For most of today the weather was pretty yuk but it did clear away eventually by late afternoon and early doors it wasn’t too bad. Not much change on the bird front with the Stilt Sandpiper still in Middlebere for most of the day with 9 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 4 Knot, 378 Avocet, 490+ Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Osprey. A Lytchett Bay record of 10 Ruff were counted with 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Little Stint and 2 Spoonbill. There was a report of a Wryneck flying over the Holton Pools hide mid afternoon, calling but it couldn’t be relocated. At Baiter there was a single Wheatear, several Ringed Plover and Turnstone. A Marsh Tit at Arne in a mixed-tit flock was a good record. On Arne moors there were 6 Ruff, 23 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Common Snipe. 

A very autumnal start to the day with the first 21 Brent Geese of the autumn entering the harbour just after dawn, along with the first 3 Black-necked Grebe being found out in Studland Bay, viewed from Middle Beach. In the Middle Beach car park there were 3 Firecrest along with another in Knoll Beach with a large mixed tit flock. There was a large pulse of Chiffchaff and Blackcap moving through with the early rain at dawn bringing a lot down. Passage through the Ballard area reflected this with 68 Chiffchaff, 20 Blackcap, 22 Meadow Pipit, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Redstart all ringed early on. In Studland church yard there were another c50 Chiffchaff along with another Firecrest. The Stilt Sandpiper remained faithful to Middlebere, feeding there for most of the day along with the Osprey which went on several fishing jaunts throughout the day. There was an incredible flock of 18 Ruff on Arne Moors, a sight very rarely seen these days. On Lytchett Fields there were 8 Ruff, 3 Little Stint, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 175 Dunlin and 11 Greenshank. There was a single Spoonbill on Holton Pools and 2 Kingfisher. At Greenland’s Farm there were 6 Wheatear and 1 Whinchat. Around the harbour Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall and Pintail numbers are rising by the day with now over 500 Wigeon in Holes Bay NE. 

Again, the Stilt Sandpiper was in Middlebere early morning and then again in the late afternoon, accompanied by 20 Spoonbill, 1 Great White Egret, 1 Osprey, 5 Spotted Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Knot, 200+ Black-tailed Godwit and 200+ Avocet. At Lytchett Fields there were 5 Ruff, 3 Little Stint, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Knot, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Wheatear and 40+ Meadow Pipit. A sea watch from Branksome Chine produced 1 Red-throated Diver, 20 Common Scoter, 8 Wigeon and a handful of Sandwich Tern. In the Wareham Channel 31 Spoonbill were feeding off Giggers Island during the low tide and 4 Marsh Harrier were in the same area including an adult male. 

 Stilt Sandpiper – Middlebere – Simon Buckell

Stilt Sandpiper 02 MVI_2662 from Waderworld on Vimeo.

There was a good arrival of Firecrest with birds seen at Knoll Beach, Greenland’s Farm and South Haven. In Middlebere the Stilt Sandpiper was still feeding in the top of the channel with 3 Ruff also present (rare here), 21 Spoonbill, 1 Osprey, 1 Marsh Harrier and 300+ each of Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit. A Great White Egret was in Brands Bay. In Holes Bay a Little Stint was feeding on the low tide (also rare here) with 1 Spoonbill, 409 Black-tailed Godwit, 41 Little Egret and 40 Dunlin. At Lytchett Fields there were 4 Little Stint, 2 Ruff, 1 Marsh Harrier 1 Wheatear and the normal good spread of common waders. Migration through Ballard again was pretty slow with just 8 Chiffchaff, 1 Redstart and 16 Meadow Pipit ringed. 

Common Redstart – Ballard Down – Olly Slessor

A quick catch up from today. The Stilt Sandpiper was still in Middlebere, there were 2 Curlew Sandpiper on Brownsea and 1 on Lytchett Fields. Little Stint totals are rising with 4 on Lytchett Fields and 2 on Brownsea. An Osprey was in Middlebere and a Great White Egret was on the marsh at Upton CP. Other highlights from Lytchett Fields included 4 Ruff, 12 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 155 Dunlin, 1 Marsh Harrier and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. In Holes Bay Wigeon totals hit 400+. On the Brownsea Lagoon 8 Sanderling, 15 Greenshank and 5 Spotted Redshank added to the interest. A Guillemot was sat off Poole Quay feeding early evening. There were 3 Firecrest in Upton CP along with another 3 at Arne. 

Middlebere definitely seems to be the place to be at present with a whole suit of birds to feast your eyes on. Not only was the Stilt Sandpiper present there for most of the day but the Spoonbill total has now nearly reached 60, with between 54 and 57 reported. Also in the Middlebere channel were 360 Avocet, 1041 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshank, 10 Knot, 1 Ruff, 26 Dunlin and 1 Whinchat and 2 Dartford Warbler along the approach track. The Red-necked Phalarope was still on the small pool in the NW corner of Arne Moors late afternoon and at Lytchett Fields there were 4 Ruff, 2 Little Stint, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 141 Black-tailed Godwit, 250+ Dunlin and 1 Marsh Harrier around the bay. Firecrests are now beginning to move through with individuals seen in a private garden in Poole and 1 in a mixed-tit flock at Luscombe Valley. Migration through Ballard was moderate despite the early fog with over 100 Chiffchaff ringed and a good passage of Meadow Pipit overhead along with the first decent flurry of Grey and alba Wagtails, Linnet, Chaffinch and Goldfinch. We also got our nocturnal migration listening station up and running last night with some great results. Over the coming weeks there will be big movements of birds across Europe such as the arrival of our winter thrushes and the departure of the last of our summer migrants. By monitoring what passes over our listening station at night it gives a better understand of how and when different species are migrating plus giving us an insight into a nocturnal phenomenon that would otherwise go un-noticed. Last night, highlights included 2 Ring Ouzel, the first small pulse of Song Thrush with 13 in total and 9 Blackbird, 9 Robin, 3 latish Tree Pipit, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Skylark, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Redshank, 1 Moorhen and 1 Grey Heron. 

Ring Ouzel – Call of a night time migrant – 26/09/17 @ 02:36 – Old Town Poole Listening Station 

Luckily, for those who had struggled to catch up with the Stilt Sandpiper during its time in Poole Harbour were given a third chance today as it reappeared in Middlebere today after being re-found yesterday evening. It fed quite happily out on the mud in the presence of 47 Spoonbill, 200+ Avocet, 500+ Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Wigeon, 1 Kingfisher and the Great White Egret. Not a bad place to go birding currently! The Yellow-browed Warbler that was at Arne was seen again in the car park and a newly arrived individual was at Lytchett Bay down near the waterworks along Slough Lane. On Lytchett Fields there were 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Ruff and 3 Little Stint, one of which got pulses racing due to its pale and different appearance. Overall the bird was dumpier, larger, paler and fed slightly differently but having consulted friends about the bird the agreed ID was a slightly more worn juv Little Stint. Still, it gave a great opportunity to be able to study the variability of this species. An Osprey spent the day touring the eastern end of Arne between Middlebere and Shipstal. Migration through Ballard was steady with 39 Chiffchaff, 23 Blackcap, 42 Meadow Pipit, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Stonechat ringed with the added bonus of a hunting Kestrel also ringed!

Little Stints showing great variability – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

Kestrel – Ballard Down – Olly Slessor

Stonechat – Ballard Down – Olly Slessor

Yellowhammer – Ballard Down – Olly Slessor

There was exciting news today in that the Stilt Sandpiper was relocated in the harbour, this time in Middlebere on the low tide. It was seen from the Coombe viewpoint on the Arne side at 15:15, unfortunately just as the poor weather began to creep in. It’s likely it’s been present in the harbour since disappearing from Lytchett Fields on Thursday last week, but where it’s been roosting/feeding prior to today is anyone’s guess. The Brownsea Lagoon is a good bet, but no reports or possible sightings of this bird have come from there in recent days so until (if) it appears again we’ll just have to wait and see where it ‘pops up’. The Red-necked Phalarope was present again all day on Arne Moors but the Grey Phalarope disappeared early doors by all accounts, although the Little Stint that turned up yesterday remained faithful to the pool. Again, Spoonbill totals crept up, now with 44 in Middlebere. This autumn their behavior is very different to the last 5 years, deciding to roost mostly on Middlebere rather than Brownsea. Why this is we’re not sure but it’s looking as if it could be another great autumn/winter for this species and will we see another record breaking year? The Yellow-browed Warbler was seen and heard again at Arne, this time mostly in the overflow car park. On Lytchett Fields there were 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Little Stint, 2 Ruff, 1 Marsh Harrier and the usual good numbers of commoner waders and wildfowl including a drake Cinnamon Teal, presumably a feral escapee from somewhere? In Holes Bay NE the Wigeon numbers have grown with 218 now along with 3 Kingfisher in the area. With this fine weather, migration through Ballard was slow again with just 19 Blackcap, 11 Chiffchaff, 14 Meadow Pipit and a Swallow ringed. In Poole Harbour west 2 Merlin woke up in a foul mood and began hassling up to 5 Marsh Harrier that came out of the Poole Harbour west roost!

Stilt Sandpiper – Middlebere – Neil Telfer 

It was great to hear that both the Grey Phalarope and Red-necked Phalarope were still on the small polls at Arne Moors and that continued access had been granted by Ridge Wharf Yacht Club. A huge thanks to Ridge Wharf as we estimated that over the Friday and Saturday 150-200 came to enjoy the birds and the icing on the cake was when a Little Stint came to join the party late on Saturday afternoon too. In Middlebere the Spoonbill totals continued to increase with 37 present, also 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, c350 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot and c150 Avocet of counted. At Arne, a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen and heard in and around the car park several times. It’s looking already as if it could be a good autumn for this species with several sightings in the harbour already. Normally late Sept and throughout October is when we see the main arrival and rush of ‘YBW’ so several mid-Sept records is a good sign. A Great White Egret was seen over Holes Bay late evening with a Spotted Redshank near the outflow in Holes Bay NE and at Lytchett Fields the cluster of scarcer waders were still being very showy with 2 Little Stint, 2 Ruff, 1 Knot, 3 Curlew Sandpiper all feeding close to the viewpoints with Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe and Teal all present in good numbers still. At Holton Pools the Kingfishers were still wowing the crowds, fishing just meters in front of the newly positioned hide. After yesterdays rush of migrants, migration through Ballard was much quieter today with just 32 Chiffchaff, 10 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler and 1 Goldcrest ringed. 

Today was a real delight and a total contrast to yesterday in terms of weather. Sadly the Stilt Sandpiper wasn’t re-found at Lytchett Fields but the Red-necked and Grey Phalaropes performed well for many visitors for much of the day. Lytchett Fields was still busy with 4 Little Stint, 3 Ruff, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Knot, 1 Spoonbill and the standard spread of Redshank, Lapwing, Teal and Snipe. From the School Bird Boat today 17 Spoonbill were on the Brownsea Lagoon and one of the Arctic Tern from yesterday were still hunting just off of Poole Quay. Migration through Ballard this AM was busy with a Ring Ouzel, 97 Chiffchaff, 50 Blackcap, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Redstart and 2 Whitethroat ringed and monitored moving through the area. In Middlebere there were 24 Spoonbill.

Ring Ouzel – Ballard – Olly Slessor

Firecrest – Ballard – Olly Slessor

Arctic Tern – Poole Quay – Marcus Lawson

Ruff – Lytchett Fields – Shaun Robson

Little Stint – Lytchett Fields – Shaun Robson