Swallows and Sand Martins and this evening a juv/female Garganey was on the Lower Piddle pools, just north of Swineham GP.

Male Osprey 022 still hanging about!