Another day where the migrants continue to roll in! A fantastic record of a Purple Sandpiper on the rocks at Sandbanks this morning was one of the highlights of the day. Also this AM, a count at Stoborough Heath produced an impressive count of 5 Redstart, 3 Wheatear, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Whitethroat, 8 Willow Warbler and 10 Mistle Thrush. Just down the road at Sunnyside Farm, a further 3 Spotted Flycatcher, a juvenile Willow Warbler, Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail were reported.

Over at Studland this morning, Brands Bay hosted 63 Teal, 13 Ringed Plover, 91 Black-tailed Godwit, 107 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 3 Turnstone, 85 Dunlin, 5 Knot, 5 Common Gull & 89 Mediterranean Gull, as well as a Whinchat and Grasshopper Warbler on the path to Jerry’s Point. At Greenlands Farm there were 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whinchat and 8 Wheatear, as well as a further 8 Spotted Flycatcher and a Lesser Whitethroat at South Haven. From Hartland, a male Redstart, Hobby and Wheatear were the highlights.

From the Osprey Cruise this morning, 2 Osprey were seen in the Wareham Channel, as well as a Marsh Harrier and 3 Grey Plover, with 7 Spoonbill counted on Brownsea Lagoon. Osprey sightings have continued to be numerous across the harbour, with 2 reported at Lytchett Field this morning, and one perched in a tree behind Sherford Pools there later at around midday. A total of 4 Osprey were reported over the Gull Islands in the Wareham Channel from Ham Common Viewpoint this morning, as well as one feeding in the dead trees from the Raptor trail at RSPB Arne.

Purple Sandpiper, Sandbanks, David & Caleb Bevan

Autumn migrants are coming through thick and fast currently with plenty of nice birds to see. Redstart and Whinchat numbers are building with 2 Whinchat at Lytchett Bay, 1 at Greenlands Farm, 1 at Godlingston 1 at Hartland and 2 on Arne. Redstart were flitting around the fringes of Hartland, Middlebere, Greenlands Farm and Slepe Heath and they’re often joined with Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and a few Chiffchaff. Spotted Flycatcher are also being logged in good numbers around the heathland edges, certainly in the south of the harbour and Wheatear are numerous out on rough patches of high ground, plus one was in Holes Bay too. Also 6 Grasshopper Warbler were ringed during a morning ringing session at Lytchett Bay and Yellow Wagtail were logged at Holton Lee, Godlingston and Hartland. There were good numbers of Swallow and House Martin high above the Wareham Channel with c500 in total which attracted the attention of 2 local Hobby. There were 2 different Marsh Harrier in the Wareham Channel and between 3-4 Osprey were seen with individuals seen catching fish in the Wareham Channel, Lytchett Bay and Middlebere. At Baiter there were just 3 Turnstone, but 36 Ringed Plover and 7 Dunlin. In Middlebere there were 10 Spoonbill and 50 Avocet and the 2 Bottlenose Dolphin were seen again in the harbour mid-morning.

Osprey bathing in Middlebere a couple of days ago – Ken (PenHillMan)

Curlew and Redshank – Brands Bay – Nick Gadenne

This glorious high pressure system is basking us in glorious sunshine and with great birds. Today a Red-backed Shrike was reported on Coombe Heath, Arne and just outside the harbour boundary a Wryneck was in Church Knowle near Corfe. Our Osprey Cruise was stunning with 3-4 individuals seen, including one of our juveniles, young male 371 which arrived down the river valley to join what looked like CJ7 and 022 over Arne, before one then caught a fish over in Arne Moors Bay. There were also 2 Marsh Harrier on the Keysworth shoreline and a Peregrine was doing a great job beating up a Herring Gull over Brownsea. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 16 Spoonbill and once again the 2 Bottlenose Dolphin were seen again in between Brownsea and Sandbanks. In Lytchett Bay there were up to 4 Osprey fishing this morning which was quite a sight, including the female from Glaslyn ‘8C’ which appeared in the harbour a few days ago. In total there must at least 5-6 migrant Osprey in the harbour currently with individuals also seen in Middlebere, over Swineham and near Brands Bay…..with more on the way! Passerine wise, there were 2 Spotted Flycatcher in Upton CP, 3 Wheatear on the Brownsea Lagoon sea wall, 1 each of Redstart, Whinchat, Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher on Hartland, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and a Cuckoo at Lytchett Fields with a fly over Great White Egret there too and at Sunnyside a decent passage of Sand Martin and c30 Yellow Wagtail. In Holes Bay the first 6 Wigeon of the winter arrived and settled and in the PCW Drain there were 2 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat and a Kingfisher.

Wigeon – Holes Bay – Rene Goad

Female Osprey ‘8C’ – Lytchett Bay – Mark Wright

This NE air flow could really make things productive over the coming weeks with Red-backed Shrikes, Icterine Warblers and Wrynecks spring to mind. To be honest, several Pied Flycatcher will suffice, but things definitely seem on the rise currently. An adult Honey Buzzard drifted over Morden Bog this morning with an adult un-ringed male Osprey over too plus Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipit present too and 4 Woodlark on the deck. Our Osprey Cruise today was action packed with between 5-6 Osprey clocked around the Wareham Channel area and 9 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon with 3 more Wigeon seen and 4 newly arrived Shoveler too. However, the 2 Bottlenose Dolphin that suddenly appeared next to the boat off the Brownsea Lagoon made for a welcome distraction from the birds. There are some cracking photos of Osprey being taken at different sites, but they seem to be very active in Lytchett Bay with 3 present most days currently as well as the usual 2-3 birds in the Middlebere area and one flew over Holes Bay today too. At Holes Bay there were 2 Common Sandpiper, 1085 Black-tailed Godwit, 163 Redshank, 3 Knot and 61 Teal. At Lytchett Fields there was a Spotted Redshank (scarce in the harbour this autumn), 1 Whinchat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Knot and a Ruff. At Greenlands Farm there were 16 Wheatear, 2 Whinchat, 2 Redstart and 2 Spotted Flycatcher. In Middlebere there were 15 Spoonbill, 10 Avocet, c90 Black-tailed Godwit and a Wheatear on Coombe Heath and a juv Cuckoo along the Middlebere track. At Sunnyside there were 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Wheatear and a Redstart. At Swineham this evening a few passerines were around with 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Wheatear and 1 Spotted Flycatcher in scrub plus 1 Green Sandpiper on the scrapes. Finally in Upton CP there were 4 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Garden Warbler and 2 Blackcap.

Bottlenose Dolphin – Off Brownsea north – Siomn Kidner

Osprey over Corfe Castle – Derek Morgan

Osprey – Lytchett Bay – Mark Wright

It was another Osprey-filled morning with numerous individuals around the harbour, although the Wareham Channel seemed quieter than normal mid-morning, although male 022 went into full display mode, sky-dancing with a fish over the Arne area, very conveniently just as our Osprey Cruise passed by. This was a real thrill to stand and watch this behaviour with a boat full of guests, knowing that this behaviour hasn’t been seen in southern Britain for around 200 years until this year. We also had images from one of our harbour nest platforms showing a new ringed bird had arrived with ‘blue 8C’ seen near Wareham Forest. This female is a 2014 hatched bird from the Glaslyn nest in Wales, although it’s un-known currently whether she’s breeding anywhere in the UK. Regardless, its great to be able to learn a bit more detail about some of the birds that are visiting and staging at the harbour each year. Un-ringed individuals were also logged at Middlebere, Lytchett Bay, Morden Bog the Wareham Channel and Shipstal. There were some other exciting arrivals today too including the first 3 Wigeon of the autumn/winter over the Wareham Channel and 3 Pochard on Swineham GP. A sub-adult male Marsh Harrier floated over Giggers Island and a fresh juv was in Middlebere. Also in Middlebere were 5 Spoonbill, 1 Spotted Redshank, 24 Avocet, c90 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Peregrine. The Brownsea Lagoon was busy and saw 300+ Oystercatcher, c100 Dunlin, c30 Ringed Plover, 2 Spoonbill, 2 Knot, 8 Greenshank and1 Kingfisher. A slow ringing session at Lytchett Bay saw only 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 11 Sedge Warbler, 11 Willow Warbler and 1 Whitethroat. There was also a Common Redstart at Middlebere, 1 Whinchat on Hartland and 2 at Lytchett Fields and there were still 2 Nightjar using the Osprey nest cam perch last night.

Newly arrived Osprey ‘blue 8C’ a 2014 Glaslyn female

Watching a couple of our translocated juvenile Ospreys confidently explore the wider harbour, interacting with migrant adults filtering through the harbour was a very special addition to this morning’s Osprey cruise. Using the yagi to scan through their unique radio tag signals, we were able to confirm that birds 370 and 374 were exploring the Wareham Channel – this is such an important stage of the project as these young birds consolidate the imprinting process, mapping our the local area before embarking on their long 4,000km migration to West Africa! Other highlights from the boat trip included numerous Osprey interactions with Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret on Arne Moors, 7 Spoonbill on Brownsea Lagoon and a Wheatear along the Lagoon seawall. Osprey sightings were also logged at Lytchtet Bay (2) and Middlebere (1), with the latter observed preening in the water. There was quite a scattering of ground autumn passerines across the harbour in the form of 5 Wheatear at Hartland Moor, Pied Flycatcher at Wytch and Common Redstarts along the Middlebere lane (1), harbour mouth (1) and 3 at Norden. Common Whitethroat were in numerous bushes around Hartland and there were 8 Spotted Flycatcher together at Arne. During our first WeBS count of the season, the sound of Whimbrel calling across the mud lflats from numerous sites along the south of the harbour was a real treat with 100+ in Brands Bay, and was a Wood Sandpiper that alighted near Wytch, calling rapidly as it headed north was a great finale.

Common Redstart – Middlebere – Aidan Brown

Three Shoveler dropped into Lytchett Bay first thing before moving onto the Fields with the rising tide, joining a decent selection of 142 Redshank, 127 Black-tailed Godwit, 18 Green Sandpiper, 13 Greenshank, 4 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper. Other highlights around the bay included a migrant Whinchat and 2 Osprey fishing over the Bay. A further Osprey was spotted in a favoured dead trees at Middlebere and one even drifted over the Brownsea Lagoon. The Lagoon also hosted a juv Curlew Sandpiper along with 180 Dunlin, 48 Ringed Plover, 18 Greenshank, 14 Avocet, 10 Common Sandpiper, 1 Sanderling 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 120 Black-tailed Godwit. There were 2 Whinchat near the Middlebere track and a Spotted Flycatcher.

Don’t forget to join us at Ham Common on Monday for another Osprey watchpoint between 9AM and midday. More details can be found here.

Nightjar – SRG ringing session – Shaun Robson

Today saw the first of our Osprey cruises of the autumn and we were treated to 4 Osprey within 15 minutes of the trip starting as female CJ7, male 022, a migrant female and one of our translocated juveniles, chick 372 were all circling together at the far end of the Wareham Channel before all going their separate ways. Chick 372 seemed keen to stick with CJ7 and 022 and even settled on a harbour nest platform with 022 for a while. There were 3 seen togther over Lytchett Bay too which were likely to be 3 of the birds we saw. Things are really picking up Osprey wise and give it another week or so and we’ll begin to see more juveniles arrive from further north which is always great to see. Also seen were 2 Marsh Harrier, plenty of Sandwich Tern moving around, on the Brownsea Lagoon there were 5 Spoonbill, c100 Dunlin, c50 Ringed Plover, 7 Avocet, 2 Common Sandpiper, 7 Greenshank, c200 Black-tailed Godwit and 12 Curlew. A ringing session in Lytchett Bay produced 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit, 8 Willow Warbler and 9 Sedge Warbler.

Osprey chick 372 on harbour nest platform

Grasshopper Warbler – Lytchett Bay

There were more Osprey sightings today with 3 in the Wareham Channel area, single around Lytchett Bay on and off during the day, 1 in Middlebere and 1 towards Wytch Lake. One even decided to have a bit of a battle with a Peregrine mid-afternoon. Also in Middlebere were 2 Spoonbill, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Hobby. Local raptor watcher Peter Hadrill kindly informed us that in the last three weeks up to 6 migrant Marsh Harrier had ‘staged’ in the harbour before moving off soon after. These individuals consisted of an adult male (8^th), adult female (high north west 9^th), juvenile female (high south east 11^th), both a well-splashed female and a moulting male (17^th) and an immature female (19^th). There were 2 Yellow Wagtail with cattle at Sunnyside with a Common Snipe on the scrape too. Many thanks to Martin Adams for the reporting of a BTO leg ring (still attached to the leg!) found under the Peregrine feeding site near Asda. Since then data has been returned highlighting that the ring (and the leg) belonged to a Sandwich Tern which was originally ringed as a chick at Cemlyn on Anglesey 18th June 2019. A great recovery as Sandwich Tern leg rings are always incredibly hard to recover.

Sandwich Tern leg and BTO ring – Asda, Poole – Martin Adams

Another great day with Autumn migration building really nicely. The first 2 Little Stint of the autumn were on Lytchett Fields with 15+Greenshank, 10 Ringed Plover, c15 Dunlin, c200 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper and 100+ Redshank. There were also 2-3 Osprey hunting in Lytchett Bay, with another on the Middlebere platform eating a large fish, and 2 more seen in the Wareham Channel area. At Middlebere  3 Yellow Wagtail flew over the cattle fields near the hide and in the channel were 4 Greenshank, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull, 4 Spoonbill, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Knot. At Arne there was a single Spotted Flycatcher and 2 juvenile Hobby have fledged and were seen on/near Hydes Heath.

Osprey – Middlebere nest platform