It was great to get our School Bird Boat program going today with our first outing of the season seeing us take out Stoborough Primary School. It’s always good to get the kids connected to decent birds and this morning they were treated to 2-3 Marsh Harrier and a Great White Egret at Swineham, c250 Cormorant feeding in the Wareham Channel, 64 Spoonbill, c150 Avocet and c200 Oystercatcher on the Brownsea Lagoon and 2 Sandwich Tern at Poole Quay. It was frustrating they didn’t arrive for their trip a few minutes earlier as an Osprey flew over Poole Quay and headed towards Holes Bay as we were getting the boat prepped for the trip. In Holes Bay this morning the Great White Egret was feeding in the NE section again along with the Spoonbill and a Cattle Egret also flew over the bay mid-morning where there were c300 Wigeon, c400 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Rock Pipit were back along the cycle path. At Lytchett Bay there was 2 Great White Egret on the fields and 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank, 175 Dunlin, 10+Greenshank, 150 Black-tailed Godwit, 137 Redshank, 130 Wigeon, 300 Teal, 2 Great Crested Grebe and a White-tailed Eagle out in the bay. A juvenile Hobby flew over the harbour entrance.

Great White Egret – Holes Bay – Rene Goad