Another hot day in the harbour. 3 Common Crane were seen again this afternoon, this time flying high over Studland before drifting there way towards Wareham. From our Spring Safari Cruise this morning White-tailed Eagle G463 was soaring high over the southern shores of the harbour. 3 Sanderling and 1 Dunlin were in the mouth of the River Frome in the Wareham Channel, showing a nice bit of May wader passage. There were also 2 Whimbrel, 1 Spoonbill and 1 Spotted Redshank here. An untimely drake Pochard was amongst the Tufted Duck at Swineham Gravel Pit. 1 Garden Warbler was singing at the railway embankment on Wareham Common. 1 juvenile Little Gull was still on the Brownsea Lagoon along with 1 possible Curlew Sandpiper. From Coombe Heath, Arne, 4 Spoonbill were in the Middlebere Channel along with 2 Whimbrel and 1 Red Kite. There were also 2 White-tailed Eagle that flew over Poole Quay this afternoon, 3 Hobby were high over Hydes Heath.

Red Kite – Coombe Heath, RSPB Arne –  Dizzygirl66  on  Bluesky

Nice selection of sightings today with highlights including a Hoopoe found by Trevor Warwick on the south edge of Hartland Moor this morning. A possible Subalpine Warbler was also reported in the shrubs opposite Asda in Poole Town, though there has no visual sighting as yet. Over at Lytchett Fields, 1 winter plumage Great White Egret was seen in flight this morning, as well as 188 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Greenshank, 5 Whimbrel, 1 Redshank, 1 Lapwing, and additionally 1 Little Ringed Plover on Sherford Pools this afternoon. 1 Peregrine and 1 Red Kite were logged over Creekmoor this afternoon. There was also 1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling at Morden Bog this morning. A Nightjar was singing on Wareham Common last night, plus 18 Cattle Egret flew to their roost in the evening and the Little Gull was on the Brownsea Lagoon again.

Hoopoe  – Hartland Moor NNR – Trevor Warwick

With April soon to be turning into May, waders of many species are passing through, including two ‘firsts’ of the year with a Wood Sandpiper at Swineham on the Stilt Pools and a Little Stint at Lytchett Fields. There was also a summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank at Lytchett Bay, c20 Whimbrel through Middlebere, 2 Little Ringed Plover at Swineham and another on Lytchett Fields. A Great White Egret flew over Swineham this morning along with 1 Osprey, 1 White-tailed Eagle and 1 Marsh Harrier over there too. There were also 4 Spoonbill on the Stilt Pools this morning, a Lesser Whitethroat was on the north side of Lytchett Bay and 8 Swift were over Wareham.

Little Ringed Plover and Little Stint – Lytchett Fields – Richard Stephenson

Little Stint – Lytchett Fields – Richard Stephenson

Northern Wheatear – Whitecliff – Daniel Nash

Whimbrel flock passing through Poole Harbour – Mark Wright

Another bright sunny day in the harbour which seemed to bring a big arrival of Swift into the harbour. 2 flew over our Spring Safari Cruise this morning in the central harbour and then a flock of c30 were flying around Swineham/Wareham. The Forster’s Tern was on the Brownsea Lagoon again, even further into it’s summer plumage making it tricky to pick out, looking more and more like a Common Tern.  1 juvenile Little Gull was also on the Lagoon this morning along with 7 Avocet and 8 Bar-tailed Godwit. There were 2 Osprey fishing between the Wareham Channel and Middlebere and 1 in Lytchett Bay. 4 Spoonbill flew from Swineham into the Wareham Channel. 2 Whimbrel were off the Shipstal shoreline. 1 of the immature White-tailed Eagles flew over the Osprey viewing platform from one of our Carey Osprey Tours this afternoon and another adult was seen over Corfe Common. 1 Spotted Redshank was at Lytchett Fields along with 7 Greenshank,  6 Whimbrel, 1 Ringed Plover and 1 Cuckoo that flew across towards Holton. The first Lesser Whitethroat of the year was behind the Turlin Screen in Lytchett Bay and 2 Whimbrel were in front. 1 Yellow Wagtail was in the farm fields with cows at RSPB Arne.

Immature White-tailed Eagle – Careys Secret Garden from our Carey Osprey Tour – Alison Copland

Lots of Osprey sightings in and around the harbour today with an unringed male seen fishing in Lytchett Bay, a ringed English/Welsh female in the Wareham Channel seen from our Spring Safari Cruise catching a fish and another male Osprey later in the Wareham Channel. So at least 2 possibly 3 active Osprey other than the local nesting pair. From the boat this morning we also had 2 Ruff in the mouth of the River Frome, at least 4 Bearded Tit, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Red Kite and 2 Marsh Harrier at Swineham. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were still c10 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank and 3 Avocet. Sandwich Tern and Common Tern numbers were really building here too. On Hydes Heath at RSPB Arne 1 Cuckoo was present along with 1 Hobby and 1 White-tailed Eagle seen early afternoon. 10-12 Whimbrel were in Holes Bay and a total of 22 singing Reed Warbler around the bay and Upton CP. 33 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Wigeon and 1 Avocet were still in Holes Bay too. 2 Whimbrel were in the Middlebere Channel.

Unringed male Osprey – Lytchett Bay – Mark Wright

Spring migration is in full swing with many areas of the harbour getting lively!

The Forster’s Tern showed at Lytchett Bay, now beginning to moult into summer plumage, the best way of spotting it amongst the Common Tern is the whiteness of it’s upper parts.

Also at Lytchett Bay, 2 Little Gull, 2 Spotted Redshank, 9 Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover, 7 Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 183+ Black-tailed Godwit, Cuckoo, Osprey catching a fish, 2 Wheatear and a Sedge Warbler.

Good numbers of other migrants have now arrived around the harbour with 4 Blackcap and 4 Whitethroat at Whitecliff.

Little Gull – Lytchett Bay – Ian Ballam