Well, at least this morning started off OK, we’ll just have to wait and see how strong the forecasted winds of tomorrow will be…hopefully strong enough to make a few skuas want to rest and take shelter in Poole Bay. The best from today included a Lesser Whitethroat on territory up on Old Harry and 11 Wheatears in a field there too. A steady trickle of hirundines and Swifts came through for most of the day with 30+ over Swineham this morning, along with 1 Cuckoo, 6 Reed Warbler and a Marsh Harrier there too. At Challow Hill 2 Lesser Whitethroat were singing, as were 2 Nightingale, 1 Cuckoo, 3 Yellowhammer, 1 Peregrine and 5 Whitethroat. At Lytchett Bay there were 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Gadwall, 98 Shelduck, 1 Greenshank 3 Whimbrel. There was also a Cuckoo on Slepe Heath.

We’re pleased to say that there is an exciting and very informative up and coming talk coming on May 20^th,hosted by Dr Emily Joachim who will be talking about her incredible research, passion and drive to help save the countries smallest owl…the Little Owl. For more info click HERE

It was also nice to get out early this morning too and take some video footage which I haven’t for a while. CLICK HERE for more footage of recent spring birds.

Nightingale – Corfe – 04/05/15 

To watch in HD press the play icon and hover the curser over the cog shaped symbol and click on 1080.

It seems the May bank holiday has been a bit of a right off in terms of weather (hoping for a better day tomorrow), but there were a few signs of movement when the weather turned. In Brands Bay today there was a Curlew Sandpiper (rare spring visitor to Poole Harbour) and a Little Tern there too, with a Roseate Tern on the Brownsea Lagoon yesterday. At Lytchett Bay there were 3 Spoonbill, 9 Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, 1 Yellow Wagtail a whopping 166 Shelduck, 28 Black-tailed Godwit and a Whimbrel. Swineham had a nice list with Cuckoo, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tit, 10 Swift, 20 Sand Martin, 2 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Warbler and 3 Reed Bunting. On Brownsea the Sandwich and Common Terns are starting to court and can be seen on the breeding islands and there are still at least 6 Avocet there too. Up on Hartland there were 2 Cuckoo a Hobby and a Whinchat. 

Another quiet day with not much reported other than 2 Spoonbill, 3 Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and a few Teal on RSPB Lytchett Fields. On Upton Heath yesterday there was a Hobby.

More excitingly was after a few weeks of not being able to analyse my night recordings from my garden due to broken software, I am now back up and running again and have had a nice surprise over the garden recently. I was listening to my recordings at work the other day on my iPod when I recognised a familiar co-ick, co-ick, co-ick. and instantly thought NIGHTJAR, but wanted to double check, as this would be quite a garden record for Lytchett Matravers in early spring! I contacted local author and fellow sound recordist Nick Hopper who kindly checked my recording out on his software and made a sonagram to confirm it was indeed a Nightjar. Below is the recording made at 4:10am on 23/04/15

Nightjar – Flight calls of a night-time migrant – Lytchett Matravers