The rain and cold set in again this morning but 8 Sand Martin over Swineham GP were a welcome sight quickly followed by a Red Kite over there too. A new male Marsh Harrier entered the harbour too but could have just been a migrant in transit. Also, one of the grey male Hen Harriers also returned having been absent for several days in Poole Harbour west. At Lytchett Fields a Great White Egret was seen dropping onto Holton Pools before relocating on to Lytchett Fields for 15 minuets before flying off towards the Bakers Arms and there were also singing Chiffchaff at Lytchett Fields, the PCW Drain, Soldiers Road, Sunnyside Farm and Greenland’s Farm and the first this spring for our Ballard ringing site was also ringed suggesting there had been a bit of a mini fall this morning.

We also announced news the other night about the sad demise of one of our Osprey chick’s LS6, who’s body was recently found down in the Gambia. Our project partner Tim Mackrill from the Roy Dennis Wildlife foundation wrote a blog tonight to give a full over view of the finding. You can read the blog HERE. However, to take the sad edge of the story, and completely by chance….no sooner had Tim posted the blog when he received a photo from a birder who had been down in Africa at the beginning of the year and unbeknown to us at the time, had taken a photo of LS6 alive on Jan 16^th 2018. Although this doesn’t ‘bring him back’, its far nicer seeing an image of him looking regal and smart rather than the sad crumpled heap of feathers we saw a few days ago. 

RIP LS6 – Photographed in the Gambia 16/01/18 – Paul Hill

Great White Egret – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam