The super high tides this week have put a bit of a dampener on RSPB Lytchett Fields (no pun intended) by flooding the site and moving many of the birds on. However, the site is still holding 2 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 20 Dunlin and the usual Lapwing, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit etc. Migrant wise, its seems to be doing much better with 30+ Willow Warbler, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 10+ Chiffchaff. At South Haven there were 11 Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Knot, 1 Wheatear and 1 Garden Warbler. In Brands Bay 200+ Black-tailed Godwit were counted before the long staying juvenile Osprey put them up, also 4 Pintail, 2 Wigeon, and 2 Yellow Wagtail. At Greenland Farm there were 4 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Whitethroat ad 12 Willow Warbler. Middlebere saw 1 distant Osprey, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Marsh Harrier and 4 Wigeon. Also a Lanner Falcon wearing jesses was harassing birds in the Middlebere Channel late evening!

The 1^st of the month got off to a flyer when a juvenile Kentish Plover was found on the Brownsea Lagoon mid afternoon. These are a rare Poole Harbour bird with the last record being in 1992 at Studland. Also on Brownsea 17 Spoonbill, 1 Little Stint, 20+ Ringed Plover, 100 Avocet, 5 Spotted Redshank and 15+ Greenshank. An Osprey was again in Brands Bay early morning with 2 Greenshank and 110 Teal. At RSPB Lytchett Fields 4 Ruff, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 15 Dunlin, 1 Osprey, 4 Whinchat, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Redstart, and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. At Upton CP 12 Knot flew in (rare here) and a Spotted Redshank. 

After all the excitement of the Bird Race things quietened down and reports from Bank Holiday Monday were few and far between…mainly because the weather was so dire! However new arrivals included 2 moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper along which joined the long staying 5 Ruff, 3 Wood Sandpiper, 15 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Stint, 6 Green Sandpiper, 7 Knot, 32 Snipe, 4 Greenshank, Marsh Harrier and 150 Teal.  Osprey, were noted at Arne and in the Wareham Channel, whilst 17 Spoonbill, 5 Spotted Redshank and 15 Knot remained on Brownsea.

With the popularity of RSPB Lytchett Fields increasing, we would also like to take the opportunity to remind visitors to the site that there is strictly no parking in Slogh Lane. A few cars have been photographed parking right inf ront of the access gate for Wessex Water where their large tankers (see photo) need access through and past the gate 24 hours a day. Parking for this site should be along either Sandy Lane or Sea View Road. Many thanks for your cooperation. 

Wessex Water Tanker – Keep Slogh Lane Clear at ALL TIMES – Thank You

Today a Poole Harbour Bird Race was held, involving six teams of two people competing against each other to see who can see the most species of bird in a day. Not only can this provide an incredible list of birds, but it also means almost the entire harbour is covered from dawn til dusk, providing highlights from the entire area. The boundaries we use for the Poole Harbour bird race are that of the Map section on our website which provides a great range and variation of habitats. The forecast looked set to offer some good birdy opportunities with a bit of rain through the night, clearing at dawn and a light north-easterly breeze early morning, fading away through the afternoon. With enthusiasm and anticipation bursting from the seams the 15-hour ‘birdathon’ was on.

With most teams starting around 4am Nightjar were seen/heard at Arne and Studland whilst both the Arne and Middlebere Barn Owls were seen too by some teams. A favoured spot at dawn appeared to be the Ballard/Old Harry area with almost all teams appearing there at first light, and a wise decision it proved to be. Redstart, Whinchat, Wheatear, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Chiffchaff, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail, Dartford Warbler, Yellowhammer, Crossbill, Common Scoter, Fulmar and Gannet were clocked between the teams. However, whilst that was going on, another team jammed in on a Wryneck at Greenlands Farm…by far one of the best birds of the day.

Wryneck – Greenlands Farm – Peter Moore

RSPB Lytchett Fields provided a mouth watering opportunity for anyone wanting to bump up their day (or year) list with 2 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 2 Little Stint, 10 Knot and numerous Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Snipe, Lapwing and Teal. The other hotspot seemed to be Brownsea where Spoonbill numbers have now hit 17 and the lagoon was filled with at least 15 Greenshank, 4 Spotted Redshank, 1 Sanderling, 10 Ringed Plover, 1 Little Tern, 40+ Sandwich Tern, 50+ Common Tern and all the usual other waders. Whilst away from the lagoon on Brownsea both Pied and Spotted Flycatcher were near the Villa and Firecrest were seen just beyond the villa. One of the main features of the day was Osprey with numerous sightings from almost every site. There were 3 in Brands Bay alone at dawn, not to mention the 2 birds seen in the Wareham Channel around the same time. We even had one low over the lagoon mid-afternoon flushing EVERYTHING off the lagoon in one foul swoop.

Osprey – Brands Bay – Peter Moore

Another incredible feature of the day was just simply how many migrants there were around; it seemed every fence post around Old Harry, Ballard, Greenland’s Farm or Arne had either a Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Whinchat or Wheatear sat on it…just incredible.

Whinchat – Greenlands Farm – Peter Moore

Plus, if you throw all the ‘regular stuff’ that was ticked into the mix, such as Hobby (Arne), Bearded Tit (Swineham), Woodlark (Soldiers Road), Marsh Harrier (Wareham Channel) etc, the day was probably one of the most productive days the harbour has seen for many many years. In fact, the winning team (no gloating allowed) logged an incredible 130 species during the course of the day (FULL LIST HERE), beating the previous total of 123 by seven species. A total combined list from all participating teams is being compiled as we speak, and I will publish this when I have it.

My message to anyone wanting to go our birding in Poole Harbour is GO NOW. The range of species is staggering, the scenery beautiful and the birding community a sheer joy to be with. Look forward to seeing you out in the field soon. 

Undoubtedly the bird of the day was a stunning Bluethroat that was trapped and ringed in Lytchett Bay. Unfortunately, the bird was never seen again after being released, so we hope you enjoy these gorgeous ‘in the hand’ photos. Also ringed at Lytchett Bay today were 6 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Whinchat, 1 Dartford Warbler, 1 Common Sandpiper and a mix of commoner migrants. Its likely there are currently 6 Osprey in then harbour with 4 seen together in the Wareham Channel early morning with others seen in Lytchett Bay and Brands Bay around the same time. Also at RSPB Lytchett Fields 2 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 1 Little Stint, 1 juv Cuckoo, 7 Knot, several Green and Common Sandpiper plus 3 Spotted Flycatcher and a Whinchat. At Middlebere this morning a juv Marsh Harrier, 2 Hobby, 3 Greenshank, 2 Spotted flycatcher, 2 Tree Pipit and 1 Redstart were noted. On the Brownsea Lagoon this afternoon 1 juv Curlew Sandpiper, 1 juv Garganey, 7 Spotted Redshank, 19 Knot and a Firecrest were logged

RSPB Lytchett Fields continued to hold good numbers of birds with 4 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 2 Little Stint, 1 Greenshank, 50+ Dunlin, 8 Common Sandpiper, 6 Green  Sandpiper, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Whitethroat, 10 Willow Warbler and 1 Whinchat. A Black Tern made a brief appearance at Swineham GP. At Baiter there were 9 Ringed plover, 4 Dunlin, and 6 Oystercatcher. Greenlands Farm saw 1 Hobby, 11 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Wheatear, 3 Redstart, 4 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Blackcap and 12 Willow Warbler. 2 Osprey were circling above Brands Bay in the morning, also there 1 Hobby, 1 Knot and 2 Greenshank. Late news from Middlebere on Wednesday included 10 Spoonbill, 1 Osprey, 3 Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Redstart, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Bullfinch and 12 Mistle Thrush. Brands Bay saw 1 Pintail (eclipse drake), 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 5 Sanderling and 20 Med Gulls. Along Soldiers Road 3 Woodlark, 1 Wheatear, and a Hobby. 

At South Haven there were 3 Gannet, 16 Ringed Plover, 4 Sanderling, 1 Common Sandpiper and 100 Med Gull. At RSPB Lytchett Fields 81 Dunlin, 1, Little Stint, 4 Ruff, 3 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Knot, plus the usual Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed godwit, Redshank etc. In the Wareham Channel 4 different Marsh Harrier came out of the roost. A juvenile Osprey was roosting at the back of Brands Bay. 

Today a horrid rainy morning eventually gave way to sunshine by mid afternoon, and despite the wind a good selection of birds were seen. Out on RSPB Lytchett Fields there were 68 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 5 Ruff, 2 Little Stint, 3 Wood Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank good numbers of Yellow Wagtail and a handful of Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler. Looking out across Arne moors from Slepe Heath produced 2 Osprey over the Arne Peninsular, one carrying a fish, plus 2 hunting Hobby. At least 6 Whinchat were out in the short grass on the moors with 11 Stonechat. The top north-west corner of the moors was flooded out and hosted an incredible 80-100 Yellow Wagtails, 3 juvenile Ruff, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, and 1 Spotted Redshank. In scrub along the Arne Road a mixed flock of migrants contained 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Redstart, several Willow Warbler and a Blackcap.

More Osprey around today with 1 viewed from the Houseboats towards Newton and Brands Bay and another 2 (possibly including the bird seen from the Houseboats) seen over Brands Bay/Goathorn. There seems to be a good number of Osprey in the harbour, and don’t forget we’re after ALL YOUR OSPREY SIGHTINGS from around the harbour, so for more information please CLICK HERE. Also from the Studland area there were 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Hobby, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Whitethroat, 8 Willow Warbler and a Sedge Warbler at South Haven. From the Houseboats, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher whilst in Brands Bay 42 Teal, 135 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Greenshank and 4 Knot were logged. On Brownsea the Spoonbill total reached 15 by the end of the day. In Poole Park a Greenshank was seen out n the cricket pitch amongst gulls and geese which was a bit odd and on RSPB Lytchett Fields there were 2 Little Stint, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 51 Dunlin, 17 Ringed Plover, 1 Greenshank and a juvenile Med Gull. 

RSPB Lytchett Fields still seems the place to be with good counts of waders still including 2 Little Stint, 17 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Stint, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 5 Green Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank and the usual Redshank, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe etc. At South Haven 1 Turnstone, 6 Sanderling and 9 Ringed Plover were counted with another 10 Ringed Plover at the Houseboats. In Brands Bay there were 63 Ringed Plover, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Greenshank, 3 Turnstone, 79 Dunlin and 3 Knot.