Another historic day for Poole Harbour, Dorset and the South Coast as our second Osprey chick (5H2) fledged the nest at 09:21 this morning, leaving the nest empty for the first time since 4th April. It’s been a real privilege to watch their development from our live webcam and there’s plenty more activity and action ahead of their migration south in a few weeks time when they depart for Western Africa.

Elsewhere, it’s always nice to nail down confirmed breeding records. This family of Gadwall were observed and photographed by Ian Ballam, and marks only the third confirmed breeding attempt for Lytchett Fields. A small flock of Crossbill passed over the Lower Piddle Valley mid afternoon and a stray Budgie got the heart racing briefly on Wareham Common early morning! In Brands Bay there were 4 Brent Geese (hangers on from last winter).

We’ve just announced our popular Bearded Tit Ringing Demo dates for this autumn! These events offer a unique insight into the ringing scheme and of course the chance to see Beardies in the hand. We’re running four sessions between late September and October at Lytchett Bay, more info can be found here.

Can’t wait until Septmeber to join a ringing demo? We’ve also partnered with Careys Secret Garden to deliver a couple of ringing demos in early autumn. These sessions will focus on identification and the importance of the ringing scheme, offering a unique opportunity to talk through key ID features up close. More info on these upcoming events can be found here…

Gadwall with 3 of 4 young in view – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

It was bound to happen at some point during this weekend, seeing as the Osprey chicks had been working their wings hard over the last few days, but today it finally happened….Poole Harbour and Dorset saw the first wild fledged Osprey in nearly 200 years in Southern Britain. At 12:08pm, young female ‘5H1’ who had already ‘branched out’ on to a conifer branch to the right of the nest during the morning (and annoyingly out of view) decided to make her first leap of faith and take to the air for the very first time. She did several laps over the nest site area for several minutes, seemingly excited by her new found super power, before then settling down on a branch next to her dad (022) behind the nest, soon followed by CJ7 who had chaperoned her during her maiden flight. Over the course of the early afternoon she then went on to do several more flights around the nest site, practicing her landing techniques, some of which were well drilled, others which were less so! Chick number two, ‘SH2’ almost fledged a few hours later with several high hovering attempts, and it’s almost certain she’ll fledge either tomorrow or Monday.

For anyone sad that the Osprey season may be over once they’ve fledged, never fear, as both chicks will continue to regularly return to the nest over the next few weeks to feed and socialise, and it won’t be until each has left on migration that the Osprey season is truly over. There’s still plenty more action to enjoy over the coming days and weeks yet!

Elsewhere 2 White-tailed Eagles were present in the Wareham Channel at dawn, although the male, G812 soon left and traveled north. However during the late afternoon, female G801 was seen being chased by a gull at the back of Lytchett Fields and headed towards the Wareham Channel. Also at Lytchett fields were 5 Common Sandpiper, 10 Green Sandpiper, 9 Greenshank, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Peregrine plus 4 fly over Crossbill. A ringing session at Lytchett Bay produced the first passage Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn with 3 ringed and a decent increase in Sedge Warbler with 15 passage birds. Also the first passage Willow Warbler of the autumn to be ringed and 7 Bearded Tit were ringed in the reed bed. In Middlebere there were 2 Whimbrel, 40 Curlew, 1 Spoonbill and 3 Greenshank. At Swineham there were 10 adult Yellow-legged Gull on the dry Stilt Pools.

Lovely to see the male Black Redstart on our old Poole Quay office building this afternoon.  Over on Brownsea Lagoon, wader numbers sat at 40 Dunlin and Redshank, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Greenshank. The last remaining Common Tern chicks are still kicking around. We’re delighted to have two members of our team Brittany and Liv are heading up to Hen Harrier Fest this weekend to talk about raptor conservation efforts from down here on the south coast! Our Osprey chicks 5H1 and 5H2 are looking fantastic and fledging is imminent. They’ve continued to develop and grow over the last week are now pretty much full size! They’ll still need to put a lot of fat before leaving, but any day now should see them fledge the nest.

Osprey chicks 5H1 and 5H2

The first newly fledged Goshawk of the season was photographed at Holton Lee this morning. Where it’s come from is an unknown but surely this bird hasn’t dispersed far?! The raptor was also briefly glimpsed over Lytchett Fields about half on hour later.  Lytchett Bay also featured Great Crested Grebe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 9 Greenshank and 18 Black-tailed Godwit, with a further 4 Common Sandpiper, 15 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe and 2 Little Ringed Plover on Lytchett Fields. An evening session out around the Wareham Channel area produced female White-tailed Eagle out over the gull islands, 4 different Marsh Harrier including the newly fledged juvenile, up to 15 Common Sandpiper in the mouth of the Frome and 5 Yellow-legged Gulls on the Swineham Scrape. There were also 2 hunting Hobby over Arne, male Osprey 022 was seen with a fish and Peregrine were logged on the cranes at Poole Quay and over Brownsea. Off Arne there were 2 Whimbrel and a single Ringed Plover. Finally, on the Brownsea Lagoon today was 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 50 Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and 104 Common Redshank. 

Juvenile Goshawk – Holton Lee – Tony Furnell

Another extremely hot day, with brief showers and thunderstorms showing up this afternoon. As the storm moved in, hundreds of hirundines were seen foraging over Wareham, mostly consisting of Sand Martin, as well as Swallow and a few House Martin. On the rising tide at Studland this morning, 3 Brent Geese, 4 Whimbrel, 69 Curlew, 31 Mediterranean Gull (including 4 juveniles), 2 Common Gull were counted between the House Boats and Brands Bay, as well as the usual stream of Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. At Lytchett Fields decent numbers of waders are gathering now and this evening there were 15 Green Sandpiper, 9 Greenshank and 4 Common Sandpiper. Also, today a newly fledged juvenile Marsh Harrier appeared from one of the Wareham Channel nests which is fantastic news.

It’s only a matter of days now until the Osprey chicks fledge, and they are really demonstrating just how ready they are. They are strengthening their muscles through wing flapping and helicoptering, meaning that they are taking off from the nest for just a fraction of a second before re-landing, very almost ready for their first flight…

Huge temperatures today largely restricted birding to the cooler hours of the day. That said, a midday visit to Lytchett Fields was rewarded with 9 Greenshank and a large Little Egret flock, c.30 strong, dropped into the bay. We’re gradually starting to see wader numbers increase now as the first returning birds stage in the harbour on their journeys south. Brownsea are seeing an increase in Common Redshank numbers and Brand’s Bay early doors welcomed the first returning Common Gulls (8) back in the harbour along with a supporting cast of 66 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Whimbrel in with the 111 strong Curlew flock (also increasing by the day), 4 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Great Crested Grebe.

Green Sandpiper, Lapwing & Common Sandpiper (left to right) – Lytchett Fields yesterday – Ian Ballam

White-tailed Eagles G801 & G812 were both present but very sedentary in the Wareham Channel this morning. It seems that the only birds to brave being active in todays weather were adults tirelessly feeding their hungry chicks. This included adult male Osprey 022 who was fishing upstream from Giggers Island this morning, where the local Marsh harriers could also be seen hunting over the reed bed. The same was true of the Corfe Peregrines, one of which was hunting over Slepe Heath with it’s single young in constant pursuit.

Elsewhere (and despite the lack of water) the scrapes and meadows around Swineham held 55 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Lapwing, 1 Curlew and 1 Greenshank.

There’s been no further sign of yesterday’s Caspian Tern after its reappearance at Stanpit, Christchurch yesterday evening.

Brownsea Lagoon, Sunrise – Nikki Tutton

Brownsea Lagoon featured its first Caspian Tern in 10 years. There have only been four confirmed Poole Harbour records previously, with all but one of these attributed to Brownsea Lagoon. The rarity, presumably the recent Stanpit Marsh bird which departed at 11am this morning, was picked up by the Dorset Wildlife Trust team around 11:45am and hung around until 2pm before flying north-east towards Evening Hill.

It was great to hear that the Lytchett Bay colour-ringed Greenshank (RN-GB) has returned back for its 8th season winter! This individual was ringed as a juvenile at Seabrook, Montrose Basin, Scotland on 29th September 2015 and has been a seasoned visitor to Lytchett Bay ever since. There were also good numbers of juvenile Common Terns at Brands bay this morning along with 200+ Mediterranean Gulls accompanied by a handful of Curlew and a lone Whimbrel.

Caspian Tern – Brownsea Lagoon – Dorset Wildlife Trust digiscope