With yesterdays yucky weather lingering on until this morning but then clearing beautifully, it was enough to encourage our last Osprey chick, 002 to head south on migration. Leaving 10-days later than the last chick last year we were beginning to think he would never leave. However having had a decent feed three times a day for the last five weeks he would have left in the best possible condition and here’s hoping he has a safe and effortless journey south into southern Europe or West Africa. Its been a challenging year but we now have a good set of birds all heading south for the winter, and believe it or not, spring 2019 sees the possible first return of our released chicks from 2017. All we have to do is see out the long cold winter…something tells us its going to drag on…slowly. Here’s hoping for a Waxwing winter to help pass the time. One thing that could help pass the time is logging/counting Cattle Egret, and it was reported today that a flock of 8 (a Poole Harbour record) were seen in fields at Bestwall/Swineham although they could not be relocated late afternoon. At Lytchett Fields there were 11 Greenshank, 162 Redshank, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, 21 Dunlin, 6 Green Sandpiper, 40+ Lapwing, 1 Whinchat, 300+ Meadow Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Marsh Harrier. At Swineham there were 2 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Whinchat behind Curlews Cottage and off the Swineham Point 4 Greenshank, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Whimbrel and 3 Sandwich Tern. At Baiter there were 8 Turnstone, 11 Ringed Plover and 2 Wheatear with 2 Spotted Flycatcher in the copse at the back of the recreation ground. At Arne the Spoonbill flock was still at 30 and a Marsh Harrier was in Middlebere.

Osprey chick 002 (lower) and 008 before departing