Today’s sightings were mostly normal run of the mill sightings with breeding birds reported most of all. However, there was some evidence of some early return passage/movement of birds with Lapwing at Lytchett Fields, suggesting these are failed breeders from elsewhere that are already on the move, looking for somewhere to feed and spend their summer hols. Nightjars up on Coombe Heath, Arne performed well in the lighter, earlier part of dusk, dazzling as their white wing patches beamed through the silhouettes of Gorse and Silver Birch. Dartford Warbler, Stonechat and Woodlark have all fledged young on most heathlands around the harbour and on Brownsea Common Terns numbers are now beginning to build on the islands in front of the lower hide.

If you’ve never seen or experienced Nightjars before then why not join us on one of our two Nightjar walks this summer at Arne RSPB reserve. The staff at Arne have kindly granted us access to off limits part of the reserve to encounter these amazing birds. For more info or to book on then just CLICK HERE

Nightjar – Coombe Heath, Arne – Paul Morton

No sign of yesterdays Red-backed Shrike unfortunately, but partial compensation came when an Osprey was seen fishing through the shimmering heat haze in the Wareham Channel mid morning. With easterly winds picking up again some wader passed picked up again with 12 Ringed Plover and 6 Dunlin out on Lytchett Fields, 1 Ringed Plover and 10 Dunlin at Arne and a Whimbrel in Middlebere. The male Marsh Harrier seems to be a good provider as he makes frequent return trips to his female and chicks with talons full of goodies. There was just a single Hobby over Moors today. 

Med Gull nesting on Brownsea Tern Islands

The day started off quietly but finished with a sparkle when it was discovered that a female Red-backed Shrike had spent some time tucked up in a remote corner of Hartland Moor all afternoon and evening. Until the 1950’s this species could be found on most heathlands of east Dorset… but a decline started in 1951 and was complete by 1962. Todays record is only the 9^th Poole Harbour record since 1961. Nightjars on Upton Heath were active at dusk, but activity at sites like Slepe Heath and Arne was limited with just 2-3 birds at each site. Out in the harbour there was a single late Red-breasted Merganser and good numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns out feeding. 

Red-backed Shrike – Hartland Moor

Finally there was a bit of quality today when an Arctic Skua was photographed off Shipstal Point, Arne around 7:30pm which by all accounts had spent the afternoon harassing gulls on Long Island. Skua’s in the harbour are a rare event indeed and for one to settle long enough to provide a photo opportunity, even rarer. To give this some context, it’s interesting to point out that over the last 5 years there have been more Black-winged Stilts within Poole Harbour than Arctic Skua! Also off Shipstal was a male Common Scoter. A Cuckoo, 2 Hobby 2 Red Kite and 12 Buzzard were along high over the Moors and along the Arne Road, 2 Tree Pipit were on Slepe heath and there were 2 Redstart at Arne. A likely migrant Marsh Harrier drifted over the Wareham Channel briefly before carrying on west. Around the Sunnyside, Stoborough Heath area 6 Willow Warbler were on territory as were 7 Chiffchaff, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 2 Dartford Warbler and a Kestrel. Lytchett Fields was sparse of variety but total of regular birds were still good with 165 Black-tailed Godwit, 117 Shelduck, 5 Gadwall and 14 Pied Wagtail. At Lytchett Heath, there were Bearded Tit on territory within the reedbed and a Hobby passed over there. 

Arctic Skua – Shipstal Point, Arne – Brian Piercy

You’ll have to excuse the ‘lumped’ dates, but info coming through to us has been so limited that news for each day would have barely made it over ‘the one sentence’ threshold. Most info now refers to breeding birds, and birds on territory with very few migrants coming through now. Through Thursday and Friday a few Swallows and Swifts were pushing through still and at the PCW Drain there was a late migrant Reed Warbler passing through. At Holton Lee a Continental type Stonechat is on territory and currently feeding young. At Sunnyside, near Ridge a Cuckoo and Hobby were seen feeding in front of the NE screen. A scan from the Coombe viewpoint should return views of Hobby as they feed out above Middlebere, Slepe and Salterns Copse. At Lytchett Fields a few over summering Black-tailed Godwit continue to feed on the high tide out from Sherford and French’s viewpoints. The heathlands are now home to plenty of Nightjar and a late evening stroll along Soldiers Road, Hartland Moor, Studland Heath, Holton Lee, Canford or Upton Heath on a warm still evening should provide you with churring males and if you’re lucky a sight of one breaking the skyline. 

On Saturday our monthly field trip for May saw us expanded our range slightly, to just outside the harbour boundaries with a visit to Morden Bog. Despite the constant rain, drizzle, murk, more drizzle, bit more rain and a wet welly or two we didn’t actually do too badly with a Woodlark, 1 Hobby, 2 singing (but not seen) Redstarts, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 3-4 Tree Pipit, several Stonechat and a Cuckoo.

Continental type Stonechat – Holton Lee – Paul Morton

Juvenile Starlings – Upton – Paul Morton

Swallow – Ridge – Paul Morton

Our Med Gull story has gathered quite a bit of traction over the last couple of days getting some good press coverage and it appears it may even feature in the Sunday Times this weekend…great stuff!

With a bit more unsettled weather on the way, hopefully they’ll be the opportunity to provide one last drop of migrants before the early-mid summer doldrums kick in. Waders are still on the move, but the easterlies we were lucky to experience over the last two weeks certainly seemed to increase passage through the harbour. At Lytchett Fields highlights were 148 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Dunlin, 1 Cuckoo, 4 Great Crested Grebe and a new Whitethroat in. At the PCW Drain, 4 Blackcap were active and a single Whitethroat was there. Over Old Town Poole, a max count of 12 Swift seemed fairly low, hopefully numbers will rise in the next few days. Around the Arne Peninsular Hobby’s were recorded above the Moors, near Middlebere and along the Arne Road.

We’re also thrilled to announce and present the winning entry for our logo design competition set last year. You can read about (and obviously already see) the new winning design by CLICKING HERE, but we’d again just like to say congratulations to Oni Wyatt, the winning designer and to everyone else that submitted entries, it was great fun to host and judge. We hope you like the winning design!

Toady we sent out a press release which highlighted the illegal egging our survey team discovered on ‘Gull Islands’ within the harbour back in early May. The survey uncovered a mass harvest of Gull eggs including the collection of Mediterranean Gull eggs, a schedule one species that is protected by law. You can read the full story by CLICKING HERE. The survey reported a massive 70% combined decline of Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gull nests from an initial survey in 2008 and a 60% combined decline from a repeat survey in 2015. If anyone has any information or sees people out on ‘Gull Islands’, which are situated out in the Wareham Channel then please contact us right away.

Sightings-wise it was very quiet with 3 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 3 Lapwing and 1 Greenshank at Lytchett Fields. A single Great Northern Diver was off Baiter, out towards Brownsea. From Coombe heath, Arne 3 Hobby were feeding over the reedbed to the west and a Woodlark flew over the viewpoint. 

Highlights from a very quiet day was a drake Garganey that was found on the main pit at Swineham GP around midday. Other than this, there were 10 Hobby feeding along the Slepe Heath ridge and over Arne Moors with a Red Kite drifting to the south over near Norden/Corfe area. At Lytchett Fields there were 3 Ringed Plover and 4 Dunlin. Finally there was an interesting report of a Swift species with a white rump reported over Poole Town Centre around 11:30am, getting pulses racing for a short while, but after several vigils were taken up from prominent viewing spots, nothing could be located.

With the wind swinging round to the north, and putting a slightly uncomfortable chill in the air today bird news was fairly limited. A dedicated count at Swineham carried out by local birder and photographer Peter Moore returned some good counts with 20 Cetti’s Warbler, 53 Reed Warbler, 3 Sedge Warbler (rare breeders in the harbour), 5 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff and 2 Skylark, 2 Cuckoo, 1 Marsh Harrier and a Little Ringed Plover on a pool along the River Frome walk. Lytchett Fields today could only muster 5 Ringed Plover and 3 Dunlin along with 1 Greenshank and 80+ Black-tailed Godwit. 

After being flushed by a Buzzard yesterday the Black-winged Stilt returned to Lytchett Fields in the evening after a 31-hour absence from the site. Where it went during this time period is anyone’s guess, but it’s a shame to think it may have been gracing another site with its presence within the harbour totally unnoticed. Throughout the day at Lytchett Fields 80+ Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 1 Hobby, 12 Whimbrel and a pair of mating Redshank were logged. At Swineham a Cuckoo was calling in the paddocks by North Bestwall House, a single Common Sandpiper was on the newly exposed area of mud bank on at the far end of the main pit whilst out on the mud 2 Ringed Plover were present with 3 Dunlin. The ‘Hobby Fest’ continued in the south of the harbour with no less than 7 hunting closely together over the Slepe Heath/Arne moors area, best viewed from the top of the Slepe Heath Ridge. Also out in the Wareham channel there were 3 Marsh Harrier and evidence suggesting that the Marsh Harrier nest is now active with chicks which is excellent news.