Looks like the weather is turning for the rest of week, but it was still a day of bright sunshine to start the week today. 1 Goshawk was seen over Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne along with 1 Hobby, 4 Spoonbill (all over-summering 2nd calendar year birds) and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. 1 Red Kite was seen over Upton Country Park. 1 Osprey was hunting over the Wareham Channel late evening while the local pair were on view on the Webcams.

In other news, our Nightjar Experience Walks begin this Thursday. We’ll be heading out onto a fantastic heathland site to hear and see these mysterious night time birds. There’s still a few tickets left for our dates between June-July. Head to our website here to find out more and book on.

3 Spoonbill – All 2nd calendar year (note the black wing tips) – Coombe Heath, RSPB Arne – dizzygirl66.bsky.social

The first day of June and that brought with a nice sighting of 8 Crossbill on Brownsea Island, showing that even in June, a month of typically little migration, there are still birds moving about. 1 Osprey was intruding at the Careys Nest today and a right-ringed female was seen flying over the Wareham Channel later on. Looking at the notch in the wing on primary 1 and in the tail, this looks like 3H9, the Rutland 2-year old female who has been hanging around for some time. From our first Summer Safari Cruise this morning we had 1 Peregrine Falcon hunting gulls over the Gull Islands in the Wareham Channel. We also saw 2 Marsh Harrier, c30 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Bearded Tit, 1 White-tailed Eagle and 1 distant Osprey. On the Brownsea Lagoon 1 Ringed Plover, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit and c150 Oystercatcher were the only waders present but there was plenty of activity from the Tern nesting islands. In the Middlebere Channel from Coombe Heath, RSPB Arne there were 4 Spoonbill and 1 Marsh Harrier. 4 Sanderling were in Lytchett Bay this morning which are a rare visitor to this part of the harbour. 1 Great White Egret was seen flying at Swineham towards Stoborough this morning.

Oystercatcher mobbing Carrion Crow from our Summer Safari Cruise – Brownsea Lagoon -Harry McBride

Sandwich Tern from our Summer Safari Cruise – Brownsea Lagoon – Samantha Roberts

Female Osprey possibly 3H9 due to notch in right wing feather – Wareham Channel – John Thorpe

It was a bit of a raptor-fest up at Careys Secret Garden today for our Osprey Tours with sightings of 2 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine, 2 Sparrowhawk, 10 Buzzard, 1 Hobby and of course the local Osprey pair and chicks. In the afternoon the pair began alarm calling and 022 headed off at high speed to see off an adult White-tailed Eagle which was also battling with a Buzzard! 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Woodlark and 1 Cuckoo were also seen/heard. 2 Osprey were fishing in the Wareham Channel this morning so one of these birds could be a 2-year old migrant. 1 2nd calendar year Marsh Harrier was at Morden Bog along with 2 Hobby.

 Nightjar Churring this week from our Young Birders Event – Slepe Heath

We had a fabulous last Spring Safari Cruise of the year this morning! We saw 1 adult White-tailed Eagle from the local pair drifting high over RSPB Arne whilst being distracted by 1 Peregrine Falcon being mobbed by 1 immature Herring Gull. In the Wareham Channel, we had the nesting Marsh Harrier pair flying low over Giggers Island. With such a low tide in the harbour this morning, lots of mud was exposed, with c25 Black-tailed Godwit foraging and a Common Seal hauled up in the mouth of the River Piddle. We heard 1 Water Rail squealing in the reeds at Swineham, alongside 2 Reed Warbler and 3 Reed Bunting. Once again Brownsea Lagoon was producing lots of good birds, with 1 breeding plumage Turnstone, 4 Spoonbill, 3 Ringed Plover, and 2 Sanderling with c20 Dunlin. Along the Brownsea Island shoreline, we spotted 2 Bar-tailed Godwit. Elsewhere in the harbour today, 1 unseasonal winter plumage Great Northern Diver was present in Brands Bay, Studland, alongside 1 Lapwing, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Whimbrel and 4 Curlew. 1 Red Kite was seen over Poole Quay early this morning. From Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne 1 Buzzard, 3 Avocet, and 1 Marsh Harrier were spotted in the Middlebere Channel.

Juvenile Spoonbill – Middlebere Channel – @dizzygirl66.bsky.social

A bit of sunshine on our Spring Safari Cruise this morning and some great birds seen too. We were delighted to see the nesting pair of Marsh Harrier perform a food pass over Giggers Island. It looked like the prey of choice was a Bank Vole. There was 1 Little Ringed Plover again on Stilt Pools, Swineham. Over on Brownsea Lagoon, there were 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, with another feeding along the northern Shoreline. We had some stunning fly-bys of Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, alongside a smart adult pair of Mediterranean Gull on the lagoon. First seen feeding in a tern flock in the central harbour, were 4 Little Tern which we later then spotted sat in amongst a flock of Sandwich Tern on Brownsea Lagoon. We don’t often see Little Tern in the harbour, with the closest nesting birds being at Chesil Beach in West Dorset. 2 Whimbrel were seen, one on the Arne shoreline and another on the northern shoreline of Brownsea Island. 3 Dartford Warbler were seen at Ham Common Viewpoint and 3 pairs of Teal were seen at Sherford Pools at RSPB Lytchett Fields. Later this afternoon, a Little Gull was sat on the Boomerang on Brownsea Lagoon. In other exciting news, the fourth and final Osprey chick has hatched on the Carey nest in the early hours of this morning! It’s fantastic to see the whole family doing well, and CJ7 and 022 carefully distributing the fish to ensure every chick is well-fed.

Dartford Warbler – Ham Common Viewpoint – @dpnotts.bsky.social

Four Osprey chicks on the nest!

Another rainy and blustery day in the harbour today. We are eagerly awaiting the hatching of the fourth egg on the Carey Osprey nest, which should be in the next 24 hours. You can just about see a pip on the fourth egg. Not long now! Elsewhere in the harbour, summering wildfowl numbers have been increasing in Lytchett Bay, with a count of 79 Mallard, 24 Shelduck, and 40+ Canada Geese. Also, in the arable field there were 2 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, and 1 Oystercatcher. At RSPB Lytchett Fields, there were 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Great White Egret, and 20+ Swift overhead. At Stilt Pools, Swineham, there were 2 Little Ringed Plover.

3 Osprey chicks, one egg left to hatch!

We had another intruding Osprey at the Carey nest today who landed on the nest while 022 and CJ7 were also sat there. She turned out to be Rutland female 3H9 back again, when she appeared on another nest platform in the harbour with 022. She’s been seen at a few other spots around the south coast over the last few weeks, so hopefully, she will stick around and could be a future local breeder! 1 Hobby and 1 Red Kite were over Wareham Forest today. Another Hobby was seen flying over Swineham gravel pit. At Holton Heath there was the, sadly rare within Poole Harbour, sighting of 1 Marsh Tit calling. Also present were 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Tree Pipit and 2 Woodlark.

022 (left) with 3H9 (right) on another nest platform in the harbour

A more blustery day in the harbour today with some fantastic interactions between birds of prey from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning. In the Wareham Channel we had local male Osprey 022 catch a fish and then be harassed by a Buzzard. Soon after, 022 began skydancing, while carrying the fish, to see off an intruder Osprey in proximity to a Red Kite! This intruding Osprey was driven off towards Middlebere and was later photographed as 1AO, a Scottish ringed male who we are still waiting to hear back on info, in terms of his life history. We then had a food pass between the Marsh Harrier pair in the Wareham Channel, and most amazingly of all, a late female Merlin caught a Dunlin on the Brownsea Lagoon as pictured below! c40 Dunlin were on the Brownsea Lagoon along with 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and the usual Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, busy caring for eggs and chicks. There was no sign of the Roseate Tern today. 1 Hobby flew over the Wareham Channel and 2 Bearded Tit were in the mouth of the River Frome. 1 Spoonbill was in the Middlebere Channel.

We also had the exciting news this morning that the third Osprey chick on the Careys Secret Garden nest had hatched overnight! Hopefully the final one will be out in the next 48 hours or so!

Female Merlin with Dunlin prey from our Spring Safari – Brownsea Lagoon – dpnotts.bsky.social

Scottish ringed Osprey – 1AO – Middlebere Channel – ‪dizzygirl66.bsky.social‬

3 Osprey Chicks on the Nest Webcams first thing this morning

Marsh Harrier food pass in the Wareham Channel from our Spring Safari – ‪dpnotts.bsky.social‬