We finally have some information about the colour-ringed Curlew that was first seen at the end of August and was still present yesterday. It was ringed, presumably as a juvenile, as part of the Duke of Norfolk’s reintroduction scheme, at Peppering in West Sussex – Louise Powell-Hills. More details of the project here… 

Rain for much of the morning limited field activity to some degree, but a venture onto Stanpit did produce a notable sight of an 18-strong flock of Golden Plover – always a good bird here – heading west over Crouch Hill; as well as 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and 33 Ringed Plover. Meanwhile, a Glossy Ibis was seen throughout the day on both South Marsh and East Marsh.

There was more early fog, so it was a little late before people really got out there – with all the news coming from Stanpit. Around the Bight, there was a nice count of 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, along with 6 Black-tailed Godwit, with wildfowl interest there headed by 4 Tufted Duck. A late Yellow Wagtail was the best of a modest presence of migrant passerines, which also included a Firecrest; with a Treecreeper also being logged. Meanwhile, the Glossy Ibis was seen about East Marsh and North Marsh, and a Kingfisher was along Fisherman’s Bank. A Marsh Harrier and a Red Kite overflew; while the White-tailed Eagle show commenced at 09:00, the male of the pair arriving and fishing, but not joined by his mate until 12:30 – they both left at 13:45 – although a single bird was back on Blackberry Point around thirty minutes later, remaining for an hour or so.

Early morning fog, which persisted until gone 09:00, made for a pretty dismal start. After things cleared, however, there was a modicum of movement: during a 45-minute spell from 09:45, around 250 Swallow passed south-east over Hengistbury; while, in a similar period, 20 House Martin and 80 Meadow Pipit were logged at Stanpit. Chiffchaff dominated in the bushes – a site-wide total in excess of fifty, plus 4 Blackcap and a gathering of 50 Linnet in the Barn Field. The pick of the wildfowl was another Pochard, a drake and, by the author’s reckoning, the third of the season, which is pretty good nowadays, was seen – heading north up the river; with the best of waders about the marsh coming from: 2 Grey Plover, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and a single Black-tailed Godwit. Glossy Ibis sightings occurred throughout the day, from around Stanpit, at one point being spooked by the eagles, along with 3 Great White Egret – this by Crouch Hill. Before the raptor wrap-up, Cattle Egret are no longer always mentioned, but there does seem to be three which are faithful to Wick Water Meadows, where the day’s only Kingfisher was recorded. A Buzzed and female-type Marsh Harrier passed over the Harbour, during the morning; when the White-tailed Eagle pair arrived around 09:30 and stayed until just after 16:00 – feeding well – with recent prey looking to include a type of mullet, Flounder and Eel.

On-the-ground Woodlark are nearly always, if not always, associated with extreme cold weather, but the early morning fog was responsible for this one on Crouch Hill – Adrian Simmons

The decked Meadow Pipit in the same area were attracting the attention of this Sparrowhawk – Adrian Simmons (upper) & Alan Crockard

…and the incumbent Peregrine on the Priory is unringed – Paul Dore

All the news is from Stanpit, where the early, dense fog resulted in the photographed Woodlark, around 20 Meadow Pipit and a couple of Pied Wagtail being stranded on Crouch Hill – all of which left as soon as the conditions cleared. Meanwhile, waders in or around Stanpit Bight included 2 Grey Plover and at least 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, as well as a very distant and equally brief Little Stint. Before moving to the raptor news, the southern embankment of Riversmeet Meadow hosted thirty or so Chiffchaff, with regular sightings of the Glossy Ibis coming from South Marsh, East Marsh and Priory Marsh, and a Tawny Owl was heard from the car park. To finish: a female-type Marsh Harrier was about the north of the area; the Peregrine from the Priory pursued Lapwing, unsuccessfully; a Buzzard passed over; and, for some reason best known to them, the White-tailed Eagle pair visited individually – he emerged from the mist, already on Blackberry Point, at 09:00, then caught a Flounder and a couple of small Eel before heading off at 13:00 – some time after that, she slipped in unnoticed but was seen to leave at 14:30. Moving to mammals – a Grey Seal was off Mudeford Quay, around 17:30.

This drake Wigeon with a colour ring, but seemingly no metal ring, was photographed a couple of days ago. After some discussion, the feeling is the plastic ring was probably put on to mark the bird in a wildfowl collection. As such, this likely explains the summering bird we had – i.e., it was an escapee from captivity that had no migratory urge, rather than a wild individual that was unable to undertake a reasonably long-distance migration – Adrian Simmons

Starting with mammals – an Otter casually trotted from Parky Meade Rail to Central Marsh, around 07:45, barely yards in front of the observer. Moving to birds and although the morning’s migration over Hengistbury was light, there were a couple of highlights: a Lapland Bunting passed west and a Woodlark headed off along the sandspit after circling the end of the Head; with a single Brent Goose passing at sea. Earlier, the dawn roost flight of Cattle Egret numbered seventeen birds; while at least one Glossy Ibis, but probably two, were around Stanpit – one favours the North/East Marsh area, the other Priory Marsh. Around Stanpit Bight, in addition to around a mixture of around fifty Ringed Plover and Dunlin, an increase from the last few days, there were 2 Grey Plover, a Common Sandpiper, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and at least 2 Black-tailed Godwit. Meanwhile, a minimum of two, but maybe four, Kingfisher were along Fisherman’s Bank. The only Osprey was a high, southbound bird and the 2 White-tailed Eagle came at 08:30 and spent at least two hours on Blackberry Point – from where they were occasionally catching Eel, as well as regularly terrorising Grey Heron and Cormorant.

There are a couple of notables to start the post: a Green Woodpecker, once commonplace, but in less than a decade a rarity, was on Ashtree Meadows; while the first returning Brent Goose – a skein of five – passed west over the Barn Field. The early part of the morning saw some decent visible-migration numbers, the period from 07.10 to 8:30 yielding: 1200 Meadow Pipit, 230 Swallow, the same for Linnet, 80 Pied Wagtail, 20 Goldfinch, 10 Chaffinch, a late Sand Martin and a Grey Wagtail, all the west. It seems likely there were more, however, as it was remarked the passage was continuing when the observer had to leave. Meanwhile, on the deck, there was another good presence of Chiffchaff – forty and a dozen estimated from Wick and Priory Marsh respectively – but, with no reports from Hengistbury, it’s reasonable to assume there were far more across the area; also, a couple of Blackcap and a cameo Yellow-browed Warbler by the Wooden Bridge. The migrant waders continue to dwindle – just the ‘North Marsh’ Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin at Stanpit, although 118 Redshank was a good count. Also, on the marsh, a single Common Gull. Wrapping up, an Osprey was about at some point in the afternoon, when the White-tailed Eagle pair arrived at 14:00 and settled on Blackberry Point, leaving some time prior to 16:30.

Update: after singles of Glossy Ibis were seen on North Marsh and Priory Marsh, two went to roost this evening, along with 16 Cattle Egret.

The ‘North Marsh’ Whimbrel has been frequenting that area for around two weeks now – David Faulkner

Kingfisher – Dave Miller

Although migration was light this morning, a Ring Ouzel was seen coming in off the sea over the top of Hengistbury, which experienced an unenthusiastic movement of Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Linnet, Reed Bunting and Swallow, plus a single Grey Wagtail. On the ground, Chiffchaff were conspicuous across Wick and the Head – in excess of three figures would seem reasonable – along with a Whitethroat, a handful of Blackcap and 6 Firecrest. Heron types were again well represented: the Glossy Ibis frequenting the North Marsh area; a Great White Egret descended in from the north with 4 Grey Heron; and 21 Cattle Egret exploded from the roost at 07:00 prompt. As is often the case, the following day’s post contradicts a seemingly sage observation from the previous – in this instance, the sea, where a sizeable feeding flock of gulls attracted up to 10 Gannet and a drake Common Scoter was settled just off the Long Groyne. Waders continue to be relatively sparse, but at least one Whimbrel, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, around 30 Black-tailed Godwit and the colour-ringed Curlew, all at Stanpit, were decent consolation. To finish: the photographed Kingfisher was by the Noddy Train Terminus and the raptors went something like this: a Peregrine on the Priory; Osprey at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00; and the White-tailed Eagle pair arrived at 13:45 and stayed until 16:15, when the flood tide covered Blackberry Point.

Male Migrant Hawker dragonfly – this species is traditionally one of the last to be on the wing – Peter Boardman

Little Grebe – Alan Crockard

Glossy Ibis – Roger Tidball

A day of very light news. At Stanpit, Glossy Ibis were seen on North Marsh and Priory Marsh – it’s not certain whether both instances relate to the same individual, however. Meanwhile, there were around 30 Chiffchaff across the Wick Fields. Some may have noticed, for the last few days there have been no reports from the sea – the reason being it is near devoid of birds; while, the only large raptor for the post is an eastbound Buzzard.

Grey Plover – Adrian Simmons

…and a Sparrowhawk taking stock after repeatedly failing to catch any of the Meadow Pipit passing over Hengistbury – Matt Doyle

There was another Yellow-browed Warbler today – this time, by the bench on the Wick central path, during the morning; but not located on subsequent visits. Meanwhile, around 30 Chiffchaff and 7 Blackcap were scattered around the No Dogs Field; with a further 20 ‘chiffs’ on Hengistbury as well as 2 Firecrest. After some speculation yesterday, a couple of Glossy Ibis, at least, were confirmed – two on East Marsh for a period; with a single bird frequenting North Marsh at different time. The only other news of settled birds, however, is the photographed Grey Plover in Stanpit Bight. Visible migration over the Head was dominated by Meadow Pipit – 454 in a two-hour count – along with 100 Linnet, 78 Swallow, 57 Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail and a House Martin. Wrapping up with the raptors, the day’s only Osprey encounter came at 11:00 and a White-tailed Eagle passed west at 11:45.

Glossy Ibis – Dave Miller

The not-quite-right looking Razorbill – Dave Miller

An afternoon visit to Hengistbury that produced 9 Firecrest suggested something of an influx; while a trip from Solent Meads to the Wood, returning through Wick, yielded 35 Chiffchaff and 12 Blackcap, with 4 Wheatear on the Barn Field and a further two on Crouch Hill. Earlier, there was a report of a Yellow-browed Warbler at the eastern end of the Head – but with no details. Meanwhile, the Glossy Ibis, assuming it is just the one bird, put in settled appearances at Holloway’s Dock, East Marsh and Barn Bight; and a Great White Egret passed south through the area. Gull interest is currently minimal, so an adult and 1cy Common Gull south west through the Harbour and four adult Mediterranean Gull on South Marsh were welcome; also, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit in Stanpit Bight. The Razorbill was off the inner shore of the sandspit, between the Black House and the Beach House café; with just two Osprey visits noted – at 12:00 and 14:45. To finish, a Weasel was seen on Crouch Hill.

Shoveler

Peregrine with three Oystercatcher and a single Black-tailed Godwit – Rich Moore

Glossy Ibis and a couple of Little Egret

Although normally associated with a northerly, as opposed to a direct southerly, wind – there was a small arrival of wildfowl today. The undoubted highlight was a Pochard – nowadays a species that is barely annual – at Stanpit, where three each of Pintail and Shoveler, 6 Gadwall and 128 Wigeon were counted; along with 307 Coot. Meanwhile, the Glossy Ibis was around for most of the day and seeming to favour Central Marsh. Despite the wader numbers generally dwindling, there was a nice total of 9 Bar-tailed Godwit at Stanpit, as well as the ‘North Marsh’ Whimbrel, a Grey Plover, a Common Sandpiper and 7 Black-tailed Godwit. The stiff breeze made it difficult to encounter small birds, but an all-day movement of small parties of Swallow was noted and, rather bizarrely, a Blackcap was in sub-song on Fisherman’s Bank. Before the bird-of-prey routine, a Razorbill was ridiculously close in to Mudeford Quay, as it fed in the Run, and a Kingfisher whizzed around the aforementioned bank. The standout raptor was a female-type Merlin that came high across the Harbour in thrush-impersonation mode, before stooping down to mix it with the birds on South Marsh. Peregrine and Kestrel were two more falcons recorded, with Sparrowhawk seen a number of times. Rather surprisingly given the weather, all the Osprey visits were successful and came at 09:00, 11:00, 15:00 and 15:30.

The BCP Raptor Watch, assisted by CHOG, was treated to the pair of White-tailed Eagle, multiple Osprey, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Red Kite. Some great photos can be seen on Facebook Groups: CHOG.org.uk and White Tailed Eagles and Raptors of Christchurch Harbour – Rich Moore

Glossy Ibis – Adam Ord

House Sparrow – Linda Morris

Water Rail – Paul Thomas

Although the high-profile raptors grabbed most of the attention, small passerines were also an overhead feature – frequent calls of Skylark, along with less from Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Swallow – heard during the morning from Crouch Hill. Grounded migrants were sparse, but did include a Willow Warbler, amongst the Chiffchaff, as well as a handful of Whitethroat and Blackcap, and a couple of Wheatear. Around 10:30, the photographed Glossy Ibis arrived from inland, having being seen just north of Christchurch; then spent much of the afternoon on East Marsh, before going on a little tour. Also, a Great White Egret over Wick. Meanwhile, the waders at Stanpit were headed by 5 Grey Plover, a Whimbrel on North Marsh, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Black-tailed Godwit and the colour-tagged Curlew. Wrapping up the water birds: it was nice to see the Wigeon now number at least seventy-five, although more may have left to spend the day in the Avon Valley, likewise, 2 Shoveler; and an adult Mediterranean Gull was logged. To finish: Marsh Harrier were around at 09:30 and 15:45; a juvenile Peregrine seemed settled on the Priory; a Red Kite was over Stanpit Creek; the White-tailed Eagle pair arrived at 09:30 and spent at least ninety minutes, but likely longer, on East Marsh; and Osprey came at: 10:15 – that bird not fishing and lost to view as it gained height ahead of a Channel crossing, 10:30, with a second bird fifteen minutes later; 12:00 and 13:30. A final note: this site doesn’t routinely mention disturbance, but it did seem that kayakers inside the yellow buoys around Stanpit Bight were particularly conspicuous today.

A handful of the thousands of House Martin which passed through the area today – Dave Miller

Spoonbill – Dave Miller

House Martin were the feature of the morning – prior to 10:00 large groups were milling or steadily moving west, along with a few Swallow; then, birds started to stream west – a sample count of 2000 in half an hour. What happened after that, however, we will never know as the observer had to leave. Also, a couple of Tree Pipit, plus very small numbers of Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch and Reed Bunting, on their travels. Meanwhile, 2 Spotted Flycatcher – on the eastern Batters and in the Stunted Oaks – around 15 Chiffchaff and up to 80 Meadow Pipit were settled about Hengistbury. Before moving to the raptors, in keeping with the last few days there was a presence of Spoonbill – three arriving from the east, circling and then coming down on the saltmarsh adjacent to Holloway’s Dock; a Great White Egret was in Stanpit Creek; and 6 Rook were with 2 Raven and 25 Carrion Crow on the Barn Field, early on. The White-tailed Eagle pair arrived at 11:30 and spent then next two and a half hours around Stanpit Bight, where they fed on a fish; Osprey visited at 10:30, 15:30 and 16:00; and a Peregrine went over at 17:30. A final and hopefully not too sobering note about House Martin; although today’s spectacle would have been impressive, it’s within the lifetime of this website, a little over twenty-five years, that five-figure counts were ‘just expected.’

This great year for Clouded Yellow butterfly just keeps going – during the warmer parts of the day, right across the area, barely five minutes pass without an encounter – Peter Boardman

The highlight of the day was a Yellowhammer – usually only one or two records a year – over Wick during the late afternoon; while the morning’s visible-migration included ‘hundreds’ of House Martin milling over there and a two-hour spell on Hengistbury produced: 170 Meadow Pipit, 3 Yellow Wagtail, a Grey Wagtail, 7 Pied Wagtail and 45 Linnet. In addition, a Redstart and a Willow Warbler were in the Salt Hurns Scrub, plus a couple more of the latter on Wick, singles of Spotted Flycatcher were on either side of the area, 5 Wheatear were across the site, and a Firecrest and Nuthatch were in the Wood. Also early on, a Spoonbill headed west and 18 Cattle Egret came out of the roost. The bright sunlight made wader viewing difficult, but a Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and over 20 Black-tailed Godwit were around throughout, as was the colour-tagged Curlew. Moving to wildfowl and Wigeon may now be starting to arrive – around thirty were reckoned at the start of the day – but the evening saw another twenty or so drop in, along with 9 Teal. It’s been another busy day of raptors: a Marsh Harrier, thought to be a young male, was again low over the water and scaring Coot; a couple of juvenile Peregrine were around on and off; a trio of Buzzard kettled over the centre of the area; and the Osprey performance went as so: 09:15 a two-bird arrival, 10:45, 11:30, 15:00 and 17:15 – on each occasion successful.

Some local juveniles – Honey Buzzard in the top shot and Peregrine – are starting to mix it with Osprey – Rich Moore (upper)

…and the platforms in Holloway’s Dock are becoming a favourite for Kingfisher – Dave Miller

There was a definite movement of Meadow Pipit, most heavy during the morning when 596 were counted in three hours over Hengistbury, but odd birds were still travelling on a broad front as late as 16:30. Also on the move were hirundines – 204 House Martin, 51 Sand Martin and 12 Swallow, in the mentioned period over the Head – with a trickle of the latter noticeable throughout; plus single figures of Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtail. Sticking on the visible-migration theme, 54 Linnet over Hengistbury could be the start of the finch passage – always a highlight of the year. Settled migrants were not as numerous, however, but did include returns of 2 Willow Warbler, one in song, on Wick, 37 Chiffchaff spread across the southern side of the area, a couple of Wheatear on Crouch Hill, where up to 70 Linnet flocked, and a Firecrest in the Wood. A quick look at the sea produced 4 Common Scoter to the east, as well as 40 Ringed Plover and 20 Dunlin in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, inside the Harbour, the pick of the waders was a Knot, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper. Now the raptors: a female-type Marsh Harrier appeared from high and then went uncharacteristically low to the water, before heading inland: as the photos show, two different ‘mullet hawks’ attracted the attention of a Honey Buzzard and Peregrine respectively; Osprey visited at 10:00 as two birds, 12:30 and 16:00; and 2 White-tailed Eagle came in from high north at 11:30 and settled for around two hours.

A brisk south-westerly did nothing for the Members’ Day ringing demonstration – unfortunately, no birds caught at all; but a big thanks to Ed Brett for his improvisation. As a result of the wind, the sea was watched from the Gully morning and afternoon. The early session came up with 28 Sandwich Tern, a Guillemot, 25 auk sp. and a Sanderling; with the later stint providing an adult Little Gull, 21 Sandwich Tern, 3 auk sp., 71 Ringed Plover and 50 Dunlin. As would be expected in the conditions, migrant passerines were hard to find, but did include a very light Meadow Pipit passage, along with a single Yellow Wagtail; as well as 6 Firecrest, a Wheatear and 10 Chiffchaff, all settled on Hengistbury. Around 11:30, there was the strange sight of a juvenile Cattle Egret feeding right alongside the path at the eastern end of the Salt Hurn and, at one point, catching a Clouded Yellow butterfly. Sticking with butterflies, at least 2 Wall Brown were on the Head – still a scarce species here. Wrapping up the post, Osprey continue to visit – 08:45 and 16:15 being the times today.

This Little Egret, photographed yesterday at Stanpit, due to the extreme paleness of legs and bill, caused quite a flurry of chat this afternoon as to whether it could be a snowy egret. After seeking expert opinion from elsewhere, however, it was soon all back to normal – David Faulkner

As per a couple of days ago, there was an arrival of Chiffchaff – a conservative estimate of eighty in the Long Field/Batters area; also, a Whinchat and 3 Firecrest on and in the bushes respectively. Meanwhile, overhead, Meadow Pipit and Swallow dominated the numbers – each well into three figures – as well as a handful of Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and Siskin. In addition, a couple of Pintail and 5 Shoveler headed east. Moving to waders – singles of Golden Plover and Greenshank were seen to arrive – with 7 Knot also logged, as well as singles of Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit in Holloway’s Dock; where a Kingfisher spent some time. A Hobby and Peregrine from Hengistbury made for a nice brace of falcons, with a two-bird visit by Osprey at 09:00 – after that, however, the weather got quite raptor-unfriendly.

Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit – Alan Crockard

Reed Bunting on Crouch Hill – Alan Crockard

…and Osprey – David Faulkner

During the cloudy period of the morning, a number of passerine migrants were settled about Crouch Hill, including: 50 Meadow Pipit, 12 Reed Bunting, 5 Wheatear, 2 Skylark and Whinchat. Throughout the day, the day there was also a decent selection of waders around Stanpit Bight – the pick being: 2 Spotted Redshank briefly in Mother Siller’s Channel, a Green Sandpiper, 9 Knot, 8 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Ringed Plover, 35 Dunlin and 11 Turnstone. Meanwhile, the colour-ringed Curlew remains. Given the date, Wigeon numbers are very much still on the low side – today’s return being just four. Rounding up, Osprey were around from 11:15, 12:30, with another at 12:45, and 16:30.

Willow Warbler – Dave Miller

Jay – Dave Miller

There was a fair bit of visible migration over Hengistbury, during the morning. An example, two-hour count, from 06:45, produced, in numerical order: 513 Meadow Pipit, 71 House Martin, 15 Swallow, 11 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Skylark, 5 Sand Martin, 7 Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtail, a Tree Pipit and a Reed Bunting. Meanwhile, the bushes on Hengistbury and Wick saw a clear influx of Chiffchaff and Blackcap; as well as a getting-late Willow Warbler and a couple of Whinchat also on the Head, at least 20 Wheatear across the site and 3 Firecrest in the Wood. The Stanpit waders were difficult because of the light/tide combinations, but did include: the Spotted Redshank, again in Mother Siller’s Channel on the morning low water, 5 Knot, a couple of Whimbrel and a Black-tailed Godwit – clearly plenty more birds in the area, however. Also on the marsh, the first reported Mediterranean Gull, an adult, for a week or two. To finish: a female-type Marsh Harrier headed north around 08:00; Osprey arrived at 09:45, 13:30 and 15:45 – two of the visits being fishless; and a White-tailed Eagle took a look at the place, but didn’t settle, just before 15:30.

Spotted Redshank and with Redshank – a good chance to see the longer legs and bill, with a droop at the tip, of the spotted – Adrian Simmons

Swallow and Meadow Pipit were both on the move, this morning, with the latter still going through until mid-afternoon at least. Also, a handful of Yellow Wagtail and Grey Wagtail. In addition to the Spotted Redshank that was in Mother Siller’s Channel, during the morning’s low tide, there were 3 Knot, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, a Black-tailed Godwit, 40 Ringed Plover and 20 Dunlin around Stanpit Bight. Meanwhile, the only passerines of note were a Firecrest on Hengistbury and a Wheatear on Crouch Hill. To round up: an adult male Marsh Harrier was around Priory Marsh; Osprey 5H6 visited at 09:30; and, fairly late in the afternoon, 2 White-tailed Eagle arrived.

This Curlew has been around for a few weeks now. It is believed to be from a ‘head-starting’ project in Norfolk, but it’s proving difficult to get confirmation.

On a cloudy day with little wind, several hundred Swallow headed out to sea during a couple of hours, this morning; when 37 Common Tern and 4 Common Scoter passed to the west. Passerines were extremely low, the best being a very fleeting Turtle Dove, but also a couple of Spotted Flycatcher on Hengistbury, where a Firecrest was in song. Meanwhile, ten or so Yellow Wagtail headed over Wick. To finish a brief post, once again there were 3 Teal on the Ironstone Quarry, along with the same number of Little Grebe. For the first time in weeks, there is no raptor news!

Bar-tailed Godwit

For some time, this morning, a flock of all three hirundines fed low over Crouch Hill, including these juvenile Sand Martin (upper) and House Martin – Alan Crockard

…and the multiple Cattle Egret presence continues – Ray Scott

It was the first WeBS count of the season and, although wader numbers were really quite low, there was some variety. The Spotted Redshank remains – seen flying towards Stanpit Creek on the flood tide – with 2 Knot, a Common Sandpiper, a Sanderling, a Whimbrel, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Black-tailed Godwit also logged. A word about the other small waders, Ringed Plover and Dunlin were just nine and five respectively! But there was a good, in-harbour count of 19 Turnstone. Before moving away from the waterbirds, there was an excellent total of 459 Coot and at least 11 Wigeon were seen to drop in from high. Migrant passerine activity was low, other than 32 Chiffchaff, twenty-seven of those concentrated on Wick; while a single Wheatear was on Crouch Hill, along with in excess of 60 Linnet there, plus dribs and drabs of Yellow Wagtail and Meadow Pipit over. As per yesterday, a couple of Buzzard ventured into the area; a party of 4 Sparrowhawk were over Wick Fields; a Peregrine was on the Priory; and Osprey came at 08:00 and 15:45.

A freshly emerged Speckled Wood butterfly – Peter Boardman

Common Darter dragonfly – Peter Boardman

…and there are still legacy genes from a Hooded Crow that resided here around three decades ago. Birds like this appearing from time to time – although, they are, once again, all Carrion Crow – Peter Boardman

Migrating herons start the post: a flock of four, juvenile Little Egret came in off the sea at Hengistbury; while a total of 40 Grey Heron headed west – flocks of sixteen, ten, eight, five and a single. Also on the move, the three hirundines and Meadow Pipit in low three figures, plus ten or so Yellow Wagtail and 2 Grey Wagtail. The best on the ground came from: a Redstart at the eastern end of the Long Field, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Spotted Flycatcher at Stanpit, and 5 Wheatear across the site. Moving to waders at Stanpit, which included: 3 Knot, 4 Sanderling, a Greenshank, a Whimbrel and 12 Dunlin; with 17 Black-tailed over to the west and 8 Ringed Plover on the Long Groyne. Before the raptors, some bits and pieces: a Firecrest was on Hengistbury, where 3 Teal were on the Ironstone Quarry, so presumably new in, and up to 3 Kingfisher were reckoned about the area. To finish: a Hobby and a juvenile Marsh Harrier were logged at Stanpit; a couple of Buzzard were well into recording-area airspace and 3 Sparrowhawk were over the Wood; Osprey visited at 09:30, 10:30, and 15:30, and a sub-adult White-tailed Eagle skirted the north of the area at 11:00.

It’s been a decent return migration of Whinchat

But, more than decent, perhaps bordering exceptional, for Clouded Yellow butterfly – the upper image being of the scarce, paler, helice form – Peter Boardman

Moving hirundines were the feature of the morning – House Martin, Swallow and Sand Martin all in three figure numbers, the mix in the written order. Also, over a hundred Meadow Pipit, a couple of Tree Pipit, and small numbers of Grey Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail; plus, the first few Siskin of the visible-migration season. Meanwhile, on an otherwise quiet sea, an Arctic Skua headed west. There was a reasonable selection of grounded migrants – the most notable encounters being: 3 Whinchat, a Spotted Flycatcher, 31 Chiffchaff and 5 Willow Warbler on Hengistbury; the same number of Wheatear together on Crouch Hill; and a few Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler across the site. All the wader news is from the Head and includes a brief Little Stint on the Long Groyne; with a Common Sandpiper, 8 Sanderling and 28 Ringed Plover also returned. A couple of Peregrine start the raptor summary; while Osprey visited at 08:15, 12:15 and 15:30; and, at around 16:00, two White-tailed Eagle arrived from high and settled on Blackberry Point – it’s not known how long they stayed, however.

Willow Emerald damselfly on the Lily Pond – Jackie Smith

The most notable feature of the day was an apparent clear out of waders. A two-hour look at the afternoon rising tide in Stanpit Bight produced just 5 Ringed Plover and a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit! Earlier, however, a Ruff and a Greenshank were logged from Hengistbury, and a lone Whimbrel was again on North Marsh. Passerines numbers were also low, the later ringing news affirming that – a Whinchat and 2 Firecrest on the Head, a site-wide total of 9 Wheatear, and 7 Tree Pipit, 30 Meadow Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, 19 Yellow Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail over, being the best of it. Meanwhile, in excess of 50 Linnet flocked on the Stanpit saltmarshes. As is the current norm, finishing with raptors: 4 Sparrowhawk together, being mobbed by Carrion Crow, suggests a recent fledge; Osprey visited at 09:15, 14:00 and 17:30 – the last bird having missing tail feathers, so definitely a new individual; and a lone White-tailed Eagle arrived and settled at 14:30, but left around forty minutes later when two more from the east attracted it up – all leaving inland together.

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.

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.