There was still a couple of reminders that winter wasn’t that long ago with a single Fieldfare logged at Holton Lee when paying a visit to their offices and a single dark-bellied Brent Goose was still out in the Wareham Channel. There was a decent fall of Willow Warblers around the harbour with several in the PCW Drain, 3 at Greenlands Farm, 2 along Soldiers Road and 2 at Coombe Heath, Arne. There were also 10 Wheatear at Sunnyside Farm and out in the Wareham Channel the young Peregrine was once again out there causing mayhem, this time in partnership with a Marsh Harrier that perused close behind the fleeing Black-tailed Godwits and Black-headed Gulls. At Morden Bog the first Tree Pipit was back on territory and a Cuckoo was calling there too. Whimbrel were heard calling at Swineham and Lytchett Fields with 2 seen on the ground there too. There were also 7 Little Ringed Plover at Lytchett Fields and an Osprey (not CJ7) was also seen over the fields carrying a fish.

Blackcap – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

It would be well worth starting to listen out at night now for passage Whimbrel as they are now starting to arrive with the first 2 at Lytchett Bay today and one in the Wareham Channel. From mid-April onwards their whistling cry’s can be heard after sun set as they pass over in good numbers all the way until mid-May. Other passage waders can be logged moving at night too as April progresses with Ringed Plover, Knot, Turnstone, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin all regularly being recorded at night around this time of year. Today there were also 3 Osprey in the harbour including one over Upton CP and CJ7 was seen semi-interacting with another Osprey but we think it may have been a territorial escorting of another female away from the channel rather than the warm welcoming of a fine young male. CJ7 also visited the Middlebere platform today for the first time this spring as she carried out her daily tour of the harbour. Also a Peregrine was causing mayhem again out in the Wareham Channel around Gull Islands where c5000 Black-headed Gull were present and no less than c300 Med Gulls. Also 1 dark-bellied Brent Goose was still out there and c1000 fine looking summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwit. There were 8 Little Ringed Plover on Lytchett Fields and at Swineham 2 Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, c40 Sand Martin, 2 Little Ringed Plover and c10 Swallow.

CJ7 on Middlebere nest platform

Lytchett Fields there were 2 different Osprey, one which headed NE and another that headed NW…so not quite the pairing moment we were hoping for, assuming one was CJ7 as she moved about the harbour. Also at Lytchett Fields were 3 Wheatear, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Greenshank and 2 Lapwing. The first early passage of Common Sandpiper was noted with 2 in Holes Bay north and another on the Swineham scrapes. Also at Swineham were 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Wheatear, 2 Egyptian Geese, and a pair of Tawny Owl were calling along the lane. Willow Warbler were logged singing at Ballard, Greenlands Farm and Soldiers Road. A Red Kite passed over Studland.

Little Ringed Plover – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

The wind swung today to the SW but it was still blimmin cold! It seems like with the change in wind direction the Ospreys that have been using Middlebere have finally moved on with no photos from the Middlebere platform for the first time since March 31^st. However whilst CJ7 was on the nest cam around 5:30pm another Osprey was seen fishing out in the Wareham Channel which promptly caught a flatfish and took it to the Keysworth shoreline to feed. A Raven came and landed next to it, and structurally the Osprey seemed quite a lot smaller suggesting it could be a male. We of course have no idea how the season will pan out this year, but its worth bearing in mind that there’s a chance CJ7 won’t pair up again this summer whilst we wait for some/more of our translocated males to arrive back. There’s been no shortage of migrant Osprey in the harbour so far this spring and CJ7 has probably encountered a good number of them with her daily outings around the harbour but so far, but they’re all probably established breeders further north meaning there’s little chance of them hanging around. As we move further into April and May the non-breeding Osprey begin arriving back and exploring, and it’s during this period ‘wandering’ males could become interested in the harbour and CJ7. A Peregrine was causing mayhem out in the Wareham Channel too flushing 300+ Black-tailed Godwit. A Spoonbill was in Middlebere, a Spotted Redshank was at Lytchett Fields with 1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plover and where 2 Osprey were also seen briefly over the fields, but not togther sadly. Also 1 Willow Warbler and 8+ Blackcap there too.At Swineham there were still 250+ Sand Martin, 20+ Swallow and a Little Ringed Plover on the Swineham Scrapes. Swallow were also pushing through again in small numbers and a Red Kite drifted over Studland. There was also a random Barnacle Goose on the Brownsea Lagoon which is a nice April record.

Greenshank – Brands Bay – Nick Gadenne

Stonechat – Middlebere – Nick Gadenne

Meadow Pipit – Middlebere – Nick Gadenne

Linnet – Middlebere – Nick Gadenne

It was another cold day, but at least it didn’t snow. In fact for the 2.5 minutes that the sun came out it lifted above 4 degrees……excellent!!! In all seriousness, come back spring. We’re bored of this already. The cold weather had forced a huge number of hirundines low to the water at Swineham with c500 Sand Martin feeding with 20+ Swallow and 5 House Martin. There were 2 Osprey out in the Wareham Channel late afternoon and a Spotted Redshank was calling off Swineham Point too. On the Swineham Scrapes the single Yellow Wagtail was there again and there were also 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper but only 3 singing Reed Warbler and a Great White Egret was seen too. CJ7 was very active at the nest site today bringing in several large sticks and even carrying out her first nest cup ‘dig’ for any potential egg laying later in the season. We’ve also been analysing the photos we receive from the trail cameras and the Middlebere camera is quite interesting. Although it seems there’s been one very hungry Osprey using that platform since 17:30 on March 31^st. Looking at the photos we think it’s actually two different birds. Initially the first bird seems to be a new un-ringed female but today’s photos certainly seem to show what we believe to be ‘Beaky’. We’re now entering peak Osprey migration period and so the next few weeks could be really interesting. We still currently have two females on two different nests so you just never know…will we get lucky?

First Osprey on Middlebere platform @ 17:30 March 31st (until April 3rd at least)

Current Osprey using Middlebere platform showing different underwing pattern

This cold snap has come with some unpredictable weather with sleet, hail and blue skies rapidly interchanging. CJ7 was less active today, which mirrors her behaviour from this time last year where she didn’t really start using the nest until 2nd week of April. However the Middlebere Osprey continues to eat & eat! Ospreys were also logged over Swineham, Lytchett Bay, Little Sea and a watch from Coombe Viewpoint, Arne which as offered Swallow and Spoonbill. Swineham also featured singles of Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, Peregrine and singing Reed and Sedge Warblers, as well as numerous Chiffchaff, Cetti’s Warbler, House Martin and the 2 Egyptian Geese feeding. Bramble Bush Bay held 11 Sanderling and 25 Turnstone early doors, with 2 singing Willow Warbler behind Shell Bay.

Dear oh dear. What a difference 24 hours makes! Gorgeous sunshine and shorts on Sunday. Then thermals, gloves and even a (very) small flurry of snow at Arne today…not great for arriving migrants. There weren’t many sigs of new arrivals today but Osprey sightings were pretty reliable with definitely 3 in the harbour, possibly 4. The un-ringed female remained on the Middlebere nest platform for most of the day and CJ7 was quite active bringing sticks to her nest early morning, before getting startled by a Kestrel! Then, what looked like an un-ringed male was photographed at Arne eating a fish and several sightings of 1-2 individuals were logged out over the Wareham Channel. As April presses on, more and more Osprey will continue to arrive into the UK with non-breeding individuals tending to arrive later in the month. Could this be when CJ7 meets a potential mate? Little Ringed Plover were at Lytchett Fields (5) and Swineham Scrape (2). A few Swallow were making their way through, heading into the north wind but certainly not as many as Sunday and Egyptian Geese were logged at Swineham, Lytchett Fields and Holmebridge. There were 2 Great White Egret in the Wareham Channel along with 2 different Marsh Harrier too. We’re also now hearing Firecrest singing at multiple sites, in fact way more than we’re hearing Goldcrest. Although their habitat choices are slightly different, they do overlap and it seems as if we’re beginning to see the overtaking of certain areas (including suburban Poole) by Firecrest, a once rare breeder and scarce passage migrant.

CJ7 getting spooked by a Kestrel on webcam – Jenny Moore YouTube channel

Egyptian Geese – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

What a glorious Easter Sunday. Sunny, mild and lots of chocolate! Looking at the forecast though, it may be the last warm day for some time as the predicted Arctic weather system starts venturing south as of Monday. Today there were a minimum of 3 Osprey in the harbour, with a bit of excitement when CJ7 lifted off her nest and started circling with another Osprey. We knew the visitor couldn’t have bee the un-ringed female that’s been present since last week as she was eating a fish on the Middlebere platform at the time. CJ7 this disappeared off for the day and there was even a sighting of 2 Osprey circling high together over the Wareham Channel at 1pm, but alas, CJ7 then returned to her nest…..alone around 2:30pm and no other sightings were logged. At least she’s going out and making the effort to meet new birds this year. Much of last spring was spent sat on the nest just hoping and waiting. There was a decent push of Swallows too with small groups of 5-10 pulsing through across different areas for much of the day. In the Wareham Channel there were literally thousands and thousands of gulls, mainly Black-headed Gulls but also good numbers Mediterranean Gulls too. There must have been an insect emergence of sorts with the gulls kettling in huge numbers for hours, circling high above the channel and never settling on the water or shoreline. At Swineham there were 2 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap and 40 Sand Martin. There were also 7 Little Ringed Plover at Lytchett Fields and it was good to hear that the Poole Peregrines were active on both the main buildings too as they moved between Asda and Barclays.

Chiffchaff in the Blossom – Poole – Clare Slade

Mediterranean Gulls – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

Wow, it really is getting chilly now. The NE wind seemed to keep migration at bay, but at least female Osprey CJ7 spent longer on the nest today and even started bringing larger sticks to the nest with 4 or 5 collected today. At the same time the un-ringed female Osprey (which we’re now thinking isn’t Beaky, but just another un-ringed individual) spent pretty much all day on the Middlebere platform catching 3 large fish over the course of the day, showing well to visitors who went to RSPB Arne. Another Osprey was photographed in Wareham Forest, hiding away eating a fish. The forest has over the last 10 years become a favoured feeding spot for migrant birds but they’re able to hide away so well that they often go unseen. At Lytchett Fields there were also 2 Red Kite, 1 migrant Marsh Harrier high overhead and 1 Little Ringed Plover was on the fields. At Holes Bay a Red Kite drifted over there too and once again Swallows were logged passing through at numerous sites. On Upton Heath it was quite busy with 9 Stonechat, 7 Linnet, 9 Chiffchaff and 2 Blackcap seen along a short route.

Red Kite – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

CJ7 beginning to build her nest, bringing 5 sticks to the nest today