It felt like there could have been some decent migration today, with overcast skiess and a bit of rain by the afternoon. The dawn saw a small fall of birds arrive, with 3 Willow Warbler, 4 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap and 2 Whimbrel up on Ballard Down with a small passage of Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin arriving in off the sea. A Cuckoo was at Holmebridge with c200 Sand Martin and Swallow feeding over the drying out floodplain. A redhead Goosander flew over Wareham Common, a Hobby and a single Whimbrel was at Lytchett Fields with 4 Bar-tailed Godwit arriving there later in the afternoon and c10 Wheatear were at Greenlands Farm and 7 up on Ballard. In Wareham 3 Swift were hawking over the town and in Brands Bay 3 Whimbrel, 3 Avocet and a late Red-breasted Merganser were logged. On the floods just north of Swineham GP a single Spotted Redshank and 2 Greenshank were on the floods.

Swift – Wareham/Swineham (yesterday) – Peter Moore

The undoubted highlight and most unusual bird seen on this morning’s jam packed Spring Safari Cruise was an Arctic Skua… the first we’ve ever seen inside the harbour on a public cruise! We amazed to meet it racing up the Wareham Channel being mobbed by Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls, before it quickly peeled off towards the open heathlands at the top of the channel and circling high before it was lost to view. Arctic Skua are a frequent passage species on the Dorset coast at this time of year but very rarely come into the harbour, instead passing along the coast often at considerable distance from the shore. However unusual detours into the harbour like this one have been recorded before, and we think it’s due to confused individuals entering the harbour thinking its an archipelago which they can take a shortcut through and exit back onto the coast on the other side, only to find themselves in dead-end inlets, and having no choice than to cross the land to rejoin the coast once again. Fascinating behaviour and a real privilege to witness first hand!

Also on the boat trip, a Little Gull was once again present at the top of the Wareham Channel, sat on the water with a group of Black-headed Gull at the mouth of the River Piddle. Here we also had several high soaring raptors over the boat, including an Osprey with a fish, a Red Kite and a White-tailed Eagle which all headed north-west towards Wareham Forest. Marsh Harrier and Peregrine were both also hunting nearby, and up the River Frome we were treated to the songs of Reed Warbler and Cetti’s Warber. Overhead throughout was a strong passage of around 40 Swallows, plus 2 House Martin and 1 Sand Martin, and for many of us onboard our first 5 Swift of the year off Hamworthy. With the northerly wind Brownsea Lagoon was fairly quiet for waders but there was a single Whimbrel, along with around 30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 50 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Tern. A Wheatear was also seen briefly over Poole Quay at the start of the boat.

Elsewhere an Osprey caught a fish in the Middlebere Channel and another two were seen over Lytchett Bay, and at 2:22pm breeding female also laid her 3rd (an most likely final) egg of the season! Nearby on Wareham Common the Bonaparte’s Gull was also reported once again around midday, on it’s own to the right hand side of the railway bridge.

1st Winter Little Gull – Wareham Channel, Spring Safari Cruise – Alison Copland

Plenty going on today across the harbour, despite it being a chilly NW wind. The Bonaparte’s Gull was still showing nicely on Wareham Common, coming and going during the course of the day. A Great White Egret was also on Wareham Common and there was a decent passage of Swallow up both the Piddle and Frome River Valleys. Around the harbour an Osprey flew in high from the SE over central harbour, heading towards Lytchett Bay. On Poole Quay 2 Common Sandpiper were on the marina sea wall and a Peregrine flew over the Quay. There was a single Wheatear on the Sunseeker factory roofs with another on the Brownsea sea wall and 1 atr Lytchett Fields. The Brownsea Lagoon had c30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Common Tern, 8 Avocet, 2 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel and 3 Sanderling. A White-tailed Eagle was in Brands Bay, in Ower bay c50 Dunlin, 26 Knot and 8 Grey Plover were in a single flock and 5+ Whimbrel were settled on the mud. A Hobby was over Keysworth, 2 Marsh Harrier were at Swineham and 2 Red Kite were over Ham Common viewpoint. Holes Bay saw some wader passage too with c30 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover and 1 Whimbrel. In central harbour there were 2 Great Northern Diver and 1 Red-breasted Merganser still. The Barnacle Goose was still at Holme Lane GP.

Bonaparte’s Gull – Wareham Common – James Leaver

Grey Seal – Middlebere Channel – Nick Hopper

Some more fantastic Osprey news, with our male 374 from the translocation project returning again safely from migration and being seen landing on one of the nest platforms late last night. This is a bird that returned successfully for the first time last year, having been translocated in 2021. This means he’s old enough to breed this year so we could be in with a chance of a second pair nesting in the harbour, if he can find a roaming female! We’ll certainly be keeping everything crossed! He may well have been the third Osprey that was seen over the nesting pair yesterday. We also watched eagerly as CJ7 laid her second egg today at 12:21pm which is fantastic news and we would expect the third egg on Sunday! You can watch the live webcams here.

The 2nd calendar year Bonaparte’s Gull was the highlight of today with lots of people getting on to it as it was refound this morning in the same place on Wareham Common, just below the surgery. 2 Common Sandpiper were also feeding on the same floods close by. The 2 White-tailed Eagle took advantage of the warm weather with multiple sightings of the local pair including from our School Bird Boat and Lytchett Fields. 2 Whimbrel were still in Holes Bay south-west. At least 2 Great Northern Diver were still in the harbour, one in the Wareham Channel and one on the north shore of Brownsea. 1 Spoonbill was on the Brownsea Lagoon this morning and 1 Arctic Tern was reported. The Forster’s Tern was seen flying between Shipstal Point and Round island and this evening 6 Whimbrel were on Bestwall floods, near Swineham.

Bonaparte’s Gull – Wareham Common Floods – @LytchettBirder on X

Male Osprey 374 appearing yesterday evening on a nest platform in the harbour

2 Osprey eggs freshly laid by CJ7

Much calmer weather and some sunshine made for good conditions for birds of prey soaring in the harbour today. Plenty of Osprey activity in different parts of the harbour with a third Osprey flying over the nesting pair at least twice today. From our Spring Safari Cruise this afternoon we also had 2 Osprey, 1 hunting over the Wareham Channel and then heading to Lytchett Bay and 1 in Shipstal Bay. We also had 1 Red Kite over the Wareham Channel, 1 male Marsh Harrier and 1 Hobby hunting over Swineham. We had stunning views of a first winter Little Gull on the mud of the Wareham Channel, just off Swineham. 2 Great Northern Diver were still using the harbour with 1 off Ham Common and 1 in Ball’s Lake.

The Forster’s Tern has been reported throughout the harbour today being at Shipstal, Holes Bay and Lytchett Fields, so clearly travelling far and wide. Also at Lytchett Fields was the first singing Sedge Warbler of the year for the site, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and a good record for the site of 1 female Goosander from Rock Lea View. At Holes Bay there was 1 Whimbrel in the south-west and 1 Common Sandpiper in the north-east. A good record from South Haven of a singing Lesser Whitethroat at the Studland car park this morning. There were lots of Red Kite moving around today with at least 7 seen from our Osprey viewing session this afternoon. There was a redhead Goosander in Lytchett Bay

This evening what looked good for a 2nd cal year Bonaparte’s Gull was found on Wareham Common, just below the hospital. It didn’t hang around though and seemed to head towards Swineham.

1st winter Little Gull from this afternoon’s Spring Safari – Mudflats off Swineham Point – Julie Ryde

Still pretty windy, and from the NW too, which seems to have knocked last weeks decent migration on the head. At least much of the wind is due to die off over the next few days, and all being well things will pick up again. There was late news of a Grasshopper Warbler at Wareham Rugby Club on Sunday morning, there was a Lesser Whitethroat at Middlebere yesterday evening. The Forster’s Tern was on Brownsea this morning, there were 3 Spotted Redshank and 5 passage Ringed Plover at Lytchett Fields and a couple of Reed Warbler back in Holes Bay north, with 1 Whimbrel and a Red Kite there too. A Little Gull was on the Bestwall floods this afternoon. Female White-tailed Eagle G801 was still hanging around in the Wareham Channel and female G466 weirdly didn’t seem to mind?!

Great Northern Diver with Flounder – Central Harbour. (Sunday) – John Thorpe

Some good news today in that our Osprey pair laid their first egg of the season. This is six days earlier than last year, and the earliest they’ve laid in the three years since they established. The hope is that CJ7 will lay another two (possibly 3?) over the coming week meaning we should see the first egg hatch around the 22nd or 23rd of May. Now the long incubation period begins, so lets hope that like last year, it’s smooth sailing to the hatching phase. It was quite a surprise to us that she decided to lay right in the middle of a gale, but hey…why not?

It was a return of the wind and rain today, making it feel like late October rather than mid-April, however a Tree Pipit powered through over Lytchett Bay, where another Little Gull appeared (the sites 7th of the year). Just after CJ7 laid her egg, a wandering Osprey came and inspected the goings on, but was soon seen off by the pair. In Brands Bay there were 2 Whimbrel, there was a visit from younger White-tailed Eagle G801 who spent the day in the Wareham Channel area and there was late news of a dead Bee-eater found dead in a Swanage garden yesterday. Although this isn’t Poole Harbour, the fact we’ve already recorded Hoopoe and Purple Heron this spring, Bee-eater should be on everyones radar over the next month or two, so learn their calls!

Female Osprey CJ7 with her first egg

Female Osprey CJ7 laying her first egg at 15:40 today

A singing Cirl Bunting at Glebelands above Studland was the major highlight from today: a scarce species for the harbour and one we certainly hope to see increasing in the coming years! Just over the other side of the ridge at Ballard Down the first Whitethroat of the year was also recorded. Signs of spring were also notable on our Spring Safari Cruise this morning with 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Swallow and 3 Reed Warbler all seen or heard along the River Frome. Other trip highlights were the White-tailed Eagle pair, 3 Marsh Harriers and 1 Goshawk all in the Wareham Channel, 4 Great Northern Diver in the central harbour, Sandwich Terns constantly diving and calling around the boat throughout, and a Wheatear on the sea wall of the Brownsea Lagoon. The latter also played host once again to the Forster’s Tern for the majority of the day.

Common Sandpiper – Wareham Channel, Spring Safari Cruise – Alison Copland