Coot (left) and Wigeon

The overnight rain persisted until around 14:00, when there followed some quite nice sunshine – but an increasing wind. A Red-throated Diver showed well in the Run for a while, this morning, when the first sign of House Martin migration was noted – around 150 feeding over the water meadows on Wick, as well as an estimated 50 Swallow. An evening visit to Stanpit yielded: three each of Knot, Sanderling and Black-tailed Godwit, 42 Ringed Plover and 6 Dunlin; plus 6 Wheatear on Crouch Hill. Osprey visits may now have peaked, although there were two birds in the area for an hour or so after the rain stopped.

Wheatear

Whimbrel – Adrian Simmons

…and one from yesterday confirming G818 – Will Evans

After being seen post the post last night, the Spotted Redshank was still around today – a visual on East Marsh and an audio from Hengistbury; with other waders on site including singles of Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit, the latter a juvenile which currently seem light on numbers. Meanwhile, Crouch Hill held a nice variety of passerine migrants – a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear and 2 Sedge Warbler being the best. A further Whinchat was on the other side of the harbour and a light movement of Swallow was noted from both areas. The only news of fish-preying raptors is second hand and involves an Osprey at some point during the morning.

Pretty much proof of this White-tailed Eagle being male, G625 – his tail now much whiter than in the spring – meaning the other just has to be female G818 – Rich Moore

Osprey – the upper bird a juvenile – Lewis Slavin (upper) & David Faulkner

The Barn Field held some passerine interest, this morning, when a male Redstart, a male Whinchat and 2 Wheatear were present; with modest numbers of the usual suspects also there, Whitepits and Wick. Meanwhile, there was a clear departure of Swallow and Sand Martin – the former leading the numbers – as well as one or twos of Yellow Wagtail and Grey Wagtail. The pick of the waders was a Ruff leaving Stanpit Creek over Fisherman’s Bank, with 3 Knot and at least 7 Sanderling on Blackberry Point. In addition, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a couple more Sanderling were in Holloway’s Dock. Rounding off with the raptors generating the current flurry of welcome visitors – it’s really nice to see the place being appreciated. The White-tailed Eagle pair were present from 07:00 to 12:15 – mostly sedentary on ‘blackberry’, although there were at least four fruitless fishing attempts by the male. During the eagles’ stay, Osprey seemed wary – just the one at 09:00 – but immediately the area was vacated, two appeared with a further visit at 13:45.

Ringing-wise, it was a bit of a surprise that so many acrocephalus warbler are still around – forty four being the morning’s total – made up of 41 Sedge Warbler and 3 Reed Warbler, all new birds.

Saturday 19th September
Members’ Day. Hengistbury Head (07.15-12.00), Stanpit Marsh (14.00-16.00)
For more information…

The White-tailed Eagle had already seen off one Osprey, but this plucky juvenile had different ideas!

This isn’t seen very often. Lesser Whitethroat (left) and Whitethroat together – Jackie Smith

…and Lesser Whitethroat – Jackie Smith

It was a real raptor-fest for much of the day. Around 11:15, an apparent pair of White-tailed Eagle, assumed/hoped to be G818 and G625, drifted in high from the east and then spent around twenty minutes slowly descending on to Blackberry Point. They both then lingered around the place, looking like they knew it, for 2.5 hours and on two occasions seeming to deliberately flush Grey Heron from East Marsh, even looking like they might be trying to catch one! During the period of their stay, they also interacted with a Red Kite, a Peregrine and, as described in the photos, Osprey. Meanwhile, to complete a set, a Marsh Harrier at Stanpit, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel were recorded. Before all of this, it was clear there had been quite an arrival of passerines, including Stonechat and Robin – twenty-seven and twenty-one respectively – on Hengistbury, where 35 Blackcap were on the Barn Field and 34 Chiffchaff on the top of the Head; also, a Redstart by the Ironstone Quarry and 2 Whinchat, with 3 Tree Pipit, 11 Grey Wagtail and 40 Yellow Wagtail over. The other side of the Harbour contributed a Lesser Whitethroat on Crouch Hill, plus furthers of 3 Wheatear and 2 Grey Wagtail. Again, the numbers of waders seemed on the low side, but 2 Knot, a Greenshank, at least 4 Sanderling, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 17 Black-tailed Godwit were noted – mostly around Stanpit Bight. To finish, as is the current norm, the Osprey timings: there was actually a near-constant presence of birds from 08:00 until 15:00, including three in the time until 09:30. Other visits commenced at 11:15, 12:30, 13:15 and 14:45.

Ringing produced a total of twenty-three birds – 14 Sedge Warbler, 6 Reed Warbler and 3 Chiffchaff. Two of the ‘reeds’ were re-traps – from August 21st and September 1st.

The clear highlight of an early seawatch was a juvenile Sabine’s Gull that was first seen heading towards the Beach Huts from the east, before settling on the water. A short while later, the bird picked up and seemed to head over the sandspit towards the Harbour. Also from the watch: 2 Kittiwake, both 1cy, a Mediterranean Gull, 9 Common Scoter and around 30 Gannet; plus 12 Sand Martin and 11 Swallow out to sea. In-harbour waders were light – 2 Whimbrel and a few Ringed Plover being the best – but, a couple of Sanderling were on Hengistbury and 14 Black-tailed Godwit overflew Wick. Other than a Firecrest singing in the Wood, in the same spot as Monday, the only passerine news comes from late in the day, when a Whinchat was on Crouch Hill and 65 Yellow Wagtail lifted off Central Marsh to their roost. Around the same time 8 Wigeon dropped in to join six or so Teal. Finishing with Osprey and visits at 09:45, 11:00, 16:00 and 16:45.

This colour-tagged Curlew was first seen here around a week ago. We are still trying to confirm, but we believe it is from a head-starting project in Norfolk. Head-starting is when eggs are taken from the wild and the chicks released when old enough – an effort to increase productivity rates in an alarmingly declining species – Jackie Smith 

An early look at the sea from Hengistbury saw a Manx Shearwater sat on the water just 50 metres or so off the Beach Huts; but, otherwise 4 Common Scoter, 13 Gannet and an Osprey west were the best of it. Reports from inside the Harbour are light, although two male Marsh Harrier were nice, with the rest being a Common Sandpiper, 9 Black-tailed Godwit and a Peregrine. Moving to the northern edge of the recording area and, this evening, there was a roost flight at least 35 Yellow Wagtail from inland. In addition to the bird already mentioned, two Osprey were around from 09:15, one spending at least an hour fishing, and two were over the River at 13:30.

Kestrel – Dave Miller

It’s a day of light news. Early on, a Greenshank was on Brander’s Bank and 6 Yellow Wagtail headed over Wick. Later in the day, after the rain and wind had picked up, a 1cy Kittiwake flew through the Run and into the harbour, while a trickle of Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Sanderling arrived from the east onto the sandspit.

An attempt was made at ringing, but the strengthening breeze soon curtailed it – although 7 Sedge Warbler, a Reed Warbler and a Cetti’s Warbler were managed.

Stop press update: the two stand-out moments of an otherwise quiet seawatch from Hengistbury, this evening, were a pale-morph Arctic Skua and 3 Common Scoter.

Not many Tree Pipit have been photographed in the area – Chris Chapleo

Common Sandpiper in Holloway’s Dock – Dave Miller

…and a couple from yesterday – Spotted Redshank (upper) and Sanderling – Jeremy Mayes & Scott Usher

Early on, it was lively with migrant passerines. The Barn and Long Fields, Hengistbury, yielded: 2 Tree Pipit, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Whinchat, 25 Chiffchaff, 18 Blackcap and 14 Whitethroat; while the North Scrubs and Crouch Hill, Stanpit, contributed: a Tree Pipit, 21 Yellow Wagtail, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear, 2 Willow Warbler, and several Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler; with a further 15 Yellow Wagtail from Wick. An Avocet headed the waders in Stanpit Bight, which also included a Greenshank, a Knot, 3 Whimbrel and 2 Black-tailed Godwit. Wrapping up the field news: it was reckoned there were four visits by Osprey throughout the morning and one at 17:00 that involved two birds – 1H1 being one of them.

It was equally productive for the lone ringer this morning – 41 birds, his best of the season – in numerical order: 29 Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Cetti’s Warbler – one of those a male ringed here in August 2025 – 3 Blue Tit, an adult Grasshopper Warbler, a Robin and a Wren.