A cracking day’s birding around the Harbour today, including a late case of Osprey mania! We started the day off at Holes Bay, with two of our team positioned along the shoreline in search of Ospreys. If you haven’t been to the stone bench before, it’s well worth a visit over the coming days if the juveniles(!) stick around – you can find more information about the site here (SY 99625 92858).

At 9.30am, the first juvenile Osprey appeared on Pergins Island Perching Platform. Before too soon, the juvenile was joined by a second bird. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, the two were then joined by a third bird in the afternoon, presumably the individual that circled over Hatch Pond briefly at 1.12pm, before heading towards Holes Bay. The bay also saw autumn high counts of 614 Wigeon, 100 Teal and 15 Shoveler, 2 Pintail, 23 Mallard, 49 Swans, 2 Moorhen.  47 Cormorant, 19 Oystercatcher, 80 Curlew, Kingfisher, Swallows and an Avocet.

Lytchett Fields held on the the long-staying Long-billed Dowitcher for another day, matched by another top find – Grey Phalarope! Other scarce birds for the bay included Shoveler, Gadwall and Common Sandpiper from the Turlin shore. Elsewhere, the low tide at Baiter early morning made for a super hour of birding, with highlights of 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Sanderling, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 17 Ringed Plover, 35 Turnstone, 2 Wheatear, 1 Kingfisher, 3 Sandwich Tern, 11 Swallow, Great Crested Grebe, 2 Rock Pipit and good Redshank & Oystercatcher counts!

Juvenile Osprey – Holes Bay – Alison Copland

Wow, what a day…..for numerous reasons. We’ll save the best til last, but we can also start with the ‘best’ as well. At midday, the trail cam we installed on our newly erected Pergin’s Island Osprey platform in Holes Bay transmitted 20 photos to us showing a gorgeous un-ringed Osprey using the platform to feed on. Analysing the photos it looks as if it made three catches in three hours which is really good going. The installation of this platform was inspired by the fact that 2-3 young Osprey began using Holes Bay last autumn on their migration south to a West Africa. We’re thrilled that an Osprey has now stopped off in the harbour and used the new perching platform for several hours to feed on. This is great news and shows that Osprey can be tempted into the urban parts of the harbour with perching/nesting platforms and we’re hoping it sticks around a while and uses the platform over the next few days. If it does our team will be down at Upton CP to keep an eye on its behaviour and set up a ‘Pop Up’ watch point to show any interested passing members of the public. Keep an eye out on our social media channels. What was possibly the same Osprey was also seen over the Brownsea Lagoon. Also in Holes Bay were c500 Black-tailed Godwit, 26 Knot, c30 Dunlin, 8 Pintail, 2 Kingfisher with 3 Kingfisher lots of Chiffchaff and 3 Blackcap in the PCW Drain. There was no sign today of the Long-billed Dowitcher but on Lytchett fields but there were 488 Dunlin, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Greenshank and 1 Marsh Harrier. On the Holme Lane GP were 7 Egyptian Geese, 30 Wigeon, 1 Shoveler and 4 Tufted Duck. At Baiter there were 44 Turnstone and 2 Ringed Plover. A brief sea watch at Branksome produced just a single Brent Goose and 6 Sandwich Tern. At Greenlands Farm there were 14 Wheatear, c10 Stonechat and c40 Meadow Pipit, In Studland Bay the first Black-necked Grebe of the winter was back and there were 8 Med Gulls on the beach. There’s definitely been an arrival of Rock Pipit with 5 along the Studland shoreline and a few now at Baiter.

Now for the ridiculous news. A photo of a ‘downed’ Osprey appeared on Twitter today that had been rescued from Hengistbury beach yesterday afternoon and was now in care. The initial photo that showed a very bedraggled bird of prey did look a bit like an Osprey but numerous features didn’t add up. Several of us sat and looked at the photo, ruling out numerous Osprey features one by one. A few comments also started appearing on Twitter suggesting the bird didn’t look quite right and that features looked better for Short-toed Eagle. Anyway, several minutes later a couple more photos emerged of the bird looking a bit healthier, and without doubt, those photos absolutely showed a Short-toed Eagle in the hands of it’s rescuers. Roll back to yesterday morning, we received a phone call from local birder Jol Mitchell who had at 11:20am seen a large, pale bird of prey being harassed by crows off Studland Beach, heading towards Hengistbury. When discussing the features, Jol very cautiously said that the bird he saw looked quite like a Short-toed Eagle, totally unbeknown of what would be discovered the following day. Considering the magnitude of such a bird (it would only be the UK’s 4^th record), Jol made a set of notes and ‘let the bird go’, pondering other possible conclusions such as Marsh Harrier or pale Buzzard, none of which fitted with what he saw. Role on 24 hours and it seems Jol’s instinct could well have been bang on with the eagle being collected off the beach at Hengistbury just 2 hours after having watched it heading in that direction. Wow, what an autumn the harbour is having! This (if accepted) will be Poole Harbours second record of Short-toed Eagle, the first of which was on May 31^st 2014 and was only seen (but photographed) by a single observer. Come on October…what other goodies have you got for us??

Juvenile Osprey on Pergins Island platform cam 

Finally a bit of rest-bite in the weather, which resulted in a good number of sightings including several good birds from the northern fringes of the harbour. At dawn an Osprey was hunting in Lytchett Bay, the first for over two weeks now. Plus, at dawn 7 different Marsh Harrier left the west harbour roost and an additional wing-tagged individual flew along the Wareham Channel, headed towards Corfe before then being seen near Old Harry. There were also 2 Merlin on Hartland Moor. In Holes Bay NE there were 2 Avocet, c450 Wigeon, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Pintail, c150 Redshank and 2 Kingfisher. The PC World Drain was also busy with c20 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Grey Wagtail, 4 Song Thrush and 2 Kingfisher. Lytchett fields really delivered again with the Long-billed Dowitcher re-appearing on Sherford Pools at 16:30 and during the day there were 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, c450 Dunlin, 6 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank and 1 Marsh Harrier. The Middlebere Channel saw c400 Avocet and c500 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Marsh Harrier.

An incredibly wet Swineham was swimming in birds. Great to see the pools holding water, although that wasn’t difficult after today’s weather! Stilt Pools was ram packed, holding, 325 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Spotted Redshank, 5 Mute Swan and 5 Curlew. Two Cattle Egret and 4 Cetti’s Warbler along the Two Rivers Walk were welcome additions to the 140 Coot, 1 Pochard, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 15 Tufted Duck, 4 Mute Swan, 3 Shoveler, Mallard and Kingfisher occupying the gravel pit.

Lytchett Fields performed much the same as yesterday, with unrelenting rain, hundreds of waders and no Dowitcher to be seen! Although the Wood Sandpiper, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 470 Dunlin, House Martin, Sand Martin, Swallow and Wheatear made for some top birding. A late Osprey was also recorded over the fields late morning! Meanwhile, an early visit to Middlebere on the rising tide produced an impressive c.600 Avocet, 16 Spoonbill, 1 Spotted Redshank, 250 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Dunlin, 15 Lapwing, 1 Grey Plover, 30 Redshank, 3 Curlew and a Barn Owl on arrival.

Baiter early doors saw 4 Wheatear, 3 Ringed Plover, 8 Turnstone & 3 grounded Swallows. This was the theme of the day with thousands of hirundines, mostly House Martin, after a huge passage through Dorset yesterday with several sites seeing similar gatherings today due to the rain.

Black-tailed Godwit – Stilt Pools – Gary Hayman

The weather may have been a tad off putting today, but it didn’t stop us getting out and about! If you didn’t venture out today, we hope this video will give you a seen of what’s about in the harbour at the moment and inspire some October birding.

Our enjoyable visit to Swineham this afternoon featured plenty of migrants, highlights being 8 Pochard, 2 Cattle Egret, c.1000 Swallow, c.500 House Martin, 3 Marsh Harrier, 5 Bearded Tit and a Peregrine that was too quick too capture on camera!

Elsewhere across the harbour, Holes Bay continues to draw in winter vistors, with 429 Wigeon, 10 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 11 Mallard, 57 Mute Swan, 3 Pintail, 9 Shoveler, 37 Teal, 12 Canada Geese, c.200 Black-tailed Godwit, 40+ Redshank, 30+ Dunlin, 15+ Curlew, Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull and 2 Kingfisher. A flock of 10 Stonechat was a lovely addition near the screen hide and a Firecrest was opposite Upton House entrance this afternoon, with tons of hirundines whizzing over the fields. There was no sign of the Long-billed Dowitcher at Lytchett Fields today, however 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Spotted Redshank helped make up for its absence among the hundreds of waders on the rising tide. A Siberian Chiffchaff at recorded at Broadstone yesterday evening, but there has been no subsequent sightings.

We all love wind! Don’t we? Well, those that went sea watching early doors certainly did with two great harbour species logged out in Poole Bay, initially with a Sooty Shearwater tracked across the bay then a later on a dark-phase Long-tailed Skua. Other notable species logged in the bay were the 1^st Great Northern Diver of the winter, 1 Merlin, c30 Wigeon, 1 Brent Goose, a small flock of Common Scoter, c15 Sandwich Tern, c10 Gannet and 3 Med Gulls. Holes Bay NW had a great range of birds too with 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Grey Plover, 1 Greenshank, 27 Knot, 46 Dunlin, 400+ Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Peregrine and 1 Kingfisher. The Long-billed Dowitcher made a brief appearance on Holton Pools but wasn’t seen on Lytchett Fields where there was c400 Dunlin, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Ruff, 2 Curlew Sandpiper and c100 Black-tailed Godwit

Interestingly there was a possible 161 species to be seen in September within the Poole Harbour recording area and with October already starting off with a bang, will we see a great October total too?

Pintail – Middlebere 

With October now upon us, it won’t be long before flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare can be heard overhead on cold autumn nights. Today, Yellow-browed Warblers are being encountered regularly along the east coast – although increasingly expected now, they are still a delight to see and hear. Within the harbour, the Long-billed Dowitcher remained present on Lytchett Fields, seen preening on French’s Pool island before moving to left hand end of Sherford Pool island. The Wood Sandpiper continued to show well as well, accompanied by a Curlew Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Greenshank and 2 Green Sandpiper. Nearby, a Marsh Harrier quartered over Holton pools this afternoon. The Holes Bay Black-tailed Godwit roost hit 369, graced by a hunting Kingfisher. While 2 Firecrest were spotted at Llewelyn Woods, on the Western edge of Upton Country Park. Our free Poole Town walks got off to a lovely start with excellent views of Wheatear and 8 Ringed Plover at Baiter, Turnstones along the Quay and flyover highlights awarded to Grey Wagtail and Rock Pipit.

Wood Sandpiper – Lytchett Fields – Martin Adams

Middlebere excellence continued this morning with 2 Barn Owl, c250 Cormorant, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Great White Egret, c400 Avocet, c300 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Grey Plover, 1 Common Snipe and Common Whitethroat, with a supporting cast of Chiffchaffs, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats.

Kingfishers continue to return to numerous urban sites in the harbour, having left the rivers as we progress into winter. Records coming in today from Poole Park and Holes Bay. Holes Bay also held 1290 Black-tailed Godwit , 50 Knot, 20 Dunlin, 5 Pintail, 10 Shoveler, 2 Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail.

Today’s rising tide at Lytchett Bay saw 438 Teal, 4 Wigeon, 114 Redshank, 87 Black-tailed Godwit, 26 Oystercatchers, 15 Curlew, 9 Dunlin and 3 Greenshank and 2 adult Yellow-legged Gull.

Avocet (yesterday) – Middlebere – Peter Moore