Lovely reports at RSPB Arne today, with 1 White-tailed Eagle reported in the morning, 2 Spoonbill and 6 Spotted Redshank seen on the low tide from Coombe Heath, as well as a Meadow Pipit feeding a juvenile Cuckoo! A Peregrine was seen perched on the distant shoreline of Lytchett Bay, as well as an adult Mediterranean Gull with 3 juveniles, 2 Whimbrel, 14 Redshank, 10 Greenshank, 22 Curlew and 39 Black-tailed Godwit reported from the Rock Lea Viewpoint. On Brownsea Lagoon, 3 Avocet and 30 Redshank were reported.

Spoonbill – Middlebere Channel from Coombe Heath – Barbara Bisset

A wet day in the harbour meaning sightings are limited, but hopefully the downpours will cause some  early migrants to stop-off in the harbour, after the nice weather clearouts recently. 1 Little Ringed Plover was in Lytchett Fields along with 3 Greenshank, 1 Common Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Mediterranean Gull. In Bramble Bush Bay there were 4 Common Sandpiper and 2 Whimbrel and in Brands Bay 46 Curlew, 18 Redshank, 7 Dunlin, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, a brood of 5 Shelduck, and a/the summering Little Tern. In Middlebere this evening 5 Spotted Redshank were present in various stages of moult, plus 3 Spoonbill and 1 Common Sandpiper. An early returning Kingfisher was back in the PCW Drain this morning along with 6 moulting Teal. The White-tailed Eagle pair remained in the Wareham Channel area all day and male Osprey 022 was seen fishing twice off Hyde’s Heath, RSPB Arne.

Osprey chick 5R2 has now also properly fledged joining sibling 5R0 this morning. All chicks have been returning well to the nest for fish throughout the day in the wet weather.

Spotted Redshanks in the gloom and rain – Middlebere – Garry Hayman

We have a fledging……well, one and a half fledglings! This morning at 10:08am, our eldest Osprey chick ‘5R0’ took flight for the first time. It had been building for a couple of days, but with no pre-warning, he just upped and left this morning, and flew to a near by tree. Then, just over an hour later at 11:14am, sibling ‘5H2’ also took to the air, but only made it as far as the perch thats above the main camera. Within an hour all 4 were back on the nest when a fish was delivered, but now that both have left the nest for a period of time, their courage and desire to spend time on the wing will grow each day, and we’ll start to see less and less of them on the nest. This coming week will probably see all 4 fledge, and the comings and goings to the nest will mainly be to sleep and to get fed. We won’t celebrate a successful season just yet as there’s stilla lot that could happen between now, and late August/early September which is when the youngsters are likely to leave, but today definitely heralds a significant milestone in this years story…..so keep watching the webcam this week for more exciting instalments!

Our Summer Safari this AM was busy too with 2 different Osprey, one that had a fish and drifted off high towards Middlebere, then male 022 caught a fish in the Wareham Channel and headed back to the nest. Both White-tailed Eagles were being really boring and just sat in a tree on the edge of the RSPB Arne shoreline for 3 hours! Still great to see though. A Peregrine was checking out the scrapes at Swineham, and then a Goshawk was being seen off by a Hobby over Hyde’s Heath. A Little Ringed Plover was on the Stilt Pools at Swineham and Brownsea held 5 Turnstone, 3 Dunlin, c40 Common Redshank, 1 Greenshank, c80 Sandwich Terns and c40 Common Terns. A juvenile Common Redstart was found in the west of the harbour suggesting relatively local fledging.

Osprey chick 5R0 fledging this morning

Sorry for the late post this evening, we’ve been out ‘Nightjaring’ on Canford Heath this evening with Dorset Nightjar Study Group where 2 juvenile Nightjar were caught as part of their study. Sightings from across the harbour today included 6 Spotted Redshank, 3 Spoonbill, 2 Whimbrel 1 Osprey (male 022) and 1 Cuckoo in Middlebere. At Lytchett Bay the first 3 Avocet of the autumn were feeding, perhaps the same 3 that were on Brownsea yesterday? The White-tailed Eagle pair were seen off Ham Common viewpoint, out in the Wareham Channel and a Red Kite was over Ridge. Over Wareham High Street 26 screaming Swift were bombing up and down again, soon to depart!

Common Cuckoo – Middlebere – Mark Wright

There was still no fledging today by any of our Osprey chicks, despite several ‘fake’ lift off’s, as they took it in turns to hover just out of view on the webcam before settling back down again. Surely one will have fledged by the time the weekend is out? Around the harbour is was much of the same, with 9 Greenshank on Lytchett Fields and 2 on the Brownsea Lagoon where there was also 5 Dunlin and 3 Avocet, including what looked to be a newly arrived juv from elsewhere? A Marsh Harrier was quartering over Swineham, both White-tailed Eagles upped and left the Wareham Channel about 11am, heading off high SW. Many Sandwich and Common Tern families are still commuting up and down the Brownsea shorelines as the youngsters build in confidence, and parents lead them out exploring new areas. Swift families/colonies seem to be quite active now with c50 over Rockley Road in Hamworthy, c25 up and down Wareham Town Centre and 21 over Upper Parkstone. There have been between 3-5 Spoonbill in Middlebere the last few days and a Great White Egret was over RSPB Arne Moors.

Spoonbill – Middlebere – Mark Wright

Common Swift – Middlebere – Mark Wright

Beautifully settled today and nice and warm. Not too much to report other than the 5 Little Ringed Plover still on the Stilt Pools at Swineham with 4 adult Yellow-legged Gulls. The first dispersing Woodlark was heard flying south over Wareham Common and a Hobby went over there too. Holes Bay saw 101 Redshank this morning with 48 Black-tailed Godwit, 25+ Curlew & 1 Whimbrel plus 1 Teal. The White-tailed Eagle pair were in the Wareham Channel all day and male Osprey 022 caught fish in Middlebere and in the Wareham Channel and in Brands Bay on the low-tide 1 Whimbrel and 58 Curlew were feeding with 9 Common Sandpiper around the fringes of the bay.

We also got a nice reminder on our Facebook page this morning that 7 years ago this today we received our first batch of Osprey chicks for our translocation project. It was pouring with rain and freezing cold that day! Amazing to see how things have progressed from Osprey chicks in their rearing pens in 2017, to a family of six on a wild nest here in Poole Harbour.

Osprey chicks settling in to their new pens on July 11th 2017

Roll forward 7 years….and a family of six on a Poole Harbour nest

More signs of autumn passage this evening with 3 Spotted Redshank gathered in front of the Middlebere hide along with 2 Spoonbill. A Great White Egret was feeding in a pool on Hartland Moor and a Marsh Harrier went over there too. Wader numbers are building on Lytchett Fields as they tend to do this time of year with 171 Redshank, 48 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 3 Green Sandpiper, 3 Greenshank , 2 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Turnstone and 1 Little Ringed Plover. Male Osprey 022 was doing the rounds this evening, being seen on several other nest platforms around the harbour including both that are viewable from Middlebere and both White-tailed Eagles were in the Wareham Channel. in Holes Bay SE there were 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Whimbrel. 

Nice size comparison of Whimbrel (left) and Curlew (right) – Holes Bay – Andy (Twitter @nikodogtwite)

Male Osprey 022 from Sunday’s Sunset Safari on Sunday – John Thorpe

Male White-tailed Eagle G463 from Sundays’ Sunset Safari on Sunday – John Thorpe

Moulting Spotted Redshank – Middlebere – James Leaver

Despite the wet, autumn like conditions, there were a few folk out today. At Swineham there were 5 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Yellow-legged Gull at 1 Common Sandpiper. In Middlebere this afternoon, male Osprey 022 caught 2 fish and delivered them both back to the nest within 50 minutes and there were also 2 Spoonbill and 1 Green Sandpiper at Middlebere. In Brands Bay this evening there were a further 2 Common Sandpiper. 

Little Ringed Plover – Stilt Pools, Swineham

Hobby – Hydes Heath

With many young birds fledging right across the harbour now, we’d like to thank Ian Ballam for this nice comparison set of photos of fresh juvenile Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gull, both of which would have fledged from the ‘Gull Islands’ in the Wareham Channel recently. There’s already beginning to be a big movement of Common Sandpiper with c30 at Abbotsbury Swannery yesterday meaning the usual Poole Harbour haunts (Seymours on Brownsea north shore, Swineham and Lytchett Fields) could start seeing good numbers now. Yesterday there were 4 Great White Egret on RSPB Arne Moors and this evening from our Sunset Safari we had 2 Osprey, 12 Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank and 1 Marsh Harrier.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam