A quiet Saturday on the whole, but good to see more Hobby around now having been absent for most of May! Our Osprey watch point this afternoon logged a couple feeding high over the Frome and Piddle Valley and they were also logged at Morden Bog, Hartland and Middlebere. A few more Red Kite were moving with 3 over Fleetsbridge, 1 over the Piddle Valley, 1 Morden Bog and 1 over Lytchett Bay. There was a single Cuckoo at Hydes Heath, RSPB Arne and a Spotted Flycatcher on the edge of the woodland.
Poole Harbour sightings blog
A record of all interesting and notable sightings from around the harbour throughout the year.
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Harbour Update – posted 27/05/23
Harbour Update – posted 26/05/23
It was another scorcher across the harbour today, especially by mid-afternoon. It’s getting to that time of year when other interesting focuses can easily distract you from the birds but don’t get too distracted as there’s still plenty to find. In recent years we’ve been made aware of up to 3 Nightingale territories around the harbour area and in recent weeks we’ve a found Grasshopper Warbler on territory. With this in mind, it highlights that these species are out there and likely under recorded. The interesting thing about the ‘Gropper’ is that it’s only singing at night, meaning others could be out there in suitable habitat but just not being heard. Therefore we’d be really keen to know if anyone has any other interesting reports of possible territories of Nightingale, Grasshopper Warbler or anything else for that matter. Even species like Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher and Garden Warbler are all scarce breeders around the harbour, so information of potential breeding sites would be helpful to know. For the welfare of the birds, please don’t publish the locations on social media, but instead either email (sightings@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk) or ‘DM’ us on Twitter or Facebook.
Back to today, it was mainly the raptors keeping things going again. with 2 Red Kite over Brownsea, 1 over Lytchett Bay/Upton and 1 over Arne. The 2 White-tailed Eagles were in the Wareham Channel first thing before heading off north, we a had a stunning adult Hobby over the Osprey viewing platform today and 2 Marsh Harrier were in the Wareham Channel. A Spoonbill was on Brownsea first thing, along with 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Avocet, 2 Grey Plover, 5 Dunlin and 1 Redshank.
Harbour Update – posted 25/05/23
Only a handful of sightings today, despite the decent weather… Monitoring reports from the Peregrine nest on the old Barclays building in Poole showed the first evidence that there are at least two chicks within the nest. We expect it will be around a month until the young show signs of fledging, and hopefully soon it will be confirmed whether there is a third chick present. Today also marks 34 days since the first Osprey egg was laid on the Carey nest, which means hatching could begin from this weekend. Incubation typically lasts 36-40 days, making Saturday the start of the hatching window.
Additional to yesterday’s sightings, the two Eider (female and immature male) were present again in Shell bay, roosting on a rock not far from the beach.
Eider – Shell Bay – Seb Haggett
Harbour Update – posted 24/05/23
Summer is really kicking in now with the car dashboard temp reaching 24 degrees today, meaning the Osprey pair were panting pretty much non-stop all day on the nest cam, as they attempted to stay cool. This evening 3 Great White Egret flew in high over Wareham Common, circled a few times and headed off NW. Then this evening a Cattle Egret roosted on the Brownsea Lagoon. There were 3 White-tailed Eagle in and around the Wareham Channel for most of the day. A Spoonbill was also on the Brownsea Lagoon today with 3 Avocet, 2 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Greenshank and 6 Bar-tailed Godwit.
Great White Egret – Wareham Common – Trevor Warwick
Harbour Update – posted 23/05/23
Another stunning day across the harbour. The White-tailed Eagles put on a good show for our Spring Safari Cruise this AM with male G463 flying in from the south over Swineham and settling on the edge of the Wareham Channel and his mate G466 soaring high over RSPB Arne being mobbed by a minute Buzzard! There were Marsh Harrier active in and around the top end of the Wareham Channel and a male Goshawk was high over Slepe Heath. On the Swineham scrapes c40 winter plumaged Black-tailed Godwit were feed and a few Common Redshank were displaying. A few Lapwing, Swift and Swallow were moving around and 5 Cetti’s Warbler were along the river. On Brownsea a lone Spoonbill was roosting on the lagoon and there were 3 passage Sanderling and 9 Dunlin with 8 Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 dark-bellied Brent Geese. At Studland the 2 Eider (1 female and 1 juv male) were still out in Shell Bay, Studland.
Common Seal – Wareham Channel – Alison Copland
White-tailed Eagle – Wareham Channel – Alison Copland
Harbour Update – posted 22/05/23
A blanket of low cloud and a cold northerly wind was all in needed to see a decent push of Swift arrive in off the sea with small parties pulsing through on a broad front. There seemed to be a corridor of birds that were following a line over South Haven, Studland which headed NE over Brownsea and continued on. In a short watch c151 were logged with roughly another 100 further south over Ballard. Also over South Haven were 3 Spotted Flycatcher which seems insignificant compared to to c200 that came in off the sea at Portland this morning. Later in the day there were 3 Spotted Flycatcher at Wareham Walls, and 4 along the Middlebere track. At Lytchett Bay there were 6 Sanderling in the bay and there were 2 White-tailed Eagle in the Wareham Channel area. A Red Kite was over Upton, 2 Hobby were at Slepe Heath.
Harbour Update – posted 21/05/23
Stunning weather for our Spring Safari Cruise this morning immediately produced 2 White-tailed Eagles on the saltmarsh at Holton opposite Rockley Point and a hunting Osprey soaring along the shoreline behind them. Further up the Wareham Channel we were treated to a Hobby right over the boat whilst watching the 200+ Black-tailed Godwit on the Stilt Pools at Swineham. Other highlights from that area were 4 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Barnacle Goose, and on Brownsea Lagoon 2 Brent Geese, 2 Avocet, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, plus plenty of Sandwich and Common Tern.
It was a good day for raptors all round with White-tailed Eagles also seen at Arne and Lytchett Bay, as many as 7 Hobby seen over Slepe Heath (plus Cuckoo heard), and Red Kites reported on the move once again in several locations.
White-tailed Eagle – Middlebere – Kate Plater
Harbour Update – posted 20/05/23
It was a Red Kite morning (briefly) with several groups seemingly passing really high with a flock of 17 then 3 high above the Osprey nest site, with 3 also over Fleetsbridge, 3 over Lytchett Matravers, 1 over Poole Town and 4 over RSPB Arne. A male Mandarin was on the Swineham scrapes this AM with 280 Black-tailed Godwit also there. From the Osprey/raptor viewing platform today a decent haul of birds were logged over the Piddle Valley with 1 Goshawk, 1 Peregrine, the 17 Red Kite, 1 Hobby, 2 Woodlark, 3 Crossbill, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 15+ Buzzard.
Mandarin Duck – Swineham – Adam Day
Harbour Update – posted 19/05/23
It seems the first wave of juveniles are emerging and fledging for a range of species. Blackbird fledged young a few weeks ago, but in recent days Starling, Dunnock, Blackcap and Stonechat have all seen juveniles gathering or being fed by the adults. Many species will of course still be incubating and in fact some late comers will still only just be arriving, like the 4 Swift that came in off the sea at Studland Beach this AM. Waders are still passing through as they won’t be reaching breeding grounds for another couple of weeks and today a stunning summer plumaged Grey Plover was on the Brownsea Lagoon along with 6 Ringed Plover, 5 Dunlin and 3 Turnstone. The 2 over-summering dark-bellied Brent Geese were still on the Brownsea Lagoon and an estimated 120+ Common Tern are now on eggs. A Cuckoo was at Lytchett Bay, this morning 3-4 different White-tailed Eagles were in around the Wareham Channel/Arne area. A Red Kite passed over the Osprey nest, where both CJ7 and 022 spent the day chilling out, not doing a great deal and sitting out the rain! The Forster’s Tern was on the Brownsea Lagoon again this morning. Our Morden Bog Bird song ID walk this AM was busy with a Marsh Tit and Firecrest in the car park and then 3 Woodlark, 3 Tree Pipit, 5 Dartford Warbler, 3 Yellowhammer, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 4 recently fledged Stonechat, 4 Reed Bunting, 4 Mistle Thrush, plenty of passing Linnet and Siskin overhead and 1 Willow Warbler.
Juvenile Stonechat – Swineham (yesterday) – Peter Moore
Harbour Update – posted 18/05/23
It was all a bit quiet today other than the Forster’s Tern being seen on the Brownsea Lagoon again. There were also 3-4 different White-tailed Eagles around with 2 in the Wareham Channel, 1 over Fleetsbridge, 1 over the Brownsea Lagoon and another over the Piddle Valley. At Lytchett Fields this evening there were 6 Ringed Plover and 2 Little Ringed Plover. In Brands Bay 10 Grey Plover was a decent count and on Shell Beach 5 summer plumaged Sanderling were feeding. At Swineham the Blue-headed Wagtail was on the Stilt Pool scrapes again.
Blue-headed Wagtail – Swineham (photo from May 15th) – Peter Moore
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