Hello April! The year is already flying by and the sun continues to shine. More migrants are arriving and this morning saw the first proper (small) pulse of Swallows arrive with c20 seen flying north across the surface of the water this morning from our Spring Safari Cruise. The stiff ENE wind made things tricky, but we certainly weren’t left wanting, and manged to also log the 1st winter Little Gull at Swineham, along with 1 male Bearded Tit at Swineham Point, plus c800 summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Red Kite over, 1 House Martin, c80 Sand Martin and we also managed to witness a food pass (of a rat?) between a male and female Marsh Harrier. On the Brownsea Lagoon the Forster’s Tern showed really well at the northern end along with c200 Mediterranean Gulls, 10 Avocet, 5 Grey Plover, 4 Ringed Plover, 4 Sanderling and c40 Sandwich Terns. There were several different Osprey around the harbour today, all un-ringed, with individuals seen at Middlebere, the Wareham channel and Morden Bog.

Marsh Harrier food pass – Sue Ketteridge

Sandwich Tern – Shipstal – Sue Ketteridge

Forster’s Tern, Sandwich Terns, Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gulls – Brownsea Lagoon – Sue Ketteridge

Black-tailed Godwits – Wareham Channel – Sue Ketteridge 

Osprey – Morden Bog – Ian Ballam