Still sweltering, but the heat provided perfect thermaling conditions for two Honey Buzzard to drift over the Piddle Valley mid-morning. The Brownsea Lagoon saw decent numbers of waders building with 7 Avocet, 1 Grey Plover, 22 Ringed Plover, 1 Knot, 227 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 200 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 14 Greenshank, 148 Redshank, 7 Curlew, 1 Shoveler and 17 Spoonbill. More migrants were on the move and a ringing session early doors in the Piddle Valley produced a single Garden Warbler, 3 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler plus small pulses of Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and an early morning Nightjar. At Arne there was a single Wheatear in the overflow car park and there were several Spotted Flycatcher up on the Coombe Heath walk. At Greenlands Farm there were singles of Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail went over. At Lytchett Fields there were 47 Redshank, 12 Ringed Plover, 12 Greenshank, 10 Dunlin and 3 Whimbrel on French’s Pool, plus there were 11 Common Sandpiper and 4 Green Sandpiper on Sherford Pools.

One of two Honey Buzzard over the Piddle Valley – Alison Copland

It sounded like there were some more migrant Osprey arrivals today with 2 seen over Middlebere, 1 over the Wareham Channel, 1 at Morden Bog and 1 over Lytchett Bay. Some of these sightings could be the same bird, but Osprey sightings are definitely increasing. A White-tailed Eagle was at Lytchett Fields and seen to fly low over the fields. Also at Lytchett Fields there were 10 Common Sandpiper, 11 Greenshank, 42 Redshank and 4 Green Sandpiper. Yesterday there was a Black Redstart calling near Poole Quay and there were 16 Spoonbill on the Brownsea Lagoon. Ringing activities across the harbour were a bit slower today but did return a couple of Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Nightjar, 20+ Sedge Warbler, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Whitethroat and a few Willow Warbler. The rare sight this year of 3 Crossbill passed over Wareham Common and a Honey Buzzard was seen to drift north over the west of the harbour. The male and female Peregrines were back on the Barclays building and the first Shoveler of the autumn was back in Holes Bay with 2 Common Sandpiper, 219 Black-tailed Godwit and 97 Redshank. 

Nice comparison of juv (above) and adult (below) Grasshopper Warbler

Firstly, we have a minor update on the condition and progress of Osprey chick ‘5H2’ which you can read about HERE. Thankfully, CJ7, 022 and 5H1 have all been back on the nest all day today without incident, so hopefully the juvenile Goshawk has moved on.

There were a couple of sightings of White-tailed Eagles in the Wareham Channel area today, but at the moment we’re unsure which ones they were. More migrants were passing through with Wheatears at Brands Bay and up on Ballard with the first migrant Tree Pipit of the autumn over there too. Also on Ballard were 10+ Willow Warbler, 5 Common Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler. In Brands Bay there were still 4 Brent Geese along with 127 Curlew and 2 Whimbrel. 

Wheatear – Brands Bay – Garry Hayman

Well, it’s been an interesting 24 hours! Starting yesterday afternoon when the recent migrant male un-ringed Osprey visited the Osprey nest platform again about 5pm before being seen off. Then, around 18:30 an unfamiliar raptor suddenly appeared on the nest which saw CJ7 get really defensive. Initially the bird was on the far side of the nest, but as it moved onto the main section of the nest, it soon became evident what it was. A stunning, fresh juvenile female Goshawk. An ultimate predator. It seemed like the visit was only fleeting, however, at 19:40, like a lightening bolt, the Goshawk returned to the nest and attempted to predate Osprey chick ‘5H2’. CJ7 reacted and got involved in the tussle which looked as if all three tumbled to the floor. Concerned, Liv from our team, headed out and actually found 5H2 near the nest on the floor, injured with gash on her flank……not ideal. Reacting quickly, Liv slowly placed her jacket over 5H2 and managed to then get it safely into a box, before we then made arrangements for her to be seen by a specialist vet today. As it stands we’re still waiting for an update, but the last we saw early this AM, 5H2 was looking strong, bright eyed and was ‘doing well’. This is encouraging but as we all know, situations can change very quickly with wild birds so we’ll just have to hope for the best. Today we managed to get visuals on CJ7, 022 and 5H1 and all are fine, with them even visiting the nest this evening having avoided it all day.

Now, it’s vital to remember that Goshawk are as equally stunning and thrilling as Osprey, and have been as rare as Osprey in Dorset over the last 100 years. It’s really only in the last 2-3 years that Goshawk have begun being able to expand their range after decades of persecution. There’s no doubt that they’re formidable hunters but they should not be demonised for simply trying to survive in a landscape where humans have wiped them out. Yesterdays ‘Gos’ was a juvenile female, a dispersing youngster from somewhere. It could have been local, or it could have come from much further afield, we just don’t know. It’s hoped that because we’ve been able to get this far in to the season without attracting the attention of any adult Goshawk, that yesterdays event was just an unfortunate one off with a young Goshawk trying it’s luck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now…on to more positive news, some White-tailed Eagles are back! Today, 4 year old female G318 was in the Frome and Piddle Valley. Male G816 was at Morden Bog for a while, with young G812 arriving over the Wareham Channel this morning. There were also lots of migrants on the move toady with several ringing sessions taking place highlighting the strength of passage. In the Piddle Valley ringing records returned a good number of Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler, as well as 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Kingfisher and 1 Nightjar. Meanwhile, at Lytchett Heath numbers of birds ringed included 88 Sedge Warbler, 33 Willow Warbler, 4 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and 46 Reed Warbler. On Brownsea there were 10 Spoonbill again. It seems as if Osprey passage is now picking up with sightings in Lytchett Bay, Middlebere and over the Wareham Channel, possibly consisting of 2-3 individuals. Spotted Flycatchers were along the Middlebere approach track and at Arne. At Brands Bay there were 4 Brent Geese, 111 Curlew, 3 Whimbrel and 2 Greenshank.

Ringed juvenile Nightjar – Piddle Valley

Juvenile Goshawk yesterday on the webcam (prior to the attack)

A small but noticeable arrival of migrants today saw an increase in Willow Warbler numbers across the harbour, with Spotted Flycatchers and Common Whitethroats also picked up at various sites including Wytch Farm and Soldiers Road. The first early returning juvenile Black-tailed Godwits (4) were logged at Lytchett Fields this morning. To the east, Holes Bay recorded 2 Whimbrel among the 46 Curlew as well as 77 Black-tailed Godwit, 92 Redshank, and 41 Little Egret. There were also 2 Cattle Egret at Lytchett Fields.

If you’re interested in learning about and getting a closer look at some of the common early autumn migrants passing through the harbour at the moment, our bird ringing demonstrations at Careys Secret Garden this Saturday and Wednesday offer the perfect opportunity to go through key ID features up close. We’ll be exploring how to quickly recognise each species in the field while talking through and showcasing the importance of the ringing scheme and how it contributes to our understanding of migrations, population changes and survival rates. Events details available on our website here.

Spotted Flycatcher – Wytch Farm – Rob Johnson (@RobJohn72810618)

Willow Warbler – Wytch Farm – Rob Johnson (@RobJohn72810618)

A rather dank start to the day, but it did produce the seasons first Little Stint of the autumn on the Brownsea Lagoon, along with 12 each of Common Ringed Plover and Greenshank, 1 Avocet and 6 Spoonbill. The Osprey migration season is starting too, with the arrival of an adult un-ringed male which landed on the Poole Harbour Osprey nest cam this evening, which seemed to confuse juvenile 5H1. It landed on the nest about 18:00, but was soon seen off by our male 022.

Un-ringed adult Osprey on nest cam

Un-ringed adult Osprey ion nest cam

It was a pretty windy (and damp) summer Safari Cruise this AM, but the rewards were out there. Sadly no Eagles or Ospreys, but there was an adult and juvenile Marsh Harrier in the top end of the Wareham Channel along with c300 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Greenshank, 5 Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Seal, along with smaller numbers of Curlew and Common Redshank. There was also 4 Common Sandpiper on the rocks just off Poole Quay before we set off. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 5 Spoonbill, 2 summer plumaged Knot, 6 Greenshank, 10 Dunlin, c200 Black-tailed Godwit and 8 Teal back. At Lytchett Fields today the first Wood Sandpiper of the autumn was present, albeit briefly with 4 Green Sandpiper. In Holes Bay there were 222 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Sandpiper and up on Ballard the first migrant Wheatear of the autumn was on the high ground. In Brands Bay the 4 dark-bellied Brent Geese were still there along with 3 Whimbrel.

Common Buzzard – RSPB Arne

We received late news of a migrant Osprey at Morden Bog yesterday meaning the return autumn migration has now begun. August is peak Osprey migration month with the latter part of August seeing the most intense passage. Without doubt the best places to look for Osprey from the shore are the Middlebere Channel, Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne, Lytchett Bay and of course, their favourite hunting ground the Wareham Channel which can be viewed from Ham Common, Hydes Heath at Arne or, from one of our Osprey Cruises which start on August 19th. 

Almost as rare as breeding Osprey are over-summering dark-bellied Brent Geese but the 3 at Brands Bay have held tight all summer, avoiding kayakers, dog walkers and sun burn. Common Gull numbers are increasing already with 11 in Brands Bay today along with 3 Whimbrel and 53 Curlew. At Lytchett Fields there were some decent counts of 13 Greenshank, 15 Green Sandpiper and 6 Common Sandpiper. There were singles of Marsh Harrier and Hobby active on the edge of the Wareham Channel viewed from Hydes Heath.

Spotted Flycatcher – Soldiers Road