We managed to get out on last nights Puffin cruise, dodging the showers which produced 4 Puffin on the water just off Dancing Ledge along with the normal small rafts of Guillemot and a few Razorbill. Other highlights included several Gannet flying right past over over the boat, Fulmar sat on the water, 2 Peregrine on the cliffs at Ballard along with a surprise Cuckoo just as we got back near Poole Quay. There were 3 Spoonbill on Brownsea this afternoon and at Swineham a Cuckoo was singing. In Brands Bay there were still 4 over-summering Brent Geese.

Puffins – Dancing Ledge – Seb Haggart

Sunset over Brownsea after finishing Puffin Cruise

Let photography commence!

We were able to confirm today that Osprey pair CJ7 and 022’s second egg hatched when CJ7 lifted another piece of egg shell out of the nest. The last 48 hours have been such a whirlwind, and the best part is, we’re not even half way through the Osprey season! We’ve still got the whole chick development and then fledging phase to go yet, which is another 3 months of madness, chaos and history making ahead of us. Both adults continue to show real expertise when it comes to feeding and caring for their new young, which is just a joy to be able to tune into during any part of the day via the live webcam.

Elsewhere there was still a single lone male Wigeon in Holes Bay and a singing Willow Warbler too, plus in Middlebere there were still 5 Spoonbill. If you get a chance to visit Brownsea currently then do it, the Sandwich Tern chicks are at a great age to watch as they get fed by the parents and the Common Tern chicks will be hatching soon too.

Sandwich Terns and chick – Brownsea Clare Slade

Well, it was Ospreys CJ7 and 022’s full day of being new parents and they did brilliantly with five feeds carried out during the day, plus the exciting news that potentially a second hatch began about 21:30 with CJ7 seen lifting another section of egg shell out of the nest. We’ve received so many comments, emails, messages and phone calls from supporters and friends of the project which all mean so much to us. So from all of us here at BoPH we just want to say a massive thank you to everyone and for your kind words over the last 48 hours.

Unfortunately, due to a building wind all day we had to postpone our second Puffin Cruise of the season, meaning it was just too rough along the Jurassic Coast to get to the Puffin colony, but we’ll be re-launching a new date once back in the office after the Bank Holiday weekend, so keep an eye out for any potential new dates.

Bird-wise, the early summer doldrums seemed to have kicked in, but 7 Spoonbill in Middlebere is a good mid-summer total. Female White-tailed Eagle G801 was seen briefly over the Wareham Channel and 2 Hobby were over Slepe Heath. Peregrines have also been seen feeding young on Corfe Castle and the Barclays trio of youngsters were causing mayhem on the balcony all day, as they begin to start thinking about fledging soon.

Peregrine chick – Poole Town – Rene Goad

Peregrine chicks – Poole Town – Rene Goad

Today was the day we’ve all been wait for here at BoPH for the last 7 years. Female Osprey CJ7 and male 022 finally became parents with a newly hatched chick in the nest. We believe the hatching started last night around 10pm, and was then completed by around 11am this morning which is when CJ7 took on all responsibility at the nest site and 022 switched to being sole fish provider. He conducted and carried out his duties incredibly efficiently and brought two fish to the nest during the late morning and early afternoon, but CJ7 didn’t initially seem bothered about feeding the new arrival. However, by around 3pm, CJ7 got the knack and we were all totally thrilled when we saw her feed the chick for the very first time.

This is an amazing historical moment and to share it with so many people was just brilliant. The pair also had their own slot on Springwatch this evening and will be discussed on Countryfile in a few weeks time. We’ll obviously be updating on developments over the coming weeks, but in the mean time, please stay tuned to the Osprey Nest Cam

Female Osprey CJ7 feeding new chick for the first time

Best news today was that there are now three juvenile Peregrine chicks visible on the Barclays building which is great news, and shows the parents are doing a great job at providing enough food. They don’t look like they’re too long from fledging, so it’s likely we may see another ‘grounding’ or two over the coming weeks, so if you see of or hear of one on the ground/in trouble please get in contact with us. Elsewhere today 2 Red Kite passed over the Piddle Valley and 2 Hobby were over Hartland. A Quail was heard briefly at Nine Barrow Down and 2 Spoonbill were in Middlebere.

We’re obviously still waiting for ‘a hatch’ at the Osprey nest, and having spoken to Tim Mackrill today, his prediction is for hopefully tomorrow! Today is still only day 38 after the initial so there’s still plenty of time for some action to take place. Tomorrow would be great…so please hurry up!

Peregrine chicks – Barclays building – Rene Goad

Not many sightings reported so far today, aside from a few nice bird of prey reports and updates. One of the IoW White-tailed Eagles was seen this morning from Coombe Heath, in flight over the Wareham Channel. A juvenile Peregrine from the nest on the Barclays building was visible on the balcony again this morning, so it’s good to hear the young are continuing to gain confidence. From reports, we know at least 2 juveniles Peregrines are present, although 3 eggs were laid. Today marks 37 days since CJ7 laid the pair’s first egg, which is the average incubation period for Osprey eggs. So far, we haven’t seen signs of hatching today, but the pair appear to have been playing close attention to the eggs and CJ7 was reluctant to let 022 incubate this morning, which could be a good sign. In the later stages of incubation, the adults will be able to hear noises from within the eggs, and will be more restless, regularly turning them and standing up frequently. We’ve started seeing these behaviours over the last 48 hours, so hopefully hatching isn’t far off. Incubation usually ranges between 36-40 days, so we’ll be watching very intently over the next couple of days for this activity. We’ll be able to confirm hatching if/when we see CJ7 reaching into the nest to feed the chick, tearing off small pieces of fish for them.

Plenty of other species have already fledged chicks, including a pair of Redshank who were seen shepherding their brood of three chicks across the road from Hartland Moor towards the Middlebere channel this afternoon. And from the sublime to the ridiculous, an adult Oystercatcher was seen feeding a juvenile Black-headed Gull on Brownsea Lagoon (not for the first time in recent years)!

CJ7 inspecting the eggs this morning

Yesterday evening we hosted our first Purbeck Puffin and Seabird Cruise of the year, and were treated to stunning conditions throughout the trip. Before even leaving Poole Quay we had a Sparrowhawk circling overhead, and passing through the harbour entrance we spotted a flyover Cuckoo transiting between South Haven, Sandbanks, and then on to Brownsea Island. As we departed the harbour and crossed Studland Bay we picked up 2 Arctic Skua harassing Common and Sandwich Terns out in Poole Bay, a real treat! A single adult Peregrine was perched on a ledge south of Old Harry, along with several Shag and Cormorant as a flock of House Martin skimmed the cliff top. The stretch between Durlston and Dancing ledge produced 4 Puffins, 20+ Razorbills, 100+ Guillemot, 8 Fulmar, 20 Kittiwake, and several large flocks of Herring Gull, with a few Great black-backed, Black-headed and single Mediterranean Gull mixed in.

As one series of boats begins another comes to an end, hosting our final Spring Safari Cruise this morning. The undeniable highlight was seeing 1-year-old White-tailed Eagle G801 back on the shores of the Wareham Channel, after her three-week excursion which saw her venture all the way to Yorkshire and back via Kent, Norfolk and Staffordshire (at total distance of 1668km)! It’s very common for young eagles of her age to make these nomadic exploratory journeys, but nonetheless we’re very encouraged by how quickly she returned to Poole Harbour. Other notable species from the boat were Bearded Tit in the Swineham Reedbeds, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull on the Stilt Pools, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit on the Arne shoreline, and a distant adult Peregrine on the Barclays building in Poole, where at least two juveniles are now visible on the balcony.

Juvenile Peregrine – Barclay’s Building, Poole – Rene Goad

Sunset over Brownsea Lagoon from yesterday’s Puffin Boat – Brittany Maxted

Brownsea Lagoon featured 2 Little Terns in the morning, with an afternoon visit producing singles of Avocet, Yellow-legged Gull, Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 15 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone and 86 lingering Black-tailed Godwit. The gull and tern survey logged 160 Common Tern nests, 190 Sandwich Tern nests (10 chicks), 164 Black-headed Gull nests (103 chicks) and 15 Great Black-backed Gull nests (13 chicks). Middlebere Channel offered 3 Spoonbill and another lone Avocet while a Red Kite drifted north over Holes Bay mid-morning.

Spoonbill (first-summer) – Middlebere – Kate Plater

Yesterday’s Alpine Swift lingered around briefly into this morning, showing well just south of Old Harry until 08:20am before being lost to view high over sea. Elsewhere, 5 Red Kite were picked up circling south of Bere Regis at Dorset Wildlife Trust’s new site Wild Woodbury and a White-tailed Eagle was logged at RSPB Arne around 1pm and again from Middlebere at 1:50pm.

It’s half-term next week and to celebrate we’re running another Children’s Workshop with Careys Secret Garden to celebrate all things wild as part of their ‘Nurture with Nature’ series, a great opportunity for children to get excited about the natural world. Our 1.5-hr workshop taking place on Wednesday 1st June is aimed at getting children up close and face-to-face with nature, focusing on the fascinating lives of birds, how we can identify them and why they are so important, all brought to life with a private bird ringing demonstration! Discover more and book your places here »

Kingfisher – Birds of Poole Harbour Children’s Workshop

The undoubted highlight today was Poole Harbours 6th record of Alpine Swift, and the first in nearly 20 years. We received a message around lunchtime of a mystery large swift flying around Old Harry at 11am with a white belly which sounded too intriguing not to go and check out, with the description sounding perfect for Alpine Swift. Upon arrival a few House Martin were bombing about, when almost immediately a large, pointy winged swift scythed through the martins, showing pure white underparts. A stunning Alpine Swift!! It spent from 11am until at least 8pm tearing up and down the same stretch of cliff, often feeding within 1m-2m of the building crowd of onlookers. A truly spectacular bird in a stunning setting with Old Harry as the back drop. There were 2 summer-plumaged Cattle Egret in the Lower Frome Valley and from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning a 1st summer Little Gull was in the mouth of the Frome near Swineham. There were also 3 Marsh Harrier around the Wareham Channel and an Osprey was seen in the Wareham Channel early doors around 6:30am.

Alpine Swift – Old Harry – Paul Morton

Alpine Swift – Old Harry – Paul Morton

Alpine Swift & onlookers – Old Harry – Paul Morton

Alpine Swift – Old Harry – Rob Johnson (Twitter – @RobJohn72810618)

Alpine Swift – Old Harry – James Leaver (Twitter – @BirderOtbt)

Alpine Swift – Old Harry – Mark Wright (Twitter @markwright12002)