A very wet morning has seen Sandwich Tern chicks, Greater-Black-backed Gull and Black-headed Gull chicks hiding under their parents, but this afternoon the sun crept through the clouds and they all came out to dry off. 6 Avocet were seen with some signs of nesting but no sign of any eggs or chicks yet. A Godwit species, Oystercatcher (1 nesting) and large numbers of Shelduck were also spotted.

Sea watch reported a spectacular c20 Gannets off Branksome Beach whilst as Brands Bay 8 Curlew and c10 Oystercatcher were seen. At Holten Pool there were 26 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Lapwing, a Redshank, a Gadwall in Flight and a Mediterranean Gull.

The islands on Brownsea lagoon were very busy today! The Black-headed Gull chicks were growing in confidence, choosing to explore their island and venture further into the water. The Sandwich Tern chicks were also keeping their parents busy and were regularly seen requesting food and flapping their wings. Avocet, Oystercatcher, Shelduck and Gadwall were all seen enjoying the sunshine on the lagoon as well.

Great to hear that an Osprey was seen at Middlebere channel this morning and c20 swallows were seen flying around the fields close by.

The Sandwich Tern chicks have been active over at Brownsea Island Lagoon with most Terns having at least 1 chick, keeping the parents busy bringing Sand Eels in for food (see video below0. Also over at the lagoon were large numbers of Shelduck (c40), Common Tern (c150), Greater Black-backed Gull, 4 Avocet, 15 Bar-tailed Godwit, c40 Oystercatcher, c20 Cormorant and 3 Gadwall.

Our Holten Lee camera caught the resident Great-spotted Woodpecker. We also took a group of from the Dorset Wildlife Trust out on a walk there this morning and saw, Little Owl, Dartford Warbler, Linnet, Mediterranean Gull, Swifts, Swallows, Chiffchaff, a Bullfinch with a hungry juvenile and Reed Warbler being fed by the parents. At Holton Pools there were 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Egret and a newly fledged Pied Wagtail. Over at Middlebere a Sparrowhawk and a Blackcap were also spotted.

Tonight we hosted our first Nightjar walk of the season, which turned out to be a real beauty. Despite the quick drop in temperature at sunset we were treated to a chorus of at least 8 different males, plus a few fly-bys of courting pairs including wing-clapping and numerous contact calls. We even managed to flush one, a male (by accident) from the side of the footpath just as we started our walk at 8pm which allowed us to see the bird, including the bright white spots in broad day light. We also sadly found a whole tail of a male Nightjar on a path which looked as if it had been pulled out by a predator, although the tail was fully in tact which suggests the bird may have got away…but is now just flying around ‘tailless’. Other highlights included a Marsh Harrier out on Arne moors, 1 Hobby over the heath, a decent fledged party of both Linnet and Stonechat, 4 Emperor Moth, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Willow Warbler and a few Dartford Warbler. If you’d like to experience Nightjar in all their glory then our Nightjar walks are every Tuesday through the summer (until end of July), so to book on CLICK HERE.

Other highlights from today included 2 sightings of Osprey, one see flying over the northern Arne shoreline and a second sighting (of possibly the same bird) seen from the Holton Lee side, out across the Wareham Channel. Cuckoo were still calling on Hartland, Slepe Heath, Middlebere and at Morden Bog. A Peregrine took a gull chick from the gull islands and in Middlebere a Marsh Harrier flew past the hide. Bearded Tit seem to be having a good year at Lytchett Bay with family parties already being seen/heard from Lytchett Bay view and at the end of Lytchett Heath Nature Reserve. At Holton Pools 2 sum plum Black-tailed Godwit were feeding in front of the hide, as was an Oystercatcher, 2 Little Egret and up to 4 Reed Warbler are nesting around the perimeter of the pools.

Watching and waiting for Nightjar on our Nightjar walk – Slepe Heath

Tail of male Nightjar found on our Nightjar walk – Slepe Heath

There was already a few possible signs of return migration or failed breeding today with Greenshank, Redshank and Lapwing (all adults) on Lytchett Fields, along with the long-staying male Little Ringed Plover. There was also a Cuckoo flying around the waterworks at dawn Nice to see so many Nightjar being reported from numerous sites including Arne, Slepe Heath and Holton Lee. The Dorset Nightjar team were also out last night at sites in Poole Harbour north and managed to track down several individuals using radio-tracking technology. Many birds are already well into feeding second broods with the heathlands seeing plenty of 1^st brood Stonechat about. Freshly fledged Starlings are noisily moving about in ever growing flocks, waiting for their younger siblings to join them in a few weeks time as hungry calls tumble out of holes in tree trunks and from under roof guttering. There was no sign of CJ7 today but a Hobby was over Middlebere and 2 Egyptian Geese were at Sunnyside.

An overcast morning turned into a dreary afternoon with SW winds and cool temperatures. Over at Brownsea Lagoon the Tern chicks have been tucked away out of the rain again. 1 Oystercatcher seems to have made its nest in amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns. Also spotted were 18 Dunlin, 14 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Oystercatcher (incl. 1 on nest), 6 Avocet (1 on nest) and 7 Gadwall. High numbers of Shelduck were observed with c113 and 8 ducklings spotted. Over at Holten Lee the webcam picked up several Nuthatch, the regular Great-spotted Woodpecker and usual Robin and Bluetit were seen along with some boisterous Rooks. Lychett Fields reported a Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel and 30 Black-tailed Godwit. A Hobby was spotted at Hartland Moore flying towards Middlebere. Bullfinch, Linnet and Dartford Warbler were seen along the track to Middlebere hide. A lovely sight of 3 Spotted flycatcher and a Lesser Whitethroat was captured at Wytch farm along with the background call of Cuckoo. Over at Old Harry Rocks 3 Fulmar were seen, along with lone Dolphin who was following boats too and from the Harbour.

Another beautifully sunny day in the harbour with light South Westerly winds providing perfect conditions for the Tern chicks to start venturing out from under their parents at Brownsea Lagoon. Sandwich Tern numbers have reached c220 pairs with most parents having at least one chick hatched now. The Common Tern population is also looking healthy with c150 pairs counted and almost all sitting on an egg or two. A couple more weeks and we should being seeing these eggs hatching too. Also seen over on the Lagoon were 14 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, c40 Oystercatcher, 2 Dunlin and 4 Avocet, 1 of which has been sitting on a newly constructed nest! The Graylag Geese, Canada Geese, Shelduck and Greater Black-backed Gull also have goslings/chicks. The Holten Lee webcam captured a Siskin, a Nuthatch and Chaffinch whilst over at the HQ on the Quay staff spotted a Buzzard gliding in the distance. Lychett Fields featured a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit a Stonechat and 2 Oystercatcher.

A nice smattering of sightings from across the harbour today. A short sea watch at Branksome Chine produced 3 Sanderling west, with 1 Gannet, 11 Sandwich Tern and c20 Common Tern. On Brands Heath a Cuckoo was still calling and in Brands Bay 2 Curlew were the only birds of note. At Arne female Osprey CJ7 was seen first over Coombe Heath and then later over at Hydes Heath. On the Brownsea Lagoon 14 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling and 3 Bar-tailed Godwit were feeding and a night sound recording session in the Corfe Gap produced 1 Little Grebe, 1 Dunlin, 1 Moorhen and several calling Tawny Owl and an active Barn Owl.

While it has been lovely and sunny, it has been relatively quiet on the birding front today. The highlight being one, two even possibly three Osprey, with one over Branksome Chine mid-morning, one over the Arne Raptor Trail in the mid-afternoon and a third heading NW over Lulworth. These could well be the same bird though looking at the timings of the sightings. The Sandwich Tern chicks continue to hatch on Brownsea Lagoon, though we have recorded two incidents of Black-headed gulls predating them today. Black-headed gull numbers are now up to 150, with 24 chicks, while the sarnies are at 102 adults and the Common terns are at 130.  In slightly less grim news, 20 Shelduck ducklings were seen along with 105 adults. Swifts have been heard on the Quay, fingers crossed they’ll start using our newly installed nest boxes! Over at Holton Lee, the Great spotted woodpeckers have been showing nicely on our feeder cam. On Slepe Heath 4 Nightjar were heard and seen and from Coombe Heath a Spoonbill was seen feeding in the Middlebere Channel and both Dartford Warbler and Woodlark were logged. 

A dreary cold day with highs of 15°C have seen the Sandwich Tern chicks on Brownsea Lagoon being kept warm and dry under their parents, so only a few glimpses of them seen today! The Common Tern have also been hunkered down on their eggs with not a lot of movement. There have also been some Shelduck ducklings whizzing around in the water with their parents who don’t seem to be phased by the rain. With weather conditions hampering the distance the cameras could focus, only 4 Avocet, 2 Dunlin and the 4 Spoonbill were spotted. Over at Holten Lee 6 Goldfinch, a Great-spotted Woodpecker were seen and a Wheatear was seen at Coombe Heath. Over at Hatch Pond a Juvenile Great Crested Grebe was photographed preening itself. 

Raven Family – Corfe Castle – 29/05/19 @ 05:15