Lytchett Fields received the bulk of attention in the harbour today, having held on to the pair of Garganey from yesterday. The fields also provided interest in the form of a Little Ringed Plover and 85 Mediterranean Gull among the 400 strong Black-headed Gull flock. A Yellow Wagtail was logged overhead from the viewpoints as well as the first Hobby of the year for the site. Late news of 3 Whimbrel which entered through the harbour entrance yesterday. The northerly movement also included 2 Yellow Wagtail and small passage of hirundines. In Poole Town, the Barclays Building hosted a Peregrine with Starling prey.

Little Ringed Plover – Lytchett Fields – Rene Goad

Today’s Sunday morning Spring Safari Cruise barely made it into the Wareham Channel before encountering one of The Big Five! No sooner had we left the conurbation of Poole and Hamworthy behind us, passing by the first few Sandwich Tern on the way, a ‘dread’ of gulls suddenly came in to view. A white cloud of several thousand Black-headed Gulls fiercely mobbed one of the Isle of Wight White-tailed Eagles which perched on the edge of the salt marsh, seemingly unfazed by inconvenient mob. A nearby Great Black-backed Gull provided a suitable size comparison, appearing minuscule by comparison. After spending some time to appreciate an eagle in the landscape, we navigated the rest of the channel as the falling tide gradually revealed expansive mudflats around Gigger’s Island, providing an important stopover feeding site for c.100 Black-tailed Godwit in varying stages of acquiring summer plumage, setting course for Iceland. On the return journey, a summer plumage Cattle Egret put in a brief appearance from Wareham Water Meadows, a Hobby dashed across the channel (our first from a public cruise this year!) and a Red Kite drifted north towards Poole Quay as we re-joined the White-tailed Eagle off the Holton shoreline. Marsh Harrier also caused a stir over the Gull Island, sending the Brownsea Lagoon is always a treat to visit at the end of a cruise, and today was no different – 50 Bar-tailed Godwit accompanied c.15 Common Tern on the Boomerang Island, while small number of Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit and a single Spoonbill added further interest. Elsewhere, 4 Whimbrel featured in Holes Bay SW, with a fifth individual in the NW sector along with 5 Curlew & c40 Black-tailed Godwit. Excellent spring count of 12 Cattle Egret clocked with the cows on the Frome flood fields, seen from Bog Lane this morning.

White-tailed Eagle on Gull Islands – Alison Copland

Swallow – Middlebere – Mark Wright

When you start out on a long term project, the ‘long term’ element of it never really sounds that appealing. Almost to point where you don’t ever really believe you’ll reach that point at all. Back in early 2015 we began putting an application together to start an Osprey reintroduction here in Poole Harbour, with the main objective seeming a long, long way away. However, today a milestone was reached and the date April 23rd 2022 will potentially go down in conservation history as the date the first (fertilised) wild Osprey egg was laid in Southern Britain in c200 years. At 14:58 this afternoon female Osprey CJ7, having spent a while prepping moss in the bottom of the nest suddenly settled low in the nest, making movements and behaving in a way that suggested she was about to lay an egg. Sure enough, a few minutes later, she was up on her feet examining the new addition to her nest. Male Osprey 022 soon joined her and spent quite a while figuring out what was going on, what this new object was before playing football with it for a while, pecked it a lot before then accepting his new responsibility. We’ll be writing a more detailed account over the coming days but this is such a big moment for the project and for everyone involved. This is a big step forward, but there’s still a long way to go. With both CJ7 and 022 being new parents they now have a steep learning curve in figuring out to now raise a family. Thanks so much to everyone thats followed this story and all your support, this is (one of) the moments we’ve been waiting for and we can’t wait to see what the spring/summer ahead holds. Please keep watching the OSPREY NEST CAM LIVE STREAM for all the latest updates and developments.

CJ7 having just laid her first egg before 022 quickly learns he has now become a parent!

Elsewhere there were 8 Yellow Wagtail at Lytchett Fields along with 3 Wheatear and a Common Whitethroat. At Swineham 11 Whimbrel flew over and there were 2 Bearded Tit off the point and an Osprey (likely 022) was out hunting in the Wareham Channel.

022 and CJ7 looking at their first egg! 

It’s not been a massively busy spring so far, but odds and sods keep appearing with a Whinchat and Garden Warbler at Lytchett Bay, 4 Wheatear were up on Hartland with another 4 at Greenlands, 2 Tree Pipit were over Middlebere and a Hobby was over Slepe Heath briefly. Male Osprey 022 has made several visits to the Middlebere nest platform today. Why? We, don’t know, but it’s been great having these frequent appearances around Arne in recent days. In Holes Bay there were 5 Turnstone and a Whimbrel, with another whimbrel in Middlebere. A Marsh Harrier was over the Brownsea Lagoon on and off all day and 5 Spoonbill dropped in too. Red Kites were logged over Brownsea, Arne and Slepe Heath.

Whimbrel – Holes Bay – Martin Adams (Holes Bay Nature)

Osprey viewed from Hydes Heath, RSPB Arne today. At least one Whitethroat at Fleetsbridge early morning. Morden Bog featured Tree Pipit, Woodlark, Marsh Harrier & Cuckoo. Holton Lee enjoyed a visit from a Peregrine while a Whimbrel was observed both north and south of the railway embankment at Holes Bay through the day. Here at Birds of Poole Harbour were still reeling at the sight of the Raven on one of our Osprey nest cams – if you haven’t seen the unusual footage yet, check it out below!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1516828885547163650

Chiffchaff – Shazz Hooper

Lovey to see House Martins zipping around the Swineham airspace today. A Ring Ouzel was encountered in the Ballard Gap and in Holes Bay there was new-in Whimbrel in SE compartment, while summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwit continue to cling on. Over on Hyde’s Heath, RSPB Arne Swallows passed over a Cuckoo while Marsh Harrier quartered the Wareham Channel, with distant Seal and migrant Osprey was also logged. It’s definitely worth actively watching the skies for raptors at the moment, these welcome easterlies saw more Red Kite pass over the harbour and further west in the county, Abbotsbury logged 48 Red Kite in a 3 hour watch!

Whimbrel – Holes Bay SE – Holes Bay Nature (twitter)

Wonderful to welcome of the safe return of Osprey 019 to the UK, thanks to the team at Brenig for notifying us of her intrusion on the Welsh nest at 1.24pm. Released as part of our Poole Harbour translocation project in 2019, 019 returned to the UK for the first time last year, visiting the Glaslyn nest and has been seen in the last two winters in Gunjur Quarry, The Gambia. There’s still time for her to find a mate and go on to breed this season… Turning to within, regular harbour go-ers G318 and G801 (Isle of Wight White-tailed Eagles) were out causing a commotion over Brownsea Lagoon around midday, with additional sightings coming in from Shipstal, Arne and Swineham. The latter site also clocked up Cattle Egret, Marsh Harrier and Cuckoo. An incoming tide at Lytchett Fields failed to produce the Green-winged Teal, instead featuring c.20 Eurasian Teal on Sherford Pools. Red Kite continue to passage continues, with birds logged over Arne and Wareham. At Old Harry/Ballard there were 3 Wheatear, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Common Whitethroat and 2 Rock Pipit with 2 Gannet, 1 Fulmar, 2 Common Scoter and 2 Guillemot past west. In Brands Bay there were 2 late Pintail, 2 Whimbrel and 5 Swallow over with 2 Ringed Plover in Bramble Bush Bay and 7 Common Tern in the harbour mouth. In Wytch Lake there was a single late dark-bellied Brent Goose and at Holme Lane GP 2 Common Sandpiper and 1 Egyptian Goose. At Challow Hill just a single Yellowhammer was logged but Willow Warbler were evident in multiple places including along the Arne Road, the Studland Road, Swineham and Ballard.

Incredible scenes of White-tailed Eagles G318 and G801 interacting over Brownsea Lagoon – Ben Arkless

Female White-tailed Eagle G318 – Brownsea Lagoon – Ben Arkless

019 intruding Brenig nest in Wales (seen here behind LJ2)

Another stunning morning to be out birding, and what better way to explore the harbour than on one of our Spring Safari Cruises?! Todays venture up the River Frome was greeted by a couple of Swallows and a chance to listen to and enjoy the songs of Skylark, Cetti’s and fresh-in Reed Warblers, Reed Bunting and Blackcap. Then things really got going as we approached the Swineham scrapes, finding a Common Sandpiper before a smart summer-plumage Cattle Egret dropped in to join the colourful c.50 strong Black-tailed Godwit flock momentarily. As we re-joined the Wareham Channel we were treated to a fly-by of male Osprey 022 carrying a fish, followed in quick succession by a skydancing Marsh Harrier, only to be interrupted and harassed by a persistent Peregrine! And if that wasn’t enough to get the hearts racing, a Goshawk then decided to join in on the action, drifting north over Gigger’s Island before concluding the trip by working Brownsea Lagoon, scoping over the seawall to add male Wheatear, c.10 Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, c.20 Common Tern and numerous Mediterranean Gull to the species list for the trip. An early afternoon walk to Swineham Point witnessed the arrival of a White-tailed Eagle into the harbour! Elsewhere, the long-staying Lytchett Bay Green-winged Teal showed again on Sherford Pools, Lytchett Fields, a Peregrine with prey in tree beyond  and 2 Little Ringed Plover on Approach Pool. There was no sign of yesterday’s Little Ringed Plovers at Sunnyside, but this was made up for with singing Cuckoo. Three Red Kite were picked up circling over Stoborough Heath, and another individual was seen over Westbourne.

We’ve just announced dates for our Nightjar Experience Walks (June-July) and have added three more dates to the new Morden Bog Dawn Chorus ID Courses. The previous dates sold out in record time, so grab your places while you can! And there’s still a few places left on the Spring Safari Cruises from 27th April and into May… All information and events booking can be found on our events page here.

Summer-plumage Cattle Egret at Swineham from today’s Spring Safari Cruise – Clare Slade

Osprey 022 from today’s Spring Safari Cruise – Clare Slade

Peregrine (right) mobbing Marsh Harrier (left) from today’s Spring Safari Cruise – Clare Slade

Goshawk – Wareham Channel – Rene Goad

Plenty more spring migrants around today with more Cuckoo’s arriving with individuals on Slepe Heath, Wytch Lake, Brownsea and Arne. There were also 2 Common Whitethroat at Middlebere and a Tree Pipit flew over Scotland Farm. At Sunnyside there were 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Red Kite was over Hartland Moor, a Wheatear in Holes Bay and the Green-winged Teal was still at Lytchett Fields. There were loads of Black-tailed Godwit in the harbour today counted during WeBS, well over 1000. Not too many Whimbrel with just 6 logged in Wytch Lake. There are also good numbers of Med Gull on Brownsea where there are still 20 Avocet and c30 Bar-tailed Godwit.

Med Gull – Brownsea Lagoon – Clare Slade

Despite probably plenty of birders being out and about today, reported sightings were thin on the ground. A Blue-headed Wagtail at Sunnyside was a treat of a find, and White-tailed Eagle G801 was seen agin in the Wareham Channel, although was heading for the Corfe gap by late afternoon. The Green-winged Teal was still at Lytchett Fields, and at South Haven, Studland there were 20 Common Tern logged in through the harbour entrance and a Yellow Wagtail there too. The Middlebere Ospreys seem to have moved on but CJ7 and 022 are still doing well at their new nest site with plenty of mating and nest building still being carried out today.

Blue-headed Wagtail – Sunnyside Farm – Jol Mitchell