We mentioned yesterday that birds were beginning to move already with the first signs of autumn passage getting underway. What we weren’t expecting though was a drake Common Scoter to drop into Holes Bay NE at dawn, just off the outflow channel. This was obviously a bird in transit as it only stayed for 30 seconds before flying off SW back over the railway bridge…a very interesting mid-summer record. There was some more interaction between a couple of Osprey at Middlebere with one bird eating a fish on the pole and another coming to harass it. An early fledged juvenile from somewhere, maybe hassling for some food? Or a fish envy altercation between the two birds present since early June? At Lytchett Fields the Little ringed Plover total went up to 7, with 7 Green Sandpiper, the 1^stGreenshank of the autumn, 21 Lapwing, 53 Redshank and 5 Spoonbill. Nearby, on Lytchett Heath a short ringing session saw the first juv Reed Warblers of the autumn caught along with 3 Cetti’s Warbler and several Reed Bunting. A quick check at South Haven produced 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Guillemot and a single Gannet off Pilots Point. This evening we hosted one of our mid-summer Nightjar walks at Arne and despite a gentle breeze we were treated to Barn Owl flying around the Middlebere Marsh, Osprey sat in the dead trees, Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit calling and flying into the Middlebere Channel as the tide began to fall, and of course as darkness fell, a chorus of Nightjar, perhaps 5-6 heard along with some active territorial chasing between two males right past our group. 

Kingfisher – Holes Bay north – Olly Slessor

A better today with more signs of dispersal around the harbour, where a fresh juv Kingfisher was ringed in Holes Bay north. You can ID young Kingfisher quite easily this time of year, especially with a decent view. The tops of their feet are dirty brown and grubby and their overall plumage a duller blue with brown toned fringes to some of the feathers. Both adult and young Kingfisher disperse from their breeding grounds at the end of the summer and head down river to coastal spots which is why you can often encounter Kingfisher at places like Poole Quay, Poole Park and Baiter from now to Feb. The Osprey was again on the perching post in Middlebere for most of the afternoon. At Lytchett Bay a Red Kite drifted over Otter Island towards Turlin Moor and on Lytchett Fields there were 2 Little Ringed Plover and 5 Green Sandpiper. We’ve also had a decent amount of recoveries from a ringing site we’ve been running in the north of the harbour this spring called Fleets Corner. Earlier in the spring (mid-March) we experienced a rush of Chiffchaff, several of them already ringed. Below is the ringing history for those birds. Plus a recovery of one of the birds we ringed at Fleets Corner re-trapped elsewhere.