The weather over the last 3 days has certainly been a lot better, and the birds are now coming through thick and fast. Starting with….

Wednesday 10^th April where a thick fog hampered any birding for the first hours of daylight. However it soon cleared producing some decent reports. Starting at Lytchett Bay where there were 3 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and a Woodlark was singing over on Holton Lee Heath. At Arne there were displaying Dartford Warbler on Coombe Heath, also a Great Northern Diver in the Middlebere Channel. The Red-throated Diver was off Swineham Point, also a Jack Snipe, Spotted Redshank and 2 Swallow. In a private garden in Broadstone the Common Rosefinch and 14 Brambling continue to visit a feeding station. On Brownsea there were 3 Spoonbill, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank and 27 Sandwich Tern

Thursday 11^th was again fine for most of the day. Holes Bay hosted 960 Black-tailed Godwit, 62 Shelduck, 3 Med Gulls and 12 Little Egret. A really interesting sighting of a female Marsh Harrier nest building at a private site, however, unfortunately no male to be seen! There was a ringtail Hen Harrier on Arne Moors and a Ring Ouzel on Stoborough Heath. At Lytchett Bay 2 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, and a Peregrine Falcon.

Friday 12^th was a mixture of sunshine and showers but fairly mild. The female Marsh Harrier continued to nest build as 2 ringtail Hen Harrier are now present around the moors area. At Lytchett Bay there was 1 Shoveler (rare for this site), 3 Swallow, 7 Willow Warbler, 2 Greenshank, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Kingfisher and 94 Black-tailed Godwit. There was also an obvious fall of Willow Warbler on the south coast today as around 50 lined the banks of the PC World drain with a few Chiffchaff still mixed in. Swallows were very much in evidence across the harbour today with twos and threes passing over many sites. Finally, at Sunnyside a ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Wheatear, 2 Woodlark, 12 Swallow, 2 Willow Warbler and 3 Kestrel.

This is more like it…drizzle with a gentle south easterly breeze, great for migrants. Sightings over the last few days have really picked up and it looks like spring migration has FINALLY taken off?

Sunday the 7^th April was sunny but still a bit chilly, however some lovely birds about. Starting with Studland area where at Greenlands Farm there were 5 Snipe, 1 Woodcock, 9 Wheatear, 6 Fieldfare, 12 Redwing and 1 Chiffchaff. At Brands Bay only 103 Black-tailed Godwit, 52 Dunlin and 1 Chiffchaff. There were two very nice sightings from Swineham GP of an adult winter Little Gull and winter plumaged Red-throated Diver. A surveyor was out on Arne Moors and recorded 2 Spoonbill flying over the Frome Valley, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier and 1 Barn Owl. A sea watch from Branksome produced a stunning Black-throated Diver, 6 Common Scoter and 4 Common Terns. Along Shore Road at least 22 Sanderling and 30 Bar-tailed Godwit. The Yellow Wagtail remains on the little pond at Lytchett Bay, also there Green Sandpiper and White Wagtail. A Snipe was heard drumming over Hartland Moor and a Red-legged Partridge was spooked of a road there. There was also a mouth watering report of a summer plumage Red-necked Grebe of Canford Cliffs car park.

Monday 8^th April still saw some decent reports. At Lytchett Bay there was 1 Spoonbill, 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 8 Chiffchaff, 18 Redwing, 20+ Song Thrush, 1 Peregrine Falcon and 7 Little Egrets. An Osprey was reported sat in a dead tree on Pergins Island, Holes Bay. A female Marsh Harrier, ringtail Hen Harrier and Barn Owl were around Swineham.

Tuesday 9^th April saw drizzle and low cloud…excellent for dropping migrants on to our coastline. A successful survey at Lytchett Bay saw 1 male Redstart, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Sand Martin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Gadwall, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Greenshank, 68 Black-tailed Godwit on the pools. Another mini fall of migrants occurred around Holes Bay where more Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler were seen along with a Common Sandpiper, Blackcap and a good number of migrant Robins, Blackbirds and Song Thrush. A Red Kite drifted over Corfe mid afternoon.

I know, I know, today was what we’ve all been waiting for right? Well, yes and no. For a birder good weather means good weather for birds and although the glorious sunshine was a well received break from the sub zero temperatures it still didn’t herald the arrival of many (if any) spring migrants. The northerly wind, albeit light, still kept the birds at bay. Highlights from the last few days included….

Friday 5^th April saw still a scattering of Chiffchaff at the PC World Drain along with 5 Sand Martin. At Lytchett Bay a Yellow Wagtail a White Wagtail and 2 Green Sandpiper were around the Pools. A wing-tagged Red Kite flew over the Purbecks.

Saturday 6th was glorious, no doubt about that, but still not many reports. At Sunnyside there was just 1 Wheatear, 4 Chiffchaff and 2 Woodlark. At Lytchett Bay the Yellow Wagtail and White Wagtail remained on the pool with either a Rock or Water Pipit in flight, also a Kingfisher there. There was a great record of a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker drumming near Bestwall. Woodlark were singing up on Hartland Moor.

Don’t forget that the next ‘Birds of Poole Harbour walk will be taking place on Saturday 20^th of April. There are a handful of places left so don’t miss out. Word on the grapevine is that it’s due to warm up soon, so we may even have some sun and warmth! Check out the event here…

http://www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/sunnyside-farm-and-soldiers-road-birds-poole-harbour

Poole Harbour Survey

We were kindly forwarded this link today by the ‘Two Owls Birding’ group (www.twoowlsbirding.co.uk) which is a survey looking at the recreational uses of Poole Harbour. It’s a specific bird watching survey so please take the time to look at it and complete it…

http://tinyurl.com/birdwatchingsurvey2013

Some sightings from the last few days…

A Stone Curlew was reported on Brownsea Island yesterday, which is a fantastic Poole harbour record. Also on Brownsea 2 Spoonbill, 3 Spotted Redshank, 54 Knot, 1 Woodcock and 8 Sandwich Tern. The Yellow Wagtail remained at Lytchett Bay for its fourth day, also there a Bittern, 19 Snipe, 28 Redwing and 29 Brent Geese.  In Holes Bay, not much change but still many 10’s of Chiffchaff, 6 Sand Martin, 2 Kingfisher 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Pintail and 4 Great Crested Grebe. A single Sandwich Tern was a Shore Road. The Scarlet Rosefinch and 14 Brambling are still feeding in a private garden in Broadstone. There was a Black Redstart at Studland Church. Also in the area there was just 1 Black-necked Grebe and 8 Common Scoter at Middle Beach and an incredible 330 Med Gulls at South Beach. A Red Kite drifted over Little Sea, Studland.

Well a new month and a not so new cold wind still blows from the east, but…not for much longer I hear on the news! Apparently the weather is on the turn by the weekend but please don’t hold me to that. Yet again, despite the cold wind some hardy spring migrants battled through to reach the harbour over the Easter bank holiday.

Saturday 30^th March was fairly quiet. There was just 1 Spoonbill at Holes Bay. 44 Knot and 83 Med Gulls at Shore Road. A ringing session at the PC World drain produced 9 new Chiffchaff and 5 re-traps.

Sunday 31^st March wasn’t much better with a Red Kite that drifted over Lytchett Matravers heading towards the harbour.

Monday 1^st April where the only joke was the cold wind but there were some decent birds about. At Lytchett Bay a cracking count of 4 Little Ringed Plover, 1 male Marsh Harrier, 1 Bittern, 1 stunning male Yellow Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and 4 Green Sandpiper.  At the PC World drain 12 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 4 Sand Martin and a Grey Wagtail. Out in the bay 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Peregrine and a male Pintail.

Tuesday 2^nd April was a gloriously sunny day, which in turn produced a whole chorus of 7-8 Chiffchaff that started singing at the PC World drain, with at least 30 birds present in total.  Still plenty on the Brownsea Lagoon with 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 15 Knot, 50 Bar-tailed Godwit, 100 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 6 pairs of Med Gulls, and 1 Ringed Plover.

There should be lots of exciting birds starting to arrive in the next few weeks so be on the look out for possible Redstart, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher and even listen out for a wandering Nightingale!

Still no let up in the cold wind but birds still seem to be trying their best to perform some kind of spring migration…

Wednesday 27^th seemed to be a little bit less icy cold and a lower wind speed. Birding focuses came from Lytchett Bay where 6 Greenshank, 1 male Marsh Harrier, 25 Redwing and a Bittern were the highlights. At Holes Bay (PC World drain 9 Sand Martin (often resting on rocks), 70+ Chiffchaff, 3 Wheatear, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Spotted Redshank were present. At Sunnyside Farm, 6 Wheatear were dotted around the fields also a Peregrine and a Willow Warbler. A female Hen Harrier was seen leaving a roosting area at dawn.

Thursday 28^th also felt slightly more ‘pleasant’ hence why more reports came in, A second Bittern was discovered at Middlebere by surveyors monitoring Water Rail breeding numbers. The female Hen Harrier again left the roost at dawn and a Short-eared Owl was seen hunting along Arne Moors in the afternoon. The Bittern was again at Lytchett Bay, this time feeding with a Spoonbill! Also there 4 Wheatear, 3 Lapwing, 4 Chiffchaff and a Stonechat. At South Haven there were 11 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Coot (scarce here), 6 Sanderling, 9 Sandwich Tern and 15 Mediterranean Gull. Greenland’s Farm saw 35 Wheatear and a Black Redstart. As well as the Bittern Middlebere also had 4 Spoonbill and 4 Wheatear. Other nice sightings included at least 3 Firecrest at Slepe Copse, 5 Ring-necked Parakeet at Studland.

Friday 29^th was cold…again! So not much to report. Best was a Bittern and 4 Spoonbill, 1 Spotted Redshank, 8 Greenshank and 3 Green Sandpiper at Lytchett Bay. A Firecrest was at Sunnyside Farm. A male Hen Harrier was in the west of the harbour.

No let up in the weather over the last 3 days, still a biting cold easterly wind managing to numb almost everyone’s fingers and toes that braved to go outside. That said, a decent number of reports came through so in chronological order, here are the reports and sightings over the last 3 days….

Sunday 24^th March saw the last WeBS count of 2012/13, and despite being so late in the month there were still many thousands of waders to be found. Firstly an Osprey was seen flying in over Brands Bay, and 2 summer plumage Golden Plover were at Greenland’s Farm. Wheatear and Chiffchaff were widely reported across the harbour with a max of 20 on Hartland Moor, 22 at Greenland’s Farm and 9 at Sunnyside. There was around 10 Sand Martin over the PC world drain and also 6 Wheatear and a Swallow. Highlights of WeBS (Wetland Bird Surveys) counts from various sites included 102 Black-tailed Godwit, 120 Avocet and 3 Sandwich Tern on Brownsea, 287 Bar-tailed Godwit, 76 Sanderling and 42 Knot at Shore Road, 4 Spotted Redshank, 19 Grey Plover and 19 Brent Geese at Swineham Point, 4 summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe off Jerry’s Point and 350+ Shelduck in Brands Bay. Some other incredible counts included 350 Mediterranean Gulls off Middle Beach, Studland and also a Little Gull there.

Monday 25^th was just as cold, however a few Wheatear kept arriving with birds at Lytchett Bay, Upton Heath, Sunnyside Farm and Holes Bay.  Sunnyside also hosted a large thrush flock of around 500 birds mainly consisting of Fieldfare and Redwing, but also plenty of Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush, perhaps a displacement of birds from foul weather further north in the country? Greenland Farm still held 2 summer plumage Golden Plover, 22 Wheatear, 100 Fieldfare and a Firecrest. At Lytchett Bay there were 2 Yellow-legged Gull,  2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, a White Wagtail and 2 Wheatear, a summer plumage male Brambling and a Stonechat.

Tuesday 26^th started off with a Bittern at Lytchett Bay along with 22 Redwing, a Wheatear and White Wagtail. Brownsea still held good numbers of birds with 150 grey Plover, 35 Knot, 140 Avocet, 11 Sandwich Tern, 35 Bar-tailed Godwit and 10 Turnstone. Finally a ringtail Hen Harrier still present in the Wareham Channel and a Little Gull east along Arne moors. 

Finally, despite foul and cold weather coming in from the east some decent bursts of migration have started to occur with various spring migrants popping up all over the harbour.

Thursday 21^st March was a very quite day with only reports of a few Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe off Baiter, and 4-5 Chiffchaff in the PC World Drain

Friday 22^nd March picked up a bit with 225 Brent Geese out on Baiter along with 200+ Meadow Pipit. 10-15 Chiffchaff were in the PC World drain along with a Common Sandpiper and a Wheatear on the shoreline.

Saturday 23^rd March, migration really took off today with Wheatears appearing at Bestwall (2), Soldiers Road (3), Holes Bay (4). Also at Holes Bay/PC World drain 2 Swallow,  10-15 Sand Martin,100+ Chiffchaff (1 tristis) , 2-3 Willow Warbler, 2 Blackcap and a Spotted Redshank. A Drake Garganey was on the main pit at Swineham GP along with a Spotted Redshank and Greenshank. 7 Spoonbill were at Lytchett Bay along with 85 Brent Geese and a Green Sandpiper.

Elsewhere in the county a handful of Ring Ouzel arrived, so well worth checking the stud fields around Studland Village and Greenlands Farm. Also a Bluethroat was trapped at Portland….now that would be a great Poole Harbour bird. 

Still not feeling very spring like in the country at the moment hence the lack of sightings, especially spring migrants but a few reports dripped in over the last 3 days, starting with….

Monday 18^th, where the wind dropped but there was still a chill to the air. The biggest surprise was when a local bird sound recorder recorded a Tree Pipit migrating over Stoborough during the night, which is the second earliest British return date. Also recorded was a Woodcock and a few Redwing. At Brands Bay a Great Northern Diver, 8 Pintail, 18 Grey Plover, 119 Black-tailed Godwit, 36 Knot and 7 Turnstone, and at Middle Beach 1 Slavonian Grebe, 10 Black-necked Grebe and 5 Great Crested Grebe.

Tuesday 19^th saw a slight frost first thing with a low blanket of fog making for uncomfortable bird watching conditions. The Hoopoe re-appeared over near Turlin Moor. Lytchett Bay waders included 40+ Black-tailed Godwit, 22 Redshank, 50+ Curlew, 40 Brent Geese also a Brambling, 2 Spoonbill and 4 Gadwall. There was an impressive 28 Red-breasted Merganser in Parkstone Bay and at least 15 Meadow Pipit out on Baiter fields.

Wednesday 20^th was again a cold start but grew into a warm sunny spring like day… for a while. Black-tailed Godwit numbers are on the increase all around the harbour with an impressive flock of 500+ in Holes Bay with a Common Sandpiper at the mouth of the PC World drain. Lytchett Bay saw 5 Spoonbill, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Jack Snipe, 2 Greenshank, 70+ Curlew, 30 Brent Geese and 4 Gadwall. Also there 4 unidentified ‘grey geese’ flew over slough lane.

 I was also kindly sent photos of a colour ringed Sanderling by Robert Walker who photographed the bird at Shore Road, Sandbanks on the 13/03/2013. The bird was originally ringed in Griend Bay, Netherlands on the 18/08/2012

What a weekend. It seems we had it all…gale force winds, torrential rain, sleet and stunning sunshine. It certainly didn’t put the birds off with a good selection from across the weekend, starting with….

Friday 15^th was a mixed day weather wise but a fair bit of coverage. Middlebere was counted where an incredible 1050 Black-tailed Godwit returned, also there, only 4 Avocet 1 ringtail Hen Harrier 29 Wigeon and 103 Dunlin. There were 3 Spoonbill back on the Brownsea Lagoon.

Saturday 16^th was again a tale of two half’s where strong winds and heavy rain eased by mid morning leaving a very spring like day to appear. In turn this produced the harbours first Wheatear on Stoborough Heath, also in the area around Soldiers Road a ringtail Hen Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Chiffchaff and Woodlark in full song, 3 Dartford Warbler, 1 Green Sandpiper, 100+ Fieldfare, 2 Raven, 10 Redwing, and a Kestrel. A male Hen Harrier was hunting over near Keysworth and a Sandwich Tern was off Baiter again.

Sunday 17^th was a total surprise as the weather forecast predicted rain all day, however by 2pm a warm sun burnt through to provide a stunning sunset. A Hen Harrier survey commenced at various watch points around the harbour with the only birds being a male over Arne moors and a ringtail on Hartland Moor. Both Short-eared Owl and Barn Owl were out hunting over the moors with another Barn Owl at Lytchett Bay. Also at Lytchett Bay 40 Brent Geese, 9 Gadwall, 11 Med Gull and 40 Black-tailed Godwit.