There was a new arrival in the harbour today in the shape of a freshly arrived Osprey. Now, there’s already been several through this spring, all of them so far un-ringed. However this new bird that settled briefly on the Middlebere nest mid morning seemed to be bearing a ring and several people managed to get photos of it as it flew off. Luckily, in a photo taken by Nigel Gidney you can just make out the lettering S1. Now this was a young male that was hatched at Rutland in 2015 but spent the majority of the summer of 2017 here in Poole Harbour. Now he’s arrived back what are his plans? Will he stay for a few days then make his way back to Rutland again or will he take a fancy to Poole Harbour and linger here for a short while longer? We’d be really interested in seeing any photos taken of Osprey in Poole Harbour over the coming weeks. None of our 2017 translocated chicks will be back this spring sadly as they’ll all still be down in west Africa for another year (all those that have survived that is)! What is assumed to be the same Osprey was seen over Holmebridge early morning then Stoborough before then being seen in the harbour. A Black Redstart, a scarce spring migrant in Poole Harbour was at Middlebere and the Spoonbill totals went down to 4. At Lytchett Fields there was another Little Ringed Plover, also 2 Green Sandpiper and 1 Greenshank. On the Brownsea Lagoon Black-tailed Godwit numbers increased again as passage birds pass through the harbour with c500 across the lagoon.

Osprey S1, originally hatched at Rutland 2015 – Middlebere – Nigel Gidney