The month is getting off to a good start for Osprey with 3 circling high over the Wareham Channel, prompting our resident male 022 to go into full display mode. We’re not sure who the new bird was? A Poole translocated bird? An early migrant? A wandering two year old from elsewhere? Who knows, but it’s a great start to the osprey season with plenty more hopefully still to come. A fantastic ringing session was held at Lytchett Heath, highlight just how many migrarts are already on the move with 12 Grasshopper Warbler ringed along with 94 Sedge Warbler, 3 Garden Warbler and 12 Willow Warbler. Up on Ballard the first Wheatear of the autumn was present and at Swineham 1 Osprey sent up c200 Black-tailed Godwit & 30 Lapwing out in the Wareham Channel and there were 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hobby, plenty of Cettis & Reed Warbler, 210 Canada Geese, 3 Egyptian Geese + 7 young and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls. In Holes Bay there were 4 Common Sandpiper and in Brands Bay 3 Whimbrel and another Common Sandpiper. Arne and Middlebere are still producing the goods with the Great White Egret seen again in Middlebere, the Cuckoo was posing nicely again on the Coombe Heath sign post and there were 3 Spotted Redshank in Middlebere.

Grasshopper Warbler – Lytchett Heath

A promising rising tide Lytchett Bay late morning harboured 276 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Ringed Plover, 30 Curlew (including the returning colour-ringed bird from Hampshire), 7 Dunlin, Common and Green Sandpipers, 6 Greenshank, 4 Whimbrel, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull and the hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull. Later in the day, an incoming tide at Middlebere featured 4 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Whimbrel, 9 Curlew, 16 Oystercatcher and 17 Shelduck. A juvenile Cuckoo RSPB Arne was particularly showy at RSPB Arne and Ower Bay showcased both Curlew and Whimbrel.

Juvenile Cuckoo – RSPB Arne – @TACbirds (twitter account)

The strong winds (although westerly) saw a few seabirds moving through Poole Bay. A dedicated watch from Branksome Chine offered 1 Balearic Shearwater, 7 Manx Shearwater and 2 Fulmar. Time visits with strong winds, especially southeasterly, anytime between now and October for a chance to connect with passage skuas, petrels and shearwaters, all species you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere in the harbour area. The Holes Bay Common Redshank count halved on yesterday’s count totaling c.50, bolstered by 96 Black-tailed Godwit, 46 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel and 2 Common Sandpiper at low tide. Last night’s Nightjar walk on Slepe Heath wrapped up a magical end to our series for the year. Again, we were treated to numerous flybys, including one bird that briefly hovered in front of the group, allowing one of our guests to capture a photo of the action in very limited light!

Steve Grundy – Male Nightjar – Slepe Heath Nightjar Experience Walk

Still not much sign of any big passerine passage yet, but more juv Willow Warbler were seen at Arne, Hartland and Greenlands Farm. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 2 Spotted Redshank and 116 Common Redshank. The Arctic Tern was in the Browmsea Channel again first thing and in Brands Bay this evening there were 14 Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel and 8 Dunlin. There were 14 Turnstone back on Baiter and the Peregrine family were in and around the Adsa building. There were also 2 Common Sandpiper in Poole Park too.

Redshank flock – Holes Bay – Martin Adams

Another autumn arrival today with an Arctic Tern feeding with the Common and Sandwich Terns in the Brownsea Channel this AM. In Holes Bay the Common Sandpiper was still under the railway bridge and there were 45 Curlew and 78 Redshank out on the mud of the NE sector. At Arne a Great White Egret and 1 Spoonbill were in Middlebere and Ospreys CJ7 and 022 were out over the Wareham Channel again. The Wood Sandpiper was on Lytchett Fields again on the approach pools. On the Swineham Scrapes there were 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Common Sandpiper. In Brands Bay there were 7 Turnstone, 5 Ringed Plover, 1 Whimbrel and 2 Common Sandpiper.

Wood Sandpiper – Lytchett Fields – Peter Moore

The autumnal gathering of Spoonbill begun on Brownsea today with 2 birds settled on the Tamrisk Island, also logged was 1 Knot, 3 early returning Grey Plover, 45 adult Redshank, 70 Dunlin, 2 Avocet, 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Greenshank, 1 Curlew, 15 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Sandpiper. Ospreys CJ7 and 022 were active over the Wareham Channel, 022 seen intermittently displaying to CJ7 with a fish in his talons which was great to see.

Male Osprey 022 with fish over the Wareham Channel – Alison Copland