Today we hosted our second spring bird boat of the weekend and it wouldn’t be inaccurate to state that it was actually colder on todays trip than some/all of our winter tours during December and January! Still, despite the cold, good spirits were held high and chattering teeth grinned and bared it as we were treated to a Little Tern off Shipstal beach a (distant) Osprey on the Arne shoreline, singing Reed, Sedge and Cetti’s Warbler up the River Frome, 3 Whimbrel, 1 Kingfisher, numerous Common and Sandwich Tern, 5 Swift, c50 Sand Martin and 2 Wheatear. There was an almighty fall of spring migrants at Portland today too, suggesting that a major fall had occurred across the southern Britain and signs of this rang true in the harbour with 11 Common Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Redstart and 1 Spotted Flycatcher at Lytchett Bay, at Swineham there was another Redstart, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat and a Wheatear. Up on Ballard a Spotted Flycatcher was in the scrub at the end of the headland with c 20 Willow Warbler and 6 Wheatear were along the Ballard coastal path. In Middlebere there was a single Spoonbill, 5 Grey Plover (one in summer plumage), 1 Spotted Redshank, 6 Whimbrel and an Osprey flew over Coombe late afternoon with a Red Kite over Coombe mid morning. In Poole Park a pair of Common Tern were resting on the concrete bridge for their second day…maybe there should be some tern rafts installed on the lake? Along Baiter Beach/cycle way there were 5 Wheatear.

Whinchat and Wheatear – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam

Lesser Whitethroat – Swineham – Peter Moore

Our spring bird boat – Swineham – Peter Moore