CHOG 2027 Calendar is now available to buy in the CHOG Shop

Are you feeling chilly on your harbour walks? The CHOG winter clothing range is here, including beanies, fleeces, hoodies and sweatshirts to keep you cosy, all in a variety of colours and made from environmentally sympathetic materials.  See full range…

CHOG are pleased to officially launch the CHOG Nature YouTube channel, created by Scott Terrell

We are hoping this will become a central repository for videos and photographs of all types of nature, including raptors, in and around Christchurch Harbour.

If you have videos or photos, please do submit them to the channel here.

Wednesday October 14th 19:30-21:15
A Journey with Science, Animal Behaviour and Behind the Scenes of Wildlife Filmmaking   – Sam Stewart
For more information…

Saturday 17th October
Hengistbury Head
For more information…

Saturday 24th October
Portland and Weymouth
For more information…

Each week, CHOG Facebook runs a photo-of-the-week competition – covering Christchurch Harbour, the Lower Avon Valley and CHOG meetings – and the current winner is shown below.

If you are not on Facebook and would like to make a submission, please email here…
Please note, when it is received, the photo may also be used on this page.

Razorbill – Richard Moore

Great White Egret taking flight over the Beach Huts – David Faulkner

An overnight weather front brought a cooler air mass down from the subpolar North Atlantic and Arctic regions, with the associated “push” from the north heralding the first Short-eared Owl sighting of the autumn over Wick Meadows this morning. The bird subsequently continued north towards the Avon Valley. The arrival of colder air also appeared to favour wildfowl, with just over 100 Wigeon and a handful of Teal, with Canada Geese topping the count with 113 birds. Heading in the opposite direction, and presumably continuing their journeys south to escape the advancing cold, several migrants were recorded. A Grasshopper Warbler was found holding up on Long Field, while a single Wheatear was noted on Stanpit Recreation Ground, with a further two on Crouch Hill. Other migrants included 37 Chiffchaff, five Blackcap, two Firecrest, a Yellow Wagtail and 57 Meadow Pipit. Linnet once again topped the passerine numbers, with over 130 birds recorded. Two Osprey were back in the harbour today following yesterday’s absence, although how much longer they remain before heading off to warmer climes remains to be seen. The Spoonbill count increased to four birds, which settled briefly on Blackberry Point, while a Great White Egret was also recorded in the area.

Bar-tailed Godwit in Holloway’s Dock – Dave Miller

Sparrowhawk circling the Harbour – Dave Miller

Today heralded the start of autumn and, after yesterday’s onslaught of passerines, it was relatively quiet in the area today, with autumn still not quite ready to deliver the goods. Another clear blue sky enveloped the harbour once more, but nonetheless there was still plenty to see. Firecrest were perhaps the highlight, with a good total of thirteen birds recorded, along with both Grey Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail. Meadow Pipit numbers were down from yesterday, with around forty birds present, while Linnets topped the numbers with an impressive eighty-two counted. Chiffchaff and House Martin numbers were also lower today, with thirty-six and thirty respectively. Two Spotted Flycatcher were a particularly nice find on Stanpit. Away from the passerines, two Bar-tailed Godwit were photographed in Holloway’s Dock, while 32 Mediterranean Gulls were recorded past the Gully. Last, but certainly not least, a good-sized flock of 30 Cattle Egret was seen feeding amongst the cattle on Wick Fields, while yesterday’s Spoonbill was still about.

Stonechat close to the Visitor Centre – Alan Crockard

The juvenile Honey Buzzard from Sunday – Scott Terrell

Although today was the final day of astronomical summer, the weather certainly didn’t suggest it. A dawn of clear skies soon gave way to a flood of activity throughout the harbour, with plenty of signs of visible migration (vismig) noted during the morning. Good numbers of hirundines were on the move, with House Martin particularly prominent and seemingly everywhere. Chiffchaff were recorded in impressive numbers, with over 200 birds noted throughout the area, accompanied by similar numbers of Meadow Pipit. Among the other migrants recorded were 16 Skylark and 17 Blackcap. Early on, a Glossy Ibis emerged over the harbour before later being picked up at Holloways Dock. Shortly afterwards, an unusual sight of a siege of 18 Grey Heron appeared to arrive from the east, continuing westwards over Hengistbury Head. Adding to the long-billed theme, a Spoonbill was a welcome sight on South Marsh before later being seen in Siller’s Channel. Waders were rather thin on the ground, with Black-tailed Godwit and Snipe the only species noted, although a few Curlew seem to remain on site. Among the gulls, a small flock of six Mediterranean Gull provided the highlight. Wigeon numbers have increased slightly, a sign of things to come, with 30 recorded, along with four Shoveler. Osprey continue to favour the harbour as a fishing ground, with two birds seen hunting today. To finish, good numbers of Clouded Yellow butterfly were noted throughout the area, with around twenty-five recorded.

A footnote to Sunday’s sightings: the Buzzard photographed and initially identified has now been re-identified as a Honey Buzzard, following examination of video footage. A still from the footage confirming the identification is published above.

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Dartford Warbler – Neil Jones

Chiffchaff on the Barn Field and Turnstone on the Sandspit – Dave Miller

Starting with raptors for a change, a Honey Buzzard flying west over Wick this morning was the day’s highlight. Continuing the theme, a Marsh Harrier was seen at both ends of the day, two Osprey visited the harbour just before 11:00 and a juvenile Peregrine was at Stanpit this evening. There were a few passerine migrants at Hengistbury with a Spotted Flycatcher, a Garden Warbler, 25 Blackcap, 5 Whitethroat, 5 Whinchat, 2 Tree Pipit and 5 Yellow Wagtail, with a further one of the latter at Stanpit. Other totals across the harbour were 38 Chiffchaff, at least 10 Wheatear and around 200 Meadow Pipit, while all three hirdundine species were present but not counted. The ringers trapped a Water Rail at Hengistbury, where a Greenshank, 2 Snipe and 3 Ringed Plover were also logged. Meanwhile, wildfowl and waders at Stanpit included a Gadwall, 6 Wigeon and 7 Teal, together with 39 Ringed Plover, 13 Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel, 18 Curlew, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot and 7 Dunlin. Only 2 Cattle Egret were seen today, one of which was a juvenile at Wick Water Meadows.

A few clouds and a northerly breeze made it feel a bit cooler today. Most records came from Stanpit, where the first returning Wood Sandpiper was mobile around Parky Meade Rail before eventually settling there. That area also held one of at least 2 Greenshank present and a minimum of 9 Water Rail. Waders elsewhere around the Marsh were one each of Knot and Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel and 23 Dunlin. The 11 Cattle Egret seen today included two juveniles leaving the Nursery, and the Little Egret total reached 43 – the highest count of the summer so far. Passerines comprised 11 Swift, 86 Sand Martin and 37 Swallow heading east, as well as 3 Yellow Wagtail overhead, while a Grasshopper Warbler settled briefly on Crouch Hill before flying off. Acrocephalus warblers were also filtering through, with 19 Sedge Warbler and an increasing number of Reed Warbler noted. Finally, there are now 2 Tufted Duck and 7 Mediterranean Gull in the harbour.

Adult Little Ringed Plover at Crouch Hill – Bob Groves

A stiff north-easterly breeze offered some respite from another hot day. The headlines belong to a total of at least 10 Little Ringed Plover at Stanpit this morning. This is one of CHOG’s highest-ever day counts for this species. Other waders at Stanpit were a Green Sandpiper, 4 Greenshank, two of which were also seen at Holloway’s Dock, singles of Common Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Curlew and 8 Whimbrel. Dunlin numbers increased to forty-two, while Ringed Plover and Redshank totalled four and thirty-six respectively. Early morning saw a few wildfowl flying around the harbour including a Pochard – a scarce bird in our area, 26 Shoveler, 8 Gadwall and 3 Teal. Heading over in an easterly direction were 31 Swift, 112 Sand Martin and 19 Swallow, while a Cuckoo appeared to be leaving to the south. At least 50 Mediterranean Gull, with at least eight juveniles, and 29 Sandwich Tern were logged, with egrets represented by a Great White Egret, 5 Cattle Egret and 29 Little Egret. Returning passerines comprised a male Whinchat at Whitepits and 5 Yellow Wagtail over Hengistbury, while a Willow Warbler was at Stanpit. A Peregrine was seen this morning and a White-tailed Eagle was over the area for several minutes before drifting off north in the afternoon.

The pair of White-tailed Eagle in the harbour this morning – Richard Moore (upper) and Paul Dore

On a day of light wind, mainly from a northerly quarter, and just an occasional shower, there is very little to report other than a lone Whimbrel at Stanpit and the pair of White-tailed Eagle which were in the harbour for several hours during the morning. About an hour after their departure, either one of them or a different bird arrived for a short while before leaving high over the beach huts. Inadvertently omitted from yesterday’s post was an update that the four Barn Owl chicks continue to flourish.

The north to north-westerly wind reduced the ‘feels-like’ factor by several degrees this morning, but the forecast intermittent showers mostly failed to materialise. Apart from a Great White Egret heading north over Wick, today’s news comes from Stanpit, where the few waders present included 9 Sanderling, 16 Dunlin, 3 Whimbrel and singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover and Turnstone. At least 45 Sandwich Tern were inside the harbour, while 11 Little Tern arrived from the east and appeared to linger around Blackberry. Twenty-one Swift and 6 Swallow headed north, a Red Kite flew over and a pair of Peregrine came in-off the sea with an item of prey and both landed with it on the Priory.

Greenfinch (upper) and Sow Thistle in the Barn Field – Peter Boardman

The mix of sunny spells with the occasional shower and a gusty, mainly westerly wind meant that the sea was watched at both ends of the day. The highlight was the best day total of Manx Shearwater since 2020, with 14 past Hengistbury this morning and an excellent 116 in 80 minutes from Mudeford Quay this evening. A mixed feeding flock off the Head included 8 Little Tern, as well as 250 Sandwich Tern and 24 Common Tern. Ten Mediterranean Gull, 9 of which were second calendar-year birds, also moved past, as did 1 Common Gull and a Great Northern Diver. Other totals from both venues were 50 Gannet, 3 Kittiwake (all young birds), two each of Guillemot and Razorbill, nine unidentified Auk, a Common Scoter, 2 Whimbrel and 16 Sanderling. At Wick, 2 Swift flew over and a Spotted Flycatcher was in the No Dogs Field.

Cornflower (upper) are coming into bloom quite early this year and Orange Tip butterfly, both at Wick – Peter Boardman

There is not a great deal to report today; perhaps the weather was too settled with a very pleasant, sunny morning and a light northerly breeze. An Osprey was seen on a couple of occasions, firstly heading east towards Avon Beach and then, ten minutes later, presumably the same bird flew high over the harbour. Three Bar-tailed Godwit and a Black-tailed Godwit were on the inner harbour shore at Mudeford Quay, while 8 Oystercatcher and a Whimbrel were in Holloway’s Dock. A further Whimbrel was elsewhere at Hengistbury, where a Coal Tit was in the wood and 2 Gadwall were logged. The day’s Eagle sightings involve one on Blackberry Point at lunchtime and one catching a Mullet in late afternoon. On the insect front, a Green Hairstreak butterfly was in the unusual location of Crouch Hill. 

A bright start to the day soon gave way to increased cloud and a stiffening, predominantly northerly breeze, which made it feel quite chilly. All today’s news comes from Stanpit, where there were a few birds on the move this morning, including a good variety of raptors, the best being a Honey Buzzard east and an Osprey that came in-off the sea and headed north-east. The supporting cast comprised a Hobby north and a total of 9 Red Kite east. Two White-tailed Eagle visited the harbour in the morning and again at lunchtime, with one in late afternoon. Thirty-nine Swift, 86 Swallow and 3 Yellow Wagtail also travelled north, while 8 Dunlin and 3 Sanderling arrived at Stanpit, where 5 Whimbrel, 2 Ringed Plover and 2 Grey Plover were present. Finally, the second Spotted Flycatcher of the spring was in Ashtree Meadows.  

On a cloudy but dry day, there is little to report. A flock of 750 Black-tailed Godwit flew west over Wick, where 6 Chiffchaff were around the fields, and a Water Rail was seen from the Bailey Bridge at Stanpit.

Kittiwake at Stanpit – Linda Martin

One of the Redpoll on the Batters at Hengistbury – Alan Crockard

The morning was quite pleasant, with the sun intermittently making a welcome appearance. Despite some dark, threatening clouds, the rain held off in the harbour until finally setting in for the afternoon. At about 08:30, a dog Otter was briefly in Barn Bight, where two Little Grebe and a Great Crested Grebe were also present. Earlier a White-tailed Eagle was at Stanpit, where there was the unusual sight of an adult Kittiwake on the edge of Mother Siller’s Channel. Dunlin numbers were down slightly to 180, with 50 Ringed Plover and 6 Grey Plover, while 10 Mediterranean Gull were roosting with the Black-headed Gull on East Marsh. The  light south-westerly breeze resulted in little movement off Hengistbury, with just 3 Red-throated Diver and 2 Mediterranean Gull seen heading east, while a Brent Goose and a Great Crested Grebe flew west. The usual flock of 15 Common Scoter was on the sea, together with another Great Crested Grebe, and just 1 Purple Sandpiper was on the Sandspit groynes. The flock of Redpoll on the Batters numbered about twenty and a further Little Grebe was on the Ironstone Quarry. Finally, 2 Raven were over the Head and a female-type Marsh Harrier was at Wick Spires.  

Early fog cleared to give a lovely sunny day with a light breeze. Most records come from Wick, where 3 Marsh Harrier were over the reeds and 5 Song Thrush were in song. Other news involved a Peregrine on the Priory and a Painted Lady butterfly seen on the wing near Whitepits.

It was mainly cloudy with some sunny spells during the morning. A southerly wind seemed promising for sea watching, but it was actually very quiet with just 8 Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe offshore, while 20 unidentified Auk headed west. Visible migration was similarly disappointing; birds heading into the wind comprised 3 Crossbill, 32 Redpoll, 11 Siskin, 2 Brambling, 68 Goldfinch and a Yellowhammer. Six Swallow were logged, as well as a Little Grebe on Quarry Pond. Wick produced 3 Redwing flying over, 4 Chiffchaff and 2 Firecrest. Sightings from Stanpit were 27 Mediterranean Gull on floods by the Pod, 35 Teal, a single Turnstone and a female-type Marsh Harrier.

Spotted Flycatcher in Ashtree Meadow – Alan Crockard

Visible migration took off today with many birds taking advantage of the calmer conditions and light southerly wind to head south. Hirdundines were moving in good numbers for most of the day with conservative estimates of at least 10,000 Swallow, 5,000 House Martin, 250 Sand Martin and a late Swift. At Hengistbury, they were accompanied by 500 Meadow Pipit, 7 Tree Pipit, 15 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 58 Siskin and 25 Chaffinch, while grounded migrants included 5 Whinchat, a Lesser Whitethroat, 65 Stonechat, 35 Reed Bunting and a Wheatear. Thirty-four Mediterranean Gull flew west through the Harbour, with just two past Hengistbury at sea, together with 2 Common Scoter, a Guillemot and 15 Sandwich Tern. Two Greenshank were on Salt Hurns and 3 Firecrest were in the wood. At Stanpit, a Golden Plover went west through the Harbour; other waders logged around the marsh during the day included a Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Knot, 2 Sanderling, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and 53 Ringed Plover. Earlier, an adult Little Gull was on Blackberry, with further reports including a Great Crested Grebe, a Common Gull, 45 Sandwich Tern and single Common Tern. Kingfisher were at Hengistbury and at Wick, with two Cattle Egret being seen at the former site. Passerines at Stanpit were 2 Spotted Flycatcher in Ashtree Meadow, five more Yellow Wagtail, two Wheatear and a Willow Warbler, while the Chiffchaff total from all three main areas came to thirty. An Osprey was seen twice during the afternoon, together with a Marsh Harrier and two Buzzard. This evening, a flock of 22 Cattle Egret flew across Stanpit to roost at Hengistbury.

A Grey Dagger moth caterpillar at Hengistbury: a common species only readily separable from Dark Dagger at the caterpillar stage – Robin Harley

Conditions were similar to yesterday apart from a weaker south-westerly wind. Again, the sea was quite busy with a westerly movement past Hengistbury comprising 365 Sandwich Tern, 32 Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 2 Little Gull – one of which travelled through the harbour – 5 Kittiwake, 11 Mediterranean Gull, 31 Gannet and 10 Common Scoter. Amongst the waders commuting to the Long Groyne were 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 37 Ringed Plover and 6 Sanderling. Heading south were 135 Swallow, 51 Sand Martin, 66 Meadow Pipit, 2 Tree Pipit, 11 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Grey Wagtail. Grounded passerines included singles of Redstart and Whinchat by the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre and 2 Spotted Flycatcher in the wood, as well as Nuthatch and Treecreeper. The pick of several visits to Stanpit were two more Arctic Tern, another Little Gull, 5 Curlew Sandpiper and a Little Stint, the latter especially being very thin on the ground so far this autumn. It is difficult to assess possible duplication in Sandwich Tern numbers, but a total of 150 was inside the harbour during the day, together with 10 Common Tern and 2 Mediterranean Gull. A Ruff could well have been the same bird as yesterday, with other wader counts coming to 40 Ringed Plover, 30 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, a Greenshank, a Sanderling and 18 Turnstone. An Osprey visited the harbour this morning, while a Peregrine and a Marsh Harrier also passed through. The only passerines noted were 4 Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail, with 17 Chiffchaff and a further 30 Swallow were at Wick. Three Cattle Egret were at Wick Water Meadows, with a further bird at Stanpit in the afternoon. In late afternoon, a large movement of seabirds was reported past Hengistbury, although most were too distant to identify apart from 4 Common Scoter and a Little Gull on the sea.

Given the overcast conditions and blustery westerly wind, the sea was covered for a large part of the day from Hengistbury and produced good numbers of birds heading into the wind. Totals from all the day’s watches were an excellent count of 760 Sandwich Tern, plus 43 Common Tern and 6 Arctic Tern, all but one being juveniles, together with three adult Little Gull, 27 Kittiwake, 2 Fulmar, 2 Arctic Skua and 150 Gannet. Also travelling west were 7 Mediterranean Gull, 16 Common Scoter, 6 Guillemot, a Razorbill and 11 unidentified auks. Twenty Ringed Plover, 28 Dunlin, 3 Turnstone and 4 Sanderling were also noted, while 190 Swallow and 9 Sand Martin headed south-west. Elsewhere at Hengistbury, 2 Greenshank were in Holloway’s Dock, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Little Grebe were in Barn Bight and a Firecrest was in the wood. Moving across to Stanpit, a varied selection of waders included 6 Curlew Sandpiper, 11 Turnstone, 3 Knot, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, a Ruff, another Greenshank, 4 Sanderling, 59 Ringed Plover and 18 Dunlin, but some of these smaller waders were likely to have been at Hengistbury at high tide. Forty more Sandwich Tern and 15 Common Tern were at Stanpit, as well as another adult Little Gull and singles of  Mediterranean Gull and Common Gull. To finish, the Wigeon flock totalled twenty-five, a Yellow Wagtail flew over Crouch Hill and a Pied Flycatcher was in Ashtree Meadow, with an Osprey visiting the harbour during the morning and at lunchtime.

Pied Flycatcher in the Stunted Oaks at Hengistbury – Chris Chapleo

Wall Butterfly at Hengistbury – Barrie Taylor

It was quite a sunny start to the day but with cloud increasing later. The westerly wind was not as strong as yesterday, so there’s a lot more to write about tonight, starting with a Barn Owl over Wick Water Meadows and an Osprey that headed north having caught a fish. At Stanpit, a total of 4 Curlew Sandpiper was logged, together with a Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Sanderling, a Common Sandpiper and a Whimbrel. Three Cattle Egret flew north, and a Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 9 Teal and a Great Crested Grebe were also present. There was an obvious influx of Water Rail, with 25 heard from parts of the marsh where they are not usually noted. Grounded migrants included 3 Pied and a Spotted Flycatcher in the Stunted Oaks at Hengistbury, 2 Whitethroat, 12 Goldcrest and singles of Grasshopper Warbler, Willow Warbler and Wheatear at Stanpit, with a total of 50 Chiffchaff spread across the harbour area. Overhead westerly passage from Hengistbury and Stanpit numbered 32 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, 3 alba Wagtail, 206 Meadow Pipit, 7 Tree Pipit, 11 Siskin, 83 House Martin, 10 Swallow and 5 Sand Martin. Moving over to Hengistbury, the first Red-throated Diver of the autumn headed west at sea and a lone Mediterranean Gull flew towards the Sandspit. The Ringed Plover and Dunlin flock of 110 birds flew towards the Long Groyne, where at least 78 of the former were counted. An early evening visit to Stanpit produced at least 1 Arctic Tern and 70 Sandwich Tern, while a late afternoon sea watch at Hengistbury included 2 Sanderling, 2 Kittiwake, 3 Mediterranean Gull, another Arctic Tern and 250 Sandwich Tern, while some 30 Yellow Wagtail went to roost in Wick Hams.

Arctic Tern past Hengistbury this afternoon – Scott Usher

It was a mixed bag of weather with sunny spells interspersed with occasional showers, some of them quite heavy. The strong, predominantly westerly, wind meant that the sea received attention from Hengistbury and Mudeford Quay. At Hengistbury, the morning’s headliners were 3 Balearic Shearwaters heading south off Double Dykes and a Grey Phalarope moving west past the Long Groyne. Also travelling into the wind were 6 Kittiwake, 25 Sandwich Tern and a lone Common Tern, while an Arctic Skua flew quickly east without pausing. A Common Scoter lingered offshore and a distant unidentified Auk landed on the sea, with some 10 Gannet being seen from both venues. Two afternoon sessions produced more westbound travellers, including a second-winter Little Gull and a first-winter Mediterranean Gull, an Arctic Tern, a further 3 Common Tern, 45 Sandwich Tern, and 15 Cormorant apparently headed out of the bay. Three Greenshank were in Holloway’s Dock, while passerines included 4 Grey Wagtail, 3 Yellow Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher. Stanpit also received several visits, and returned a Whinchat and 3 Wheatear on Crouch Hill, plus 16 Black-tailed Godwit.

Common Darter at Hengistbury – Peter Boardman

On another warm, sunny day, most of the news comes from Stanpit, where the highlights were a moulting adult Black Tern heading west through the harbour, a Grasshopper Warbler reeling on Crouch Hill and a colour-ringed Osprey flying north with a fish – probably 1H1 referred to in yesterday’s post. The rising tide saw a good selection of waders, including a Greenshank, 70 Dunlin, 57 Ringed Plover, 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Whimbrel, 29 Curlew, 5 Turnstone and a Snipe. Wildfowl were represented by 11 Shoveler, 8 Teal and the ‘regular’ Goosander. Seventy-two Mediterranean Gull were about the marsh and 26 Common Tern travelled west. Heading in the opposite direction were 69 Sand Martin and 32 Swallow, while 6 House Martin were over the car park. Four Wheatear were on Crouch Hill and 9 Yellow Wagtail were logged. Passerines comprised 8 Sedge Warbler, 25 Blackcap, a Garden Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Bullfinch, 4 Chiffchaff and 3 Willow Warbler, with a further 4 of the latter at Wick Fields, where 5 Cattle Egret were present. Finally, an adult Peregrine headed over Priory Marsh.

Once again, the only news comes from Stanpit, where 4 Common Sandpiper were in Mother Siller’s Channel, while 4 Whimbrel, a Greenshank, 35 Redshank and 15 Dunlin were elsewhere about the marsh.  Four Chiffchaff were in North Scrubs.

Cetti’s Warbler in North Scrubs, Stanpit – Mark Taylor

Shelduck sparring at Stanpit – Alan Crockard

The weather was rather a mixed bag, with some sunshine but also quite heavy cloud at times bringing the occasional brief shower during the morning. Despite changing to a more westerly direction, the wind was still a bit chilly, especially as it strengthened during the afternoon. The first 2 Little Tern of the year were at Stanpit, where 6 Common Tern moved through. Yesterday’s 5 Ruff were still about the Marsh, together with 128 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Grey Plover, 26 Dunlin, 10 Gadwall and 6 Wigeon. A Great White Egret flew towards Wick, where a male Pied Flycatcher and 2 Willow Warbler appeared to be the only passerine migrants; 2 Bullfinch were also there. At Hengistbury, a lone Wheatear and at least one Whitethroat were on the Barn Field and 23 Turnstone were on the Sandspit.

Finally, some good news of breeding birds. A pair of Ringed Plover on the Sandspit now have four eggs protected by a cage. Thanks to BCP Council and the beach hut residents for their prompt action and updates. Furthermore, the pair of Peregrine on the Priory have at least two eggs.

Whitethroat at Stanpit – Scott Usher

It was a lighter frost overnight, but cloud soon increased to give complete cover later. All today’s news comes from Stanpit, where the only grounded passerine migrants logged were a Whitethroat and 2 Wheatear, while 2 Yellow Wagtail headed north overhead. However, there was a better selection of waders today, including 5 Ruff, 3 Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 129 Black-tailed Godwit. Just a lone Brent Goose was present, together with 5 drake Shoveler, 9 Gadwall and 12 Wigeon. After a gap of eleven days, a White-tailed Eagle visited the harbour, landing on Blackberry for a while before heading off northwards.