The weather over the last 3 days has certainly been a lot better, and the birds are now coming through thick and fast. Starting with….
Wednesday 10th April where a thick fog hampered any birding for the first hours of daylight. However it soon cleared producing some decent reports. Starting at Lytchett Bay where there were 3 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank and a Woodlark was singing over on Holton Lee Heath. At Arne there were displaying Dartford Warbler on Coombe Heath, also a Great Northern Diver in the Middlebere Channel. The Red-throated Diver was off Swineham Point, also a Jack Snipe, Spotted Redshank and 2 Swallow. In a private garden in Broadstone the Common Rosefinch and 14 Brambling continue to visit a feeding station. On Brownsea there were 3 Spoonbill, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank and 27 Sandwich Tern
Thursday 11th was again fine for most of the day. Holes Bay hosted 960 Black-tailed Godwit, 62 Shelduck, 3 Med Gulls and 12 Little Egret. A really interesting sighting of a female Marsh Harrier nest building at a private site, however, unfortunately no male to be seen! There was a ringtail Hen Harrier on Arne Moors and a Ring Ouzel on Stoborough Heath. At Lytchett Bay 2 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, and a Peregrine Falcon.
Friday 12th was a mixture of sunshine and showers but fairly mild. The female Marsh Harrier continued to nest build as 2 ringtail Hen Harrier are now present around the moors area. At Lytchett Bay there was 1 Shoveler (rare for this site), 3 Swallow, 7 Willow Warbler, 2 Greenshank, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Kingfisher and 94 Black-tailed Godwit. There was also an obvious fall of Willow Warbler on the south coast today as around 50 lined the banks of the PC World drain with a few Chiffchaff still mixed in. Swallows were very much in evidence across the harbour today with twos and threes passing over many sites. Finally, at Sunnyside a ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Wheatear, 2 Woodlark, 12 Swallow, 2 Willow Warbler and 3 Kestrel.
What started off as a promising day, with overcast sky’s and an easterly air flow, soon descended into…
Find out moreDespite the rain, which ended up lasting aaaallllllll day, there was still plenty of great birding top be…
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