For obvious reasons the amount of sightings reported each day will be slightly reduced for the foreseeable future but that doesn’t mean we have to stop reporting various bits of news.

Firstly, there was an excellent blog written by Birdguides yesterday about how to make the most of ‘home birding’ over the next three weeks whilst we’re all in lockdown. Here at BoPH our home garden lists have started well with Sand Martin and Raven (from the bath)!, Red Kites, and migrant Meadow Pipits all making the grade so far. Plus, with this gorgeous weather due to continue over the coming days, there’s no better time to be sky watching and trying to add obscure passing birds to your garden lists…..Red Kite? Marsh Harrier? Osprey? Goshawk? White Stork? Black Stork? Black Kite……Bee Eater? J

Don’t forget we’re still allowed out for our daily exercise, so interpret that as you wish, but the key is to keep yourselves and the rest of the community safe, so please please don’t put anyone else at risk should you decide to go out for a stroll. That said, someone’s morning ‘exercise stroll’ produced an Osprey yesterday morning over Lytchett Bay. Red Kite were logged over Lytchett Matravers (2), Upton (1) and Creekmoor(1).

With so many people home-bound we’ve noticed a big spike in the number of viewers tuning in to our new Osprey nest cam so we’ve just launched a competition to see who can be the first to send us a screen grab of an Osprey on the nest! You can either contact us via email, Twitter or Facebook and there’s a prize too! A copy of local publishing companies excellent title – Catching the Bug, A guide to the birds of Poole Harbour. If you haven’t tuned in then the here’s the link – https://www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/osprey/osprey-webcams/

We hope everyone’s ok and keeping safe and the mean time, for anyone who’s missing the sound of the heathland, here’s a nice recording we made back in 2014 of a Woodlark & Meadow Pipit in full song with a Great Spotted Woodpecker butting in a bit.

Brrrrrrrrrr, it was freezing today. All we need is some sun for a week or two with no wind and no rain, and we’re sure the nations mood will rise at least a few notches. The sooner spring can really spring into action the better.

Saying that, we’ve not done too badly for early spring migrants already with the first Little Ringed Plover, Sand Martin, Swallow and Osprey all already having been logged this week. All we were missing was a handsome Garganey…and then today, BOOM, right one cue…..two appear on the outskirts of Wareham. A male and female were on Wareham Common, right next to the by pass on the south side of the road in between Wareham and the Purbeck Sports Centre. There’s no doubt that a spring male Garganey is enough to take anyone’s mind off the current situation, so we hope they stick around a for a few days. Also logged today was a ‘new’ raptor crew in the Wareham Channel with a ringtail Hen Harrier (imm male) bombing about, a new migrant female Marsh Harrier and a female Merlin. In Middlebere there were 2 Spoonbill and 4 Spotted Redshank and 2 Red Kite drifted over Corfe Mullen. The Peregrine pair were on the tall Asda building still waiting for milk and eggs.

Today was all about the staging! We’ve long known Poole Harbour acts as a ‘way marker’ for many a migrant bird during the spring and autumn, but to witness this is first hand is always quite a remarkable moment. There were three great examples of this today when firstly a female Wheatear was found on Baiter Beach, but was soon joined by another individual which came in flying low over the water from the Brownsea direction, only to then land on the rocks next to it’s friend. Both these birds had literally just arrived in Poole Harbour having probably been in Northern France only hours before…..but how many hours? And it surely wouldn’t have been long before they were again soon on their way.

Then, around midday an Osprey was seen flying in low over RSPB Arne, and was soon found to be feeding on a fish on a marker post in the mouth of the River Frome. Once it had finished it’s meal, it quite simply took to the air, circled a few times and then made a bee line north. It was in the harbour for an hour and a half max!

Then, at dusk, our third Swineham Bittern watch of the week got lucky, however, what we witnessed wasn’t the expected departure of a migrating Bittern, but in fact the arrival of one which approached Swineham from the south at 18:40 before dropping into the reedbed at Swineham, indicating that this bird will be staging in the harbour tonight, before likely dispersing tomorrow some time?

So, all in all, a pretty fascinating series of events. Other highlights today included c50 Sand Martin at Swineham, 1 Hen Harrier, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine and 6 Buzzard over the Wareham Channel, viewed from Slepe Heath and a Red Kite west over Lytchett Bay. There were 4 Wheatear and 2 Egyptian Geese at Sunnyside and another Wheatear in Upton CP. On the Asda building the pair of Peregrines were still present looking down on all us minions. At the PC World Drain, 8 Chiffchaff were singing along the scrub along with a Blackcap. The Great Grey Shrike was still at Morden Bog.

Even though it was a tad chillier today, spring stepped up a gear by producing another good mix of spring arrivals. Wheatear were dotted around with 5 at Greenland’s Farm, 1 at Arne and 1 at Hartland. The harbours first Little Ringed Plover of the spring was (unsurprisingly) at Lytchett Fields on the approach pools. At Middle Beach, 3 Sand Martin whizzed by the beach and 5 summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe were out on the water. At Little Sea the Great White Egret was feeding in a marshy bog viewable from the road at the southern end. Mid-morning saw 2 Red Kite enter the harbour and drift over the Wareham Channel. Further along the coast the first Puffin was seen off Dancing Ledge, which will hopefully be the first of at least several more!

We also managed to get a good look at the female Peregrine that’s been showing interest in the Asda building in Poole, only to find that she too had a ring on her leg…red on the left leg numbered 20. Thanks to Jason Fathers we were able to get some quick details which told us that she hatched from the New Milton Water Tower in 2018 and was ringed on 6^th June.

And finally….we’re super thrilled to finally launch our new POOLE HARBOUR OSPREY NEST CAM which was installed by Wildlife Windows over the last few weeks and funded by our Christmas fundraiser last year. As a charity we’ve always strived to engage and educate as much as we can from right across the harbour, but with tough times approaching, we hope the new webcam provides a welcome break and exciting opportunity to witness all the comings and goings of one of Poole Harbours most exciting birds.

Today was the day that spring finally arrived. We’d had a few glimpses of hope with several Sand Martin arriving last week during cold windy conditions, but with the sun bellowing down today it really got things going. Wheatear’s finally arrived with 4 up on Nine Barrow Down and other 2 at Baiter. An Osprey was seen circling high above Studland before heading NE and a couple of Blackcap were in full song at Lytchett Bay and in the Piddle Valley. A Red Kite also drifted over Nine Barrow Down with a Merlin still active out in the Wareham Channel where a young male Hen Harrier was also logged. Singles of Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk circled over Swineham as numerous Meadow Pipit passed over head. Along Soldiers Road 12 Fieldfare were still at Hartland Stud and there definitely seemed to be an arrival of Stonechat with 6 on the fence line along Soldiers Road and 5 at Stoborough Heath.

In other good news, the Rutland Water Nest today saw their pair of Osprey’s ‘Maya’ and male 33 arrive back on the Manton Bay nest which means it could be any day now we see a Poole Harbour bird arrive back into the harbour. We’re keeping everything crossed for a positive piece of news to occur here over the next few weeks!

Mistle Thrush – Holton Lee – Tony Furnell