Studland saw the Harbour’s first Black Tern of the Autumn. The bird was seen feeding between Redhorn Quay and Jerry’s Point this morning. Moving further north, Lytchett Bay punched in with another decent wader count including 8 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 76 Redshank, 41 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Greenshank, 9 Dunlin and 2 Spotted Redshank. Singles of Whimbrel, Hobby and a Marsh Harrier along Sherford River were also logged. An additional 2 Hobby were recorded at Morden Bog.

Continuing with bird of prey roundup, a single Osprey was recorded at Middlebere, again favouring the dead trees. Other sightings from the channel include 2 Greenshank, 2 Curlew and singles of Dunlin and Green Sandpiper.

A dreary day out in the Harbour today with 19mph SSW winds. Before the rain set in 3 Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 6 Redshank, 10 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 19 Black-tailed Godwit, c70 Redshank and a Snipe were seen at Lytchett Bay.

An Osprey was photographed perched next to a nervous looking Pigeon from the Coombe Heath hide at Arne.

A brave birder surveyed Brownsea Island today and recorded several wet looking individuals including 122 Redshank, 25 Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Greenshank, 271 Dunlin, 75 Ringed Plover, 10 Avocet, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Turnstone, 293 Oystercatcher, 14 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Knot, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 10 Spoonbill, 60 Cormorant, 6 Moorhen, 3 Sandwich Tern, 37 Common Tern, 48 Great Black-backed Gull, 7 Herring Gull, 61 Black-headed Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Shoveler, 12 Mallard, 16 Gadwall, 14 Shelduck and 48 Teal.

In Middlebere 7 Grey Plover flew over and another 3 landed in the channel plus a Green Sandpiper was on the pool in front of the hide with a Greenshank out on the mud. A juvenile Marsh Harrier also flew by.

Pleasantly long sunny intervals with what feels like never-ending westerlies was the theme for the day. With no change of wind direction in sight for at least the next week ahead, let’s hope for shift in direction come September. The Holton Lee Little Owl was seen today along with a single Spotted Flycatcher. There were 3 Redstart recorded at Sunnyside, while 2 Osprey were observed at Middlebere before flying north-west towards the Wareham Channel.

A scan with the Brownsea Lagoon webcam revealed 8 Spoonbill, 12 Avocet and reasonable numbers of Curlew, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Oystercatcher and a mobile mixed flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover.

Extensive cloud cover, poor visibility and showers dominated throughout the day. At times Brownsea Island would disappear out of sight from Poole Quay. However, a scan with the Lagoon webcams revealed an influx of Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Ringed Plover accompanying numerous Redshank, Avocet and Curlew. The Lagoon is looking superb at the moment with heaps of exposed mud drawing in waders passing through the Harbour.

Seawatching from Branksome Chine produced a total of 5 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Kittiwake, 4 Fulmar, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and an abundance of Gannet, Sandwich Tern and Common Tern. Wader counts at Lytchett Bay totalled 2  Spotted Redshank, 112 Redshank, 113 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 19 Dunlin, 5 Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Ringed Plover, 8 Greenshank, 2 Curlew and 70 Lapwing. A single Yellow-legged Gull and an early returning Little Grebe were also present. An evening visit to Sunnyside scrape produced 3 Wheatear and 3 Gadwall.

You know things are getting birdy when you get excited about the possibility of hearing Tree Pipit calling at night. Ok, that sounds a bit OTT, but no more than going outside and experiencing Redwings on a cold, overcast October night. What many people don’t realise is that Tree Pipit move in big numbers in the latter part of August and early September, and by standing outside on an overcast night during this time period you can hear the high pitched flight calls of many Tree Pipit as they pass overhead through the dark. The reason we’re talking about this now is because we set our sound recording gear up last night in the Corfe Gap and recoded the first 2 Tree Pipit of the autumn. This is a low number, but at some sites like Ballard and Portland, these sites can sometimes reach over 1000 calls in a single night in late August which is quite an audible spectacle. Also through the Corfe Gap last night was a Common Sandpiper, 1 Nightjar and a mystery wader which sounded like it could have been an Avocet. At the PC World Drain there was also a decent flurry of migrants with 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat, 8 Blackcap, 7 Willow Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff and 1 Kingfisher. At Lytchett Fields wader totals consisted of 121 Redshank, 74 Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Green Sandpiper, 9 Dunlin, 8 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and 1 Ringed Plover. In Holes Bay north there was a great count of 3 Ruff along with 387 Black-tailed Godwit, 69 Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 9 Ringed Plover and 1 Common Sandpiper. There was a Redstart sp (either Common or Black) on the Nuffield Estate. In Middlebere there was a summer plumaged Grey Plover along with a lone Spoonbill, 1 Ringed Plover 1 Peregrine and an Osprey was in the dead trees. On the Brownsea Lagoon 8 Spoonbill were present.

As mentioned on our social media channels late last week we successfully raised and released our 11 Osprey chicks this year and they instantly attracted the attention of the local pair, CJ7 and LS7 who’s daily routine now involves visiting our release site, nicking a load of fish from our feeding nests before then moving off and canoodling one a nest platform elsewhere in the harbour…young lovers hey!

With the wind finally subsiding today it paved the way for more passerines to found around the harbour as well as a growing number of waders. At Sunnyside Farm the first Redstart of the autumn was in the hedgerow and at Lytchett Fields the first Yellow Wagtail was on the approach pools. Along the Turlin shoreline there was 1 Garden Warbler and 1 Whitethroat with another Garden Warbler at the PC World Drain. Up on Hartland 8 Wheatear were logged along with 2 Yellow Wagtail with cattle and several Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.  Also at Lytchett Fields were 2 Common Sandpiper, 4 Green Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 5 Greenshank, c40 Common Redshank, 8 Dunlin, c40 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Whimbrel. In Middlebere 1 Spoonbill was feeding and there were 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Dunlin and 20 Black-tailed Godwit out on the mud whilst female Osprey ‘Beaky’ caught a whopper of Grey Mullet and sat quite happily on the Middlebere nest platform whilst devouring it. There were 2 other Osprey out in the Wareham Channel at dawn which we think were CJ7 and LS7. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 8 Spoonbill along with 1 Peregrine, 12 Avocet, 7 Greenshank and a smattering of Redshank, Dunlin and Oystercatcher.

Yellow Wagtail – Lytchett Fields 

Female Osprey ‘Beaky’ with huge Grey Mullet

Numerous Osprey sightings were logged across the Harbour today. At least 2 individuals were seen on the Middlebere platform today and another individual was recorded at Wareham. Other sightings from Middlebere channel include 11 Spoonbill (highest count so far this autumn), 20 Ringed Plover and 6 Dunlin.

Brownsea Lagoon, Holton Pools and Sunnyside Scrape are all areas that are asking for a thorough grilling through August and September. Lytchett Fields, another fine wader hotspot, produced 4 Ringed Plover, 67 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshank, 6 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 10 Dunlin, 80+ Redshank, 50+ Lapwing and singles of Spotted Redshank, Whimbrel and Curlew.

At Brands Bay Great Crested Grebe numbers are building already with 24 present, also 3 Whimbrel, 4 Common Sandpiper and 108 Curlew. 

A visitor to the BoPH HQ reported 5 Turnstone along the Quay. A wander along the Quayside can produce lovely views of these stocky, medium-sized waders from now onwards throughout the winter months.

A turbulent south-westerly wind persisted throughout the day. Despite the distinct lack of easterlies, a Curlew Sandpiper was recorded at Lytchett Bay along with a small Sand Martin passage and singles of Yellow-legged Gull, Ringed Plover, Spotted Redshank and Whimbrel among the usual wader assemblage frequenting the Pools.

All 10 of the Harbour Spoonbill were seen at Middlebere along with a migrant Osprey, ‘Beaky’. This is the fifth consecutive day the large female has been seen around the channel. Outside of our recording area a Black Guillemot was collected by a local wildlife rescue service from Bournemouth Promenade. Following this unsettled weather, a scan of Poole Bay may produce a disorientated petrel or auk.

A very blustery day with SSW windspeeds of 18mph and rain showers coming and going, leaving us all a bit windswept! Lytchett Bay 41 Dunlin, 6 Greenshank, 6 Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank and a Garden Warbler.

Brownsea lagoon has a full count done which saw 1 Spoonbill 30 Common Tern, 1 Knot, 5 Greenshank, 56 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Avocet, 103 Dunlin, 11 Ringed Plover, 136 Oystercatcher, c22 Shelduck, 2 Moorhen juveniles, c40 Cormorant and the first of the autumn Ruff seen.

Over at Branksome Chine a keen birder was out sea watching and reported 3 Juvenile Kittiwake, 4 Common Scoter, c30 Gannet, 3 Dunlin and c50 Sandwich Tern.

10 Spoonbill landed at Middlebere this morning and a Peregrine was also seen.

Over on the Webcam at Holten Lee the Goldfinch were feeding in large numbers with 14 spotted in one sitting (some of which were juvenile). The resident Great Spotted Woodpecker also visited today.

An Osprey has been spotted at 11am on knarly trees with fish near to Coombe Heath, Arne. 

At Holton Pools there were Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Lapwing, Greenshank and Common Redshank on view. 

A more productive ringing session at Lytchett Heath this morning produced 61 newly ringed birds from a nice variety of passage passerines including Grasshopper Warbler, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Bullfinch. The highlight was a Belgian controlled Sedge Warbler to start the session.

‘Beaky’, the beastly migrant female Osprey, was once again observed feeding on the Middlebere platform, accompanied by 6 Spoonbill in the channel. With another 4 Spoonbill roosting on Brownsea Lagoon, that brings the latest total count to 10 individuals.

A Peregrine flushed the familiar wader assemblage at Lytchett Bay along with a single Wheatear on Sherford Pool.