Summer continues to lumber on, and the heat is not only making me sluggish but the birding too. Heat haze and hay fever is deterring me from venturing out at the moment apart from to set my recording gear late at night, but with most birds busy raising young there has been some interesting local observations that have been made. Firstly, there has been a first successful breeding attempt of Tufted Duck at Hatch Pond which may not sound like a land mark event, but any first breeding attempt of any species at this very urban site is well worth noting. Secondly, it seems that the Brownsea Terns feeding productivity is on the up. They can often struggle depending on how numerous and how far away their favored food (Sand Eels) is from the colony. Its been stated that some of the Brownsea terns travel as far as Weymouth Bay to feed if no food is available closer to home. However, both Sandwich and Common Terns have been observed this summer, bringing back catches of one, two and sometimes even three eels at a time to their chicks. Even more, they aren’t traveling very far either with many birds fishing just of the training bank in Studland Bay. There was some shocking Common Tern behavior noted on the Brownsea webcam this morning too, with an adult bird that was incubating its eggs getting so stroppy with its neighbors newly hatched chick that it picked it up by the head and flew off with it! Only to return about 15 seconds later empty beaked. This was sad to watch, and the neighbor had no idea what had happened as it was out fishing. When it did finally return it was quite distressed that it was one chick down. Some other interesting news is that two Siberian Chiffchaff types that were ringed in Poole Harbour this winter have been confirmed by DNA analysis as definite Siberian Chiffchaffs. There wasn’t much doubt about one of the birds as it looked like a ‘classic’ Sibe and a diagnostic sound recording was also obtained. However, the other bird didn’t look like a ‘classic’ specimen with pale lower parts, but very olive green upper parts. This just goes to show the variation in plumage of this (sub) species and that to confirm its ID you either need to analyse its DNA or even simpler…hear it call. Bird news from today included 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wigeon, 10 Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Redshank, 11 Lapwing and 3 separate broods of Shelduck. 

Siberian Chiffchaffs phylloscopus collybita tristis – Recently confirmed by DNA analysis 

There was another early returner today with a drake Wigeon at Lytchett Bay along with another Green Sandpiper, 4 Curlew, 10 Teal 5 Redshank, 1 Marsh Harrier and 2 broods of Shelduck. The Grey Plover on Brownsea was still present, doing its best to masquerade as something rare in its funny transitional plumage. Also a Hobby over the reedbed on Brownsea and 130+ Black-tailed Godwit on the Lagoon. I was also lucky enough to spend a few hours on Brownsea last week for the National Trusts Bio Blitz. Whilst in one of the Dorset Wildlife Trust hides that looks out across the lagoon I took the opportunity to take some footage of the Sandwich Terns that were coming and going, as well as some of the newly fledged chicks. If you’ve never been to Brownsea to experience this, I highly recommend it. The nesting islands are just feet away from the hide and the sight (and smells) are just incredible.

Sandwich Tern – Brownsea Lagoon 12/06/15 – To watch in HD press play, hover the curser over the cogged shaped symbol and select 1080

Sandwich Tern with chick – Brownsea Lagoon 12/06/15 – To watch in HD press play, hover the curser over the cogged shaped symbol and select 1080

There were more signs of autumn yesterday with the seasons first juvenile Willow Warblers along the Arne Road. Two lovely lemon yellow individuals calling from the roadside in the company of several juvenile Chiffchaff. Another Green Sandpiper was at RSPB Lytchett Fields with 11 Teal and 2 Curlew were out in Lytchett Bay. On Brownsea a Grey Plover was present with 8 Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Hobby were feeding over the reed bed on the DWT managed part of the reserve. After analysing a few nights worth of recording from the lower Frome Valley (Swineham area). A selection of highlights included a fly over Little Grebe (thanks Nick Hopper for ID), a few parties of Curlew heading up/down the Frome Valley, more hunting Nightjar and several displaying Redshank and Lapwing.

Little Grebe – Flight call of a bird moving at night – Lower Frome Valley 16/06/15 

A true sign that autumn is coming is when the first Green Sandpipers arrive back, which is exactly what happened today when two were seen at RSPB Lytchett Fields. This may be a sad signal that summer may be over before its even begun, buts let not for get that the autumn migration season can actually last from mid June until mid November, depending on which species you’re looking for, so don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to soak up some sun. Also at Lytchett Fields, another adult Little Ringed Plover, 11 Redshank, 6 Lapwing and 8 Teal now back. On Stoborough Heath still a calling Cuckoo and 1 Willow Warbler on territory. A Cuckoo was still calling at Swineham too. A few waders are still appearing with 7 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Whimbrel in Brands Bay and still good numbers of over-summering Black-tailed Godwit with 139 there too. There were 2 Spoonbill at Arne along with 2 Hobby and a Peregrine. A night recording session in the lower Frome Valley picked up several calling/hunting Nightjar, a flock of Curlew passing overhead, several Water Rail, a passing Coot, a distant Woodlark, night singing Reed Warblers, plus plenty of Grey Heron, Mallard, Gadwall, Marsh Frogs, plus a handful of interesting wader calls that need a bit of following up.

Lytchett Fields played host to 4 adult Little Ringed Plover today, asking the question…where do they keep coming from? This has been by far the best ever spring for this species at this site. Have they bred locally? on site? or do the adults just see Lytchett Fields as an excellent vacation location which is why birds keep popping up out of nowhere. Also on Lytchett Fields an increase of 12 Redshank, including two mating birds and (filmed by Ian Ballam WATCH HERE) It was busy with the regular species on the Brownsea Lagoon too with many Sandwich Tern chicks now hatched along with plenty of Black-headed Gull chicks too. There doesn’t seem to be any Common Tern chicks just yet, but it’s just a matter of time. Also on the lagoon were 3 Ringed Plover, 1 Avocet, 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, several newly hatched Oystercatchers, 5 Med Gulls and 2 broods of newly hatched Shelduck

Several searches for the elusive eagle were conducted from in and around the harbour but to no avail. Birds encountered in the process though included 2 Crossbill over Slepe Heath, 3 Egyptian Geese in the Wareham Channel, Woodlark, Tree Pipit and Dartford all still vocally active on and around Hartland and plenty of Swift passing through. At RSPB Lytchett Fields 2 adult Little Ringed Plover were back on the fields. We still can’t work out if these are new birds that keep turning up or the same two that are possibly breeding on site. There was a Ringed Plover out in the bay today and a Lesser Whitethroat on territory at Turlin. There were Spoonbill reported in Middlebere today and there are still good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit commuting between various feeding zones in the harbour. A Red Kite was over the Bakers Arms roundabout yesterday which was just one of what seems to be a national influx over the last few days. With these nice clear sky’s keep looking up, as Cornwall had 185+ pass over on Monday alone.

Well it looked like the Eagle may well have landed, well not quite…more like flown by when a large bird of prey was seen being harassed by gulls heading west up the Wareham Channel from Stoborough. Now, it’s not uncommon for gulls to mob many species of raptor but according to the eyewitness account, the bird in question dwarfed the Herring Gulls, even stopping to hover over Wareham Water Meadows, a classic type of behavior of Short-toed Eagle. Unfortunately the ID couldn’t be 100% confirmed as it was flying away the whole time, so the ghostly enigma continues to frustrate. Who will finally pin it down, get a photo, find it sat in a tree eating a snake?????

An evening roost watch across the Wareham Channel produced two adult female Marsh Harriers which bizarrely came in high over the channel, flew over Arne, then over Hartland and off towards the Corfe gap. Where were they going, and where had they come from? The heathlands were alive with Nightjars again, as churring males called out from every direction. 

Is the Short-toed Eagle getting closer? Today the bird in question was seen hovering at distance in Wareham Forest, but unfortunately too distant to guarantee a confirmed ID. The bird was last seen dropping down in to the Morden Bog area but couldn’t be relocated. However, if history is repeating its self, and this is the returning bird, then its due to pay a little visit to the harbour at some point, like last years bird did when it popped up at Arne for a few minutes. I feel an early morning vigil from a good vantage point is on the cards tomorrow morning. Reported sightings were very low today with the only birds of note being 2 Brent Geese in Brands Bay, a Cuckoo still calling at Arne, 2 Nightjar and a hunting female Marsh Harrier on Hartland and a Hobby over Slepe Heath. Despite the low number of reported sightings, the harbour is still full of ‘the expected’ species with the added bonus that they’re all fledging young at the moment. At Arne this morning it seemed every bush had calling juvenile Blue and Great Tit, there were several Linnet families that had formed one decent sized flock and Starlings were gathering in numbers. Its always nice this time of year to be able to highlight some ID features with some of our comer species through our ringing activities. Today I caught a pair of Goldfinches, which by observing closely you can easily sex this time of year out in the field.

Goldfinch Pair

You can see the over all structure of this male is bulkier with a longer, stronger bill and bigger head. The main features involve the red on the males head extending behind the eye and having an overall glossier look, where as on the female the red is restricted to staying in front of the eye. On closer inspection the males have strong black nasal hairs too, where as females are pale grey.

MALE                                                                         FEMALE

Talking of looking closely, local birder Ian Ballam has been photographing a ringed Reed Warbler at RSPB Lytchett Fields recently and has gathered enough photos to be able to get a full ring number – Y329352. We have managed to trace the ring number as one of ours, showing that this bird was first ringed as an adult in 2012 meaning that this bird is at least 4 years old and has made a minimum of 4 return trips to Sub-Saharan Africa. All being well, it will be off in September making its fifth trip south…what a bird!

The wind kicked in early from the usual south-westerly direction, but with this came news of a potential Short-toed Eagle over towards Hurn/Wimborne area. A few local Poole Harbour birders had their eyes to the sky’s the moment the news came through but unfortunately there was no further information for the rest of the day. This follows reports of a possible Short-toed Eagle in the new Forest two days ago; will we see one arrive in Poole Harbour over the coming days? Last years bird did venture within the harbour boundaries, but for only a few minutes before it ventured back towards Morden Bog. The heaths surrounding the harbour hold plenty of snakes (their main food source) so it’s as good a place as any to support this species. Be aware though, there are also plenty of very pale Buzzards locally too, which can also hover whilst hunting too. Brownsea today had a Great White Egret, 150+ Black-tailed Godwit and good numbers of settled nesting Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. A bit of night listening from Lytchett Fields last night produced nothing much other that some calling/displaying Redshank, a Greenshank and some Lapwing.

To highlight the vibrant sounds of the breeding season, where it seems everything from Blackcaps to Blackbirds, Dabchicks to Dartfords have all fledged young in the harbour, I have included a short recording of one of the true sounds of summer…the chorus of the Skylark. The recording comes from the Frome Valley and the sonagram shows just a 2 second section of the song, highlighting the complexity and beauty of this well know songster. For many reasons this is a sound that is unfortunately disappearing from our countryside, so enjoy!

The White-winged Black Tern stayed for its third day today at Swineham GP, right up until dusk, which may suggest it could be there tomorrow, however I was told by local birder Nick Hopper the other day that they often tend to migrate at night so we’ll wait and see. Thanks too to Brett Spencer for aging the bird for us as a 2^nd summer.  Also at Swineham a Little Gull, and 1 Grey Plover. Highlights from Studland included 6 Sanderling and a Wheatear and Lytchett Bay saw its first Hobby of the year. Some sad news today in that the ‘beta’ Marsh Harrier nest, i.e the new female that arrived last year and successfully raised 3 young has abandoned her nest, despite the chicks having hatched. This was due to the fact the male who was feeding her and the chicks has definitely disappeared. The same male was also providing to the ‘alpha’ nest where the female (who is possibly more experienced) is currently doing a good job of feeding herself and her chicks, lets just hope she can keep it up. It was a magical night on Slepe Heath last night when a GIANT moon raised its sleepy head from behind Corfe Castle as no less than 7 Nightjar were churring all around me. The recording below was taken just as the moon was fully visible above the Purbecks, and was originally just supposed to be a Nightjar recording but a Common Buzzard and a Cuckoo had other ideas! The sonagram shows the last seven seconds of the recording highlighting the churring of the male Nightjar, its wing claps as it flies off and the calling Buzzard

European Nightjar, Common Buzzard, Common Cuckoo – Slepe Heath 03/06/15