This weekend saw us host our first ever ‘BoPH’ Big Nightjar weekend which the RSPB kindly allowed us to host at Arne RSPB reserve. The two walks hosted on Friday and Saturday night were a huge success with around 40 members of the public being dazzeled by some great Nightjar activity with roughly 10 heard and 4 or 5 seen. Also seen over the two walks were 7 Spoonbill, Barn Owl, Dartford Warbler, 5 Woodlark, 1 Hobby, 2 Brown Hare, 2 Glow Worm and 1 Fox. If you missed out this time round don’t worry, our second weekend in this event is being hosted on the weekend of July 25th and 26th so to book on click HERE. A daytime walk was also hosted at Arne with a heathland focus and an amazing 15+ Dartford Warbler were seen in one small area mostly consisting of newly fledged juveniles. Although this is an impressive total, it’s actually replicated in slightly smaller totals across all Dorset’s heathlands this time of year as numerous family parties gather together to feed. It’s been fairly busy elsewhere in the harbour starting at Swineham where there is still a vocal Cuckoo also there a family party 8+ Bearded Tit off the point, a family group of 5 Kestrel, 17 Great Crested Grebe on the main pit, 2 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 14 Lapwing, 4 Cetti’s Warbler, a the Marsh Harrier adults still busy attending their young. At Lytchett Bay there are now 2 Spotted Redshank, 6 Green Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 150+ Black-tailed Godwit and a calling Nightjar. On Brownsea 21 Redshank, 53 sitting Common Tern, 2 Greenshank, 1 Whimbrel and a Yellow-legged Gull chick on the verge of fledging. At Sunnyside Farm there was another decent sized flock of 6 Woodlark, also another calling Cuckoo and newly fledged Stonechat.
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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