Well, we saw out June with rain this morning, giving everything a good soaking, but it soon cleared up and got a few birds going. Already a few small family parties of Barn Swallow are beginning to disperse with several flocks, including fresh juveniles, being seen heading towards reedbeds to roost. This morning there also seemed to be an arrival of Great White Egrets with 10-11 reported heading NW, coming in over Middlebere and off over the Wareham Channel.
Poole Harbour sightings blog
A record of all interesting and notable sightings from around the harbour throughout the year.
Latest Sightings
Harbour Update – posted 30/06/24
Harbour Update – posted 29/06/24
No sign along the Purbeck coast of the Red-footed Booby from earlier in the week sadly, but apparently 8-9 Puffin were logged at Dancing Ledge last night. This evening a pair of Garganey dropped onto Swineham GP where there were also 4 Common Tern and a female Marsh Harrier. At the Osprey nest site today, panic broke out amounst the family when an intruder Osprey was seen over the nest. Later on one was then reported on the new Middlebere Nest Platform, opposite the RSPB Middlebere lookout hide.
Juvenile Sandwich Terns – Brownsea Lagoon – Martin Adams
Harbour Update – posted 28/06/24
Have we missed a Red-footed Booby? With an amazing photo surfacing yesterday evening of a Gannet shaped bird settling on a rescue boat off Warbarrow Bay, near Lulworth, heads were scratched as to what it could be. As it turns out, it was Britains 3rd(?) Red-footed Booby resting up for 50 minutes, before moving off east. This is quite a remarkable record and chances are it’s probably headed back out into the English Channel, but birders along the Dorset coast will be checking every channel marker and channel buoy this coming weekend to see if it can be re-found still resting up. So, if you’re down the beach this weekend, don’t forget to look out to sea and check anything that looks suitable for a sea bird to sit on, as you never know….!!
It was cold again today and bird news seemed slow with only news of a Spotted Flycatcher family on Hartland, White-tailed Eagles and Osprey spotted in the Wareham Channel, 2 Hobby and a Goshawk over Carey Secret Garden, 2 Little Ringed Plover at Holme lane GP and 3 Spoonbill in Middlebere.
Linnet – Slepe Heath
Harbour Update – posted 27/06/24
Another very hot one today, with the wind picking up this afternoon. A count on the rising tide in Brands Bay this morning showed decent numbers of Curlew now building with 48 present, as well as 1 Whimbrel and 3 Bar-tailed Godwit. During one of our Osprey Tours at Careys Secret Garden this morning, a Goshawk was also seen. There was also 19 Redshank, 13 Curlew, 2 Grey Plover and 2 Green Sandpiper was seen at Lytchett Fields this morning.
Harbour Update – posted 26/06/24
It was another super hot day, and it felt like autumn migration got off to a proper start with a good mix of ‘new’ waders arriving. There was a single new Greenshank at Lytchett Bay with another 2 in the mouth of the River Piddle. There were also 2 new Common Sandpiper in the River Frome and at Holme Lane GP this evening 2 Green Sandpiper were on the pit as were 2 Little Ringed Plover with another Little Ringed Plover on the Stilt Pools at Swineham. There were also 4 Black-tailed Godwit back in Holes Bay and c100 in the Wareham Channel. There were 2 different Great White Egrets, one over Wareham Common this morning and another this evening seen heading down the Piddle Valley from Carey Secret Garden. Male Osprey 022 was seen fishing in the Wareham Channel a few times and the White-tailed Eagle pair were lurking on the shores of the Wareham Channel. A Little Tern flew over Arne Bay this morning.
Harbour Update – posted 25/06/24
An absolute scorcher today. One of our followers who logs the temperature at home commented today that the temperature maxed at 27.4°C today on the outskirts of Poole Harbour, easily making it the warmest day of 2024 and the warmest day since the 7th (28.0) and 9th (28.6) of September 2023. Only last June 15th (27.9), 13th (29.3) and 9th (27.5) were warmer last year.
With this in mind the birds mainly kept their heads low today. We did receive some good data back though from local birder Rene Goad who got info back from 2 colour-ringed Sandwich Terns he logged on Brownsea recently. The photos can be viewed below and the info came back as: White ‘354’ was ringed as a nestling on 21st July 2021 at Pagham Harbour, West Sussex & Red ‘KHP’ was ringed as a chick on 12th August 2018 at Ynyslas NNR, Borth, West Wales. This is good data, especially the 8 year old. Sandwich Tern life span is usually around 12 years old, but the oldest ringing recovery was of a 30 year old individual.
There were more waders arriving today in the shape of 51 Curlew and 6 Redshank in Brands Bay and a Marsh Harrier was over the Lower Frome Valley and this evening 2 Osprey were in the Wareham Channel.
Sandwich Tern ‘354’ – Brownsea Lagoon – Rene Goad
Sandwich Tern ‘KHP’ – Brownsea Lagoon – Rene Goad
Harbour Update – posted 24/06/24
No new major news today, but a Little Ringed Plover at Lytchett Fields showed some more signs of movement. A Golden Pheasant was seen running across the Furzey Slipway this evening, both White-tailed Eagles were in the Wareham Channel this morning and a Hobby was over Hyde’s heath, RSPB Arne.
Harbour Update – posted 23/06/24
Quite quiet today with the 4 Spoonbill logged again in Middlebere which seems to show (thanks to Mark Wrights great photo) an adult breeding plumaged bird (left hand bird). Perhaps its a failed breeder thats returning early? Or maybe an individual that looked to set up territory a bit closer to home? This evening our Purbeck Puffin cruise logged 5 individuals off Dancing Ledge as well a the first newly fledged Guillemots and Razorbills off the cliffs at the Durlston CP colony.
Spoonbills – Middlebere – Mark Wright
Harbour Update – posted 22/06/24
A bit of a raptor-fest today, with plenty of great bird activity during our tours at Careys Secret Garden, with 2 Red Kite, 1 Hobby, 1 female Goshawk and 1 Honey Buzzard seen against the backdrop of the Osprey nest! Osprey have also been reported elsewhere today, with one seen in Brands Bay this afternoon, and one over the Middlebere Channel from Coombe Heath this morning. Also seen from Coombe Heath were 4 Spoonbill and 2 Red Kite. An early morning Hobby was logged at Lytchett Bay this morning, along with a count of 10 Redshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Curlew.
Harbour Update – posted 21/06/24
Crystal clear sky’s for the most part of the day got a few birds moving around, including a pristine dark plumaged Honey Buzzard which drifted over our Osprey Nest viewing platform at Carey Secret Garden this afternoon, with 2 Hobby also logged from there. In Middlebere this morning the 3 Spoonbill were feeding again, at Swineham a Marsh Harrier was over the point and both White-tailed Eagles were seen soaring over the Wareham Channel.
Honey Buzzard – Carey Secret Garden, Piddle Valley – Matthew Hill
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