Dorset Birds: Thursday 20th April 2023

Garganey - drake at Swineham (Stilt Pool)
Mandarin Duck - drake still at Longham Lakes
Swift - seen at Longham Lakes and Cogden Beach (2)
Cuckoo - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB
Little Ringed Plover - 3 Swineham (Lower Piddle scrape), 1 Cogden Beach
Whimbrel - 10 Hengistbury Head, 5 Lytchett Fields RSPB, 5 Holes Bay, 3 Arne RSPB (Shipstal Point), 1 Silverlake (East Lake bund)
Spotted Redshank - 1 Lytchett Bay from Rock Lea Viewpoint
Common Sandpiper - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB, 1 Longham Lakes
Green Sandpiper - 1 still at Swineham (Stilt scrape)

Black-crowned Night Heron - 2 still at Iford on bank of River Stour
Osprey - 1 Charmouth, 1 over Weymouth

Red Kite - 1 over Longham Lakes, 1 over Silverlake
Woodchat Shrike - 1 Cogden (on margin of field below Cogden NT)
Wood Warbler - 1 Charmouth

Nightingale - 1 heard at Longham Lakes
Ring Ouzel - 2 Godlingston Hill, 1 north west Portland
Pied Flycatcher - 1 Charmouth
Common Redstart - 3 Charmouth, 1 Cogden Beach
Whinchat - 1 Charmouth, 1 Cogden Beach
Yellow Wagtail - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB

Cirl Bunting - 1 still at Portland Bill

Woodchat Shrike, Cogden © Paul Gregory

Mandarin Duck, Longham Lakes © Robert Fielding

RARE BREEDING BIRDS

Dorset Bird Club and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel advocate special caution when reporting rare breeding birds as they are vulnerable to persecution and disturbance.

Please consider the birds welfare and do not share details of any rare breeding species on X/Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, personal websites, blogs, or local birdwatching message boards.

We urge all finders of rare birds to consider whether they may be breeding before sharing the news.

Sightings should always be submitted, in confidence, to the county recorder to contribute to long-term national monitoring.