It was pretty cold again today but 2 Swallow and 5 Sand Martin were at Swineham GP along with 3 singing Chiffchaff and the Little Gull was still on the main pit. Off Jerrys Point there were 2 Great Northern Diver, 2 Slavonian Grebe, 1 Black-necked Grebe, 5 Common Scoter, 41 Sanderling, 17 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Red-breasted Merganser, 15 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Greenshank. The PCW Drain still had 2 Cetti’s Warbler and c10 Common Chiffchaff.

We’ve also just launched a small fundraising campaign too. If you can help at all we’d really appreciate it. Sunnyside Scrape is a small but important wetland in the south of Poole Harbour owned by Natural England. Over the last five years we’ve been helping develop and enhance the site for passage and breeding waders as well as good numbers of over-wintering Jack Snipe and Woodcock. During the winter of 2019/20 we began our popular Sunnyside ringing demos which were a fundraiser to raise money for a new viewing screen to be built and replace the dilapidated old one. We were due to host more ringing demos during the 2020/21 winter period but sadly Covid:19 prevented them from happening. This means that were sadly now just short of our target to get the screen completed.

Can you help us raise the last £450 needed to get a new and better viewing screen installed at Sunnyside which in recent years has attracted more and more visitors, many of whom have been treated to great views of Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Hobby, Wood Sandpiper and even White Stork.

Thank you – https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sunnyside

Current screen looking like it needs some TLC!

White Stork photographed from the old Sunnyside screen September 2019

A much colder day today but there seemed to have been ‘a fall’ of early migrants across Dorset, mainly in the Weymouth area where c40 Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler were logged and the first Dorset Osprey of the spring passed north over Broadwey. Here in the harbour 2 Swallow were the only noted summer migrants but a Short-eared Owl out in the Lower Frome Valley is likely to have been a passage migrant and a small trickle Meadow Pipits began moving north too over Greenlands Farm and Hartland. The Little Gull was feeding over Swineham GP and there are still 10 Spoonbill using Shipstal at Arne. At the PCW Drain there were 6 Chiffchaff and the Cetti’s Warbler was still in the scrub there.

Grey Wagtail – Norden SW 

A pretty uneventful early spring day with the Little Gull at Swineham the main highlight. The IOW White-tailed Eagle was again seen at Church Knowle just south of the harbour recording area but not seen since mid afternoon. Med Gull are certainly becoming a feature with plenty of full summer plumaged birds being logged and showing early signs of display with c40 constantly in Poole Park and 100+ around the Baiter area. More singing Chiffchaff were logged at different sites around the harbour and one of the Peregrines was sat on the Barclays building all morning.

Today, we also carried out some spring-cleaning on the Osprey nest cam, (hopefully) prepping for CJ7 safe return in a few weeks time. On other wild Osprey nests the birds will usually sort out the winter mess by themselves, but it’s always good to give a helping hand and try to speed up the process, therefore allowing more time to try and find a mate!

Osprey nest cam spring-clean

The day began with a Great White Egret heading east over Wareham Common, landing along the Piddle north of Mount Pleasant. The low water levels at Poole Park drew in 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Redshank , 10 Oystercatcher, 21 Mediterranean, c.600 Black-headed and 120+ Herring Gulls. The steady increase in returning Greylag Geese to Poole Park reached 47 today, while U060 continues to reside at Swineham. Despite the thick mist early morning, Baiter produced 1 Great Northern Diver, 19 Turnstone, 9 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Shag, 6 Brent Goose and 9 Oystercatcher. Similar challenges at Holes Bay revelaed 300+ Black-tailed Godwit, 89 Redshank, c.30 Dunlin, 25 Curlew and an absence of Avocet. PC World Drain offered 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Water Rail, Goldcrest, Redwing, Little Grebe and Grey Wagtail. At Swineham the Little Gull was still over the Lower Piddle floods and a Swallow was over the main pit. Although just outside the recording area a 1st winter Glaucous Gull was at the Alderney/Canford Heath water treatment works which could well be the individual thats been roosting on Brownsea in recent weeks.

Greylag Goose U060 – Swineham – Clive Hargrave

Finally….the true start of spring. The month we tend to see our first Ospreys, Wheatears, Willow Warblers and Little Ringed Plovers. Today heralded the first White Wagtail of the spring and we’ve already had the first Sand Martins and a Swallow last week, so hopefully the next ‘firsts’ will be sooner rather than later. Chiffchaff are now singing at numerous sites across the harbour. Some could potentially be early southern European migrants, but it’s likely many of these early singers are over-wintering birds warming up before moving off to their breeding grounds. The White-tailed Eagle that was in the harbour on Sunday spent all day just south of the harbour in the Church Knowle area, and was seen eating a rabbit. It’s great to know its still kicking about and could quite feasibly make its way north again back into the Poole Harbour recording area. At Swineham the Little Gull was still feeding above the Lower Piddle floods and at Holme Lane there were 11 Egyptian Geese on the pit. Woodlark are in full voice on numerous heathlands as are Skylark now. There were still 3 Slavonian Grebe off Jerry’s point. At Lytchett Fields there was a Marsh Harrier with another at Middlebere plus there was late news of both a male and female Hen Harrier in Middlebere on Saturday.

White Wagtail – Lytchett Fields – Shaun Robson

It was due to happen some time, but finally one of the Isle of Wight White-tailed Sea Eagles decided to spend a day in and around Poole Harbour. Thanks to info from Tim Mackrill from the Roy Dennis Wildlife foundation we received info that the bird roosted within the harbour area last night having arrived from Hampshire yesterday afternoon. Today it was seen over Corfe, Harmans Cross and then Corfe Common again this evening, suggesting that it spent most/all of today along the south area of Poole Harbour. Where it is this evening is anyone’s guess….Dorset? Devon? Derbyshire? But we’ll hopefully be able to get another update from Tim tomorrow sometime. Elsewhere it was rather quiet today with many people just enjoying the sun. 2 Red Kite drifted over Nine Barrow Down and headed towards the harbour. Good numbers of Crossbill were in Rempstone and a pair of Mandarin Duck were seen in the Piddle Valley. The Little Gull was at Swineham floods first thing and 11 Spoonbill were in the Wytch Channel and then flushed towards Goathorn. Sadly a dead Barn Owl was found on the edge of the A35 near Lytchett Fields which is a scarce bird in that part of the harbour. It was also the Poole Harbour WeBS count today which so far seems to have yielded smaller numbers of the regular waders and wildfowl as winter spring gives way to spring.

Crossbill – Greenlands Farm

We could get used to this! Another balmy, beautiful, blissful early spring day with a real buzz in the air with both butterfly’s and numerous bee species on the wing. If this is the pattern for the coming weeks then it will hopefully make the last few weeks/months of lockdown that tad bit easier. Sightings wise it was fairly quite today with the Swallow and Sand Martins recorded at Swineham again along with the Little Gull in the mouth of the River Piddle. There were also 13 Cetti’s Warbler and 29 Reed Bunting singing. Both Peregrine Falcons were seen on the Asda and the Barclays building. A Red-throated Diver was off Parkstone Yacht Club and a Great Northern Diver was off Jerry’s Point. Holes Bay north still held 58 Curlew, 100 Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Avocet, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Kingfisher and a few Shoveler. A Jack Snipe was seen and photographed hiding well at Lytchett Fields yesterday and a Water Pipit was there this morning.

No wonder they’re rarely seen! Jack Snipe – Lytchett Fields – Shaun Robson

Wonderful spring-like conditions emerged after the thick fog lifted this morning with the undoubted highlight being the first 2 Sand Martin and a Swallow of the spring appearing over Swineham late afternoon. Two Golden Plover passed over Swineham and the Little Gull returned to the Lower Piddle Valley flood fields, along with 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Snipe, 13 Reed Bunting, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Marsh Harrier, but there was no sign of the Ring-necked Duck on the Gravel Pit. Keysworth reedbed attracted 2 Marsh Harrier and 2 Bearded Tit. A Great White Egret was picked up over Wareham Channel and a single redhead Goosander was off Hamworthy Beach. Central harbour featured 1 Red-throated Diver new in and 2 Great Northern Diver. A single Long-tailed Duck was off Brownsea, and the lagoon featured c.2500 Black-tailed Godwit, many in partial summer plumage. There has been a complete clear out of Goldeneye with the only bird logged was at Holes Bay. The site also saw a couple of Kingfisher. Other records across the harbour included 4 Black-necked Grebe, 2 Sandwich Tern, 8 Spoonbill at Shipstal, still plenty of Brent Goose along the southern shore (including the Brand’s Bay Pale-bellied Brent) and c.150 Red-breasted Merganser displaying out on the water.

Little Gull, Sand Martin and Swallow – Swineham GP – Peter Moore

A female Hen Harrier has been seen around Swineham Point area for the last couple of days. Marsh Harrier were recorded around Holton Lee early morning and Swineham. The adult winter Little Gull returned to feed around the Piddle Valley flood fields. Other highlights picked up around Swineham included Ring-necked Duck, 13 Cetti’s Warbler, 15 Reed Bunting, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Greylag (1 Ringed), 4 Egyptian Geese, 1 Snipe, Shoveler and 2 Adder. Plus, at dusk 2 Spoonbill arrived in high from the west and settled on the Stilt Pools. Poole Park Greylag now up to 24 (including U012, U013 and U014). A Short-eared Owl was seen near Ridge last night.

Shell Bay featured a single Black-necked Grebe, 16 Ringed Plover, 11 Grey Plover, 6 Turnstone and a Sanderling. Two Great Northern Diver, 10 Black-necked Grebe, distant Long-tailed Duck, 5 Common Scoter and 16 Red-breasted Merganser. Brands Bay clocked up a minimum of 400 Black-tailed Godwit, 47 Grey Plover, 310+ Common Gull and 2 Mediterranean Gull.

Ring-necked Duck – Swineham GP – Garry Hayman

Adder – Swineham – Garry Hayman

The strong winds produced the goods today with a 1st-winter Kittiwake north over Lytchett Fields. A Ruddy Shelduck appeared with 9 Egyptian Geese at Holme Lane GP late afternoon, presumably the same bird that was at Silver Lake not long ago. The Pale-bellied Brent Goose is still hanging around Brands Bay. Other highlights included 2 Sandwich Tern, 2 Great Northern Diver, 5 Common Scoter, 3 Black-necked Grebe and 67 Grey Plover among the Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Sanderling, Red-breasted Merganser and Greenshank. Wytch Heath logged 15 Crossbills and the female Ring-necked Duck was still present at Swineham this morning, with a Firecrest recorded at the start of the Piddle Valley fields. Two Adder were also observed in the area – another welcome sign of spring around the corner. Out In Studland Bay there were 2 Black-necked Grebe and 1 Common Scoter.

Ruddy Shelduck – Holme Lane GP

Sanderling – Jerry’s Point – Garry Hayman