Sightings - Tuesday 31st July 2012

Sooty Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill, 1 Durlston, 1 Mudeford Quay
Spoonbill - 1 juvenile still at Lodmoor
White-rumped Sandpiper - 1 Brownsea Island
Whimbrel - 6 Stanpit, 2 Mudeford Quay, 1 Durlston, 1 Lodmoor
Greenshank - 4 Stanpit, 1 Swineham
Wood Sandpiper - 1 Swineham
Whinchat - 1 West Bexington

Sightings - Monday 30th July 2012

Spoonbill - 1 Lodmoor
Whimbrel - 5 at Stanpit
Great Skua - 2 past Portland Bill
Roseate Tern - 2 past Hengistbury Head

Sightings - Sunday 29th July 2012

Sooty Shearwater - 2 past Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 4 past Portland Bill
Spoonbill - 1 at Lodmoor
Little Ringed Plover - 2 at Lodmoor
Whimbrel - 8 at Stanpit, 1 at Lytchett Bay
Arctic Skua - 1 past Portland Bill
Long-tailed Skua - 1 through Christchurch Harbour
Great Skua - 1 past Portland Bill
Yellow-legged Gull - 29 at Middlebere, 1 at Stanpit

Sandwich Tern at Brownsea Island © Tim Balmer

Sightings - Saturday 28th July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill
Spoonbill - 1 Lodmoor
Little Ringed Plover - 2 Lodmoor
Curlew Sandpiper - 1 Lodmoor
Whimbrel - 1 Lodmoor
Spotted Redshank - 3 Brownsea, 1 Portland
Yellow-legged Gull - 1 Portland
Whinchat - 1 West Bexington

Sightings - Friday 27th July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 5 Portland Bill, 1 Hengistbury Head
Spoonbill - 1 Lodmoor
Little Ringed Plover - 2 Lodmoor
Curlew Sandpiper - 1 Lodmoor
Turtle Dove - 1 Wick
Corn Bunting - 1 Hengistbury Head

Sightings - Thursday 26th July 2012

Manx Shearwater - 300 past Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 6 past Portland BillDunlin - 75 Christchurch Harbour, 34 Ferrybridge
Sanderling - 15 Christchurch Harbour
Pied Flycatcher - 1 Christchurch Harbour

Sightings - Wednesday 25th July 2012

Manx Shearwater - 300 past Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 9 past Portland Bill
Spoonbill - 1 Lodmoor
Great Skua - 1 past Portland Bill
Common Redstart - 1 West Bexington
Black Redstart - 2 Durlston
Wood Warbler - 1 Christchurch Harbour
Grasshopper Warbler - 1 Christchurch Harbour, 1 Durlston
Garden Warbler - 1 Durlston
















Spoonbill at Lodmoor © Adrian Dunk

Sightings - Tuesday 24th July 2012

Curlew Sandpiper - 1 Stanpit MarshWhimbrel - 7 Stanpit Marsh
Manx Shearwater - 500 past Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 17 past Portland Bill
Sooty Shearwater - 2 past Portland Bill
Firecrest - 1 Brownsea Island

Sightings - Monday 23rd July 2012

Goldeneye - 1 past Portland BillManx Shearwater - 100 past Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 4 past Portland Bill
Whimbrel - 8 Christchurch Harbour
Green Sandpiper - 11 Bere Regis cressbeds (on Sunday)
Turtle Dove - 1 Portland Bill

Sightings, Sunday 22nd July 2012

Egyptian Goose - 1, Longham Lakes
Mandarin - 1, Longham Lakes
Spoonbill - 1, Lodmoor
Yellow-legged Gull - 10+ Middlebere
Arctic Tern - 1, Lodmoor
Firecrest - 2 juveniles, Abbotsbury Gardens

Sightings - Saturday 21st July 2012

Thirteen species of wader recorded at Christchurch Harbour today.  Also some good seabird (and cetacean sightings) from Lyme Bay. 

Egyptian Goose - 1, Longham Lakes
Mandarin - 1, Longham Lakes
Storm Petrel - 4 from MarineLife boat trip in Lyme Bay
Balearic Shearwater - reported from Hengistbury (6) and Portland
Knot - 2, Lodmoor
Avocet - 1, Christchurch Harbour
Pomarine Skua - 1, from MarineLife boat trip in Lyme Bay
Roseate Tern - 1 or 2, Lodmoor
Redstart - 2, Morden Bog; 1 migrant at Hengistbury



Dartford warbler at Morden.  Copyright Ian Ballam

Sightings - Friday 20th July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 2, Portland
Common Crane - 3 flying over Rampisham c.13:00
Little Ringed Plover - 1, Priory Marsh (Christchurch Harbour)
Yellow Wagtail - 1, Christchurch Harbour; 1 Durlston
Grasshopper Warbler - 1, Wick Fields (Hengistbury Head)
Redstart - 1, Wick Fields (Hengistbury Head)
Wheatear - 1, Durlston
Crossbill - 8, Durlston

Sightings - Thursday 19th July 2012

Common Scoter - 8 Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater - 200+- offshore Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 6 Portland Bill
Marsh Harrier - 1ad 2juv Lodmoor
Sanderling - 4 Portland Bill
Whimbrel - 1 Portland Bill
Common Sandpiper - 3 Holes Bay, 2 Lodmoor

Sightings - Wednesday 18th July 2012

Common Scoter - 37 Portland Bill, 10 Mudeford Quay.
Balearic Shearwater - 3 Portland Bill
Fulmar - 8 Mudeford Quay
White Stork - 3 Templecombe still present and visiting Dorset.
Whimbrel - 5+ Stanpit Marsh
Greenshank - 3 Stanpit Marsh
Common Sandpiper - 3 Stanpit Marsh

Sightings - Tuesday 17th July 2012

Common Scoter - 7 Durlston CP.
Red-breasted Merganser - 1 Lytchett Bay
Manx Shearwater - 3 Durlston CP.
White Stork - 3 Templecombe Devon still being seen Dorset side of the county boundry
Marsh Harrier - 1ad 1Juv Lodmoor
Whimbrel - 5 Stanpit Marsh, 2 Lytchett Bay
Common Sandpiper - 4 Stanpit Marsh, 2 Lodmoor
Green Sandpiper - 3 Lytchett Bay, 2 Lodmoor
Greenshank - 4 Lytchett Bay, 3 Stanpit Marsh, 1 Durlson CP.
Black Redstart - 2 Durlston CP.
Crossbill - 15 Lytchett Bay, 5 Durlston CP.

Sightings - Monday 16th July 2012

Common Scoter - 243 Portland Bill,  90 Mudeford Quay
Sooty Shearwater - 2 Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater - 625 Portland Bill, 1 Durlston CP, 1 Mudiford Quay.
Balearic Shearwater - 10 Portland Bill, 1 Durlston CP.
Storm Petrel - 1 Portland Bill
Hobby - 1 Wick
Whimbrel - 4 Stanpit Marsh, 2 Durlston CP.
Greenshank - 4 Stanpit Marsh
Arctic Skua - 1 E Mudeford Quay
Little Tern - 1 W Mudeford Quay
Sandwich Tern - 60 Stanpit Marsh
Common Tern - 12 W Mudeford Quay
Black Redstart - 1 Durlston CP, 1 West Lulworth (Army Camp)
Crossbill - 14 over Durlston CP.

White Stork - 3 reported east of Templecombe (Devon) venture into Dorset at ST734229 nearest village Higher Nyland follow footpath from village towards meadows.

Sightings - Sunday 15th July 2012

Relatively little to report today, but signs of passage wader numbers starting to pick up. 

Manx Sherwater - 150, Portland
Balearic Shearwater - 3, Portland
Common Scoter - 45 Portland
Arctic Skua - 2, Portland
Knot - 1, Ferrybridge
Curlew - notable arrival in Poole Harbour, with a count of 64 Lytchett Bay
Greenshank - 2 Christchurch Harbour, 1 Lytchett Bay
Dunlin - 1 inland record at Longham Lakes
Whimbrel - reported from Lytchett, Christchurch Harbour, Ferrybridge
Common Sandpiper - 3, Longham Lakes
Common Crossbill - 2, Upwey

Knot at Ferrybridge.  Copyright Will Bown.

Sightings - Friday 13th July 2012

Still desperately quiet birdwise across the county. Balearic Shearwaters reported again past Portland and a Wood Sandpiper reported from Lodmoor the only sightings of note.

Sightings - Thursday 12th July 2012

Much as yesterday with reports of Balearic Shearwaters past Portland and Durlston and a movement of 350 Manx Shearwaters past Portland.

Sightings - Wednesday 11th July 2012

Very little to report - just 12 Balearic Shearwaters past Portland Bill and 2 past Durlston.

Sightings - Tuesday 10th July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 1 Durlston CP
Bittern - 1 Lodmoor
Knot - 1 Durlston CP
Spotted Redshank - 1 Holes Bay (Poole Harbour)
Common Sandpiper - 4 Christchurch Harbour
Whimbrel - 2 Holes Bay (Poole Harbour), 4 Stanpit
Great Skua - 1 Durlston CP
White-Winged Black Tern - 1 Lodmoor

Late news - Red Kite at Sutton Waldron yesterday.

Sightings - Monday 9th July 2012

Goldeneye - the summering drake is still at Abbotsbury Swannery
Pintail - the summering drake is still at Abbotsbury Swannery
Balearic Shearwater - 1 Durlston CP, 2+ Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater - 20+ Portland Bill
Knot - 1 Portland Bill
Greenshank - 2 Stanpit
Common Sandpiper - 4 Abbotsbury Swannery, 10 Stanpit
Whimbrel - 4 Stanpit
Arctic Tern - 1 Abbotsbury, 1 Lodmoor - thought to be the same bird.
White-Winged Black Tern - 1 Lodmoor
Firecrest - 1 Durlston CP

Common Tern adult and chicks at Lodmoor © Will Bown

Reed Warbler at Lodmoor © Will Bown

Sightings - Sunday 8th July 2012

Red-Breasted Merganser - 1 Lytchett Bay
Balearic Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill
Hobby - 1 Lytchett Bay
Greenshank - 2 Christchurch Harbour, 3 Lytchett Bay
Common Sandpiper - 25+ Christchurch Harbour, 6 Lodmoor, 5 Lytchett Bay, 2 West Bexington
Whimbrel - 4 Christchurch Harbour, 1 Mudeford Quay
Little Tern - 19+ Ferrybridge
White-Winged Black Tern - 1 Lodmoor

Bishop sp. - 1 Bindon Hill, perhaps the bird reported on 21st June.

Late news:  A Caspian Tern was at Brownsea Island late on 6th July, not seen since.

Bishop sp. at Bindon Hill © Bryan Williams

Sightings - Saturday 7th July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 3+ Hengistbury Head
Gannet - At least 454 east past Hengistbury Head in 4 hours today.
Hobby - 1 Holton Lee, 1 Stanpit
Greenshank - 2 Brownsea Island
Spotted Redshank - 2 Brownsea Island
Common Sandpiper - 1 Brownsea Island
Whimbrel - 1 Mudeford Quay
Kittiwake -  a first-summer bird was seen heading upriver from Christchurch Harbour.
Little Tern - 2 Mudeford Quay

sunbathing Sparrowhawk © Roger Green

Sightings - Friday 6th July 2012

Manx Shearwater - 80 Portland Bill, 4 Durlston
Balearic Shearwater - 8 Portland Bill
Common Sandpiper - 7 Stanpit
Greenshank - 2 Stanpit
Red-backed Shrike - 1 female at Holton Lee
Crossbill - 13 Morden Bog

Sightings - Thursday 5th July 2012

Manx Shearwater - 100 Portland Bill, 3 Durlson
Balearic Shearwater - 11 Portland Bill
Common Sandpiper - 3 Christchurch Harbour, 2 Holes Bay, 2 past Durlston
Greenshank - 3 Middlebere, 1 heard over Christchurch Harbour, 1 Ferrybridge

Sightings - Wednesday 4th July 2012

Egyptian Goose - 1 Longham Lakes
Mandarin Duck - 7 Canford Magna
Manx Shearwater - 17 Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 8 Portland Bill
Hobby - 1 Longham Lakes, 1 Reap Lane Portland
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Longham Lakes
Common Sandpiper - 15 Stanpit, 8 Longham Lakes, 2 Lodmoor, 1 East Weare Portland
Green Sandpiper - 1 West Bexington
Spotted Redshank - 2 Brownsea
Greenshank - 1 Brownsea
Arctic Skua - 1 Christchurch Harbour
Roseate Tern - 2 Lodmoor

Sightings - Tuesday 3rd July 2012

Brent Goose - 2 over Radipole Lake
Manx Shearwater - 50 Portland Bill, 8 Durlston
Balearic Shearwater - 4 Portland Bill
Redshank - 6 Lodmoor

Sightings - Monday 2nd July 2012

Manx Shearwater - 150 past Durlston
Balearic Shearwater - 4 past Durlston, 1 past Mudeford Quay
Black Redstart - 3 Durlston

Sightings - Sunday 1st July 2012

Balearic Shearwater - 14 past Portland Bill
Arctic Skua 2 - past Portland Bill
Turtle Dove - 1 Forston
Black Redstart - 3 Durlston