It’s beginning to feel a lot like Autumn. Yes it’s hot like a summer should be, but the birding is really spicing up nicely. Early autumn migrants are picking up pace nicely with gorgeous bright yellow Willow Warblers now beginning to appear in mixed tit flocks. In the last couple of days ringing sessions at Lytchett Bay and the Lower Piddle have produced 7 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 10+ Willow Warbler, 10+ Sedge Warbler, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit. This highlights that all these species are now on the move and can be found if up early enough and by visiting an area with a good amount of scrubby habitat, such as Slepe Heath, Greenlands Farm, Middlebere etc, all really well known migration hotspots. Give it a few more days and the first migrant Common Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers will soon be found too .Lytchett Fields/Bay is really producing some good early autumn waders with 37 Dunlin, 17+ Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper, 4 Greenshank, 104 Redshank, 5 Little Ringed plover, 1 Spotted Redshank, 30+ Black-tailed Godwit, 82 Lapwing, 3 Whimbrel, 10+ Curlew and 15+ Teal. Female Osprey CJ7 has become really active again on the nest cam, visiting most mornings, doing some nest tidying and then leaving again.

Willow Warbler – Lytchett Bay – Ian Ballam

The early morning looked promising with low cloud and no wind, but the cloud soon brought drizzle and by 9am, birding was a wash out. We did still manage to jam in a short ringing session in the west of the harbour before the rain set in which saw the first 2 Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn caught. An Osprey was out over the Wareham Channel getting mobbed and a Hobby was seen over the Arne Road. Lytchett Fields was busy on the rising tides today which saw 83 Lapwing, 94 Common Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 5 Little Ringed Plover, 15 Dunlin, 10 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank and 1 Whimbrel with a flyover Yellow Wagtail too and a visiting Marsh Harrier. CJ7 was back on her nest again briefly today. We’ve got a feeling she’s soon going to be joined by a second bird over the coming weeks, but will it be one of our translocated chicks from 2017 or 2018?? In Holes Bay the over-summering Wigeon was still there and 8 Teal are now already back in Holes Bay NW.

Grasshopper Warbler – West Poole Harbour

Autumn presses on with more new arrivals and birds passing through. At Lytchett Fields there was a rise in Greenshank at Lytchett Fields (2) and Middlebere (6). Also at Lytchett Fields were 86 Redshank, 10 Green Sandpiper, 7 Little Ringed Plover and 1 Spotted Redshank. Female Osprey CJ7 has become quite active again on the Poole Harbour nest cam in the last few days, certainly early mornings where she seems to be doing more nest prepping and tidying which is a good sign for next year. It was also confirmed that Teal are breeding at Lytchett Fields, which is always hard to prove. It’s likely that several pairs nest in the harbour but finding them is a different matter all together. In Poole Harbour west 3 Marsh Harrier left the roost, including a new female, making her the 6^th different Marsh Harrier to arrive/pass through the harbour in recent weeks (thanks Peter Hadrill for the info). In Holes Bay there was a great mix of waders including 1 Knot, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 18 Curlew, 145 Black-tailed Godwit, 101 Redshank and 5 Oystercatcher. Several ringing sessions have taken place too in the west of the harbour and at Lytchett Heath with combined highlights producing the first migrant Garden Warbler (1) and Willow Warblers (3) passing through, also 11 Stonechat, 5 Bearded Tit, 10 Sedge Warbler, 2 Cetti’s Warbler, 25 Reed Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat and 4 Chiffchaff.

Garden Warbler – Poole Harbour west

Cetti’s Warbler – Lytchett Heath

She came back! Briefly! It was fantastic to see female Osprey CJ7 back on her nest cam today for a couple of extended periods. She spent some time nest cleaning/tidying and also seemed to be regurgitated a pellet….lovely! We know from other peoples reports that she hasn’t really ventured very far this spring and summer, and wondered if her re-appearance on the nest was related to another Osprey being in the area, but we couldn’t find/see one. We’re now entering prime time (mid July to late Aug) where non-breeding 3-year old Osprey begin heading back to natal areas again to have a good look around before migrating off to Africa, and of course, migrant adults and juveniles will also be arriving soon so keep your eyes peeled if out around the harbour or on our webcam for any new visitors that happen to drop by. As predicated, a wandering heron species, this time, a fine summer plumaged Cattle Egret, appeared on Lytchett Fields and stayed for most of the day, although hiding for most of it. Late July and August see’s heron species from both here in the UK and the near continent leave the breeding colonies and begin wandering/visiting various wetlands. It was late July 2018 that Lytchett Fields had a flock of 7 Great White Egret ‘drop in’ for several minutes before heading off again. Also at Lytchett Fields were 7 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 15 Green Sandpiper and the 1^st Whimbrel of the autumn. Also, at Lytchett Heath 7 Crossbill were still present. At Holme Lane GP the flock of 14 Egyptian Geese were still present and in the Wareham Channel, 3 different Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost. The Brownsea Lagoon had 16 Black-tailed Godwit and 14 Common Redshank.

Cattle Egret – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

The unsettled weather dropped a few more birds onto Lytchett Fields including a site record total of 15 Little Ringed Plover, also there over the last couple of days have been 17 Green Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 30+ Common Redshank, 40+ Lapwing, 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Curlew, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine and 1 Yellow-legged Gull. At Swineham there were 2 Common Sandpiper on the main gravel pit island and 2 Hobby were active over the Slepe Heath, Arne Moors area. Swallow numbers seem very very low around the Poole Harbour area with hardly any being noted in traditional sites, with only 6 individuals logged at Redcliff Yacht Club at Bestwall. There were 26 Common Redshank back on the Brownsea Lagoon today too, which are the first of the autumn returners. A blue ringed Osprey was seen in the dead trees at Middlebere which was assumed to be CJ7 but, we’re all on the look out for our 2018 female 014 who was only in Devon a couple of days ago and has since gone missing from there, along with 200+ Black-tailed Godwit also in Middlebere and a Marsh Harrier yesterday. We also had a lovely encounter on our Osprey nest cam last night when 3 Nightjar (2 males and 1 female) courted on the perching post of the nest, providing a great insight to this normally invisible behaviour.