Today heralds the start of our ‘full on’ series of Osprey cruises as we host 47 boat trips over the next four and a half weeks. The reason we host so many now is because there are multiple Osprey dynamics playing out all at the same time. The local breeding families are moving around the harbour currently, often providing stunning views of this years fledged juveniles, plus, there are new pairs establishing with what seems like two newly drawn in females this summer (Scottish female 6J8 and new a mystery un-ringed adult female), plus the four new males of ours that arrived earlier this spring. Plus, as August presses on, multiple migrant Osprey from further north will be passing through adding to the mix. Todays first cruise of the season didn’t disappoint with no less than 7 seen from this mornings trip including 5 circling together at one point, plus 3 successful fish catches. In addition to the Osprey-fest there were a decent haul of 27 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon with 19 Avocet, plus 2 Peregrine, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Red Kite were also logged. 3+ Osprey were also logged at Middlebere and Lytchett Bay, where there were 3 Ringed Plover.

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Elsewhere, on top of Hartland/Scotland Farm, there was a good mix of common autumn migrants with 2 Common Redstart, 10 Common Whitethroat, 2 Wheatear, 6 Willow Warbler and 1 Whinchat, with another Whinchat out on Wareham Common. A Swift over Holes Bay seemed to be a decent mid-August record considering there’s been a mass exodus of Swift since late July, plus there were 5 Common Sandpiper in the Holes Bay too. There were 20+ Cattle Egret next to the Stoborough causeway with the cows and 1 Great White Egret was in Middlebere. A Ruff was on the Brownsea Lagoon.

Adult female Osprey CJ7 – Wareham Channel from our Safari Cruise – Brandon Storey

Another hot day, with a Marsh Tit at Carey Secret Garden this afternoon. At Lytchett Fields there were 9 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and 7 Common Sandpiper plus 3 Osprey were over the bay. There were another 3-4 Osprey in Middlebere and 2 in the Wareham Channel. There was even a visit to the Carey Osprey nest from 2024 male 5H6 (aka the Mighty Titch). Whether he visited to remenice about the good old days, or to perhaps plot a future take over, we’ll never know, but his presence certainly annoyed the two juveniles which were on the nest at the time. The Wood Sandpiper was still on the Sunnyside Scrape and a Whinchat was on Wareham Common.

2-year old male 5H6 (right) visiting his old nest site this AM at Carey Secret Garden

More ‘flocks’ of Osprey today with 5 over Middlebere this AM and this evening up to 5 were moving in and out of Lytchett Bay, with singles out around teh Wareham Channel. A Pied Flycatcher was on Kingswood heath, just west of Purbeck golf course and on the Brownsea Lagoon there ar now 20 Spoonbill. At Swineham there were 37 Cattle Egret and 2 Great White Egret were in the Wareham Channel. The drake Common Scoter was still on the Saline Lagoon at RSPB Arne, a White-tailed Eagle flew over Middlebere and the Wood Sandpiper was still on the Sunnsyside Scrape.

Greenshank – Lytchett Fields – Mick Brooks

It’s so hard to tell how many Osprey there are in the harbour currently, they seemed to be just everywhere this morning with multiple birds in Lytchett Bay, the Wareham Channel and Middlebere all at the same time. Our best guess is between 8-12 but it could be more, and with more migrants due to arrive over the coming weeks that number will rise. This time of year is always our favourite though, as it’s when the local juveniles venture to the harbour, and this morning both 6T6 and 6T9 were seen in the harbour, and from our Summer Safari Cruise. Also from the cruises today there were 19 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon, 15 Turnstone, 1 Knot, 1 Barnacle Goose at Swineham with 2 Bearded Tit and 2 Marsh Harrier, the 2 White-tailed Eagles were also seen this morning over RSPB Arne. The roving flock of Cattle Egret were up the river Frome Valley with c20 counted, plus 2 Great White Egret in the Wareham Channel. Elsewhere the Wood Sandpiper was at Sunnyside, Ridge, a few Whinchat were out on the south harbour heathlands, a random Marsh Tit was ringed at the Lower Piddle Valley ringing station.

Wood Sandpiper – Sunnyside Farm, Ridge – Peter Moore

Juvenile Osprey 6T9 from this AM’s Summer Safari – Alison Copland

There’s no doubt that this early/mid part of August provides the best chance to see multiple Osprey around the harbour, with an incredible total of 7 seen together over Middlebere this morning around 11am. We’ve also been getting some great footage from our monitoring cameras on nest platforms elsewhere, highlighting that next spring is shaping up to be a fascinating evolution of the project with a couple of our 2-year old males (5H6 and 5R1) seen taking sticks to a couple of different nest platforms, along with an un-ringed adult female too. It’s anyones guess as to how next spring will pan out, but we’ll certainly have front row seats. This evening there were 18 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon, along with 4 Greenshank, 9 Avocet, 12 Turnstone c100 Black-tailed Godwit, c30 Redshank and 8 Ringed Plover. There was also a good smattering of common migrants across the southern harbour heathlands this morning including 3 Common Redstart, 30+ Willow Warbler, 20+ Common Whitethroat, 10+ Spotted Flycatcher, plus a Whinchat near Godlingston along with 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler and and 3 Spotted Flycatcher. A White-tailed Eagle flew over Middlebere. At Lytchett Fields / Bay today there were 20 Greenshank, 7 Common Sandpiper, 6 Green Sandpiper, 3 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, 17 Black-tailed Godwit & 12 Lapwing.

Female Osprey CJ7 on dead tree cam – edge of Wareham Channel

Another Osprey day with no less than 6 seen in the Wareham Channel this morning during a pop up watch at Ham Common viewpoint, plus a White-tailed Eagle was sat out on Shag Looe Bar. There was 1 (possibly 2) Wood Sandpiper at the Sunnyside Scrape, Ridge, yesterdays Common Scoter was on the clay Pit at RSPB Arne and was visible from their new ‘Clay Pit’ walk and a migrant Wheatear was on Redhorn Quay and 3 Common Sandpiper were on Jerrys Point.

Osprey over RSPB Arne – Alison Copland

A cracking Summer Safari Cruise for us this morning, with the top highlight being an adult male Common Scoter in the Wareham Channel seen sat on the water before flying south. We also saw 5 Osprey throughout the trip, including 1 successfully catching a fish in Arne Bay 5 mins after leaving the quay and another catching a fish in the Wareham Channel. 1 adult White-tailed Eagle was also present in the channel flying along the Arne shoreline whilst getting mobbed by Herring Gulls and an Osprey. On the low tide, c560 Black-tailed Godwit were spooked by 1 juvenile Peregrine, and 2 distant Marsh Harrier flew over the Arne shoreline. The juv Peregrine was terrorising everything in sight, from Cormorants to Black-headed Gulls, unsuccessfully! On the Brownsea Lagoon were c100 Dunlin, c1o Common Ringed Plover, 6 Greenshank, c120 Redshank, 6 Avocet, 18 Spoonbill, and 1 Common Sandpiper flying along the lagoon wall. Other sightings today featured 1 Honey Buzzard flying over Carey heading north, and 1 Wood Sandpiper and 1 Green Sandpiper on Sunnyside Scrape. This afternoon, 2 Osprey were present in Lytchett Bay, including 1 successfully catching a fish.

Ad Male Common Scoter – @wildlifedan1.bsky.social – Wareham Channel

After news the first (five) Aquatic Warblers trapped and ringed in France yesterday, it was hard not to feel a hint of unbridled optimism at the smallest sniff of the overnight easterlies. The reality was a relatively quiet ringing session at Carey, but species diversity made for a cracking migrant ringing demo for our Young Birders group showcasing Grasshopper Warbler, Tree Pipit and Willow Warbler, plus 4 Carey Ospreys overhead! Elsewhere, a single Osprey and Spotted Redshank at Lytchett Bay and a Pied Flycatcher was found at Arne, located near the Middlebere Lookout.

Unringed migrant Female Osprey (yesterday), Lytchett Bay © Mark Wright