It’s these kind of days where you’re better off tucked up inside with a good book or decent film as the July rain outside lashes against the window. West Dorset was boasting a stupendous list of birds, with Cory’s and Great Shearwaters seen off Portland, which then prompted us to venture down to Middle Beach, Studland to have a precautionary look to make sure we weren’t missing out on these Dorset mega’s. As it transpired…we weren’t. Rain kept making viewing difficult but 8 Gannet and 8 Common Scoter were the best we could muster plus 37 Med Gulls in Studland Bay which included 11 fresh juveniles too. At Arne a Hobby was active chasing down Swallows in between rain showers. At Lytchett Fields a small flock of 16 Dunlin, including 1 juvenile were new in with 3 each of Common Sandpiper and Greenshank.

Today the Osprey chicks stayed pretty inactive as rain lashed down but both LS0 and LS1 are now using the front perching posts continuously. Apart from some irregular wing flapping there’s not much change in the other 2 pens.