First of all, we apologise for the website going down over the last 24 hours. Our server hosts ran an update over the weekend which didn’t fully complete, hence the radio silence. Anyway, all’s well and is restored, so lets get back to it. It was a chilly start to the day, where multiple bobble hats and pairs of gloves were worn on our Spring Safari Cruise this AM, despite it being mid-May. However, by mid-day the sun was blazing which got more Red Kite moving again with 4 over Studland, 1 over Swineham, 1 over Brownsea, 2 over Corfe, 2 over Hartland, 1 over Upton and 2 over Lytchett Minster. From our Spring Safari trip this AM, the White-tailed Eagle pair were active in the Wareham Channel with male G463 giving us a stunning fly by close to the boat. The male Marsh Harrier was hunting at Swineham and both (Poole) Peregrines were hawking/hunting over Poole Quay. The Brownsea Lagoon still held a nice variety despite heading towards the end of May with 1 Spoonbill, 4 Sanderling, 2 Knot, 8 Dunlin, 5 Avocet, 5 Turnstone and good numbers of Sandwich and Common Tern, although the Roseate Tern evaded us, as it was hunting near the harbour entrance. Frustratingly, 2 ‘new’ Osprey also evaded us, with 2 birds interacting out in the Wareham Channel later in the morning. The reason we say ‘new’ is because it was neither of our Osprey pair, because they were both at the nest site, so possibly transiting individuals. There were no sightings of them on other nest platforms, so we don’t know who they were?! A Honey Buzzard flew east over Church Knowle, which despite not being in our recording area, the fact it was flying east would suggest it may have flown into Poole Harbour airspace, unless it veered off and moved south again. Regardless, it’s defintely the time of year to be keeping an eye out for more passage/arriving Honey Buzzard.

Male White-tailed Eagle G463 passing by Spring Safari Cruise – John Thorpe