There was a nice selection of birds from around the harbour today. Starting off with two Osprey, one seen flying over the Upton bypass and another being mobbed in the Wareham Channel by a Peregrine. Holes Bay saw a good selection of waders including a Knot that was roosting with the 136 Black-tailed Godwit, also an adult Spotted Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and several Redshank. At Holton Lee there was a Garden Warbler, 5+ Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap and 5 Green Sandpiper. The Wood Sandpiper was again at Lytchett Bay also 1 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper and a Peregrine. There was also a report of 2 Otter in Middlebere this morning.

After our Nightjar walk on Saturday evening I ventured out to Middlebere in the pitch darkness to record waders out of the Middlebere hide. The activity was incredible with birds arriving and leaving the whole time I was sat there. In the recording you can even here the birds feeding as their bills sift through the mud. Obviously, the other challenge recording in total darkness is knowing what you’re actually listening too. Having listened back to my recordings several times I’ve managed to pick out a number of species. The most obvious are Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew, the prior creating that constant chattering sound and the latter resonating that all to familiar Curlew like cry. The highlight was a Curlew Sandpiper (or possibly several) which you can hear doing its familiar trill like call at 0.24, 0.29, 0.43, 0.59 and 1.11. Also in the recording is a Water Rail (0.46), Redshank and Herring Gull. The recording is best listened to with headphones.

Autumn migrants continue to pop up in various places as another Pied Flycatcher was feeding with 3 Willow Warbler and 3 Dartford Warbler on the Soldiers Road/Slepe Heath boarder. Willow Warbler on the whole are certainly more numerous with bright yellow juveniles tagging along with mixed tit flocks along tree lines on heaths and in woodlands all around the harbour. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll start seeing a real surge in migrants with the likes of Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Blackcap all passing through in good numbers. Looking on early, still mornings along hedgerows and field edges can really pay dividends, as you’ll often see mixed flocks containing several species feeding and moving through the bushes. On Brownsea little change but good variety with 65 Redshank, 16 Greenshank, 7 Avocet, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Curlew, 48 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, 2 Common Sandpiper, and 300+ Oystercatcher. The Sandwich Terns on Brownsea haven’t faired so well this year with only 20 fledged juveniles compared to last years 110+. In Holes Bay a few Whimbrel can be found on the low tides along with 120+ Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Sandpiper. Finally some more good raptor news in that the second Marsh Harrier nest has produced 3 juveniles meaning that with the other 4 from nest one Poole Harbour has produced an incredible 7 young this year…FANTASTIC! 

By far the most exciting news from today was the news that an adult Aquatic Warbler was ringed at Lytchett Bay. This is the 4^th Aquatic Warbler at this site in four years, which is great considering there had been an almost 15 year gap for any Poole Harbour records. Aquatic Warbler is classed as globally threated as their breeding habitats in Eastern Europe are getting drained and disappearing at an alarming rate. Here’s hoping for some more easterly winds and some more of these striped beauties. On our Nightjar walk the rain gave everything a good soaking but we were treated to warm clear, mosquito filled skies. Several Nightjar were heard and we even managed to get one in the scope sat on a post 20m away from us. Also seen in the Middlebere Channel 6 Spoonbill, 1 Greenshank, 322+ Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Yellow-legged Gull and a Hobby, 475 Curlew were seen by another observer. The Bar-heaed Goose was in Poole Park again

Holes Bay is looking great at the moment on the rising and falling tides and I’m just waiting for something good to turn up there. Although unfortunately despite its close proximity to Poole Town Centre it’s a hugely under watched site. The NE corner tends to attract good numbers of birds but the rest of Holes Bay also needs covering quite often with historic records of Wilsons Phalarope and Collared Pratincole you never know what could be out there. I dashed down quickly on my lunch break and for a split second thought I had a Caspian Tern in my scope, but it wasn’t until a few heart stopping seconds later that I realised I was only watching a Common Tern, but with the heat haze intensely magnifying all the features. I did take a quick photo to highlight this, but didn’t realise at the time there was a great comparison taking place just below the Tern as a Whimbrel and Curlew walked past each other. At Lytchett Bay there were 2 Wood Sandpiper.  A Redstart was up on Hartland, hopefully the first of many in the coming months, also 3 Woodlark, 4 Dartford Warbler and big numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin heading to the Swineham reedbed to roost. A Marsh Harrier seemed to be hunting around the Little Egret colony spooking them all, revealing 31 Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron. 

It really has begun! Autumn migration is now underway with the first few migrants starting to drop into various places. This morning on the edge of Upton CP a Pied Flycatcher was found and 2 Garden Warbler were there yesterday. Juvenile Willow Warblers are cropping up in twos and three, but it won’t be long until a mass wave of these birds will pass through the area heading south. In Holes Bay there was 108 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel and 2 Common Tern. At Lytchett Bay the Spotted Crake was seen again and was joined by a Wood Sandpiper, although this area of Lytchett Bay is strictly private with no access. On the Brownsea Lagoon 27 Little Egret, 260 Oystercatchers, 72 Redshanks, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Avocet, 2 Dunlin, 1 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel and 3 Ringed Plover, 1 Common Gull and the Bar-headed Goose was reported again a Poole Park.

A lazy quiet Sunday morning was suddenly turned into a day of excitement when a Spotted Crake was found sat in the base of a Willow Tree on private land in the north of the harbour. Although not unheard of, Spotted Crake tend to be found more so in August rather than July showing that birds may be on the move earlier this year due to a good breeding season. At Swineham the juvenile Marsh Harrier have finally emerged from nest 1, with four beautiful youngsters regularly playing and talon locking over the tops of the reeds. We’re still waiting to see how many young come out of nest site 2, but its thought no less than two at the moment. Also at Swineham out on the main pit 4 eclipse drake Pochard were unusual, along with 8 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Grebe ad 9 Tufted Duck. A late piece of info from Tuesday last week of a 1^st summer Eider sat on a rock off Old Harry. Along Soldiers Road 2 lovely lemon yellow juv Willow Warbler were calling away and 2 Woodlark were feeding along the side of the road and a Dartford Warbler seemed to still be food carrying to a nest site.  At Lytchett Bay 2 Common Sandpiper, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Lapwing and 8 Sedge Warbler.

Holes Bay was looking good this morning with a nice range of waders feeding out on the mud at low tide. If you look at Holes Bay on a map, we’re normally referring to the north-east section of the bay when reporting our sightings. Today there was a feeding flock 13 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 summer plumage Turnstone, 6 Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 63 Black-tailed Godwit, 29 Curlew, 1 Kingfisher and many Lesser Black-backed Gull. At Swineham there were 3 Marsh Harrier present, but still no obvious sign the young are ready to leave the nest sites, 3 Great Crested Grebe on the main pit and down at the point 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Cetti’s Warbler and 1 Bearded Tit. At Lytchett Bay there were 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 52 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Greenshank, 12 Lapwing and 32 Teal.

There has been quite a din outside my office all day, and it wasn’t until I looked out the window that I finally saw why. A young Herring Gull had fallen off my office roof and was wandering up and down the (luckily) quiet street trying to figure out where to go. However, every time someone walked past the adults would dive bomb them and if they had a dog, god help them. This recording is of the adults carrying out a sustained alarm/warning call to anyone who dares walk past their chick.

For a true magical birding experience why not join us as there are still places available on our Big Nightjar weekend walks at Arne RSPB Reserve next weekend

Friday  25^th July @ 8pm

Saturday 26^th July @8pm

TO BOOK CALL 01202 641003 OR EMAIL info@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk

DON’T MISS IT – FULL DETAIL HERE